Last 3rd Special: A Starry Night - Episode 4 22 nd November 2012. Lecture by Sister Eman al Obaid www.alhudasisters.wordpress.com 1 st Star The start is upon you. 2 nd Star - wahidin li wahidin al tariqa al wahidin Be one for one Master. 3 rd Star What is with Allah subhana wa ta'ala will be, what is not with Allah subhana wa ta'ala will not be. How to reach to Allah subhana wa ta'ala to attain Allah s Pleasure? They way needs a provision, you need to focus until the end. 4 th Star - To Be Grateful The way to get the increment and Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you more. To hasten your step to Allah subhana wa ta'ala be grateful for Allah subhana wa ta'ala s blessings and bounties. Why ash shukr? Allah subhana wa ta'ala prepared you, Allah subhana wa ta'ala made it easy for you, Allah subhana wa ta'ala will beautify and adorn for you the way to Him. Does everyone feel they need the path to Allah subhana wa ta'ala? When you are choosing the path to Allah subhana wa ta'ala and Allah subhana wa ta'ala made it easy and adorned it for you, this is the greatest ni amah from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. We need to thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala for that. To choose this hope, and fearing and seeking the Pleasure of Allah, to feel excited and to be among those walking on that path, this is the greatest blessing from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. 1
Amal as salihah reading the Qur an, remembering Allah subhana wa ta'ala, fasting and praying are all ni amah from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. All of these blessing and bounties, you want them to continue, don t you want the increment and the blessing in it? If these blessing don t increase they will decrease, that is why you guard and protect these blessing with ash shukr. This is one of tools and provision on your way to Allah. We are surrounded by blessings and we need to go forward. During the time of Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam a delegation came from Yemen. Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to give any delegation that came to him gifts. One man in this delegation from Yemen didn t get a gift. Why? The man was busy remembering Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The man felt shy to ask Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam for a gift. The delegation went back to Yemen. Angel Jibril alaihi as-salaam descended to Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said to him Ya Muhammad, your Lord sends salaam to you and reminds you of the man Jadir. So Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked some of the sahabah to follow that delegation and find this man named Jibir and give him a gift and to tell him Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam sends his salaam. The sahabah found the man and told him Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam sends his salaam to you and they him gave him the gift from Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam message to the man was Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam forgot you and Allah subhana wa ta'ala reminded me of you. Jadir said Allahumma, how you didn t forget Jadir, make Jadir remember you all the time. Just remembering Allah subhana wa ta'ala, Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave him more than what he imagined, Allah subhana wa ta'ala remembered him, Prophet Muhammad ṣallallahu alayhi wa sallam knew about him and everybody else had heard about him. This is to be grateful, this is the gratitude. You are grateful when you are worshipping Allah subhana wa ta'ala, when you are remembering Allah subhana wa ta'ala all the time. When you look around you, you see how many favors Allah subhana wa ta'ala has upon you. If you can turn while you are sleeping this is one of the blessings of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. If you can sleep continuously for 2 or 3 hours, did you thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala for this blessing? When you look at yourself, when you look around you, when you look at your children, when you look at your house, when you look at the blessings and bounties you are surrounded with, did you thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Chapter (31) sūrat luq'mān 31:20 Do you not see that Allah has made subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and amply bestowed upon you His favors, [both] apparent and unapparent? But of the people is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening Book [from Him]. Allah subhana wa ta'ala showered you with His blessings, apparent and hidden blessings. Mujahid: What are these blessing for which we need to thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala? 2
The hidden blessings which Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave us is La illaaha illa Allah. Nothing is more greater then when Allah subhana wa ta'ala bestowed upon you to know Allah subhana wa ta'ala. You have different blessing around you. But the greatest blessing we need to appreciate is when you know Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Knowing La illaaha illa Allah for the believer in Paradise is like how you need water in the dunya, the people of Paradise are living with La illaaha illa Allah, they are breathing with the as tasbih. That is why this is the greatest blessing from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When Allah subhana wa ta'ala put you in a place you are remembering Him. When Allah subhana wa ta'ala put you in a situation you are thanking Him. When Allah puts you in places you are remembering Him, prostrating to Him and bowing to Him. Nothing can be equivalent to this blessing. Shurkran ni amah is one of the provisions you need on the way to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Al Malik, your King said in Surat al Ibrahim Chapter (14) sūrat ib'rāhīm (Abraham) 14:7 And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' " Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you more, gave you in abundance. If not then there is some torment which will befall you. Ibn Quiyam: Whomever Allah subhana wa ta'ala bestowed upon a blessing, dunya or deen, and he did not give thanks to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, he will be tortured with this blessing. He will be punished with this blessing, by the blessing itself. That torment, that punishment will be in the dunya, before the akhirah. Don t be ungrateful to your Lord, don t be the one not appreciating your Lord. Look around you and look at how much you owe Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Constantly you need to be grateful, like you need the water. Don t you find sometimes a blessing will be taken away and you don t know why? Because you did not give enough thanks to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. If you did not give enough thanks for the knowledge it will be taken away. If you did not give enough thanks for your sisters whom you love for the Sake of Allah, they will be taken away. If you did not give thanks to Allah subhana wa ta'ala for Qiyam al Layl, it will be taken away. If you did not give thanks for any of the blessing of Allah subhana wa ta'ala we will be afraid it will be taken away and we will be tortured with it. What is my provision on the way to Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Ash Shukr, ash shukur ash shukr. To be grateful, to be grateful, to be grateful. The more you are grateful, the more Allah subhana wa ta'ala will increase for you. Chapter (47) sūrat muḥammad 3
47:17 And those who are guided - He increases them in guidance and gives them their righteousness. The way to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, for it to be quicker, easy and smoother, just be grateful. Be grateful in everything for what Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you and bestowed upon you and Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you more. You cannot give Allah subhana wa ta'ala enough thanks for the guidance. Hasan al Basri: Allah subhana wa ta'ala will make you to enjoy the blessing, whatever of the blessing you enjoy are when you keep thanking Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will make you to enjoy the blessings Allah subhana wa ta'ala is giving you if you are thanking Allah subhana wa ta'ala, otherwise it will be azab for them. Whomever Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave the children and they didn t give thanks to Allah subhana wa ta'ala they will be tortured with them. The misery will come from them. If you are given money and you did not give thanks to Allah subhana wa ta'ala he will be hurt from it. We need to be grateful to our Creator, we need to be thankful and appreciating all the blessings Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave us. Never show ungratefulness; never show disbelief because a person not giving enough thanks is as if he covers the blessings Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave him. The people are busy with the blessings and forgetting the Bestower (Al Wahhab). Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you different blessings, don t be busy with the blessings forgetting Allah subhana wa ta'ala. That is another thing which we need in our life. Some people are busy with the calamities, their life, with all their affairs of the dunya they are totally occupied and neglecting their Lord. They are away from Allah subhana wa ta'ala, neglecting & heedless about Allah subhana wa ta'ala. If you don t have Allah subhana wa ta'ala in your life, you don t have anybody. If you are not thanking Allah subhana wa ta'ala it is as if you are not thanking anybody As Shukr this is the way to reach to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. One scholar said Every morning I wake up and I don t know how to thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala. I wake up between two blessings from Allah subhana wa ta'ala and I don t know which one of them is greater. Sometimes you don t even know which blessing is greater. One the blessings is that Allah subhana wa ta'ala concealed the sins I committed. So many sins we are committing and this man said that he is feeling so grateful to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, how many sins I am doing and how much Allah subhana wa ta'ala is covering me. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is not exposing me infront of people. We commit sin and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is not exposing us. This is the ni amah we need to be grateful for. The other ni amah this man does not know is greater and the love which Allah subhana wa ta'ala put in the hearts of the people towards me which my deeds never reach to. If you do most of the good deeds it will not necessarily make the people love you. The love Allah subhana wa ta'ala puts between the people does not reach your deeds. 4
I don t know which blessing is greater; The sins Allah subhana wa ta'ala concealed from the people or The love Allah subhana wa ta'ala put in the heart of the people. The way to Allah subhana wa ta'ala don t forget, don t forget any blessing Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you, even the happiness which you are having in your heart, any blessing, you need to thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala. If you memorize one ayah, if you understand one ayah, if you start the night prayer, if you prayed, if you fasted, don t forget, be grateful to your Creator. Don t be busy with the blessings and forget the Bestower. Even with the good deeds we get excited, we get excited with the worship itself, and we will be busy with the worship. Don t be busy with the worship forgetting Allah subhana wa ta'ala, the One Whom you are worshipping. Be grateful to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, you need to confess the blessing, you need to feel I don t know how I will thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala, praise Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Submit to your Lord, love Allah subhana wa ta'ala and use it in doing more good deeds. Use this blessing in thanking Allah subhana wa ta'ala, this is the shukr. The shukr, gratitude is the action of the heart. When you confess the blessing is from Allah subhana wa ta'ala and when you praise Allah subhana wa ta'ala for it and when you humble and submit yourself to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, and when you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala, when you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala more than anybody else, and; You will use this blessing to thank Allah the Bestower. My Lord, My Master, Allah subhana wa ta'ala Ya Allah, I am the one who is small and you are the One who brought me up, whom you reform, all praises are due to You. I am weak and You strengthen me. I am the poor, whom you enriched. I am the hungry, which you fed. All praises are due to You. I am naked, which you clothed, all praises are due to You. I am the traveler whom you accompanied, all praise is due to You. I am the absent which you returned to, all praises are due to You. I am the caller, I am the one calling You and I am the one whom you responded to, all praises are due to You. All the praises and all the thanks are due to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, much praise because I am praising you. I am thanking Allah subhana wa ta'ala because we are thanking Him, we are nothing without Allah subhana wa ta'ala, all praises are due to You. Ya Rabb, Your Nur is perfect and You give the guidance, nobody can give the guidance except You, all praises are due to you. How great is Your tolerance and Your forbearing and You are forgiving. Ya Rabb, your face is the most honorable of all faces, and Your giving and Your blessings, nothing is better than Your giving and Your blessings. If You are obeyed, You will be grateful, if You are disobeyed, You forgive and pardon, all thanks are due to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. You are the one who will respond to any of Your servants. Even if I am a sinner, you will respond to me. Even if I am far away from You, You are the One Who will approach me. You will forgive all the sins and You will accept the repentance. No one can give what Allah subhana wa ta'ala gives. Nobody can reward how Allah subhana wa ta'ala can reward. No one can reach what Allah subhana wa ta'ala can do for you. Nobody can praise You as You praise Yourself. All praises are due to you. 5
Look around you and be grateful to your Lord. Look at what we are having and we feel we cannot thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala enough. O my Sister, you are the greatest blessing from Allah subhana wa ta'ala, Allah subhana wa ta'ala sent you to me and this is the greatest blessing from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. We need to appreciate this blessing and we need to thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala for the blessing of the guidance, thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala for the blessing of the knowledge, thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala for the blessing of the worship and thank Allah subhana wa ta'ala because our Lord is Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Praise Allah subhana wa ta'ala because AlhamduliLlahi Rabbil Alameen. The more you are grateful the more Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you. This is a transcript of a lecture given by Sister Eman al Obaid. We ask Allah subhana wa ta ala for His forgiveness and His Mercy. Anything that is good from these notes is from Allah subhana wa ta ala. Any mistakes & misrepresentations are my own. I ask Allah subhana wa ta ala for His forgiveness and to put forgiveness in the hearts of those who read them. JazakAllah Khairan. 6