Thresholds Mirza Yawar Baig Brutus in Shakespeare s Julius Caesar says words which my father used to quote to me over and over: Brutus: There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. When I teach leadership, one of the exercises I do is to ask people to draw their lives. There is no time to explain the whole exercise here and when we have a chance to organize another LEC in India, maybe you can attend to experience what I am talking about, but suffice to say that people draw the story of their lives from their earliest childhood memories to the present. When they have finished I ask them to identify the Thresholds, in their story. A Threshold is a doorway. I define a Threshold as a critical incident/decision where the choice you made opened a new destiny for you. Had you made a different choice, a different destiny would have opened for you. The reason we do this exercise, and it is a very powerful exercise, is to help people to see the patterns of positive and negative change that have been replicating themselves in their lives, mostly unconsciously. The reality is that if these patterns are identified and recognized, they can be changed and you can actually change what happens to you going forward. The only use of history is the lessons that it can teach us, but for the most part, we are immune to that learning because either we are too busy to reflect or too frightened to face facts. However assuming that you are not from either category, let me suggest to you that you do this exercise and identify the Thresholds in your life. Once you identify the Thresholds then sit down, reflect and ask yourself these questions: 1. What did I do on that occasion? 2. What other options were available to me? 3. Why didn t I see them? Or did I see them but didn t use them? 4. What would have happened if I had made another choice? 5. Please invent your own questions and ask them about each Threshold. 1
Allah mentioned the issue of choices and told us that we have been given these choices and have been given the criteria to judge and see which the better choice is. He said: و ه د ي ن اه الن ج د ي ن Balad 90:10 And shown him the two roads [of good and evil]? و ق ل ا ل ق م ن ر ب ك م ف م ن ش اء ف ل ي ؤ م ن و م ن ش اء ف ل ي ك ف ر Kahf 18: 29. And say: "The truth is from your Rabb." Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. Each is a threshold. Each opens into a new road of destiny. In Islam our understanding of destiny as I have explained before is that we have limited choice. We have the choice of the doorway. What is inside that doorway is the destiny for that choice. The good news is that the door through which we entered remains open as long as we live and so we can return and choose another doorway. That is the meaning of Tawba wal Istighfaar to turn towards Allah and to seek forgiveness. However when we die the door closes and then there is no turning back. The pathway becomes a travelator leading to the destination we chose. Then there is no getting off, no stopping, no turning back. I ask Allah to protect us from bad choices. And to help us to make the best choices leading to His pleasure. So let us see why we make bad choices even when we know that they are bad? Why do otherwise intelligent people act in such unintelligent ways? Why do people choose destructive destinies when they have far better choices? Why do we do this? There are three main reasons: Ignorance, greed and succumbing to peer pressure. Ignorance: This religion of ours is a religion of knowledge. It is knowledge which gives a person superiority. Not just having that knowledge but acting on it. As they say, A picture is worth a thousand words. To which I add, An action is worth a million. Knowledge which is not acted upon is a waste and may even become a proof against us on the Day of Judgment. On that Day the one who deliberately disobeyed Allah or did not follow the Sunnah of Rasoolullah will not be able to say that he didn t know. So clarify your doubts while you still can and correct your lives, lest your knowledge traps you. The most ignorant is the one who knows but doesn t act. In Fiqh, a hunting dog that has been trained can be released to catch a prey animal after saying, Bismillahi Allahu Akbar. When you reach the animal the dog caught, if you find that it is dead you can still eat it and it is Halaal. But when you reach the animal and you find that there are two dogs there; one your trained animal and the other an untrained dog that happened to come along; and you can t tell with certainty which one of them killed the animal, the animal is not Halaal and you can t eat it because the untrained dog may have 2
killed it. One of the Salaf said, Knowledge gave even the dog, superiority over another dog that didn t have that knowledge. م ث ل ال ذ ين ح ل وا الت و ر اة ث ل ي م ل وه ا ك م ث ل ا ل م ار ي م ل أ س ف ار ا ب ئ س م ث ل ال ق و م ال ذ ين ك ذ ب وا ب آي ات الل ه و الل ه ل ي ه دي ال ق و م الظ الم ي Jumua 62: 5. The likeness of those who were entrusted with the (obligation of the) Taurat is as the likeness of a donkey who carries a huge burden of books (but understands nothing from them). How bad is the example (or the likeness) of people who deny the Ayat (signs, revelations) of Allah. And Allah guides not the people who are Zalimun (oppressors, transgressors, rebellious sinners). To know the orders of Allah but still disobey them is to invite disaster. Greed: This is the second most powerful reason for making bad choices. Shaytaan plays games and shows us his shortcuts to great wealth, name and fame. He uses the strength of a person to trip him up. For the scholar, Shaytaan uses the knowledge that the scholar has to find loopholes to justify the disobeying Allah. The scholar gives Fatawa that apparently make Haraam into Halaal, forgetting that one day he and his Fatawa as well as all those who followed him will stand before the One in whose name these false Fatawa were given. Today there are so-called Ulama who have made interest Halaal when Allah has clearly made it Haraam. There are those who have made mixing Halaal income with Haraam, permissible and have even prescribed percentages of this mix. Some say that upto 15% is permissible. Others are more kind and allow upto 35% of Haraam in the overall income and say that it will still be Halaal. They forget that Rasoolullah was not as kind as them and said that one dinar of Haraam in 100 dinar of income, makes the other 99 also Haraam. There are still others who have created the abhorrent custom which they call Halaala with respect to marriage. Halaala is Haraama faqat. It is prostitution which is being legalized by so-called Ulama of Islam. Others have made gambling Halaal to please their rich donors and masters. Others have played down the evil of smoking, calling it Makrooh instead of Haraam. How can cancer sticks be Halaal? What kind of religion is it that permits addiction and self-destruction? Certainly not Islam. For smokers and those in the cigarette business, such Fatawa are made to order and they show their support. Still others have made Halaal the sound of guitars, flutes and other musical instruments; failing to explain how the sound can be Halaal when the instrument is banned. These are those who permit what is called Beat-boxing, which is the making of the sound of musical instruments with your voice. Whereas singing is a different matter, making the sound of a guitar can t be called singing. It is the sound of a guitar. All these things are done due to greed. The greed of those who are earning an income using these Haraam ways and the greed of their compliant scholars who earn their fees by permitting what they know they have no right to permit. 3
People forget what Rasoolullah said, that the pen has been lifted and the ink has dried. What has been written in terms of Rizq will come to us and what has not been written can t come to us irrespective of what we do or don t. What we do have choice over is how we choose to take that Rizq. Which source do we choose to use? We have been shown the way. It is for us to follow the teachings that have been taught to us. If not it is for us to pay the price. Nobody can help us on that Day. Peer Pressure: This is the third most powerful reason for making bad choices going through the wrong doorway. Friends are very important in life. Good friends. About our cool friends Allah warned us about what will happen to them and those who followed them. و ي و م ي ع ض الظ ا ل ع ل ى ي د ي ه ي ق ول ي ا ل ي ت ن ا ت ذ ت م ع الر س ول س ب ي ل ي ا و ي ل ت ل ي ت ن ل أ ت ذ ف ل ن ا خ ل يل ل ق د أ ض ل ن ع ن الذ ك ر ب ع د إ ذ ج اء ن و ك ان الش ي ط ان ل ل نس ان خ ذ و ل Furqaan 25: 27. And (remember) the Day when the Zalim (oppressor) will bite at his hands, he will say: "Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger ( Muhammad). 28. "Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a friend! 29. "He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (this Qur'an) after it had come to me. And Shaitan (Satan) is ever a deserter to man in the hour of need." And what of good friends? Allah said that on the Day when the father will hide from the son and the brother from the brother, people who loved one another for the sake of Allah and who were friends for the sake of Allah and who invited each other towards goodness will not run from one another. They will still be friends of one another. I ask Allah to give me friends like that and to make me a friend like that for my friends. Allah said: ا ل خ ل ء ي و م ئ ذ ب ع ض ه م ل ب ع ض ع د و إ ل ال م ت ق ي ي ا ع ب اد ل خ و ف ع ل ي ك م ال ي و م و ل أ نت م ت ز ن ون ال ذ ين آم ن وا ب آي ات ن ا و ك ان وا م س لم ي اد خ ل وا ا ل ن ة أ نت م و أ ز و اج ك م ت ب ر و ن ي ط اف ع ل ي هم بص ح اف م ن ذ ه ب و أ ك و اب و ف يه ا م ا ت ش ت هيه ا ل نف س و ت ل ذ ا ل ع ي و أ نت م ف يه ا خ ال د و ن و ت ل ك ا ل ن ة ال ت أ ور ث ت م وه ا ب ا ك نت م ت ع م ل ون 4
ل ك م ف يه ا ف اك ه ة ك ث ري ة م ن ه ا ت أ ك ل و ن إ ن ال م ج ر م ي ف ع ذ اب ج ه ن م خ ال د ون ل ي ف ت ر ع ن ه م و ه م ف يه م ب ل س ون و م ا ظ ل م ن اه م و ل ك ن ك ان وا ه م الظ ال م ي و ن اد و ا ي ا م ال ك ل ي ق ض ع ل ي ن ا ر ب ك ق ال إ ن ك م م اك ث و ن Zukhruf 43: 67. Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except Al-Muttaqun 68. (It will be said to the Muttaqun): My worshippers! No fear shall be on you this Day, nor shall you grieve, 69. (You) who believed in Our Ayat and were Muslims. 70. Enter Paradise, you and your wives, in happiness. 71. Trays of gold and cups will be passed round them, (there will be) therein all that the one's inner-selves could desire, all that the eyes could delight in, and you will abide therein forever. 72. This is the Paradise which you have been made to inherit because of your deeds which you used to do (in the life of the world). 73. Therein for you will be fruits in plenty, of which you will eat (as you desire). 74. Verily, the Mujrimun (criminals) will be in the torment of Hell to abide therein forever. 75. (The torment) will not be lightened for them, and they will be plunged into destruction with deep regrets, sorrows and in despair therein. 76. We wronged them not, but they were the Zalimun (wrong-doers). 77. And they will cry: "O Malik (Keeper of Hell)! Let your Rabb make an end of us." He will say: "Verily you shall abide (in Jahannam) forever." The most painful of all suffering is regret to know that it was so easy to make the right choice but you didn t make it. To see the true colors of those friends who you thought were so cool and sophisticated and smart. To see them in all their ugliness of disobeying the One who gave them intelligence in the first place. The regret that will be so overwhelming that the person will bite his own hands and draw blood. But on that day all that will be of no avail. I want to remind you that when you are with good people, to obey Allah becomes easy and to disobey Him becomes difficult. On the other hand when you are with people who can t differentiate between right and wrong, to be good becomes difficult and to disobey Allah becomes easy. So choose your company because on the Day of Judgment you will be raised with them. I have a very simple rule. I ask myself, Is this someone that I want to lead my Salatul Janaaza? I am not talking about working relationships. I am talking about friendship, making someone your confidant, following someone s ways. Rasoolullah warned us that we are on the religion of our friends. So let us beware of who we choose to make friends with. 5
Let us remember that death can come at any time, so let us make sure that we are in the right company when we die for we will have the same company for a very long time thereafter. Finally I want to remind myself and you that the door has not closed for anyone who is sitting here, listening to this Khutba. The very fact that you are not dead is proof that the door is still open. However we have no idea when it will slam shut, never to open again. So let us make changes very quickly. Let us make a firm Niyyah to obey Allah in everything that He ordered. Let us remember that Allah ordered us to follow the Sunnah of His Nabi. So let us stop playing games with Allah and stop fooling ourselves that, Nothing will happen. Yawar waisich bolta. Let us make a firm commitment not to die without following the Sunnah of Rasoolullah. Let us make a firm commitment that we will not die except in a state of Islam. What is the state of Islam? It is the Way of Muhammad which is called his Sunnah. I ask Allah for His Mercy and to make it easy for us. 6