[Music]
ald
m
mam
all prais is due to
Allah we praise
him we ask Allah's assistance and we
seek Allah's
forgiveness and we seek Refuge with
Allah from the evil within our souls and
the consequences of our bad
Deeds whomsoever Allah guides no one can
lead
astray and whomsoever Allah allows to go
astray because they do not want any
guidance that no one can
guide and I bear witness as you bear
witness that there's no deity worthy of
worship except Allah alone with no
partners and our bear witness that
Muhammad sallallah alaihi wasallam is a
slave and his messenger may Allah exalt
his mention Grant him peace and send his
blessings upon Him upon his companions
his wives and all those who follow them
on the path of righteousness until the
end of
time all you who have
believed be mindful of Allah and fear
him the way he deserves it and do not
die except in the state of Islam or
submission oh mankind fear your lord who
created you from a single soul Adam our
father and from him he created his
spouse his partner Eve and from them he
dispersed many men and women upon Earth
ourselves those who came before us and
those who will come after us us and fear
Allah to whom you demand your Mutual
rights and keep the kinship ties or
reverence the wombs that bore you verely
Allah is ever watchful over you all you
have believed fear Allah and say that
which is correct and
straight Allah will Rectify your Deeds
your Affairs and will forgive you your
sins and whosoever obeys Allah and his
messenger has attained the greatest
success as to what follows barely the
most truthful speech is the Quran the
book of Allah and the best way of life
and the best guidance and the best
example to be followed is that of our
Prophet Muhammad sallallah alaihi
wasallam and the worst of Affairs are
the ones which we introduce into this
Dean of ours because every newly
introduced matter is an innovation and
every Innovation will lead astray and
whatever is astray will wind up in the
Hellfire when we say that we believe in
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Brothers in
Islam we must do so according to what
has been
revealed because you will find that a
main point of distinction between the
teachings of Islam and the teaching of
other faiths or religions or ideologies
or
philosophies is that most of the time
what they believe about God is what is
suitable for
them it's a customized
deity they add and
delete and they increase and decrease as
they see fit so it's more like they have
created their own God as opposed to
believ in that God created
them however when we come to Islam we
find that this door has been closed
completely everything that you and I
need to know about Allah Asel has been
revealed
explicitly there's no ambiguity there's
no confusion and there's is no chaos in
what we
believe we believe in the names and
attributes of Allah because Allah has
names which we call on him by and he has
attributes which we believe in that have
an effect on us in our
lives and it is not for a Believer to
follow the way of other religions by
rejecting anything which Allah described
himself
with I'm saying this
because there's a quality of Allah
Asel which we should believe in as
Believers and
sadly as I address you at the
moment the number of Muslims around the
world who don't believe in this
attribute are
many and I'm glad and I hope that you
don't know
them but the truth of the matter is we
have many denominations Nations that
came into
Islam and caused division within the
ranks of the
Muslims because of people reverting from
some other religion so they brought with
them their previous belief system and
they tried to integrate it with the
Islamic one and so we came up with many
different Creeds that Muslims believe in
that were not known at the time of
the the sahab believe the same thing
nowadays We Believe many
things however the only option we have
which will guarantee
salvation on and before that in this dun
is following strictly the footsteps of
the sahabah in terms of what they
believed in terms of how they conducted
themselves in terms of their Iman in
terms of the application of Islam and
all the things which you can think of
that you know about the sahabah we have
to to the best of our ability because
we're far away from being like them to
emulate them in order to attain
success so what is that quality that
someone denies or some Muslims deny the
quality of
Love does Allah
love subhanahu wa ta'ala does Allah love
certain people
or does Allah love certain
qualities or does Allah love certain
places
indeed while some claim that this is a
quality of
weakness they say that it's it's weak to
love love is a sign of weakness and
Allah is is strong and and Beyond being
weak so it cannot be that Allah loves
because we are attributing to Allah a
quality that doesn't be his
majesty and you can't help but Wonder
whether these individuals ever read the
book of Allah which is full of the aat
speaking about love and so same goes
with the Sunnah of the
Prophet The Other
Extreme is the one that is propagated by
different religions that God or Allah
should be all
love you hear the common you know
Christian may come and say to you even
though he doesn't know you says Jesus
loves you
did he tell you
that from from where did you get that on
what basis are you telling me what how
Jesus feels oh be so you know Jesus is
God and and he loves everyone God is
love fine do you believe in the
Hellfire yes so who is it
for who is the Hellfire
for if God loves everyone why did he
create the Hellfire and why would he
place people in there to burn
eternally where's the love there so we
have to understand that this idea that
Allah loves everyone because they all
his creatures is incorrect El is one of
the creatures of
Allah and we know that he's the enemy of
Allah so we have a moderate approach to
the concept of love love is equality
which Allah possesses Allah has and it's
a quality which we have to acquire as
Believers we have to do certain things
or have particular qualities which will
bring about Allah's love and this is the
subject of
the what are the things or the qualities
which Allah loves and do we have
them in case we don't have them
alhamdulillah we can start working on it
now that we're
alive and Allah has decreed that this
event takes place and that these
reminders are brought to our attention
including myself it's an opportunity to
try once again to become better Muslims
so we can attain Allah's
love because there's nothing more
valuable in this whole entire world than
being loved by
Allah forget about being loved by your
spouse and by your boss
and by your colleagues and by your
friends and even by your
parents if everybody on Earth loved one
of us and then we W up in the Hellfire
this love will not be able to do
anything in regards to minimizing or
decreasing the punishment in
hell that love will not save someone
from the punishment of
Allah that love will not intercede for
anyone on however if Allah loved the
person then if even if the whole of
mankind conspired against this person in
an attempt to make him to go to the
Hellfire and Allah loves this person had
decreed that he will not enter the
Hellfire no one will be able to change
that
on so what else do we
want
nothing once we acquire the love of
Allah everything else is easy and
insignificant
so what are the
qualities we have to read the
Quran Allah mentioned in numerous
aat the
verb because the noun is or the
adjective as well and the verb
is of course in in the Arabic grammar it
gets more complicated that's not the
time to explain but whenever you read in
the book of Allah and you read the term
know that it's saying verely Allah
loves so the first Ayah which Allah
mentions or the first Ayah which I will
quote from among those which I mention
is the statement of
Allah this is a verb it's a command it's
an imperative sentence andan is usually
translated as good but that's not good
enough the actual translation is
Excellence is Excellence so Excel
meaning go to the top do the best which
is within your
ability and what is the end result
verely Allah loves those who
Excel is explained by the scholars as
being three things
primarily
to spend from what Allah has given you
not necessarily
money anything which Allah gave you
position status you respected in your
community anything which you can do to
help
Muslims in whatever skills Allah gave
you that he did not give other people
then you utilize them in the service of
Islam and the Muslims this is the
concept
of
secondly avoiding
harm don't harm the Muslims don't harm
your
brothers don't backbite don't gossip
don't spread mischief and the list goes
on avoiding harm and
lastly
smiling when you see your brothers in
faith you
smile smile is is something that is
often on your face now there are times
of seriousness
like this is for example in instance
when the prophet sallu alaih wasallam as
as was described
by that on when the messenger of Allah
would deliver the sermon his voice will
get loud and his eyes will get red and
he will become angry as if he is a
general in the Army warning his soldiers
against being attacked this is the
context of J because people have the
tendency to fall
asleep people have the tendency to relax
and if the addresses them in a soft
manner then this will make matters worse
and some people don't come to any Salah
anyways except on J they don't listen to
any lectures except on J the only time
you have an opportunity to get to this
segment of people is on this is the time
for the wakeup
call otherwise smiling this isan in
regards to what in regards to the
creatures but the realan is explained by
the prophet sallam when he said when
asked
him to worship Allah as if you can see
him and of course we know no one can see
Allah in the
dun waala the sight cannot Encompass
Allah the Believers will see Allah in
the life to come but in this dun it
cannot happen even
m m with his with his status amongst The
Messengers from from the five Mighty
Messengers he asked Allah to see him in
the
D he said my Lord allow me to to to
glare at
you Allah said you will not be able to
see me so no one can see Allah in the
dun so what is the concept of worshiping
Allah as if you can see him this is why
it says as
if and the scar is explain it as the
first level
ofan that the the first one in terms of
being the best meaning you have such
desire such love in worshiping Allah it
is as if you are there it is as if you
are looking Allah looking at Allah doing
the right in front of him how would you
do
it right now we believe Allah sees us
even though we don't see Allah but if we
were to see Allah in front of our eyes
what kind of Salah would you make if you
were to pray before Allah and you're
looking at Allah subhana wa tala do you
think you'll be able to scratch the
whole time in the Salah and and get busy
with whatever people do nowadays no you
you'll have the best Salah in your life
this is the concept and that's why we
can attain Ain this level without having
to see
Allah but if we're unable to which is
the sad
State then you and I should know that
Allah sees
us I'll give you a worldly
example two
employees hired by two different
companies each one of them has his own
room and both are given a job to do that
requires dedication and effort and so on
and so forth one one office has a camera
surveillance camera that the employee
can see and that camera has a television
screen that is viewed by his mud in the
main
office the other one does not have a
camera you will find that if you were to
be in that predicament you would do a
better
job and you will be more efficient when
you know that the camera is looking
because you know you can't have a
personal phone call nor can you put your
feet on the desk nor can you just hang
out or fall asleep because you're
worried that the boss will see you and
if he sees you you're
out but when there's no camera you may
take a short nap or spend your time
chatting or do something else until the
mud comes in then you fix yourself up
quickly
this is the idea this is human being why
because the concept of being monitored
will will affect us we we have to behave
a certain
way and to Allah belongs the best
example so when we keep in mind that
Allah sees
us we can't go anywhere even if you are
behind closed
doors even if no one can see you once
you want to start that computer or that
TV or that whatever thing you were about
to watch and you remember that Allah is
watching you you will feel
ashamed you will lower your gaze when a
woman goes by or when it come if it's on
TV or something even though no one is
there why because you know Allah sees
you this quality if is missing if it's
missing then there's nothing that he can
do for one of us it becomes like a
hopeless
case but this isan which Allah
loves so the question which we should
ask ourselves are we from
the do can one of us say yes I am from
the if so
congratulations alhamdulillah big from
Allah if not then we don't Despair and
we work on rectifying our condition so
we can reach that level the second
Ayah is the statement of
Allah
very Allah loves those who often repent
and he loves those who purify
themselves and the Ayah is miraculous in
a sense that it deals with external and
internal
purification Allah loves the is an
action of the
heart and those who purify themselves
when you go to the
bathroom and you use the bathroom then
you actually you wash your hands or even
the orar in the bathroom this is an act
which is beloved to Allah because it
falls under
purification when you clean yourself
Allah loves it when you make wo Allah
loves it when you smell nice Allah loves
it this is why it is according to many
of the obligatory on the Muslim male to
shower before he comes
for he must shower because if you come
straight from work and you smell bad cuz
you've been working and it's hot then
you will harm everyone around you
including the
Mala and there's nothing more repulsive
than someone walking by and then you
have to go like this
afterwards and this is equality which
Allah hates because Allah loves those
who do the opposite of that those who
claim
themselves who look after themselves
that's how the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam used to be his his sweat was
perfume this is how good he
SP so this is the minimum requirement
for J to dress for the occasion to
distinguish this day from other days so
that we know it's a j we feel it's a
different day we don't treat it like any
other day or any other Salah Allah loves
the
we
have we have and we
have TBA is
repentance is someone who repented could
be two years ago it could be something
that he does
occasionally is someone who always often
consistently
repents it's called in
Arabic it's a form of EX eration or
hyperbole when you do something
consistently that's why when someone is
a big liar he always lied they
say you can
say he's a li he
lied he's he's someone who's a repulsive
liar he's always
lying is someone who's always repenting
why why would someone be always
repenting because we're always
sinning does that mean that we should
sin all all the time and do TBA or does
it mean that we shouldn't sin to begin
with we should not sin to begin with and
that person is more beloved to Allah
than the one who sins and falls and then
repents but the the beautiful thing
about Islam is that when one of us
sins when one of us sins and no one
knows about the sin you don't have to go
confess to
anyone and you don't have to expose
yourselves before the people
and you don't have to wait for some
other person to forgive you if it's the
sin is between you and Allah then
between you and Allah you repent and
Allah will forgive that
sin as it comes in aith
on theel will bring the believer near to
him and he will remind him ya fan you
did this and you did that and you did
this and you did that and Allah will
enumerate the sins of the person and
then that believer will admit and
confess yes I have done so I have
committed these sins of Allah so Allah
will say to that person I have concealed
them for you in the dun and I shall
forgive you in regards to them today we
ask Allah to make us among those and
that is the importance of repenting to
Allah without publicizing our sins
that's why we have to avoid the public
sins avoid the sins which are done
publicly because these ones will Ex
screed us from this particular Hadith we
have to keep it a secret between us and
Allah is a command given by
Allah and repent to Allah all of you
those who have believed perhaps you may
attain
success quickly Toba has conditions
because some of us have a misconception
says
okay I'm
done this is not Toba
this is an expression TBA has
conditions number one it has to be for
the sake of
Allah if you smoke cigarettes or
something and then you go to a doctor
and the doctor says you have to quit
smoking otherwise you will get cancer
and die and then you stop smoking to
preserve your life you did not do Toba
for Allah you did Toba for your life you
have to quit it for the sake of Allah
number two we have to feel regretful and
remorseful and guilty over the sin we
have to feel bad if we don't feel bad it
means we don't have a heart that is
alive anymore number three we should
leave that sin alone whatever it is and
if it's an obligation which we have not
been fulfilling we have to fulfill it
number four we have to have the
intention never to return to it again no
short-term Toba or part-time TBA or
vacational TBA as it is in the case with
those who are called Ramadan
they only repent in the month of Ramadan
then when Ramadan ends for the next 11
months they're back in the same old
business then Ramadan comes they repent
again this is not acceptable in theide
of Allah when one of us leaves the sin
he has to leave it leave it permanently
now one may fall back into that sin
that's a different story as long as at
the time of TBA the Nia was not to go
back to it again fifthly it has to be
done before one of us dies or before the
sun rises from where it sets which is
the end of time these are the conditions
of TBA which we should have for every
single sin so the question is are we
actually fulfilling the conditions of
Toba to attain Allah's love this is a
question which we should ask ourselves
as well and in the second we will
discuss the last
quality
frankly the ayat are are too many to
enumerate but we will conclude inshallah
with one more Ayah and that Ayah
actually encompasses all of the other
ayat and it IT addresses them as well
even if we don't give them their own
mention and that Ayah is the one which
which we should memorize because it has
to do with the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam and it is none but the
statement of
Allah
say meaning Allah is telling the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam to say to
people Muslims and
non-muslims those who are during his
time and those who will come towards the
end of time say if you truly love Allah
then follow me meaning the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam Allah will
love you and will forgive you your sin
and verely Allah is the most forgiven
most
merciful in this particular Ayah we
learn that the the
claim the claim that we love Allah has
to be substantiated by an action because
people are very good in claiming anyone
can tell you that I can do anything but
you really know whether that person is
capable or not when the time comes for
that
performance when the time comes to prove
it so you ask any believer do you love
Allah no one will say No in fact if he
were to say no he would leave Islam so
naturally when you say you love Allah
yes of course but Allah challenged Us in
this Ayah that that claim has to be
proven if you truly love Allah then
follow the prophet sallallah alaihi
wasallam what is the result Allah will
love you I mean that the Ayah began by
us trying to prove that we love Allah
and the result is that Allah will love
us if one of us loves Allah that's not a
big deal cuz we are worthless slaves of
Allah and Allah is the Majestic so it's
it's normal but when Allah The Majestic
loves a slave of his that's a big deal
so the the result of that is that Allah
will love one of us how by following the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
alhamdulillah everything we need to know
about the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam has been conveyed to us
anything which will get us close closer
to Allah has already been
taught so why is it that Muslims
continue to turn away from the Sunnah of
the prophet sallallah wasam and favor
over him other people and other thinkers
and other philosophers and other doctors
and other I don't know
what seems that we want to follow
everyone but the messenger of Allah
sallallahu alaihi
wasallam and this is by the way why we
are where we are today this is why the
umah is suffering this is why we need a
lot to go back to what we used to be
upon before this is why we've been
humiliated by our enemies this is why
all of the calamities have befallen us
because we have turned away from the way
of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam his way was the successful way
which Allah revealed and therefore Allah
granted him the sahab
success and that requires a lecture of
its
own but the time doesn't allow I will
conclude by quoting a Hadith
which inshallah should serve as an
encouragement for each and every one of
us to attain these qualities which Allah
loves and a Hadith which is collected
byari and narrated
by he said that the prophet sallam
[Applause]
said if Allah loves a slave of his then
Allah will call on jiel you all know
jiel and he will tell him verely I love
fulan fulan means ex person meaning you
or you or you whatever your name is
Allah will call on by the name of that
person telling jbel I love such person
so you love him then jiel will love that
person so Allah loves that person then
jiel will love that person then jiel
will call on to Mala the inhabitants of
the sky and he will say verely Allah
loves that person so you love him then
all of the Mala will love that
person then Allah will place love and
acceptance for that person on
Earth can you imagine that Allah loves
you and his and J loves you and the Mala
love you and all the righteous people
love you what else do you
want isn't this worth striving for until
we die isn't this the ultimate objective
in life to be able to enter
Paradise
absolutely but the Hadith continues the
Hadith continues by stating and if Allah
hates a slave of his he will also call
him jbel and he will tell him that he
hates that person so jiel will hate him
then the Mala will hate him then Allah
will put hatred for him on Earth
conclusion you're sitting here now
you're one of these
two you're one of these two either Allah
has already stated to jiel that he loves
you and so therefore all of the Mala
including J love you or the other way
around and brothers and sisters we
cannot afford we cannot afford to be the
second wall even if you are the most
well the wealthiest person and the most
prestigious person and the one with the
most qualifications and you have all of
the dun with you if you don't have that
first quality it will not benefit you
with anything
on but you could be barely surviving
barely making ends meat don't have
enough
salary struggling every month sending
the money back home to your family you
don't get to eat properly yet you are
from the First wall no one is better
than you no one is better than
you so from
today we have to realize what is it that
we're missing out on and where do we
stand in regards to the love of Allah
have we even been thinking about this
have we been striving for
it if not then like we learned in Toba
we do Toba now from this major
deficiency in our Dean this major
shortcoming and Allah is merciful
alhamdulillah Allah is you you read it
from the fa Allah is so merciful and
he's so happy that when one of us
returns that Allah Asel will immediately
accept this person all we have to do is
have that conviction and
determination and it doesn't take much
so let us begin today inshallah and
strive to be righteous Believers so that
the um will be righteous and Allah will
bring back the honor of our predecessors
to our our eles in our the following
generations and very that is easy for
Allah
aim
Salah