The most remarkable in this ayat to me in this subject, its really fascinating, its really if you think about it, its fascinating. Allah says “have a world inside them.” Allah says then for that reason - invite. What the Prophets job at the end of the day? Inviting people. That his job. Allah says “I have listed before you 3 major major major problems, with this audience you have infront of you.” Enough for everybody else to say ‘theres no point to invite them. There no point theres no purpose’. Allah says “actually because of this problems are so major, that is why you have to invite them, that is why I chose you(s.a.w), this is not just any man’s job, this is your job, if the problem was small it wouldnt need the greatest messenger of all humanity. It is because the problems are so big you’re need it.” the motivation given to him(s.a.w) is ‘this is the toughest crowd you’ll ever have - nobody’s ever had. And you’ll deal with them directly.’

previous prophets, think about it, previous prophets, 1 dealt 1 kind of problem, Jesus(Isa A.S) dealt with the people with the book, Zakharia dealt with the people with the book, but this prophet(Muhammad s.a.w) has to dealt with everybody.

And what this telling you and myself, and this coming back to us now, when muslims get together for dinner, eat, parties, etc, what are we discuss? Problems. We loveee discussing problems. “man, this is going on and that is going on and they’re doing this and this one doing that.” Omg we lovee problems. And you know some of you masyaallah her season problem disscussion experts. She spent her entire life, thats her sunnah established. And you know what Allah says yes there are huge problems but you and I will be alive in 2012 around of these problems that He knows is qualified to solves those problems. Because of those problems you and I exist. Because those problems have to solved that you and I given air to breath. Thats why we’re here. And stand firm dont buckle coz you see problems. Stand firm as you commanded.

And indeed, We gave Musa (Moses) the Book of Torah and followed him up with a succession of Messengers. And We gave ‘Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), clear signs and supported him with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)]. Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not, you grew arrogant? Some, you disbelieved and some, you killed.

In this World.. This ignorance won’t go away, this saddened and this sorrow won’t go away, this darkness won’t go away.. It recorded in the Qur’an. These won’t go away until you properly understand inside of this Book. We have to stop so being reactionary. We have to stop picking from one thing from the Qur’an one thing from here and one thing from here; look at whole Book, look at the entire picture that Allah has represented in this Book.

He is the one who has selected you. Allah is saying, He sees something in you and He decided to give to you Islam. He sees something in you that qualifies you for struggling for Him… We are not Muslim because we were born into a Muslim family. We are not Muslim because we saw a YouTube video and decided to be Muslim, we are Muslim because Allah chose us. He chose us because we have something to offer to Him. He sees something in us, we don’t even see in ourselves.

Every single night our soul is taken, and every single night the angel’s ask before bringing it back.. “Ya Allah what about this one? do You want to send it back? You want to pull the plug or should we keep the roh..?” and every night Allah gives permission to the angel to let him live one more time.

Until this day, reading this makes me cry…

I found myself praying for peace today. I’ve been in and out of my mind a thousand times I know You heard me. I know I wasn’t alone in that room, shaking with the fear of fear, the harrowing loneliness.

I cried out to You on my hands. On my knees. With my face pushed down against the ground. If I could have gotten lower, I swear I would. Because that is helplessness, the truest kind… The kind that knows nothing, not one leaf, or tear, or smile can be without Him. I learned something today. Again.

This is dunya. Dunya. Not a place of ease. Only glitter. The place where you have to feel cold and hungry. The place where you have to worry and feel scared. The place where it gets cold. So cold, sometimes.

The place where you have to leave the people you love. Where you can’t get attached, because even if you do, it doesn’t make it stay, it just makes it hurt when it doesn’t. The place where happiness and sadness are only players, waiting for their next line in a play… Competing for their place on stage. The place where gravity makes you fall, and frailty makes you bleed. The place where sadness exists, because it must. And tears fall to remind you of a place where they don’t. Where they just don’t.

And isn’t that just it? Isn’t Jannah that place after all, that place that Allah describes over and over and over in 2 ways?: “La khawfun alayhim wa la hum yahzanoon… (On them shall be no fear…nor shall they grieve.)”

But I’m still here, aren’t I? The scar on my flesh reminds me of that. The burn on my arm left a scar that I love. I love it because it reminds me how weak I am. How human. That I burn. That I bleed. That I break. That I scar. Yes. It is here that I am. Here that I fall. Here that I cry. Here, just the same, that You filled that room, and lifted me to humbleness, and an acute knowledge of my own powerlessness and excruciating need for You.

And then You took care of it. Of course You did. Of course. Like Younus, and Musa, and his mother. You took care of it. You are the Peace of the peaceful. The Strength of the strong. The lighthouse of Truth in this storm of lies. So, I found myself praying for peace today.

We try to use God like a ‘genie in a bottle’. We make a wish, and when it doesn’t come true, we throw away the bottle. Allah isn’t a tool we use to get to Dunya. Dunya is a tool we use to get to Allah.’

A lot of our youth are dating, that’s the reality. Your boys and girls in this community, In dallas. There are boys and girls that have relationships outside of marriage. some just living it to texting each other, or facebooking each other. Sending an e-mail once in a while about ”how beautiful you are”, this and that. Some a little worse, Some a lot worse. But they’re having relationships. And when you tell them about relationships in Islaam, they’ll say,”I dont wanna be so hard on myself”, ”I dont wanna make my life difficult, what’s the big deal anyway?”. And you know what the big deal is? What it does to you?. Just to give you some glimpse of what dating does to people. Now I’m not talking about the permissibility and impermissibility here. Like I said, Imma speak to you like you’re adults, and I Think you already know what’s haraam, I don’t have to tell you that, you already know that. And you know Allaah has revealed that already, so your conscience is dirty and you know it. There’s no beating around that bush.

But, I do wanna tell you some of its consequences. You know when someone gets married, then they take a responsibility for the other. Allaah Azza Wa Jal puts them in a responsibility position. And they have to take care of their financial needs, their emotional needs, their learning of the Deen, their protection, everything. But when two people are dating, what do they have to take care of? What do they have to take care of? (ans.) Nothing. The only thing they’re responsible for is satisfying their own hormones, that’s all. And the moment they get bored, or tired, or you know.. A small fight or dispute breaks out, what happens in dating? (ans.) You break up. You’ll say, ”Well, this didn’t work” It’s like changing a…not even a toothbrush, even a tooth brush lasts longer. It’s like changing chewing gum. ”I lost the taste of it…next…next…next”. And then what happens? One of the two, whoever got dumped, is emotionally very, very, disturbed. They’re crying in the middle of the night and depressed, they’re waiting for the text message to come, ”Please, you don’t really mean that, David”. And they become so pathetic. The friends around them, ”What happened to you man?” ”You don’t know man, I didn’t know, she’ll come back, I know she’ll come back”. This really happens.

And then, when they become scarred emotionally, the next time round, you know what they have in their head? ”Well I got Scarred the last time and I am going to make sure I scar somebody else this time”. So Overtime they become this ruthless, merciless, animalistic people that all they wanna do is get their physical urges out of the way. But they dont even see the other person they’re dating as a human being anymore. All They see is a piece of flesh walking around.

And when these people get married, you can only imagine what kind of marriage that they’re gonna have. That’s why you have people that date each other for 10 years, when they get married, after 10 years (of dating), and within 2 months, they get divorced. And you wonder, ”How did you guys were dating?”. you know why they lasted? because there was no responsibility. you become broken people. you become torn individuals. And you don’t realized it because you don’t understand that what Allah gives you, makes your life easy. And what you’re trying to do for yourself, only makes your life difficult, it makes you a broken human being.

‎Allah’s mission is bigger than you and me.
It will go on with or without you.
We have to feel honoured that we are part of it.’

“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.”

The Meaning of “Strangeness”

Many times in many situations the people that follow the religion of Allah feel a sense of not belonging, of being out of place, of not fitting in, and, in other words, of being strange. This feeling could occur in a gathering of non-Muslims, but, unfortunately, this feeling sometimes also occurs when one is with his fellow Muslims.

A person sees his brothers and sisters doing acts that are contrary to Islam, or taking part in innovations that sometimes even border on kufr (apostasy), yet he feels that he does not have enough power or courage to stop them in these acts. Some brothers and sisters, especially if they do not have enough taqwa or Islamic knowledge, sometimes buckle under the pressure of their peers and join in these acts, knowing that this is not what Allah wants them to do. However, feeling helpless, since it seems that they are alone in their ideas and without any support to help them do what is right, they succumb to such pressures.

These brothers and sisters, may Allah have mercy on them, should take consolation in the verses of the Qur’an and the many statements of the Prophet (saws) describing this very situation of strangeness that they feel.

Why Have They Been Called “Strangers”?

Allah says in the Qur’an,
“If only there had been, in the generations preceding you, people having wisdom, prohibiting others from evil in the earth; except a few of those whom we have saved from among them.” (Qur’an Hud 116).

This verse speaks of the few people on earth, the “strangers”, who prohibit mankind from evil. These are the same people the Prophet (saws) spoke about when he said, “Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” It was asked, “Who are those strangers, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Those that correct the people when they become corrupt.” [Reported by Abu Amr al-Dani, from the hadith of ibn Masoud. It is authentic according to al-Albani. Another narration says, “Those that correct my Sunnah which has been corrupted by the people after me.”] In another narration he said in response to the same question, “They are a small group of people among a large evil population. Those who oppose them are more than those who follow them.” [Reported by ibn Asaakir. It is authentic according to al-Albani.]

These praiseworthy people are called strangers since they are a small minority among mankind. Thus, Muslims are strangers among mankind; the true believers are strangers among Muslims; and the scholars are strangers among the true believers. And the followers of the Sunnah, those that clear themselves from all peoples of innovation, are likewise strangers.

In reality, however, their strangeness is only because they are the minority and it is not because their actions and beliefs are strange. This is what Allah says in surah al-Anaam,

“And if you obey most of the people on Earth, they will lead you astray” (Qur’an al-Anaam 116).

Allah also says,
“And most of mankind will not believe, even if you (O Muhammad) desire it eagerly” (Qur’an Yusuf 103);

“And truly, most of mankind are rebellious and disobedient (to Allah).” (Qur’an al-Maidah 49)

“But nay, most of mankind are ungrateful” (Qur’an Yusuf 38).

Therefore, Allah, the All-Knowing Creator, knows the most of mankind will not follow the truth. Instead, only a small group of people will be set apart that truly and correctly believe in Him, the strangers from among mankind.

“Islam began as a stranger and shall return as a stranger as it began. So give glad tidings to the strangers”.

The meaning of this hadeeth is that Islam began as something strange, when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called people to Islam, but no one responded except a few here and there. At that time it was something strange because its people were like strangers amongst others and they were few in number and weak, in contrast to the great numbers and strength of their enemies who persecuted the Muslims. 

Then some of them migrated to Abyssinia, fleeing for the sake of their religion from tribulation and to save themselves from persecution and oppression, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) migrated at Allaah’s command to Madeenah, after suffering intense persecution and in the hope that Allaah would give him people to support him in his call and support Islam. 

Then Allaah fulfilled his hopes, granted victory to his troops and supported His slave. The Islamic state was established and Islam spread, with the help of Allaah, throughout the land; Allaah made the word of kufr lowest and the word of Allaah is (always) uppermost, for Allaah is Almighty, All-Wise, and honour, power and glory belong to Allaah, and to His Messenger, and to the believers [cf al-Munaafiqoon 63:8]. 

This continued for a long time, then division and dissent spread among the Muslims and weakness and failure increased gradually, until Islam once again became something strange as it was in the beginning. But this is not because of their small numbers, because at that time they will be many, rather it is because they do not adhere to their religion or cling to the Book of their Lord and the teachings of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), apart from those whom Allaah wills. 

So they become distracted and turn to competing in worldly matters, like those who came before them, and they fight amongst themselves for leadership. So the enemies of Islam found a way in and they colonized their lands, humiliated their people and treated them badly. This is the way in which Islam returned to being strange as it was in the beginning. 

A number of scholars – including Shaykh Muhammad Rasheed Rida – thought that this hadeeth gives ‘glad tidings’ of a second victory of Islam after it becomes something strange again. They base this on the metaphor used by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he said, “… will revert to being strange as it began.” So just as following the initial strangeness and alienation the Muslims were victorious and Islam spread, this will happen again after the second period of strangeness and alienation.

Some of you might wanna know that debate is going to make you gain a sin little by little without purpose, no matter what religion you are, no matter what background you are, no matter what your ambition you wanna be.. a doctor a robot a dinosour, as long as you were created as a human being, debate for the truth can boost your proud and ego in your heart without you knowing. And all you gonna say is “So what, because im right, because they never right.” if this is your attitude you need to change it. Proud and ego can make your heart hard if you’re not change it from the beginning, if it’s too late, your heart is hard and no longer listen of what people’s advice and of what people say because you think you’re already right, as an ego person.

The most dangerous disease are ego and hypocrite, not cancer. Cancer can change your personality to better, but ego can change your heart to hypocrites. The ego grows little by little in your heart until it boost.. it is the most dangerous disease because it is a heart disease, a hidden disease. If this is your heart disease you keep it for years, this is your serious problem. People can’t see what’s in your heart. But God can see what’s in your heart. So if you think that you’re right and people still argue with you with the debates, all you have to do is just be quiet. Quiet save you from any sins and quiet can make you learn from others or gain knowledge at the same time. So the first person who need to change your heart is yourself. Im not perfect, im not telling you this because im perfect, even me im always seeking forgiveness incase im telling wrong advices and have just commited smallest sins, God is closer to you, to your heart, seek forgiveness, because people make sins, so seek forgiveness because He’s with you wherever you are.

“So when the time is hard, there’s no way to turn as HE promise HE will always be there, to bless us with HIS love, and HIS mercy because, as HE promise HE will always be there. HE’s always watching us, guiding us, and HE knows what’s all in our hearts.” -Maher Zain.

The Holy Prophet (S) was sitting in the mosque in Madina giving a talk to some of his followers while they were waiting for Salaat time to set in. A rich man wearing expensive clothes came and sat in front of the Holy Prophet (S) to listen to his talk. Meanwhile another man who had also came to listen to the Holy Prophet (S) sat down beside the rich man. The second man was not rich, in fact he was quite poor. The old and torn clothes he was wearing showed just how poor he was. The rich man did not like for the poor man to sit next to him. He pulled his nice, new, expensive clothes closer to himself, so that they would not be touched by the dirty, old, torn clothes of the poor man. The Holy Prophet (S) noticed what the rich man had done and was upset and disappointed. He asked the rich man why he had done this? Was it because he thought that some of his wealth might go to the poor man, or was it because he thought some of the poverty of the poor man might come to him. The rich man, who was not a bad person, realised what he had done was wrong and was truly sorry. To make up for his mistake and to show how sorry he was, the rich man after apologising to the poor man, offered him half of all his wealth. The poor man told the rich man that he accepted his apology and forgave him, but did not want half of his wealth as he did not want to get something without having worked for it. Moral: In the eyes of Allah how rich or poor a person is makes no difference. The person who is closest to Allah is the one who obeys Him in every action. Prophet Muhammad (S) was a very kind person and he never got angry even when people were very naughty.

There was one old woman who was very bad. She used to throw rubbish on the Holy Prophet (S) whenever he passed her house. Prophet Muhammad (S) used to have to pass her house every morning when he went to the mosque and every morning this naughty old woman used to throw her rubbish on him but he never ever got angry with her. One day when the Holy Prophet (S) was passing the old woman’s house, she did not throw rubbish on him. He stopped and asked the old woman’s neighbour if she was all right because she was not there to throw rubbish on him. The neighbour told him that the old woman was not well and she was in bed. So the Holy Prophet (S) went to see the old woman because it is good to go and see people who are not well and ask them if they need anything. When the old woman saw the Holy Prophet (S), she thought he had come to tell her off and she said “why did you wait until I was ill to tell me off, why didn’t you come when I was well and strong?” Prophet Muhammad (S) told the old woman that he had not come to tell her off but to see and look after her because she was not well and Allah tells us to look after people who are not well. The old woman was so surprised that the Holy Prophet (S) was being so kind to her after she had been so mean to him, that she decided from then on to listen to him and she became a Muslim.

One day Prophet Muhammad (S) was on a journey and very tired, so he sat down under a tree to rest. A bad man seeing that the Holy Prophet (S) was alone thought it was a good time to kill him quickly and quietly. He went towards the Holy Prophet (S) with his sword out in front of him. He asked the Holy Prophet (S): “Tell me who can help you now?”
“Allah,” answered the Holy Prophet (S) calmly. When the bad man saw how calm and sure the Holy Prophet (S) was that Allah would help him, he became frightened and the sword fell from his hand. Prophet Muhammad (S) picked up the sword and asked: “Now you tell me who is there to save you?” “No-one” answered the man. “No, you are wrong, the same Allah will help you also,” said the Holy Prophet (S) and then he let the man go. When the man heard this he became a Muslim.

“Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?” -The Holy Quran.

“But if you count the favors of Allah, never will you be able to number them.” [Surah Ibrahim: 34].