The election is over, and America has decided who gets the most powerful job in the country. That is why I thought it is important to put it in perspective.
A’al Imraan 3: 26 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allahﷻ! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honor whoever You please and disgrace who You please—all good is in Your Hands. Surely You ˹alone˺ are Most Capable of everything.
The earth belongs to the One who created the earth and everything it contains, the One who owns the heavens and everything that is in them and everything between the two, the One who created and sustains all that we know and all that we don’t know, the One to Whom is our return – He is Allahﷻ and He is the Only One we worship.
He introduced Himself and reminded us: Ayatul Kursi/Hashr/Ikhlaas. Someone sent me a TikTok interview where the interviewer asked a senior priest for advice to young priests. He said, ‘Tell them to forget seminary and all their seminary degrees. Tell them to read the Bible and pray a lot. Tell them that unless they develop closeness to God they can’t achieve anything. And the only way to get close to anyone is to spend time with them. So, pray a lot.’ Now, tell me if this applies to us or not in the same away?
So, let us remember the reality and the reality is that Allahﷻ is our Rabb and to Him is our return. As far as we are concerned, only what Allahﷻ wants will happen and if we have Allahﷻ’s pleasure on our side, Allahﷻ will keep us safe. This is an opportunity to realign our focus and to repair our Aqeeda and remember that it’s only and only Allahﷻ who can do anything. Our real test is not this or any election. Our real test is when we meet Malakul Mawth. That’s what we need to prepare for. So, we say Alhamdulillah and we turn to Allahﷻ.
Allahﷻ told us the stories of His Anbiya to prove this point that only what Allahﷻ wants to happen, can happen. And that Allahﷻ protects His people wherever they may be in whatever condition, provided they behave like His people. Allahﷻ told us the story of Ibrahim (AS) and all that led to his being thrown into the fire. As he sat in the cup of the trebuchet about to be thrown into the fire, Jibreel (AS) comes to him and asks if he needs any help from him. I can see the smile on his face as he says, ‘Thank you, nothing from you.’ Jibreel (AS) goes to Allahﷻ and reports his conversation (which Allahﷻ already knows) and begs for His help. Allahﷻ says, ‘Tell him that I sent you and that I want to know what he wants from me.’ Ibrahim (AS) replies, ‘My Rabb doesn’t need to ask. I want whatever He wants.’ This conversation is my imagination based on the Hadith, but it shows the essence of the state of the Muslim. Ibrahim (AS) said this because he had said before this something that His Rabb told us about.
Baqara 2: 131 When his Rabb ordered him, “Submit ˹to My Will˺,” he responded, “I submit to the Rabb of all worlds.”
This is the position, the stance, the status of the Muslim. I have submitted. Not I will submit. I have submitted. When the Muslim submits, Allahﷻ takes direct charge of his affairs. Allahﷻ ordered:
Anbiya 21: 69 We ordered, “O fire! Be cool and safe for Ibrahim!”
Allahﷻ told us about another of his great prophets, Musa (AS). We all know the story so I won’t go into the details here but will request you to reflect on what Allahﷻ did when He decided to save Musa (AS) from the Firawn. Reflect on how strange this sounds in today’s context.
Al Qasas 28: 7 We inspired the mother of Moses: “Nurse him, but when you fear for him, put him then into the river, and do not fear or grieve. We will certainly return him to you and make him one of the messengers.”
In the case of Musa (AS) not only did his mother put him into the river, Nile, but Allahﷻ caused him to go into the palace of the Firawn, Rameses II, and be recognized as the one they had been searching for. And in that process has slaughtered thousands of children. Yet, when Allahﷻ willed, when the Firawn found the one they were searching for, he raised him and trained him to lead his nation.
When Allahﷻ chose His beloved Rasool Muhammad to lead all of mankind until the Day of Judgment, He caused his father to die before he was born. His mother passed away when he was 6, his grandfather when he was 8. When he declared his Risala and invited people to Islam resulting in merciless persecution, when that was at its peak, Allahﷻ took his two supporters, our Mother Khadijatul Kubra (RA) and his uncle, Abu Talib. Only then came Al Isra wal Meraj. Allahﷻ comforted him by reminding him of these trials, with each of which came relief from Allahﷻ.
Duha 93: 6-8 Did He not find you as an orphan then shelter you? Did He not find you unguided (searching for the Truth) then guide you? And did He not find you needy then satisfy your needs?
And Allahﷻ blessed him with a promise which is a blessing for all of us and is the Ayah of greatest hope in the Qur’an.
Duha 93: 5 And ˹surely˺ your Rabb will give so much to you that you will be pleased.
The Sahaba said that this is the Ayah of greatest hope for the Believers because we know that he will never be pleased and satisfied until everyone of his Ummah is in Jannah. The key is to qualify to be counted among his Ummah which includes the Sabiqoon al Awwaloon minal Muhajiroon wal Ansaar whom Allahﷻ praised and showed us how to be among them. The choice to be with them is ours.
Tawba 9: 100 As for the foremost—the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers—and those who follow them in goodness, Allahﷻ is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there for ever and ever. That is the ultimate triumph.
Final point in conclusion, Islam doesn’t prevent us from creating strategies and working to succeed in this life. We are encouraged to do so. The very definition of Sabr, patience, is the most action-oriented definition that you can imagine. But Islam reminds us that no strategy can be successful unless Allahﷻ is factored into it, because He is in it anyway. We make the effort and then turn to Allahﷻ and beg for His help which may come through our effort or from sources we can’t imagine as He promised.
Talaq 65: 2-3 And whoever is mindful of Allahﷻ, He will make a way out for them and provide for them from sources they could never imagine. And whoever puts their trust in Allahﷻ, then He ˹alone˺ is sufficient for them.
We Muslims need to do what Allahﷻ created us for – i.e., promote good and forbid evil. Not chase the money at any cost. We need to stand for justice and against injustice no matter who is involved. The truth is the truth even if nobody accepts it. Falsehood is falsehood even if everyone believes it.
The help of Allahﷻ is only for those who do the work for which He sent us. Not for those who deliberately disobey Him, refuse to repent, but call on Him when their actions yield results.
Rum 30: 41 Corruption has spread on land and sea becasue of what people’s hands have done, so that Allahﷻ may cause them to taste ˹the consequences of˺ some of their deeds and perhaps they might return ˹to the Right Path˺.
Allahﷻ told us that we are the cause of our own problems. He told us that difficulties come to us because of our actions. That is great news for anyone who wants to overcome the challenges in his life – clean up your act and the tough times will become a memory. Let us ask what we need to do, to be included in the list of those who work for Allahﷻ alone. The change must begin from the only place where all change begins, i.e., myself. Let us convince ourselves that until I change myself, until you change yourself, nothing else will change in my and your life. And let us begin that change, starting now. That is what we must learn. Or be prepared to pay the price until we learn.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:03 — 21.3MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | Youtube Music | RSS