We are speaking about the importance of feeling grateful and expressing gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and to those people through whom Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala’s blessings reach us. We spoke about worldly blessings for which we must express our gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and to those people who were instrumental in our receiving them. Now let’s see what Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala said about the reward in the Akhira. Al-Bukhari Muslim narrated from Ibn Abbas Wadiyyul Anuwa that Rasulullah said relating from his Rabb Jalla Jalaluhu, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala decreed good deeds and bad deeds. Then he explained that whoever thinks of doing a good deed and does not do it, whoever thinks of doing a good deed but does not do it, Allah will write it down as one complete good deed. He only thought of that. He didn’t do it yet. Allah will write it down. If he thinks of doing a good deed and then does it, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will write it down between ten and seven hundred fold or many more. If he thinks of doing a bad deed then he does not do it. Allah will write it down as a complete good deed. And if he thinks of it and then he does it, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will write it down as one bad deed. Again from Al-Bukhari Muslim, also narrated from Abu Hurairah radiya’l Anhu that Rasulullah s.a.w. said, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will forgive my Ummah for whatever crosses their minds so long as they don’t act upon it or speak about it. Imran Rajab Ramatullahi said that these texts refer to four matters. The recording of good deeds and bad deeds and thinking of good deeds and bad deeds. Then he said out of these, the third matter which is thinking of good deeds, it is recorded as one complete good deed even if he does not do it. As it says in the hadith of Ibn Abbas radiya’l Anhu and elsewhere. In the hadith of Huraym bin Fatih radiya’l Anhu, it says if a person thinks of doing a good deed but then does not do it and Allah knows that he thought of it and was keen to do it, he records for him one good deed. And this is in Musnad imam Ahmad. This indicates that whatever is meant by thinking of here is the actual conscious thought and determination and resolve that are present when one is keen to do an action, not merely a passing thought that is not accompanied by any resolve or determination. Abu Dardar al-Ansari wa Dall’anhu says that if a person goes to bed intending again with the clear resolve to pray during the night, which is qiyam, which is tahajjud and then sleep overtakes him until morning comes, then what he intended to do will be recorded for him as if he has done it. It’s narrated that Sayyid bin Musayyib radiya’l Anhu, he said if a person thinks of fasting, praying, going for ayat or umrah and so on, but he is prevented from doing that, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will grant him the reward of what he intended. If the intention is accompanied by words or effort, the reward is ensured and the one who intended it is like the one who does it. As Abu Khafshah al-Dall’anhu narrated that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, people in this world are of four types, a person to whom Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grants wealth and knowledge, so he fears his Rabb with regards to it, upholds his ties of kinship with it and acknowledges the rights of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala concerning it. He is of the highest talent, so he has wealth, he has knowledge and he uses his wealth according to the knowledge of Islam in the right places, that is the highest status. The second is a person to whom Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grants knowledge but he does not grant him wealth, so he is sincere in his intention and he says, if I had wealth, I would do the same as the other one, as what so and so does and of course Allah knows the truthfulness of that. If that is true, then he will be rewarded according to his intention and the reward will be the same. The third type is a person to whom Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grants wealth but he does not grant him knowledge, so he squanders his wealth without knowledge, he does not fear his Rabb concerning it, he does not uphold ties of kinship and he does not acknowledge the rights of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala concerning it, he is the worst status. So he has wealth and he misuses this wealth. The fourth type is a person to whom Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala does not give wealth or knowledge, so he says, if I had wealth, I would do the same as so and so, that is like the first one, he will be rewarded according to his intention and their burden of sin will be the same. Meaning depending on the intention, if he intended good, then he will get that, if he intended evil, he will get that. The phrase that the reward will be the same obviously means that they are equal regarding the basic reward for the actions but not regarding the multiplication of that reward. So if the person actually does the deed, he gets 10 plus 10 or 6 or 700 and more, the other person will get one because of the intention alone because he did not actually act on that. The multiplication is only for the one who does the deed and not the one who intends but does not do it. So therefore in conclusion, we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to help us to purify our intentions and to give us istiqamat and to give us steadfastness and to spend our time and resources in doing only what pleases Him, Jalla jalaluhu, and to stay away from everything else which is either a waste of time or a means of earning His displeasure. One of the biggest problems that we have today is this issue of wasting our time in all kinds of useless conversations and debates and all kinds of arguments which have the chance of spoiling our friendships and relationships and even if that doesn’t happen, it’s time wasted because at the end of that, what did you get? So it’s a very good idea to do this as an exercise for yourself. Whenever you are sitting around with your friends or what not, even by yourself, if you need, keep a timer. Keep a timer of say one hour. At the end of one hour, actually consciously ask yourself, what did I get in this one hour? Even if you’re sitting alone, maybe you’re watching TV, maybe you’re reading something, whatever it is, just say what did I get? And if possible, and I am a great sort of believer in that, write it down. Keep a notebook. At the end of each hour, say what did I get? Just one line, what did I get? And write down. Whatever you want to write, write on it, but it should be sincerely what you thought you gained. Then look at that and say this is one hour of my life. Time is life, right? One hour of my life. I spent doing whatever I was doing. What did I gain? Is that gain worth one hour of my life? I’m not talking about haraam and halad. You might say, well, I spent one hour watching a football match or a basketball match, it’s not haraam. No, football is not haraam. I’m talking about the relative benefit of something. It’s not a question of haraam. We don’t expect Muslims to do haraam. Relative benefit of something. Because time is an irreplaceable resource. Let’s try to understand that. It’s not coming back. It is not coming back. What’s gone is gone. Finished. Khalas. That’s why the present is called present. What’s present? What do you get in a happy birthday? What’s a present? It’s a gift. Every day Allah gives us a gift. And that gift is the present. The past is gone. There’s nothing you can do about the past. If it was good, alhamdulillah. If it was bad, make step far and tawa. That step far and tawa cannot be made in the past. It has to be made now. The future is not in our control. Future Allah will decree whatever He decrees. The present colours that future. The present has the option, has the potential to make that future good, bad or ugly, depending on what I do in the present. It’s a present. That’s why it’s called a present. It’s a gift. So use it. Don’t waste it. Don’t waste it. Useless conversations, especially about politics. May Allah have mercy on us. Politics. Two big topics of conversation. For both of which there is zero reason and there is zero benefit. One is politics and the other one is controversial issues in the religion. We don’t have the knowledge to understand those controversial issues. All that we do is polarise. All that we do is offend each other and nothing happens. Instead of that, focus on the quality of my salah because that I will be questioned about. What is the quality of my salah? SubhanAllah, believe me, if that is the only thing I die with, that I’m focusing on the quality of my salah and Allah allows me to improve that salah and I do not learn one single letter of the deen from this moment until the minute I die. InshaAllah, I hope I will go to Jannah. But if I spend all my time discussing all kinds of controversial questions about the religion, this and that and this is halal, that is halal and what not, what will happen to me? May Allah have mercy on us. Please, just get up from the room and walk away. The moment somebody opens his mouth about politics or about religion, get up and walk away. Focus on what is in your control. Neither politics nor religion and especially not controversial things, not in our control. If anyone believes that, ask him what he is smoking. Not in our control. What is in our control is my life, my time. What can I do with my time which is best for me, my family? Allah says, Allah says, Allah says, Allah says, No. Focus on what is in your control. What is my control is my time. Not the politics of Pakistan or Syria or somewhere else, no. Focus on what is in our control. If somebody starts a conversation on something else, please, your life is too valuable to throw it away in such talk. So be very polite, smile, say, Asalamu Alaikum, I have to go. But leave. Don’t waste your time. Right? So at the end of each hour, put a timer on your watch. At the end of each hour, ask yourself, what did I gain? And if you have something right, Alhamdulillah. If you don’t have anything right, that’s good because that reminds me, I spent one hour, I have nothing to write. So at least the next hour will be better than the previous hour. InshaAllah.
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