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سب سے اچھا گھر کس مسلمان کا ہے؟
Urdu Bayan, 56 mins
6th May, 2021

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​Which House of a Muslim is Best?

Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah. Allah subhana wa ta'ala has brought us to this Adheem, unique, select day that is about to end, and the Adheem night that is about to come contains moments that we may possibly not get again in our destiny, if Allah wills, until next Ramadhan. These hours and moments are so valuable because today is the night of Jumu’ah, and not just the night of Jumu’ah but it is also Laylat-ul-Qadr, the Night of Power. Alhamdulillah, both Noors have been combined together with the Dhikr of Allah. And alhamdulillah, you'll get the effect of that Dhikr of Allah, obviously, but the virtue of Dhikr that can be acquired today will not be attained subsequently. Undoubtedly, we will not attain the Rahmah and Barakah of Ramadhan after it finishes. All the Barakaat that Allah ta’ala has attached to tonight are especially for tonight.
Abu Hurayrah radhiAllahu anh narrates a Hadith in which Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam stated: “خَيْرُ بَيْتٍ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ بَيْتٌ فِيهِ يَتِيمٌ يُحْسَنُ إِلَيْهِ، وَشَرُّ بَيْتٍ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ بَيْتٌ فِيهِ يَتِيمٌ يُسَاءُ إِلَيْهِ” The meaning of this is: ‘Which home, among the homes of the Muslims, is the best home? And which home, among the homes of the Muslims, is the worst home?’ The issue presented is very clear and simple, and the answer, which concerns us today, is also very simple. Anybody can tell you which house is the best house – we would say that the best house is the one which contains the best furniture, in which the best sofas are present, the best carpets, the best decorations and ornaments. Obviously, our thinking will give this answer - that the best house is a place in which there are more facilities, worldly facilities. And also, on top of that, we say - and our thinking is like this – that if it is a small house, it should be bigger; and if it's bigger, then it should be bigger again; if it has a small garden, then we need a bigger garden; if there is a small kitchen, then make an extension. Yes? We do these things for our convenience. So this is our answer. And we'll say the house which is worst is the one which is damp, with some broken things inside, and the furniture is not expensive or valuable. This is our basis and understanding.
But the basis and criterion of Allah and His Rasool sallallahu alayhi wasallam are very different, my friends. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam was outlining the criteria that he wanted to explain, and this is being narrated by the Ashiq Abu Hurayrah radhiAllahu anh. And it wasn’t that he was just an Ashiq of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, rather he did not let any of the words of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam go to waste. He didn't let a word pass by – he was outstanding among all the Sahaba in collecting the pearls of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam’s speech, and he gathered many jewels and pearls that, Alhamdulillah, are still coming to us today. So he stated that the Prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained which house from the homes of the Muslims is the best house.
A beautiful way of thinking for the Muslims is revealed in this very important Hadith. The whole of Ramadhan is sealed in this Hadith - the objective of Ramadhan is sealed in this Hadith. Ramadhan was given to us for this reason. You will see the whole effect of Ramadhan in this Hadith, and for that reason, I’m sharing it with you - so that we understand Ramadhan. So Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam praised and defined which is the best house from amongst the homes of Muslims. There are only two criteria to judge how good a home is – one is based on worldly thinking and the other on considerations of the Hereafter. Okay - as for the worldly basis, let's leave that to the side. Let's think about the Akhirah. You and me might say that a good home is a home in which there is more Ibadah, or a home where there are more Qur’ans recited, or alhamdulillah, where the Noor of Tahajjud is present, or where the Noor and Anwaraat of Dhikr are present, or where there's Tilawat upon Tilawat in the home, or where the signs of prostration are present - SubhanAllah. So we could say that those houses are the best, and the worst house is one where no Ibadah happens. This is a way of thinking that looks to the Hereafter. But Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam didn’t say this - he did not give these criteria or this definition.
Listen - this is something to think about. Even this definition wasn't selected; rather, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained the thing for which all these Ibadaat have been given so that we can achieve that which results from all these Ibadaat and is their end point. He didn't explain specific Ibadaat so that we would think ‘Oh, let's sit there and be hopeful because this is in our house. There's a lot of Salah in our house, there's a lot of Tilawah, there’s a lot of Dhikr, there's a lot of this action and that action, and our house is pure and the best’ and so on. No, no - what we attained from these Ibadaat and their real essence is what Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is mentioning here. Come, let's look in our homes, brothers. Alhamdulillah thumma Alhamdulillah, we are all Muslims. We're all Muslims, and yes, we should decorate our homes and do extensions and put in new carpets and furniture and make it nice for everything. Islam does not prohibit us from doing that - make it beautiful, make it look good. But what about real beauty that you should develop in the home? Yes? Create that reality, a living environment where you see the Dunya and also the beautiful effects of the Akhirah there as well. Say SubhanAllah.
So which home is this and which Ibadah is it that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is explaining to us? May Allah allow our homes to become like this as well. If our homes become like those referred to by Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam, if they match his definition and understanding and what he is explaining, then Wallahi, not one house but the whole society will improve and transform. The whole society will improve, feelings will improve, the effect of Ibadah will improve and the objective of life will change. And Rahmah and mercy and Sakinah and satisfaction and peace will descend; the light of Barakaat and blessings will shower down; difficulties problems and sorrows will all leave. No normal person is saying this - Imam-ul-Ambiya Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is explaining this to us. This is not a normal, small cure for some small issue. Every statement and every discussion of the holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was beautiful and unique and had a beautiful effect - say SubhanAllah.
I'm not giving a speech in front of you - rather the reality is this, that these moments in which we are speaking will soon be far from us, and when the final moments of something comes, then the whole enjoyment is in those final moments. The essence and the conclusion of Ramadhan is in this final Ashrah – Allah ta’ala has placed Laylat-ul-Qadr in these final moments. Time passes, time passes, until the final time comes. For example, if you have a pot of food, some people say ‘Eat quickly - quickly,’ but those who have understanding say ‘No, eat slowly – slowly,’ because at the bottom of the pot is where the most tasty Masala and delicious food is to be found. Yes? So there's enjoyment remaining in Ramadhan and alhamdulillah, now you can really acquire the taste of Ramadhan. So if today we bring ourselves onto that platform that Ramadhan wants us to be on, then we will have attained the whole of Ramadhan – we will have acquired the whole of Ramadhan inshaAllah, and our homes will sparkle and glow. And not just this - even if we don't have the worldly benefits of the Dunya in our homes, the real thing is that our homes and those who live there should be accepted by Allah.
Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained his definition and the definition of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is the greatest. He said ‘What is the best house and the best home amongst the homes of the Muslims?’ What Ibadah will you find there? Which Sujood will be found there? What prostrations will be found there? Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam stated that the best home of the Muslims is that in which there is Husn-e-Akhlaq - the best conduct, the best manners, the best Husn-e-Sulook, the best way of treating people – say SubhanAllah. This is a great Ibadah, my friends. If we don't get this result, then all the Ibadaat that we do and all those acts of worship are a waste. That's what we should understand. Salah was given to us for this purpose - so that we can become human beings. The objective that we need to attain from all Ibadaat, from all acts of worship, is that our Akhlaq improves so that we can become human beings.
Hadhrat Thanwi Sahib rahmatullah alayh said that a human being should become a real genuine human being. Yes? Hadhrat Thanwi Sahib, Hakim-ul-Ummah rahmatullah alayh said that the essence of Tasawwuf and Tazkiyah, the reason for all this Tazkiyah and the different types of Dhikr and so on is so that a human being can become a real human being. All Ibadah is aimed at this; the meaning of Ibadah is that Akhlaq comes into human being, and the best example of that, Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said in this Hadith, is that the best house is which house? The best home is which home? It is that home in which there is an orphan, a Miskeen, a poor person and good treatment is given to that person. SubhanAllah. Kindness is shown to that person.
If there is an individual in a house who is an orphan - obviously an orphan is an orphan, but the meaning also covers someone who has no assistance, no help, a Miskeen - and if they are treated such that you give that person those things that you like and treat that person just as you would like to be treated and love that person just as you would like to be loved, then Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that that home, that house, compared to all other houses and homes of the Muslims, is the best home. And if Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam has stated that is the best home, the best house, then can there be any comparison to that best home? That house which has the Ibadah of Husn-e-Khuluq, where there is high level and high-grace Akhlaq and conduct and manners, is the house in which the orphan is treated in the best way. Conversely, the worst house is that home in which there is a person who is poor, who is an orphan who needs help, but the treatment meted out is bad; they receive bad treatment. In this Hadith, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has given us the sketch of the best home and the worst home - this is the definition. How do houses and families and homes become the best? Through Husn-e-Akhlaq, high level Akhlaq, good Akhlaq.
Now here you could pose the question - what happens in a house in which there is no orphan? You could ask this, for this is possible. If there was an orphan, then we would treat them nicely, MashaAllah, as if they were our own and were our family, but how can our home become the best if there is no orphan? My brothers, the meaning is not that there has to be an orphan in the home in order to treat him well and become the best home. Rather, the Mufassireen have said that the real implication here, the hint and the big message given to society, is that there may not be an orphan in your homes, but there is in your city, there is in your vicinity, there is in your country and in your town. So the best homes are those in which there are people whose mind-set is that they look after such people - say SubhanAllah. If the people in your house look after those people, the orphans and the poor people, and if you provide for them while you sit down to eat the Ni’mah of Allah at your own food mat, when you do this, that house is the best. Even though there is no orphan in your own home, there will be orphans in other homes, in the next-door house or in the third house or in the fourth. There will be such a person in your area, in your village; there will be poor people like that in your country.
So this is the crux of the matter. The message of the Hadith is that there should be pain in the hearts of those in your home for such people. Do such thoughts come into your minds and hearts when you are partaking of the Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given and from which you are benefiting? We should think ‘There are other people in the world apart from me - I'm eating, but does he have food? I'm wearing clothes, but do they have clothes to wear? I am sewing and making new clothes for Eid, but have they got clothes for Eid? So if this feeling and recognition is not developed inside a Muslim, then he is an animal; he's an animal. This is the standard of Islam. This is what the gracious Prophet, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam demonstrated in his blessed life. Every event of his life and every day of his life gave us an invitation to think about others rather than ourselves. Don't think about yourself, think about the strangers. So much love of service to others should develop inside a person that he eliminates selfishness from his mind and heart; and if this doesn't happen, his Ibadah will be a waste and his Tilawah will be a waste. It will just be a traditional, customary activity. It will be temporary - the Qur’an will be in front of him, and he'll be reciting the Qur’an, but the effect will not take place. Everything will remain at neck-height - the Ibadah will just be hanging there in the balance; there'll be no value for his Ibadah in the Court of Allah. The real value of actions is attained when a person's Akhlaq is improved. Say SubhanAllah.
Am I wrong or am I right? Tell me. You will have heard many people saying ‘Oh, I've seen people praying Salah, I've seen many Hajjis, and I've seen people reciting Qur’an - we've seen many of those.’ Yes? No one is impressed by all these actions. Why? Because human beings are only impressive when they listen to someone who says ‘I was hungry, and my children were severely in need and I had nothing to my name - I couldn't ask from anybody. My daughter was a grown up in my home - she was young, but nobody cared. Nobody cared so that I could ask from him.’ Such people have needs. If you feel ‘I'm a rich man in this locality, and I've come to this country and I earn so much,’ you should think ‘In that the village that I've left behind, how many orphans are there, and how many good, respectable people are there who don't like asking others for help, but in their homes, they are in need and difficulty?’ When we sit down here, we fill up our stomachs and fulfil our needs, but we don't even imagine and think about the people like that who we have left behind. We don’t even think about them in our dreams. We don't care about them, and we don't even think. We lived there once upon a time. Look at the way we lived – we didn't know what a car was. We didn't know what a Mercedes was. We didn't know what detached houses were. We ourselves used to live in that area in that town, and Allah ta’ala took us out of that difficulty and put us here. Allah could have sent somebody else here instead of us.
This is the principle of life - sometimes Allah gives money and tests a person, then sometimes Allah gives poverty to test him, sometimes Allah gives the Deen to test him, sometimes Allah grabs Deen away from him and tests him, Allah gives old age and tests him, sometimes Allah gives youth and tests him - these are all tests and challenges for that time which is about to come where Allah is Saree’ ul-Hisab - Allah ta’ala will account for every single thing of our lives. Say SubhanAllah. We don't understand the Qur’an, and we've not understood the five times Salah; after praying Salah, we've not understood the reality of Salah. In thirty days of fasting, we couldn't understand the reality of those thirty days. We think these thirty days are a matter of eating, then being hungry for a little while, then breaking the fast. We keep the fast then break the fast, keep the fast then break the fast, and wait for Eid. We have not understood these thirty days. The most we understand about Ramadhan is reciting Qur’an – we say ‘Ramadhan is for this.’
But Allah ta’ala has never said this. Allah said ‘Keep one point in mind: {لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ} - keep the fasts and I'm going to give you thirty days so that you can become real human beings. How? {لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ} - so that you may become God fearing, and so that you can depart Ramadhan with Husn-e-Akhlaq, with the best Akhlaq.’ So the pain of poor people should be in your hearts - you should have changed inside you, and should have recognition and regard for human beings. Ramadhan is not for making us pious or to make us WaliAllahs who sit in the corner to become a Qutb or a Ghawth – no, no. Allah’s definition is this: ‘I will make you a Qutb on this condition, that you live amongst the people.’ The Walis of Allah are among the people – Allah doesn’t say that He will select a person from the corner of the Masjid. This is not a religion of monkish piety, this Deen is about regard for others and about Akhlaq, SubhanAllah. Our master, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would wander around in the streets and knock on doors; he would bring sacks on his shoulders to give to people in order to meet their needs, and would not just sit in a corner wrapped in his sheet. Don’t think that if you sit in the Khanqah all day long and repeat Allahu, you'll become a Qutb.
Which religion are we speaking about? This religion gives us one message, namely that your heart should be attached to Allah while your hands are physically in the world, walking in the streets and the alleyways, doing the work of the Dunya and carrying people’s burdens. Your hand should be involved in your work and you should be busy in the world, but in every second, your heart should be attached to Allah. This is the definition of a Wali, my friends - say SubhanAllah. Allah ta’ala doesn't select His Walis from the darkness of isolation, rather He selects from society the one who carries pain and sympathy for others within him. How many people will be here now, Abdals, Ghawth, that you cannot recognise? They are people who are physically present in the world, and it is said that when they raise their hands, their society improves, and the situation of drought is transformed. We cannot engineer the solutions, and we cannot remove this disease, but they are sat in the world and Allah ta’ala has selected them, so that through their actions, diseases can be eliminated, SubhanAllah. They are those people who exemplify the fact that human beings have been created to have pain for others in their hearts.
SubhanAllah, I have just remembered a couplet: ‘For the sake of a broken heart, the human being has been created.’ Otherwise, there's no point to us - the angels do not leave out anything in terms of Ibadah – can a human being be compared to the angels in this respect? Our Ibadah can’t even match up to shaytan’s Ibadah - but see how he lost out. He was not Jahil or ignorant, was he? He was an Alim and a scholar and had all of the qualities of knowledge. Shaytan was a very big scholar with lots of knowledge, but one thing he lacked was the pain of the heart; he was not an Ashiq - he wasn't a lover. Allah! He didn't have a heart. He became scared, nervous and anxious and he didn't accept - he didn't have Akhlaq inside him. He didn't accept that someone else could be put ahead of him. He said ‘No, I'm bigger. I have got more of this - I'm more learned than him’ because he didn’t have Akhlaq.
The person without Akhlaq is travelling on the path on which shaytan travels. So what detaches a person from shaytan? What path leads the other way? The path of the heart, of Ishq, love, Muhabbat. SubhanAllah, all of the desired destinations and levels and ranks are attained through the heart - say SubhanAllah. Who says that a person can become a Ghawth any other way? A person becomes pious by living in society and in the world. If you don't have pain and regard for others in your heart, then that's not a heart – it’s a rock; it is a stone. What Ibadah is that person going to do? He says ‘How come my Duas do not get accepted?’ Do you want your Duas to be accepted? Why do you go to other places? Just go to a person with a broken heart and give him the food when he needs it. I swear by Allah that when he raises the hands and asks Allah to fulfil his tasks, then his tasks will be fulfilled and completed.
I remember once, on a journey in Medina, I was stuck in a certain situation. I have suddenly remembered this – I always present my personal examples to you, for you are aware of my situation. I was on Umrah, I think – no, it was Hajj. Yes, it was Hajj. And during Hajj, I met a person with weak eyesight. I remember the conversation we had now. So he went on Hajj and his eyesight was weak and he was there with me – he hadn’t gone with anyone. And obviously, on Hajj people can often be a bit selfish, thinking about himself, about his luggage, or thinking ‘I want to go here and there and do that.’ So I wanted to do him a favour – and that time I had a little bit of health. I was young and had bit of physical strength – this is an old example. So when I saw that he was looking here and there to work out where to go, and I said to myself ‘What a strange thing that he has been left like this and has been sent on Hajj unaccompanied.’ I couldn't see anyone else looking out for him, yet here he was getting ready for Hajj. So Allah ta’ala prepares for everybody, SubhanAllah - when Allah calls someone to His Home, then He makes suitable arrangements for that person.
So when I saw him looking left and right and wondering where to go, a unique thought came into me and I went up to him said, ‘Why are you upset?’ He said, ‘Who are you?’ I gave my name and he said, ‘Oh, I've heard your name. And where are you going?’ I said ‘The same place you're going.’ He said, ‘That's it - I've succeeded today! Take my luggage, and me and you will do Hajj together.’ SubhanAllah. So I said to myself ‘I'm stuck now – what has just happened here?’ My whole approach and everything I had planned had to change. I had wanted to do Ibadah, and I had a programme and a schedule mapped out, thinking ‘I’ll spent this much time in the Haram, and I'll do this and that’ – I had lost out on all that now. Due to these thoughts within me, some negative feelings were there, and I wondered if I could take a shortcut out of that situation. I started thinking ‘How can I get detached from him so that he's not with me all the time?’ - but how could this be arranged? Allah ta’ala had made this arrangement, so accepted him. So I said to myself ‘Okay, my plan for Hajj has changed. I'm not going to do Hajj myself now, rather I'm going to enable him to do Hajj. I'm not going to do the Hajj I wanted, but at least I'm going to help him to do the Hajj he wanted.’ Look at Allah ta’ala’s style – say SubhanAllah. For the sake of a broken heart, an aching heart, Allah created a way, and He was telling me ‘What Ibadah are you going to do? I'm giving you a man to look after, and without him, your Hajj would not have been accepted and your presence in Medina would not have been accepted.’ Allah said ‘It was written in My Kitab, and I knew that you would not be accepted and that your deeds would have been a waste. So for the sake of the acceptance of your Hajj, I have prepared this medium and these means.’ Say SubhanAllah. Allah said ‘Accept My favour!’
We have to accept that whatever Allah ta’ala ordains is a favour. If Allah makes you ill, say ‘Allah, I'm so grateful - most definitely, something was going to happen, and that sickness has saved me.’ SubhanAllah, if your child has become ill, your daughter or your son, never complain. If something happens against your wishes and desires, never complain; rather, be encouraged and take strength from it, thinking ‘Allah, we are human beings, and maybe we're drowning, but I have Yaqeen and I believe that this is for my betterment’ - say SubhanAllah. A human being will never fail in the world if he happily accepts Allah ta’ala's decisions. When he embraces them and accepts them, that individual will never lose out in the world, SubhanAllah. Success will come to him - the flag and the standard of success will go with him. Say SubhanAllah.
This is Dunya, my brothers. It is the world, and there are tricks and issues and ups and downs. Allah ta’ala shapes people through this or that, but we just start crying and sit down. No, ask Allah for Sabr, for patience and endurance, and say ‘Allah, Your decision is the best! Oh my Maula, what You ordain is what is supposed to happen, and every decision of Yours is based on justice.’ This comes in a Hadith. ‘Every decision of Yours is based on justice which is coming down for me. This is what has been decided for me. Ya Allah ta’ala, Your every instruction that has come to me is correct.’ I am explaining the meaning of the Hadith to you. This is the right position to be in, and the right frame of mind and thinking to have.
So this was the Ibadah I was given when I went for Hajj, but Allah ta’ala says ‘I’m giving you the whole of Ramadhan for this reason {لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ} – so that you come out of Ramadhan with good Akhlaq, with excellent Akhlaq.’ For this reason, in Sha’ban, Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam introduced the month of Ramadhan to us, and SubhanAllah in that introduction, Allah’s Habib sallallahu alayhi wasallam told us to get ready for this month and not to get diverted left and right. This is the Hadith, and my job has been that from the beginning, from the first day, I read this Hadith at least once a day so that I don't deviate and I keep following the path that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has prescribed. So in the second and third sentence of this Hadith, Allah’s Habeeb sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained why Allah ta’ala gave us Ramadhan. Why? Why did He give Ramadhan? There was no mention or emphasis on any Ibadah apart from one, and I'll explain that to you.
So in that Hadith, in the second and third sentence that we don't read, Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that this whole month is the month for having regard for others, respecting others, loving others, assisting others, and that in this month, you must make your hard hearts soft so that you can share people’s pain with them. Say SubhanAllah. That is what has been explained in this Hadith, in this introduction to Ramadhan - that you must make your hard hearts soft; you need to soften them. This month is being given to you for this Ibadah, so grab hold of this worship. And every Ibadah has different routes and different paths, so take hold of the root of this Ibadah. Don't take what I'm saying badly or in a negative perspective. We have been told in this Hadith that we should assist others and have regard for others; we should solve other people’s issues, or at least have the Niyyah. Niyyah is a great condition because all actions are judged according to their intention.
A person whose Niyyah is correct will be given the reward, SubhanAllah. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said once a man from Bani Isra’il was walking or travelling, and his heart was soft and tender - he had regard for others. He had done the Ibadah which causes the heart to become soft, so his heart was soft. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam was telling this to the Sabaha, and I am presenting the meaning of this Hadith to you. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said to his Sahaba, to his companions, ‘Have Rahm – have Mercy. Be kind to people!’ Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the Mercy to the two worlds, said, ‘Be kind to people through Husn-e-Akhlaq and have mercy.’ So the Sahaba said – and this is the meaning of the Hadith - ‘Oh Prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, we are merciful to each other – don’t we have mercy?’ Listen to the answer. What did was the answer? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘Yes, we may have Rahmah, mercy, and show kindness to all those who are with us, but kindness should be shown to those who are strangers.’ Yes, we always think about our relatives and family, but we should think ‘If only I had given to that person, how much better it would have been.’
So listen to this event. This person who was travelling had no money, no wealth. We think that we can only help someone with money and wealth, but if you give whatever resources you have, that can give you success. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that if you can’t give Sadqah or money, and if you don't have wealth to spare, then Allah ta’ala has given a solution for this as well. If you don't have money or wealth, Allah ta’ala still wants to give the reward. So while that person was walking, he saw that there was there was a mound of earth, a huge mound of earth. Now when a person’s thinking improves and when his heart improves, then the direction of his life improves - say SubhanAllah. So, the direction of life improves! So there was a mound of earth, and thousands of people had walked past it, but his thinking had changed. His attitude to life had changed, and there was kindness and generosity in his heart, not for himself, but for the Dunya - this is a beautiful event. So he saw this mound of soil and he looked at it carefully and said ‘Ah - all actions are judged according to their intentions.’
He selected the first Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari. The final Hadith in Bukhari is about Dhikr, and between these two, all the Hadith have been enclosed. If you want to understand Bukhari, first correct your Niyyah, and if you want to gain Thawab from Bukhari, then do Dhikr in abundance, because this will allow you to understand the content of all of the Hadith that Imam Bukhari inserted in between the last and the first Hadith. The friends of Allah understand Sahih al-Bukhari in a higher way and in a great way, because they've done Tazkiyah. They've purified themselves, so they understand Sahih al-Bukhari. The Walis of Allah have understood the way Imam Bukhari compiled Sahih al-Bukhari. For Sahih al-Bukhari, you don’t do Wudhu first – first you wash the heart so that you can understand it. If clean your heart and then open Sahih al-Bukhari, you read that all actions are judged according to intentions, and the correct Niyyah is that your Batin, your soul, should be pure - say SubhanAllah. Yes? When you do Wudhu in that way and then set forth, see the enjoyment, the colour, and the effect that Sahih al-Bukhari will give you. Khair - this is something I mention in passing.
So as I was saying, he saw the mound of soil there and his life improved and changed. So what was that that fire, that burning desire in his heart, that thing that Ramadhan has come to improve, in this example that I’m giving to you? When we change, these thoughts should come to us as well. So he saw the mound of earth he said ‘Oh!’ - and he didn't have to do this - but he said ‘Oh Allah, if You had made this mound of soil, this mound of dirt here, into a different thing, if, for example, You had made it a mound of wheat or corn, then I would go and distribute this to the poor.’ SubhanAllah - Allah says actions are judged according to intentions. So if your heart becomes clean and pure, then nice thoughts come out. If a person says ‘I have bad dreams and horrible hallucinations’ this is because the heart is in a bad way - the heart is not correct, my brothers. So when he gave this sigh and had this thought, then Allah ta’ala immediately made an announcement to the angels. It doesn't take long. You don't have to phone someone and book a ticket and look for a reference and intercession to get to Allah. Allah says ‘If your heart is clean, then whatever you think in that heart arrives to Me immediately; it comes to Me.’ SubhanAllah - what is a connection there is between such a person and Allah, my brothers! Allah has given you this connection in your heart - Allah ta’ala has already laid the wires and made the connections, so the thought arrived and immediately an announcement was made: ‘Give My servant the good news that I have given the Thawab for what you just thought about!’ Say SubhanAllah.
So Allah ta’ala has given us this month to acquire this pain of the heart, to learn the regard for others. This month was not given to learn to eat bread and Chapattis, or to fry and eat Pakoras, and was not given just to play the game of breaking the fast, then keeping the fast. Always look at your heart and think ‘How much pain and regard for others is in my heart? What can I give to that person? How can I help that person? How can I assist that person?’ Regard every orphan as if he were living in your home and think that everyone else is higher and better than you. In that incident that I told you about when I was on Hajj, once the days of Hajj started, he was with me every second. My Salah was not as I had planned, and I could not do what I had wanted to do because I had to be with him whatever he did. Where was I at that time? What happened to those big desires I had had for that journey? I saw that he had a need when I met him on that evening after Asr as I stood at the Rawdhah Mubarak, so I said, ‘Okay, no problem - I won't go to do Ziyarah now. Don't worry, I'm with you. I'm assisting you, so don’t be upset. Don't be down – I won’t leave you. If you're not happy, I won't leave you.’ So that individual eventually passed away, and he’s with Allah ta’ala now. If only he could hear what we are saying, perhaps he would do Dua for me there as well.
So he came with me at the time, and there was no special feeling in my heart, but the enjoyment is this, that you devote yourself fully just for the sake of it, not thinking ‘I’ll help him and then they'll give me thanks and gratitude’ - don't think like that. If Allah ta’ala puts Rahm and mercy into a person's heart, then he definitely eliminates the desire for recognition or reward. Such a person won’t even imagine that that person will say thank you. Rather, when thank you is given, he's upset and says ‘What are you saying this for? Why are you saying this?’ He understands, so he doesn’t want any repayment for whatever favour he has done for that person. He says ‘No, no, no - what are you saying? It is you who are giving me the favour - you are helping me!’ SubhanAllah. This is what we should think, and this is how the heart of a person changes and how he becomes at that time. Yes.
So at that time he got up, put his hands up and said in his dialect - he didn't know Arabic, he was illiterate, his Salah was simple - he raised his hands said ‘Ya Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, I am stood in your court, and whatever this person standing with me today wishes for in his heart, if you don't fulfil that for him, then my Hajj will not be accepted.’ Then he started crying, and I said to him ‘What do you know about my desires and feelings? I told you that Allah ta’ala has instilled into my heart that I'm not going to do anything else apart from assisting you in performing your Hajj so that your Hajj will be accepted. I have totally Yaqeen in Allah subhana wa ta'ala that if through His Karam and Rahmah, I am forgiven, it will be due to that Hajj.’ Put to one side all the broken down Ibadah and Ramadhans of my life, but I have hope that the Khidmah that Allah ta’ala enabled me to do for the person will allow my Hajj to be accepted - and if the Hajj of a person is accepted, then he will succeed - SubhanAllah. Say SubhanAllah.
So anyway, if a person says that his Dua is not being accepted, he should realise that he doesn’t have to go to any special place; if he wants his Dua to be accepted, he should go and knock on the door of a poor person's house and give to that person who has no money in his pocket. Put money into his pocket, and the Dua that comes out of his heart and his mouth, I swear by Allah, no one can stop that. His Dua will swiftly arrive in the Court of Allah and until Allah ta’ala accepts that Dua, the Dua will not come away from the Court of Allah. Allah’s glory is such that before the Dua even gets there, Allah says ‘Step back – I have heard from him in advance. I've accepted his request and I've heard his request already.’ SubhanAllah. This is what Ramadhan has come to teach us. This is the type of heart that it has come to develop and generate. It’s not about closing the doors and turning off the lights in order to make special Duas because Laylat-ul-Qadr has come, or this or that has come. This is not the objective of Ramadhan, my brothers. Ramadhan has been created for the sake of the broken hearts. Ramadhan has come to develop the heart so that we can have regard for and assist those who are broken hearted. Don't worry about your home; go to that person who has a need on Laylat-ul-Qadr, open your treasure chest, and take out the money that you have gathered in your bank accounts. SubhanAllah, there are many people who are very poor indeed - don't just give to those you have selected before. You can find human beings living on this earth whose state of poverty will shock and amaze you - we have to give to these people as well.
Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘Rahm, this mercy, this kindness, is for all human beings.’ SubhanAllah – he was Rahmatu-lil-Aalameen, a mercy to the universe, and the teaching he gave us was ‘Don't just be merciful to the Muslims and to the Mu’mineen, and only give Sadaqah to pious people. Don’t just give Sadaqah to the people of the Qur’an; no – give Sadaqah to all needy human beings. Allah is Rahman and He is Rahim as well’ – SubhanAllah. Allah gives food to everyone. When He gives food, His Rizq and sustenance comes with the rain, and He doesn’t say to that rain ‘Go and only rain down where prostration is happening or where people are reading Qur’an or where people are believers.’ No, Allah says ‘Go, oh rain - rain down in every place, including where there are people who haven't got Iman, who worship idols; distribute Rizq there as well.’ There's no differentiation for Allah. For the Mu’mineen, his situation is that he has changed and improved, so all of the qualities of the Asma al-Husna, of Rahman, of Raheem, these all come into that person’s heart. This is the Sh’an, the glory of Allah.
The Sufis present a Hadith about Allah ta’ala - a unique Tafseer is coming to my heart right now, and I'd like to share this point with you. Shall I tell you? Aha. So this is just coming to my heart right now. Yes? So Allah ta’ala tells us to put this message into our heart. Now Allah says ‘I am in the heart of the Mu’min, and you will not find Me anywhere else.’ So Allah says ‘You can find me in the heart of a Mu’min,’ and today I have understood how Allah ta’ala is found. Allah says ‘I allow My Sifat, My qualities of Rahman and Rahim, to come into a person's heart so that he can understand who his Rabb is.’ In a heart in which you find the quality of Rahmah and of mercy, then consider that Allah ta’ala can be found in the heart of that person. That is what is meant when Allah ta’ala says ‘I can be found in the heart of the Mu’min.’ Have Rahmah and mercy and make your hearts soft, my brothers. Ramadhan is teaching this to us, inviting us to this, so make your hearts soft and tender, and don't just think about your own relatives - think about all human beings. Don’t think ‘He is this type of person, he is from that religion’ – no. When it comes to giving, become open and generous just like the Master of the two worlds sallallahu alayhi wasallam stated. It is said that he would become so generous in Ramadhan that he gave as openly as the rain and the wind – that is how generous he was.
We judge by Ibadah and Sujood, and alhamdulillah, there is nothing wrong with that, but look in your pockets. Look in your pockets, focus on the pockets, on emphasise those Ibadaat for which Allah has given us Ramadhan - say SubhanAllah. I’m not asking for charity money – I’m making hearts soft and tender. Don't think that I'm saying you should give to charity - I'm not requesting charity from you. No – seek, look everywhere. This is the way, I swear by Allah. Imagine this - when a person’s heart is hard, he is a miser and he is stingy, even for his family. The son says ‘Father, give me five pounds,’ and he says ‘I haven’t got five pounds.’ Do you understand? He says ‘Dad, give me five pounds because I feel like eating this,’ but he said ‘No – you’re not having a takeaway – get away, go! Eat chapattis.’ He won't give to his own son. Yes? He doesn't have that attribute of pity, and if someone says to him, ‘Do you want to eat pizza – shall I order a delivery?’ he says ‘Okay – buy it with your own money and bring it to me.’ So if the Bakheel, the stingy person, doesn’t even give to his own, how will he give to the strangers?
But as for the person who is generous – SubhanAllah. Look at this. I'm telling you the enjoyment here that can be experienced when a person gets beyond the state of being a miser and a stingy person. I'll tell you the path to develop generosity and kindness, the path through which generosity comes and the heart becomes tender and soft. Allah! Such enjoyment can be attained. His greatest enjoyment will come when he sees needy people, when they ask and when he distributes to them. SubhanAllah. And more than this, I say that there's no greater enjoyment than this and no sweeter taste than this. Ask a person who gives how much enjoyment and taste he experiences. Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqua radhiAllahu anha - aha. Ask the mother of the believers, Ayesha Siddiqua - money wouldn’t even remain in the house for a few hours. She would get money, and within hours, the money would go and there'd be no food to eat! The servant would say ‘At least you could have kept something to break the fast,’ and she would say ‘Oh – why didn’t you tell me before? Why are you telling me now?’ SubhanAllah. Such people forget their own selves and their own people.
This is what Ramadhan has come for. We're about to die, the stamps have been applied, Corona has come, and your name is on the list and your Janazah is going to take place very soon. The mask won’t help you, and this won't help you - only Ramadhan will help you now. You may say that Ramadhan has passed and that it has nearly all gone. Allah ta’ala says ‘Ramadhan has gone, but at least make the Niyyah, the intention. Say ‘Oh Allah ta’ala, at that time, I didn't have this Niyyah, but at least I make the Niyyah today in this fast, on Laylat-ul-Qadr. I didn't understand what Ramadhan was for and what I needed to do. Today I make the Niyyah for Ramadhan, so, oh Allah, give me a heart full of mercy. Oh Allah, make me such that I spend and get enjoyment, such that I collect and then feel enmity for that money I have accumulated and saved. May it not be that I keep on saving and saving until one day I realise that the notes have changed, and I start crying ‘How can I use this currency now?’ May I not be of those who hide the notes away, and in the meantime, the notes have been reprinted. Reprinted? How much can I count now? It's gone from us - it's all gone to waste.’
SubhanAllah. These things happen in a person's life, don’t they? Yes - the bank doesn't even accept those notes once they have been reprinted, so invest it and save it and deposit it into the bank of Allah. All notes are acceptable in the bank of Allah – SubhanAllah - and those notes will be changed as well. No matter how old the note is, you can take it out. Allahu Akbar. So what we realise, my brothers, is that Ramadhan has come to give us pain and compassion in our hearts, to teach us mercy and kindness for others. It has come to improve our hearts, to change our hearts. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘The best home is that in which orphans are assisted, and where the calls of the Miskeen, of the poor, are heard, and where those who are desperate, that desperation is heard, and whose inhabitants decorate the homes of poor people, and who find stomachs that are empty and put food and bread into those stomachs.’ That is the best house – Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘That is the best house - your brother's home.’ Yes?
If Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said this, then that is a house of goodness. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘Look at the Barakah and the Rahmah that Allah will put there.’ Can you imagine the Fadhl and grace and mercy in such a house? In that home where orphans and poor people are looked after, I swear by Allah that no sickness will come to that house, no distress will come to that house, no sadness will come to that house, and no poverty will come to that house. In every moment, angels fill those places - they fill them just like the ocean on which waves are travelling. If you take some water out, the next wave will come and replace that water. The home of the generous person is like that. If a person has improved his heart in Ramadhan, then even if he spent millions, the angels will replace whatever money and wealth he has spent.
Do you understand the meaning of Ramadhan now? So Ramadhan has given us the cure for the hard heart. Only one thing can change this hard heart. The example of the hard heart is given by the Qur’an - even a rock can be softened, but the hard heart cannot be softened. Water can gush forth from rock, from a hard place, but the hard heart cannot be improved. What should we do to make it soft? Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has also told us which Ibadah can soften the hard heart in Ramadhan. He announced how to make a hard heart tender after explaining everything at the end of the Hadith introducing Ramadhan beforehand in the month of Sha’ban. He gave us the Ibadah that will bring the success in all the specialities and qualities of Ramadhan. When Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam presented Ramadhan in this Hadith, he explained that the great Ibadah of Ramadhan is to help and assist people. He gave us that Ibadah that will make the heart soft and tender, and after explaining everything, in the conclusion, in the essence of the Hadith, Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘Remember, remember: within Ramadhan, there are four special, unique characteristics by which you can attain Ramadhan, and you need to you adopt those “أربع خصال”.’ Then, SubhanAllah, he said, “خصلتين ترضون بهما ربكم، وخصلتين لا غنى بكم عنهما” – ‘If you implement those, then “ترضون بهما ربكم”, you will attain the special quality and stamp of Ramadhan. This will come to you because this is the month to please Allah’ – SubhanAllah. So Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that the two things “خصلتين ترضون بهما ربكم” that will make your hard soft, SubhanAllah, are abundance of Dhikrullah and abundance of asking for forgiveness.
This is the Dhikr of Allah for which we are seated here, and this is also the cure. The biggest cure of the heart that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained is Katheer Dhikr, abdundance of Dhikr. If there's anything that makes the heart soft and tender, it is the remembrance of Allah – apart from that, there's no other action in the world that can soften the heart. And Allah ta’ala has given a great reward - I say that there's no greater reward for any other Ibadah than the one for this. There's such a great reward in the Qur’an for Dhikr. I speak from my passion here - I'm not giving a Fatwa, so may the respected scholars not give a Fatwa against me. I speak from my love and passion that this is the biggest reward that I can see and that I understand. What is that reward? Allah ta’ala said, ‘Oh My Mehboob {وَٱصۡبِرۡ نَفۡسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ رَبَّہُم} sit down with them and do that action with them.’ To whom is this being said? To the Imam al-Ambiya! What a great reward! Allah is saying ‘Sit down with them and give them your company and give them the honour and the high rank. Who is this to be given to? {ٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ رَبَّہُم} – With those who call out to your Lord! And when? In the morning when they wake up, they call out in remembrance, and in the evening their time passes with My remembrance also.’ SubhanAllah!
Look at the Maqam of those who do the Dhikr of Allah in the morning and evening. Allah ta’ala instructs ‘Oh My Mehboob, sit with them and give them the honour of your company.’ Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘When this verse was revealed to me, I was surprised, thinking what is this? What is this? Who are the people in my Ummah who I have been told to go and sit with?’ Say SubhanAllah. Allah’s Nabi went looking, and he came out of his home – this Hadith is in Faza’il-e-A’maal if you want to read it - and he said ‘I was looking, so I came out to find which people were these, those with whom Allah ta’ala was telling me to go and sit. There must be some action that they're doing, because Allah has selected them.’ Then Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘I saw in the corner on one side, a few of my companions were sat down.’ So what was their condition and what was the action they were doing? He explained their condition, saying that some had long beards and their hair was dishevelled, and that they had no clothes to wear, just one Lungi that they were wearing.
Now the Dhoti or Lungi is a Sunnah of the Habeeb, of our Nabi and Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. These colourful clothes that we wear, if you have love for Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then sometimes come to Salah wearing a Lungi, an Izar, and pray your Salah with this. This is the special Libaas of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and two items of clothing are special – one is the Kameez, the other is the Lungi, and the third is the cloak, the sheet. So this is the Libaas of RasooluAllah sallallahu alayhi wasallam - SubhanAllah. So at least sometimes put on these clothes and then come to Allah’s home and make Sajdah like that, at least. Are we embarrassed? If we are embarrassed, SubhanAllah, then what intercession will we get in the Hereafter? Who do we want to get intercession from? Tell me. At least pray Jumu’ah in this attire and then come and tell me how much enjoyment you get, SubhanAllah. Do this - try it. Wear a white Kameez and a white Lungi, and tie an Imamah on your head, and wrap a sheet around your shoulders. Do this with the Niyyah that ‘I'm not doing this to show off, but to revive the Sunnah of Your Habeeb sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and to revive the Sunnah of his Sahaba who used to wear just one Lungi.’
So Rasoolullah stated ‘I was looking for them and there were these people who were sat there, wearing just one Lungi.’ What was the Hukm? The head of the Nabis had been told to go and sit with them, and he realised the honour that had been given to them, SubhanAllah. The honour and the glory of Islam is that it doesn't look at buildings and assets, but rather it looks at the heart. It doesn't matter what the body looks like. SubhanAllah, so Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam arrived there and he saw them. What were they doing? What was the action they were doing? Dhikrullah – that Jamah was sitting down doing Dhikrullah. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam sat down, and suddenly he raised his hands and he made Dua, saying ‘Oh Allah. I am grateful to You for having created such people in my Ummah like those in Bolton in Masjid Zakariya, who morning and evening do Dhikrullah and host Dhikrullah.’ Say SubhanAllah. We should do Ziyarah of those people, and we should ask those people to make Dua for us, because Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam made Dua for them. And they have such a great honour that they are able to sit down every morning and evening. Their glory and status is such and their honour is such that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam sat amongst them – Allahu Akbar! Imagine the respect and honour of those who do Dhikr of Allah. So have I said anything wrong about this Hadith? Read this Hadith - this is the meaning, the translation. Those people were doing this same action, and Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam made this Dua.
And his Dua was that Allah ta’ala would continue to create such people in the Ummah until Qiyamah, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would see them and be happy. And he said ‘This is the glory of my Ummah that there are such people who do Dhikr of Allah every morning and evening.’ So should we do Dhikr my friends? Does Dhikr take place here or not? So why don't you sit down? Why don't you join in? So the glory and the honour of the people who do Dhikr of Allah became so high, and they attained such respect because Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam went and sat amongst them.
So through Dhikr, a person's heart is improved – Allah ta’ala has given such a great reward for this action. So my brothers, do Dhikr in Ramadhan – do Dhikr Katheer so that our hearts transform and improve. The condition of our hearts will not improve without this, and Rahmah and kindness will not come to the heart. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam has explained everything about Ramadhan to us, that through Ramadhan we need to have regard for others and learn to have love and pain for others. We can't do this until our hearts change, and our hearts cannot change until we do the Dhikr of Allah.
May Allah tala give us all the Tawfeeq - Ameen. Recite Durood Sharif.

15th May, 2021
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