Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings to our Master Muhammad, the Faithful and the Honest. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us, You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants.
I discussed man's basic motivations in many previous lessons. The first motivation is for food and drink to preserve his existence. The second motivation is for mating which is fulfilled after man gains a certain certificate and gets a job. Both male and female need to fulfill this motivation, and get married to an honest and truthful spouse so that to preserve their race.
As I have just mentioned, the second motivation of man is to get married to a believing woman who pleases him if he looks at her, preserves his honor if he is not at home and obeys him if he asks her for something.
In addition to the motivation to preserve his existence by eating and drinking and the motivation to preserve his race by getting married, there is one more motivation, which is man's need for self-assertion by striving to be outstanding and have a good reputation. This motivation is fulfilled by striving to become the top doctor, the best Da'iyah (Islamic Missioner), the best engineer, the best businessman and so on. In this regard, there are about 40 Ahadeeth, most of which start with the clause, "the best among you...". Let me mention the Hadith that I mentioned in a previous lesson.
(( ('Uthmān reported Allah's Messenger as saying, "The best among you is he who learns and teaches the Qur'ān.") ))
Here is another Hadith:
(( (Abū Sa'id reported Allah's messenger as stating, "Allah who is blessed and exalted says, 'To him who is so occupied with the Qur'ān as to neglect making mention of me and making request of me I will give the most excellent things I give to those who ask.' The superiority of Allah's Words over all other words is like Allah's Superiority over His creatures.") ))
Accordingly, "The best among you is he who learns and teaches the Qur'an", because "the superiority of Allah's Words over all other words is like Allah's Superiority over His creatures." There is a huge difference between Allah's Words and all others' words.
In fact the motivation to assert one's own self is essential.
Allah's Divine Signs indicate His Greatness
Pay attention to the following Ayah, please:
﴾ (And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge.) ﴿
The means that refer to Allah's Greatness are His Divine Signs, and here is the Ayah that indicates this point:
﴾ (These are the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.) of Allah, which We recite to you (O Muhammad PBUH) with truth. Then in which speech after Allah and His Ayat will they believe?) ﴿
Allah's Divine Signs are the only effective means through which you can know Allah the Almighty.
Dear noble brothers, these means are several, some of them are Allah's Creations and the other ones are Allah's Actions. Allah's Divine Signs in the universe indicate His Greatness, and they require reflection:
﴾ (Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding* Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.) ﴿
[ [Aal-'Imran, 190-191] ]
Allah's Divine Signs in His Creations need reflection and the Divine Signs in His Actions need looking with understanding:
﴾ (Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "Travel in the land and see what was the end of those who rejected truth.") ﴿
﴾ (Say: "Travel in the land and see how (Allah) originated creation, and then Allah will bring forth (resurrect) the creation of the Hereafter (i.e. resurrection after death). Verily, Allah is Able to do all things.") ﴿
Allah the almighty asks us to see His Actions.
We are required to reflect on Allah's Creations, see Allah's Actions and ponder over His Words (the Noble Quran). This is what religion is about; it is to know Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (No vision can grasp Him, but His Grasp is over all vision. He is the Most Subtle and Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things.) ﴿
"No vision can grasp Him", but we can reach Him with our mind. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ ("You cannot see Me...) ﴿
Allah's Promises are not fulfilled due to our weak faith
There are about one billion believing Muslims who pray, but why are the Promises of Allah not fulfilled? Where is the Divine Victory? Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).) ﴿
Have we been made successors? No, by Allah, we have not. Have we been granted the authority to practise our religion? No, by Allah, we have not. A third world war has been launched against Islam in the five continents, which means there is a serious problem in our faith.
Islam is individual and collective
There are individual level of Islam and collective level of Islam, and my words are very accurate. Someone may ask, "Is it my fault if the world does not want Islam to be established? Is it my fault if people seek money, luxury life, cars, mansions, huge incomes, satellite channels and so on? Is it my fault if people do not want to establish Islam? The exact answer: Simply, there are an individual level of Islam and a collective level of Islam.
The individual Islam means the number of the people you have full control over. How many people are they? Well, only you. It is up to you to pray or not, to be honest or dishonest, to make your living legally by selling people lawful products or illegally by cheating them.
It is permitted to add three per thousand carcinogenic substances to some products, but some people add three percent making the carcinogenic substances ten times higher. Unfortunately, sodium benzoate is added in high percentage to foodstuffs, while only three per thousand of this substance is allowed to be added in food industry all over world.
Whoever causes harm to others with this substance is oblivious to the fact that Islam is not only about Sawm (fasting), Salah (prayer), Hajj (pilgrimage) and Zakat (giving alms) like what most people mistakenly think. By Allah, I do not exaggerate when I say that Islam contains about 50.000 items, including your earning, your spending, and your relations with your neighbors, your wife, your children, your father-in-law, your relatives, and your customer.
In fact, Islam is a detailed way of life that begins with the most private issue in man's life, which is his marital relation, and ends with the international relations. This is a serious fact.
As you know, to be able to be called a doctor, you have to spend many years of your life studying hard, but at the end you will die, and so you will be called the deceased. You are no more Dr. so and so. Death ends everything, as it ends the power of the strong, the weakness of the weak, the attraction of the handsome, the ugliness of the ugly, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the stupidity of the stupid. It ends everything, turning man into a corpse.
While I was in my journey from Tunisia to Syria, I saw the coffin of someone being transported from Tunisia to Damascus and his relatives were busy with the paperwork. He used to be someone with a first class seat, but then he was transported inside a coffin to his home country after his relatives got the approval to do so! Death is a serious matter. By Allah, dear brothers, if you do not consider death in your daily activities, you will not be able to be steadfast.
Islam is badly stereotyped in media
"The life of the world is sweet and green" in the sense that it seduces people with its adornments and so does the media. You may watch an indecent film on TV more than once, and this is the purpose of the production company.
In fact, the west has defeated us with the image they present to others and not with the word. To elaborate, you will watch a film on T.V that does not talk about religion, but it gives hidden messages about it. It shows you a palace of 500 meters, where there are luxurious chandeliers, Persian carpets, Italian furniture, and Italian tiles. It is a great mansion where there is even a bar, and it has a garage where there are three modern cars. The wife of this mansion's owner welcomes her husband's friends in his absence as if there is nothing wrong with that. Furthermore, all aspects of moral deviation are presented in this great mansion with no criticism. On the other hand, this film shows you that the religiously committed man is narrow-minded, which is not true. It also shows you that his wife weighs about 150 kilos, his children are neglected by their mother, and they spend most of their time playing in the neighborhood. It shows you the ugliest image of religion, whereas it presents the most attractive image of moral deviation.
Religion is power, understanding, wisdom, happiness, a sincere piece of advice, and intelligence, so if the believing Muslim is not on a high level of religious knowledge, no one responds to his Da'wah (calling people to Allah).
A war against Islam has been launched
Let me tell you something, and accept it from me, please: There is a third world war against Islam. This is the bitter truth; a war all over the world, including the five continents, has been launched against Islam. They cannot stop the construction of Masajid, but they have stopped the Islamic education in these Masajid.
There are still people who believe in Darwin's theory On the Origin of Species in which he claims that man is originally an ape. Once I told my students at the university, "I believe in Darwin's theory." They were stunned, so they say, "Has our Sheikh become a disbeliever?!" I told them, "No, I have not. I believe in the contrary; man is originally a human being, but he has turned into an ape." This is what Allah the Almighty says in the following Ayaat:
﴾ (And indeed you knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday). We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected.") ﴿
﴾ (So when they exceeded the limits of what they were prohibited, We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected." ) ﴿
﴾ (Say (O Muhammad PBUH to the people of the Scripture): "Shall I inform you of something worse than that, regarding the recompense from Allah: those (Jews) who incurred the Curse of Allah and His Wrath, those of whom (some) He transformed into monkeys and swines, those who worshipped Taghut (false deities); such are worse in rank (on the Day of Resurrection in the Hell-fire), and far more astray from the Right Path (in the life of this world).") ﴿
The Jews were transformed into monkeys and pigs, but how about people nowadays? How have they become pigs and monkeys? Well, they have not become like that in their bodies but rather in their manners. In other words, the monkey's main concern is filling his stomach with food, and the pig's main concern is fulfilling his lust. Likewise, people are after filling their stomachs and fulfilling their lusts. All advanced industry, progress and wealth aim at filling the stomachs and fulfilling lusts. This is the bitter truth. Yet, there is still hope in the young generation who are sitting before me. Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( (The Noble Prophet said: "I wish I could see my brothers, (the Companions said): "Are not we your brothers O Prophet of Allah?" He replied: "No, you are my Companions. My brothers are those who come after me and believe in me without seeing me. You have many supports for doing good deeds and they have many supports for doing evil.) ))
(( (Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "There shall come upon the people a time in which the one who is patient upon his religion will be like the one holding onto a burning ember.") ))
How many houses are there around this Masjid? There are many, but the critical question is: How many people come from their houses to pray al-Fajr in this Masjid? There are about 5.000 people who live in the neighborhood of this Masjid, but only few of them come to pray in it, right? The Hadith is clear concerning Salah:
(( (Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Were people to know the blessing of pronouncing Adhan and the standing in the first row, they would even draw lots to secure these privileges. And were they to realize the reward of performing Salat early, they would race for it; and were they to know the merits of Salat after nightfall ('Isha') and the dawn (Fajr) Salat, they would come to them even if they had to crawl.) ))
Unless we disbelieve in the west, we are not believers
Dear noble brothers, I would like to reassure the attendants. We have individual Islam and collective Islam. The individual Islam includes yourself in the sense that it is up to you to pray or not, to be honest or dishonest, to sell the goods to costumers admitting they are made in China, or to cheat them claiming that the goods are made in Germany.
I have a brother I respect a lot. He sells spare parts for the most luxurious car, and once he said to me, "I have a spare part that costs about 20.000 Liras [the dollar at that time used to equal one Syrian Liras]. For five years no one has asked for this spare part, so I decided to put it on a high roof and forgot about it. However, one day someone came to me and asked, 'Is this spare part original?' I said, 'No, it is not.' He said, 'I need it, please.'" If my friend had said to that man, "It is original", he would have committed a sin and would have got unlawful money from that man. This is how religion is established.
If you sit alone at home and opposite to your sitting room a woman shows up in her balcony wearing indecent clothes, you may stare at her since she does not see you and since no one know what you are doing and at whom you are staring. Yet, as a believer, you will never ever do that. Pay attention to the following Ahdeeth, please:
(( (Fearing Allah is above all wisdom, and piety is the leader of all deeds.) ))
(( (He who does not have piety that repels him from disobeying Allah when being alone, Allah does not care about the rest of his deeds) ))
[ [Musnad Ash-Shihab, on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik] ]
Establishing religion is a critical issue, and man should understand what it really means. Some Muslims say that Islam is but culture, which is incorrect. Islam is a Divine Revelation.
In life, there is the muddy soil of interests and lusts, and there is the Divine revelation. For example, the west is able to save the blood of millions by placing one phone call, yet, they don't do that until a million Muslims are killed and half a million are disabled. Only then they will make such a call.
If you do not stop believing in the West, you will not believe in Allah. The West is very clever, for they achieve all their goals by using all peoples for their own interest. For instance, they refuse to give you the way of making a certain material, because they want Muslims to be consumers rather than producers. They respect the consumers, but they disrespect the producers. There are many examples of this fact; one of them is the monopoly of the industry. This phone may cost, for example, five dollars, but it is sold for 1000 dollars.
Huge profits are made in industry business, but unfortunately, we are consuming industrial products of others, and we are consumed by the industrial west. Furthermore, our money and our selves are being consumed. In fact, all the countries of the third world are consuming countries. Do you know how much a spare part of a plane costs? It costs millions, and without it the plane stops flying. The west is the manufacturer of such spare parts, and this is how they keep control over other countries.
While I was in America, I went to a car manufacturing factory. Someone said to me, "This is the cheapest car in America, but its spare parts may cost 300 times of its price. They are cunning and they have no morals while dealing with others, so we should know this truth about them.
Man's success lies in choosing a proper craft and a good wife
When I see the production of a factory owner, I get delighted, and I do admire such a local production which supports our economy.
I like the businessmen who are honest with people and deal with them without cheating. If you want to get a job, choose a profession that makes you give others more than taking from them. There are many professions that make man give others legally, and teaching is the greatest profession among them. Pay attention to the following Ahadeeth, please:
(( (Abdallah bin Amr told of Allah's Messenger coming upon two groups in his Masjid and saying, "They are both engaged in what is good, but one of them is superior to the other. These ones are praying and supplicating Allah who, if He wills, may answer their prayers but, if He wills, may refuse them. Those ones are learning knowledge and teaching the ignorant, so they are superior. I was sent only as a teacher." He then sat down among them.) ))
[ (Imam Malik narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Verily I have been sent as a teacher.") ]
(( (I was sent (by Allah) to perfect the sublime manners) ))
There are critical choices you should make properly in your life, the most important of which is choosing your profession and choosing your wife. Hence, success, dear young men, lies in choosing the righteous wife who helps you in fulfilling your religious duties and who is obedient to you. Many domestic conflicts and serious problems occur due to choosing a bad wife. Therefore, make a right choice when it comes to getting married. The wife should be a believing and faithful woman.
The other decisive choice is your profession or craft. I know a man whose job does not please Allah the Almighty, and he keeps saying to me, "I cannot pray submissively, because I know that Allah is not pleased with my job."
I repeat; the most two important things in your life are your job and your wife. Thus, your success lies in choosing your wife and job wisely. As for professions, teaching is one of the greatest professions although the income of the teacher is limited. If you know the great reward form Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, for this honorable profession, you will appreciate it.
Let me clarify how great teaching is in Allah's Sight and how great the reward you will receive from Him is, by giving you this example. If a king asks a teacher to give his son lessons, and the teacher gives the son 10 lessons and asks for 10.000 for them, he will be considered a fool, because the king intends to give him a house and a car. Much in the same line, when you specify the reward you want for your good deeds, you will be disdained in Allah's Sight.
Dear noble brothers, we will continue next time we meet Insha' Allah. I do not want to miss any lesson, and I do care about giving these lessons very much. I told you previously, and I would like to repeat what I said: Whenever I am in Amman, I will come to this Masjid and give you a lesson Insha' Allah. If I cannot do this, I will definitely let you know two weeks before the lesson.
We will go on with our lessons in this Masjid Insha' Allah, for these lessons are our provision before Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, in the Hereafter.
