Feeling Stuck- This is for YOU

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The freedom of the soul is the real freedom.

Because perhaps when we are engrossed in our problems,

that problem has enshackled us.

That problem is like a psychological prison.

We cannot eat, we cannot drink, we cannot move.

Dear Muslims, Ramadan was the month of Ibadah and Du'az.

Ramadan was the month in which all of us wanted some change,

in which we would be constantly making du'ab to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala

to help us in some difficult situation, to change a calamity.

Some of us were struggling with financial issues,

and so we made du'a for those.

Others were struggling with health issues, yet others had family issues,

yet others have so many other problems and throughout the month.

We kept on raising our hands to Allah, begging, praying, making du'a.

One of the themes of Ramadan is du'a.

Now that Ramadan is over, it is possible that we are wondering,

where are the effects of that du'a?

How come I don't see a change in what I was asking Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for?

In today's khutbah, I want to remind us of two verses

that I hope insha'Allah wa Ta'ala you will reread and memorize.

Surat al-Aq verses two and three.

Surat al-Aq verses two and three.

Wa min yattqillaha yaj'allahu makhrajah,

wa yarzukhumin haythu la yahtasib.

Wa min yattawakkal al-Allahifah wa hasbuh.

Inna allaha baaluhu amrih,

Qadaja al-Allahuhu li kulli shay'in qadarah.

Whoever has takwa of Allah,

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will create an escape route for him.

Whoever has takwa, Allah will make a makhraj away out.

And Allah will give him help from sources he never thought would help him.

Wa yarzukhumin haythu la yahtasib.

And whoever puts his trust in Allah,

let him know that he needs no one other than Allah,

Allah is all that he needs.

Indeed, Allah will achieve his will.

Inna allaha baaluhu amrih,

everything has a set destiny in the eyes of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

Our books of Tefsir mentioned a beautiful story.

And like many of these stories,

they're found in Allah knows,

Yani Inshallah, the concept is there.

This mentioned the books of Syirah and in books of Tefsir.

That there was a companion in the time of the Prophet, Allahu alayhi wa sallam.

His name was Awfi bin Malik.

And he had only one son,

him and his wife were elderly.

He had only one son.

And this son was sent on an expedition to defend the Ummah.

And everybody came back except this one young man.

Everybody came back successful,

but this man didn't return.

So, Awfi went to the Prophet,

and he said, Ya Rasulullah,

you know our situation.

We all have only one son.

Where is he?

What happened?

And the Prophet, Allah, he said,

Allah will make a way out.

Turn to Allah.

Make dua to Allah.

Allah will make a Makhnis for you.

Turn to Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

Then news came that in fact,

he had been captured.

The one person he had been captured

and taken a prisoner,

most likely he would be executed.

So, Awfi and his wife began making dua to Allah,

making dua to Allah to save,

turning to Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in Zikr.

And as they were praying and in such a way,

they said, in the late portion of the night,

before Salat Al Fajr,

the knock comes on the door.

He opens it and he finds his son.

Not only has he returned safe and sound,

he actually has an entire flock of goats with him.

They were a poor family.

He's bringing a lot of risk.

He says, what happened?

My son, we've been waiting for you so many days.

What happened?

And he said, Allah, Zawajal,

made a way out for me.

I was a prisoner.

I was tied up.

I was literally a prisoner.

My hands, my feet were tied.

But I continued to wiggle my way out,

until I managed to get out of the shackles.

And in the middle of the night when they were all asleep,

I managed to escape and I managed to take with them

the very flock that they needed for their sustenance.

I took it.

So, here I am, along with the flock.

The next morning when they went back,

it is said, Allah had revealed these verses,

already telling the Prophet ﷺ what had happened.

Wa min yattakillaha yajallahu makhrajah

wa yalzukhumin haithu la yathasim

Wa min yattabaka lalahfa wa khasbu

Inna Allaha baalighu amri

kadej alallahu li kulli shay'in qadarah.

These verses, they haven't them five phrases.

Let us go over them one by one.

So, that we appreciate,

so that we absorb this message

and most importantly, we apply them in our lives.

First and foremost, the conditional phrase,

conditional, whoever has the takwa of Allah,

for that person Allah will make an escape route.

It's conditional.

Whoever has this shall get that.

This conditional clause is one of the most optimistic verses in the Qur'an,

because we are told that nothing can trap us

if Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is on our side.

We are told no matter how dark and dank,

no matter how constricted the world appears,

if we have takwa in Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala,

Allah will cleave open an escape route.

Allah will draft for us, create for us,

an escape from places that we thought we were surrounded by.

One of the scholars at the past, Rabbi Ibn Khaytham, he said,

Allah has promised that for every worry that a person can have,

for every worry that constricts his heart,

Allah has promised if you turn to him,

he will open that worry out and leave you out of that difficulty.

This is a promise that Allah has made.

It is conditional, but that condition is on us, not on him.

It is conditional on us, whoever has takwa of Allah.

Now notice here, the perfection of the Qur'an,

and I want you to memorize this point, it is very important.

Allah did not say, your problem will go away.

Allah did not say, your situation will no longer exist.

Allah says, you shall be removed from that constriction.

Maybe that constriction will remain where it is,

but your heart will be liberated from it.

The freedom of the heart is the real freedom.

The freedom of the soul is the real freedom,

because perhaps when we are engrossed in our problems,

that problem has enshackled us.

That problem has imprisoned us.

That problem is like a psychological prison.

We cannot eat, we cannot drink, we cannot move,

because we have imposed the problem that exists onto our lives.

And Allah says, if you have takwa,

you will no longer feel imprisoned.

You will feel free as a bird.

You will feel absolutely unrestricted.

The problem that you had will no longer be a problem for you,

even if it exists in your life.

It is a frame of mind that Allah will liberate you.

Allah will free you from your own shackles.

You will begin to appreciate things you never appreciated.

And what you thought was a very big issue.

What you thought imprisoned you, you will realize this is nothing.

It's no big deal.

I can, I'll have Allah SWT, I have this, I have that.

And you will be able to be liberated from the shackles

that that worry had imposed upon you.

Then Allah says,

help will come from places you never expected.

And this is a reality in all Quranic stories.

This is the reality of the Syrah of the Prophet ﷺ.

Go to read the Quran, go look at the Syrah.

Allah constantly demonstrates that help will come

from places you never expected.

In the story of Musa, a man comes from the other side of the town

warning him, oh Musa, I'm here to warn you.

And then when he's wandering alone in the world,

not a friend on earth,

a random family in midian adopts him as a son-in-law,

gives him a career and a job,

and a daughter makes him a part of their family.

Out of nowhere Allah Azza wa Jalla brought that family.

Even when you're physically trapped,

Mariam is in her cave worshipping Allah

in her place of seclusion worshipping Allah.

And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala provides food

from places she cannot even see.

Musa ala Islam is trapped.

He thinks there's nowhere to go.

But he goes, no, Allah will not leave me trapped.

And so Allah causes the very red sea to open up in front of them.

Wa yorouzukhu min haithu la yathasim.

Whoever has the true,

Tawakul in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.

Whoever really has the Takwa,

Allah will provide from places when never expected.

In the seerah, how many instances do we have?

Even the animals are a part of Allah's army,

such that when Abu Bakr and the Prophet s.a.m. are in Hadith o'r,

Allah sends even a pigeon to go and make a nest over there.

When the creation is of the part of the armies of Allah,

when Allah's armies extend all around us,

then when Allah wants to help,

his armies will kick in,

his armies will all age you from places you could never expect.

The point is, you need to have Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala on your side.

And then the third phrase,

waman yatawakul al-Allahifahu wa hasbu.

Whoever has the Takwa,

in Allah, let him know he needs no one other than Allah.

He needs no one other than Allah.

This is the key point.

If you want Allah to take care of you,

you need to remove everyone from your heart except Allah.

If you want Allah to take care of you,

your heart has to be pure for Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.

Your desire, your fear, your hope, your ibadah,

your servitude, your sajda, your dhikr,

everything,

all inna salati, wanusuki,

wa mahyaya, wa mamati,

lillahi rabbil alameen.

Everything, when you make it for Allah,

with Allah, through Allah,

then you need nothing other than Allah.

If you have Allah, you have everything.

And if you don't have Allah, you have nothing.

So waman yatawakul al-Allahifahu wa hasbuahu.

And we all know we've heard this a million times.

Tawakul is not just a frame of mind.

It is not just cleansing the heart.

Tawakul is a state in which you exert your body

while your soul is attached to Allah.

In the physical world, you act horizontally

and in the spiritual world, you act vertically.

What do I mean by this?

In the physical world, you go back and forth,

you plan, you have a vision,

you do what you need to do.

In the physical world, you do not just sit up

and adopt a lazy attitude.

You do everything you need to do.

This is the waqqul.

Tie your camel, then put your trust in Allah.

And then in your heart, your heart is attached

only to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And so, when you put in the effort

and when you do everything in your power to do,

Moussa didn't give up back in the city.

He didn't give up in midian.

He didn't give up when Pharaoh's armies were attacking.

He didn't give up even as this red sea is in front of him.

And the army is behind him,

even though there is nowhere to go,

you don't give up.

Until you get to the very dead end,

then you say, oh Allah, I've done everything.

I've done everything I can.

Now it's on you.

Then, if a miracle is going to happen,

that's when it happens.

Mariam Ali has said, I'm story after story.

You put in the effort,

and then you leave the rest to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And the seerah shows this from beginning to end.

Your effort is necessary in order to bring about

Allah's blessings and Baraka and many miracles.

That is a part of ta waqqul.

When you perform ta waqqul,

your actions are active, your heart is solid

and completely trusting Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Then Allah says, in Allah wa l-luhu am-mirihi.

Point number four.

What are you worried about?

There is a plan.

Allah's plan will happen.

It's not random.

It's not happening out of nowhere.

Your life, your good and bad,

your calamities, your success,

it's all in a plan.

And if the originator of the plan,

if the creator of the plan is happy with you,

then your plan will have a positive role.

Understand this point.

Everything is happening by the Qadar of Allah.

And if Allah loves you,

and He will love you if you turn to Him,

He will love you if you want Him to love you.

He will love you if you prioritize His love.

If you put in an effort to obtain His love.

If Allah loves you,

what can possibly come between you and the plan of Allah?

In Allah wa l-luhu am-mirihi.

Allah's plan is going to happen.

Allah's Amr will take place.

Allah's Qadar.

Allah's Qadar.

Nothing can come between it.

You are nothing other than a manifestation of Allah's plan.

Kullan yusibana illama katabAllahulana.

Huwa maulana.

Nothing's going to happen.

Allah's Allah has decreed it.

And Allah is my maula.

Allah loves me.

Allah protects me.

Allah's nourishing me.

Why should I be worried when I have trust in Allah?

But do you have trust in Allah?

Are you actually resigning yourself to Allah's Qadar?

If you are, then we want the best.

But we put our trust wherever is happening is the best.

Whatever is happening is for our good.

And that's why Allah concludes this paragraph

with a powerful reminder.

Qadar yusibana illama katabAllahulana.

Allah has made a time and a place and a quantity for all things.

Allah has made everything in due proportion.

Everything is happening for a divine wisdom.

Whether you have risk or you don't have risk.

It is for your benefit.

Whether you are healthy or sick.

Whether you have this or that.

Qadar yusibana illama katabAllahulana.

Allah has appointed a Qadar for everything.

And Allah knows what is good for you.

Perhaps you desire a lot of money.

But Allah knows if you had it, it would corrupt you.

So in order to protect you, you do not have that money.

You think you will be a good person.

Allah knows you better than you know yourself.

You put your trust in Allah, strive to obtain money.

Yes, want to obtain money that is halal.

In case it doesn't happen.

Qadar yusibana illama katabAllahulana.

Perhaps you want children.

But Allah knows your child might not be for your best interest.

So to protect you, not to hurt you, not to punish you.

To protect you.

Qadar yusibana illama katabAllahulana.

Console yourself that Allah's Qadar.

Allah's plan.

Allah's wisdom is far more powerful and perfect than my own.

So trust in Allah's Qadar after you have put in the effort.

After you have done everything you can.

And you see absolutely no change.

Console yourself.

Qadar yusibana illama katabAllahulana.

And when you understand this, you will be liberated from the pressures around you.

You will accept Allah's Qadar.

You might not have to be happy at the situation.

But you must accept and resign yourself.

That Allah's plan is more wise than my plan.

And Allah's knowledge is infinitely more perfect than my own.

So O Allah, while I want Shifa, while I want this, while I want a child.

If you have decreed otherwise, then I trust your judgment.

If you have this frame of mind,

O Allah, you will always be a winner.

You will always be a victor.

You will never be surrounded by the woes and the problems of this dunya.

You shall be liberated and free as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala promises.

Ibn Tamiya remarks regarding this ayah that Allah has guaranteed that the one who has takwa

shall find a way out of the stress of this world.

And that Allah will provide for him from sources they never expected.

So, if a person finds that this is not happening,

if a person finds they're still overcome with stress,

they're still not feeling the sweetness of freedom,

then that person should look at his own level of takwa

for there must be a deficiency in his or her own heart

because of which the fruits that Allah promised,

He is not tasting those fruits.

Allah has made a promise.

It is conditional, but the condition is on me and you.

It's a conditional promise.

If you have takwa, this is going to happen.

That is a guaranteed conditional promise.

Ibn Tamiya says, in case that's not happening,

well, the second half of the promise is guaranteed.

Have you fulfilled the first half?

That is the question all of us need to be asking ourselves

and one final point about this verse.

The context of this verse is very interesting.

It's a side point, maybe another Khudbal will talk about it.

This verse occurs smack in the middle

about verses pertaining to divorce.

In fact, the Surah is Qal Surat al-Talak.

Why?

And the context is actually women that are being divorced.

Because, as we all know,

one of the most painful circumstances

is a woman who is being unjustly divorced.

And Allah puts this entire paragraph to calm down

and to give courage and to give support

to those women who are facing uncertainty.

This is the context of this verse.

If you have takwa, Allah will make a way out for you.

Don't worry, your husband is leaving you.

Allah will provide this from places you never expected.

And this is a different tangent.

We'll talk about marital rights and the importance of spouses

in a different Khudba.

But I wanted to highlight here that this entire paragraph

is occurring in the midst of divorce.

And Allah is giving comfort, especially to the woman

but to both sides, that listen,

whatever is happening, Allah has a good written for you.

And whenever happens, happens for your best.

You turn to Allah and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala will take care of you.

May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala bless me and you within the Qur'an

and may make us of those who is verses they understand.

And it applies halal and haram throughout our life span.

Ask Allah's forgiveness you as well,

ask him for his Daghafur and the Rahman.

And he says to his Lord,

whether he will be able to bear it,

he will be able to bear it,

and he will not bear it.

And you will be afraid of it after you have left it.

And you will be in the midst of the Qur'an.

So you are from what you have come to bear.

You are from what you have come to bear.

You are from what you have come to bear.

You are from what you have come to bear.