Lives of Man.
December 10, 2009
Lives of Man: By Imam Abdullah al-Haddad.
(Supplemented by: Imam Al-Ghazaali’s “The Remembrance of Death & the Afterlife)
-Ustadh Usama Canon.
Five Stages of the Human Being: –12.04.09
1st Stage: Life before conception, the world of the spirit. “Alastu bi Rabbikum?”- Am I not your Lord?
When Allah azawajaal stood over all of the souls (which were to ever come into the world) which He made come out of Adam (as)’s back, He had them all before him and asked them to witness his Lordship over them.
( Negating & affirming, emptying & fulfilling)
2nd Stage : Life on Earth: a very small slice of your true LIFE. 5 stages, childhood, youth, adult, seniority, decriptude.
3rd Stage: the moment of death. Munkar wa Nakir, the questioning angels of the grave.
~! Malik, the guardian of Jahannam (who has a finger for every inhabitant of Hell) fears Munkar wa Nakir.
4th Stage: Yawmil Qiyamah: reunion of the soul & body.
Rasulullah salaalahu alaiyhe wasaalim: The final Prophet, the final chance, the Last opportunity.
When a man repeatedly asked the Prophet (s): When is the hour? His only answers was: What have u done to prepare for it?
Khawf: afraid of the unknown
Khashya: fear based in knowledge.
We should have khawf. ”I didnt want to put my foot down, bc I did not know if Allah is pleased with me.”
SubhanAllah the khawf in Him, the desire for His pleasure.
Have Khashya before giving into your Nafs-al Amara (Lowest Soul). And when you do give in to it, and are in a state of regret and repentance, remember abundantly His Rahma at the time you need it.
If u want to know how you’re going to die, just look at how you’re living.
The Day of panic, naked bodies running for shade. Prepare for it through Istighfaar, which should lead to Raja (hope).
‘You never seen a hearse pullin a Uhaul’
Nobody will get into Jannah through his deeds. But only by His mercy. ~! The Mercy of the All-Merciful, Most Merciful.
Ummati Ummati ya Ghafuur. Only Rasulullah alaiyhe salaam, will be calling out like this on the Day, not another Nabi will be.
The Pen, the first of creation, was told to write, “Write! Write of a disobedient nation, and a forgiving Lord.
…SubhanAllahu aleeul adheem. Ya Arhamir Raahimin.
If you have an inspiration to do a good deed & you don’t find proof for it in the Quran & Sunnah, it’s from Shaytan. You can’t make the haraam halal through intention!
Yawmil Qiyaamah: -12.05.09
——— The 7 pple who will be shaded on the day when no shade exists:
1. A just leader, the rulers are the mirror of the people, everybody is an Imam in some capacity, you are at least an Imam over your 7 limbs, your hands say to you every morning, ‘Oh servant of Allah, fear Allah.’ h/O Most of us are going to be an Imam of other people.
”A man is someone who gives more than they take & produces more than they consume.”
”Each of you is a shepherd & each of you will be asked about his flock.”:Hadith
2.Allah will judge u based upon how just you are. You prove that through how you treat those who are under you.
3.He will shade the one who grew up in the worship of Him. There are 3 things, loving Allah & His messenger more so than anything, loving another only for the sake of Allah, the 1 whose qalb is attached to the Masjid.
4. Two finite beings love 1 another for the sake of the Infinite, their love becomes infinite.
You love ALL Muslims for the sake of Allah, but that doesnt necessarily mean u have to be close with all of them, you should just love them.
Muhabbah will benefit w.o Iman, but Iman will not benefit w.o Muhabbah. You cannot benefit from Iman without knowing & experiencing Muhabbah. (We love them for their Imaan, whereas our Imaan expounds & expands through that love.)
In Jannah u will be with the 1 whom you love.
Look at all non Muslims as potential Muslims, & therefore love them accordingly.
5.A man who gets seduced by a woman, and says I am afraid of Allah, is saved from the Hell Fire.
6.A man who remembered Allah alone & his eyes overflowed with tears. The Prophet alaiyhe salaam wept so profusely during sajdah that he sounded like a pot boiling.
7.A man who concealed his charity so that his left hand did not know of his right. Give & dont worry about it, dont sit & calculate it. When you’re in a family whose not as practicing, when u become stronger in your deen and stray from their ways, then just make sure to have patience & adhaab with them, bc its a crucial point of proving yourself to them.
Allah attached His ridaa to the ridaa of your parents.
When the Prophet [saw] sent Mu’aadh Ibn Jabal to call people to Islam, he said to him: “Invite the people to Tawheed. Invite them to: Laa Ilaha IlAllah.”
“Every one of you will address their Lord, with no interpreter between the two. Allah [swt] will address the people. This is when the Judgement will occur. The saabiqoon will be at the forefront. These are the people who will not be judged. Allah [swt] will save them from the accounting. May Allah [swt] make us from amongst these people. Ameen.
In Surah Waqi’ah, Allah [swt] mentions the three types of people on the Day of Judgement:
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- As-saabiqoon: those in the forefront
- As-haab ul Ameen: the people of the right hand
- People of the left hand: Others will receive their book from the left hand, or behind the back. May Allah [swt] protect us from being amongst these people.
We understand what it means to have a “record”. We can understand what it means to be called to account, and have all of our deeds presented before us. But think about the Imaan the sahabah must have had in the accountability. See, people nowadays can record things on camera. They can record their good deeds (ex: helping the poor) or their sins (ex: drinking). So we are able to understand what it means when Allah [swt] tells us that our deeds- good and bad- will be shown to us. Think of a video presenting all your deeds to you. You can’t deny the deeds when they’re shown to you. You will be forced to admit them, even if your mouth lies and denies the sins. Each one of us will see our lives moment by moment. So do you have more certainty that the Creator will show you your deeds, or are you more confident in a video camera? SO KNOW AND BELIEVE THAT ALLAH [SWT] WILL SHOW YOU YOUR DEEDS ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT.
The Prophet [saw] said: “Protect yourself from the fire- even if it be with half of a date.”Someone asked Aisha [ra]: “Is there a reward for half of a date?” Aisha [ra]: “Think over how many atoms are in this date.” — Lesson: Do not belittle your deeds.
What has Allah hidden? Allah [swt] has hidden things from us, for our own good!
1. He has hidden Laylatul Qadr within the nights of Ramadan. Why has Allah [swt] hidden this day from us? There is wisdom in Him hiding it. If we knew what day Laylatul Qadr was (if it was DEFINITELY the 27th night of Ramadan) then we would only worship Him that night. But because the night is hidden, we are motivated to worship him every night- seeking the blessing of this night.
2. He hid the awliya (friends of Allah [swt]) amongst the creation.
- The Prophet [saw]- If Allah [swt] loves a servant, He says to Angel Jibra’eel: O Jibra’eel, I love so and so. So Jibra’eel announces in the heavens and the earth: Allah [swt] loves so and so. So on the earth love for him is written amongst the people. [Imam Maalik]
The people on earth love him, because Allah [swt] loves him. Think about it. This person fulfills his rights, is just, is kind to the people, etc. When you obey Allah [swt], you are good with the people. There is also a narration that states:
There are no forty people, except there will be an awliya amongst them.
Maybe someone amongst you is from the awliya. But you will never know for sure. Know that the awliya tend to know each another. So what’s the lesson? Don’t judge. He hid the awliya, so you don’t belittle people. You don’t know who is close to Allah [swt], and you don’t know who is praying Tahajjud in the middle of the night. Only that person, and Allah [swt] knows. Be worried about your individual relationship with Allah [swt].
Allah [swt] loved Sayidina ‘Umar [ra] even when he was worshipping idols. You see here that Allah [swt] is the only one worthy of judging because only He knows where we are at this moment, and where we will be in the end.
3. Allah [swt] has hidden His pleasure in good deeds. Allah swt is pleased with us when we do good deeds, but we don’t see his pleasure- so this motivates to do more, because WE DO NOT KNOW what Allah [swt] has accepted, and what he has not.
There was a prostitute who saw a thirsty dog. She took her shoes, put water in it, and gave it to the dog. The woman was granted Jannah. Allah’s pleasure was hidden in that good deed.
4. Allah [swt] hid His anger in the acts of disobedience. We don’t see Allah’s anger, when we disobey him! So there is time to repent. We are in a state of fear and hope- which we ought to be in.
There are a lot of ways to disobey Allah [swt]. He can forgive all, besides shirk. But there are some things for which Allah [swt]’s wrath will stay. Such as the following hadith:
Some of you will say a word, he doesn’t even realize it, but that ONE WORD will send him 70 years in the depths of the fire.
Hadith: The feet of a man will not move on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about:
- His youth, and how he spent it:
- Seven people are shaded on the Day of Judgment. One of these people is a youth who spent his youth worshipping Allah [swt]. Nowadays we have this idea of “teenagers”; and teenagers don’t have to be held accountable for anything. This is a modern idea. Kids are lazy, and think they’re not accountable for anything till their “adults”- till their 18. But in Islam, once you reach puberty, you’re held accountable.
- People say: After I get married, I’ll start living my life? But you have a life to live now, before you’re married. Live it for the sake of Allah [swt].
2. His life, and how he used it:
Remember that your lifespan is your capitol.
Hasan al Basri: O Son of Adam, you are but a number of days.
We have a beginning, we have a few days, and we have a end.
3. His wealth, how he earned it, and how he spent it:
Imam Ali said: Look at how wretched wealth is. You are accountable for your halaal wealth. And if you get it from a haraam source it is ‘iqaab. You are punished for it.
So either way- with wealth, its merely another burden on your back.
Allah [swt] says, in Surah Yaseen
“Today we’ll seal their mouth, and their hands will speak to us. And their feet will bear witness to what they used to do.”
A hadith mentions: Everybody is an imam over something. We are first imams of our limbs. So we LEAD our limbs to actions. We are accountable for the haraam we do. We were the imams of our actions, our limbs.
“Open your hands and close your mouth.” Don’t be just words, be action!
The earth is there to testify for us or against us. The earth praises Allah swt. The trees, the rocks- all the inanimate objects. The earth is happy when we praise Allah swt on it. It is unhappy when we disobey Allah swt on it. The earth is happy when we make sajdah on it.
Some of the salaf- if they did bad deeds in a ceratin place, they would go back and do a good deed in the same place, so the earth does not testify against them, but in favor of them.
On the Day of Judgment, we will ask our skins- why are you speaking against me? How can our skin possibly speak? The unimaginable will happen on that Day.
Hadith: Allah [swt] will ask a person about their sins. And the person will keep confessing his sins until he feels lost. Then Allah [swt] says: I covered your sins on the earth and I will cover them on this Day.
Allah [swt] will even veil the angels from your sins, if he chooses.
Repentance: You have to have a good opinion of Allah [swt]. He wants you to repent. He doesn’t want to hold you to account for you sins. So repent. He is happiest when his servants repent.
The most distressing time is when Allah [swt] tells the fire to come forth. The people will fall to their knees when they hear/see the fire. Even the messengers of Allah [swt] will be scared.
The fire has been ordered to obey the Prophet [saw]. Every creature is given its due.
We do not believe that justice will be apportioned in this world. There will be no ultimate justice on this earth. Ultimate justice will be manifested on the Day of Judgment, as Allah [swt] is the most Merciful. Allah [swt] says: Become dust to the animals. And then the kaafir will say: O how I wish I was dust.
Abu Bakr [ra] would say: ‘I wish I was created a rock’ Why? Because of how much he feared the Day of Judgment and having to stand before Allah [swt].
Anybody that goes to the fire, he goes there because of God’s Justice. Anybody who goes to the Jannah, they will go there because of Allah [swt]’s mercy. We don’t hope for justice though, we hope for Allah’s mercy. ————–
Hell-fire
Umar [ra]: If everybody was going to paradise except for one person I would think that one person would be me. If I knew only one person was going to Jannah, I would hope that one person was me.
Subhan Allah. He had the perfect balance of hope and fear!
People- be like the earth. It will be more pleasing to Allah [swt]. Be humble. If you think anyone is worse than you, then you have KIBR.
With Allah [swt], we only know what we have done; we don’t know what others have done.
Paradise
There will be gardens underneath which rivers flow. Those who have taqwa are driven to the gardens in groups. These people will say: Alhamdulilah to He who has given us what he has promised us, and has let us inherit the earth.
[Surah 33-75?]
What is paradise?
Jannah; it is all that which no eye has ever seen, that which no ear has ever heard. Imagine what could be in paradise, imagine right now. Now erase that, bc it is greater than that.
Subhan Allah. May Allah [swt] make us amongst the dwellers of Paradise.
Allah [swt] connects his “masheeha” to your “iraada”.
Ma-she-haa is His Will. This is where the word “Mashallah (whatever Allah wills)” derives from.
Iraada is desire. **So Allah [swt] WILLS whatever you DESIRE, in Jannah.
There are levels in Paradise, and the highest level in Paradise is Jannatul Firdaws.
Imam al-Ghazaali: The reason Allah [swt] talks about worldly, sensual pleasures in the Qur’aan is because these are things we can relate to. Otherwise, we would have no other means by which to imagine, comprehend Jannah.
What is the height of Paradise? Seeing Allah azawajaal.
You think of eyes when you think of seeing. You think you’re going to see Allah [swt] with your eyes? Eyes can not encompass Allah [swt]. You’ll see Allah [swt] with your entire being. You see Allah [swt] on that day with every atom of your being.
There are people who see Allah [swt] once in Jannah, and some people see him once a year. And there are people who see him once a week. Some people see Allah [swt] constantly forever more. This is terms of eternity though!
Our responsibility is to be upright. You do your duty, and let Allah [swt] -your Master will do His job.
How do we love Allah [swt]?
By Allah, the beloved is not mentioned in a gathering, except that the lover is overwhelmed by his mention. This is how you know you love Rasulullah [saw]. You would be overwhelmed when his name is mentioned!
The greatest sign of love is you follow his example. Lovers obey their beloved.
You claim to love Allah swt, yet you disobey Him.
If you want to stop sinning. Just stop. STOP it. Don’t think too deeply into what should I do, how do I do it…what if I do it again? Just stop, and start from there.
Allah [swt] is not rushing to take us to account. The angel on the left shoulder waits 6 hours before writing the bad deed. Waiting for what? Your repentance!
Alhamdulilah, Allah swt did not give disobedience a smell. For how badly would our sins smell then? Who would be able to be around us? This would be as they would call it: When shit hits the fan- Sin will smell.
If you’re in a situation where you know you need to be doing better, think of fear. Fear Allah [swt]. Allah [swt] will be patient. He IS the Most Patient.
Alhaumma salli ‘alaa Muhammad wa ‘alaa alihi Muhammad.
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