Allah is the Lord of all months

 Dear brother, I'd like to deliver a short message after the passing of the month of Ramadan:

"Ammar Ibn Yasir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet peace be upon him was staking three steps to get on pulpit and each time he would say: Ameen. The companions asked him why. He said, "Gabriel, peace be upon him, came and said to me, 'May Allah throw away a man who catches one or both parents and does not use to enter Paradise (by caring for them)', and I said, 'Ameen'. On the second step Gabriel said, 'May Allah throw away a person who you are mentioned and he does not offer salat on you', and I said, 'Ameen'. On the third step Gabriel said, 'May Allah throw away a person who witnessed Ramadan and does not have sins forgiven', and I said, 'Ameen'."

[Al-Bazzar]

 If his sins are not forgiven during Ramadan, then when will they be forgiven?! However, if someone did not observed fasting properly during the month of Ramadan, if he did not perform the night prayers, if he did not control his limbs from committing forbidden deeds, if he was not satisfied with his fasting (after Ramadan had passed) or if he slackened from doing righteous deeds during this month, he should know that Allah the Almighty is the Lord of all other months, and that He is with him (by His Knowledge) all the time. Thus, whoever feels that he did not worship Allah properly during Ramadan as he wished, let him (during the months other than Ramadan) make a worshipping plan which includes performing acts of worship, reciting the Noble Quran, spending money for the Sake of Allah and so on within his capabilities.

 It is out of naivety and narrow-mindedness to think that we are supposed to worship Allah the Almighty only in Ramadan. In fact, we should worship Him during all the months of the year. Common people pray and spend money for the Sake of Allah the Almighty only during Ramadan, and so when this month passes, they go back to the sinful life they used to live before it. Because of doing this, their rank will never be elevated in Allah's Sight not even one level. Allah the Almighty says:

"And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong,"

[An-Nahl: 92]

Steadfastness is the mainstay of Islam

 Dear brother, the great religion of Islam could be summarized in few words, the most essential of which is: steadfastness in observing Allah's Commandments. Unless you do not adhere to Allah's Orders, your religion is detached from what it really is; it merely becomes Islamic folklore and outward manifestation. The proof of this point is that the number of Muslim pilgrims who performed Hajj this year was about 4 million people, but this huge number did not make us victorious, did it? Does the performance of the acts of worship have any value if they do not make Muslims superior, victorious have the upper hand? Allah the Almighty says:

"And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way (to triumph) over the believers."

[An-Nisa': 141]

 Nevertheless, the disbelievers have uncountable ways to triumph over us!!! For example, the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen orders the Islamic scholars to bring him written texts of Friday sermons in advance of delivering them! Also, the FBI monitors where Zakat is paid in Saudi Arabia! Thus, they interfere in our internal affairs, while Allah the Almighty says:

"And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way (to triumph) over the believers."

[An-Nisa': 141]

  Why do they have too many ways to triumph over us? Why do we not have the upper hand? Why are we not granted the authority to practise our religion, the succession to the present rulers in the earth and security? Why is the following Ayah not applied to us? Allah the Almighty says:

"Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear"

[An-Nur: 55]

Suffering inner defeat is Muslim's worst situation

  Dear brother, I'd almost say there should be an inner Islamic uprising and inner revolution within yourself. Since you are a Muslim, people expect you to be a perfect righteous person, but you do not follow the Islamic teachings neither in your life, in your house, in your work nor in your social relationships, etc… Hence, you should first mend yourself (in order to be a true Muslim). I delivered two sermons in this Masjid in which I discussed what we had to do in this hard time, as a general feeling of frustration and oppression has been prevailing among Muslims (after the brutal attack against some Muslims). Some people think that having power is the most important thing in this life, and that all other things are valueless, which is not true.

 I cannot stand those who only want to achieve unattainable big goals, and if they cannot, they never do anything else! There are innumerable achievable small goals, like bringing up your children according to the Islamic teachings or doing your best to be a good Muslim. When you are honest and truthful, you will help support Islam without saying a word against its enemies. Actually, Islam is supported by a firm Islamic foundation; by a true Muslim who is perfect, honest and sincere. You may ask how to support the oppressed people in Muslim countries, but can you stop the B-52 from bombarding them causing the destruction of 500 m2 and the death of all people of such an area? About 3000 people have been killed till now. Can you convince the brutal tyrants to stop the bombing? Absolutely, you cannot. The only thing you can do is to make every effort to be a true Muslim, and if your brother in faith become also true Muslims, we all will build a perfect Muslim society and reap its fruit. Consequently, the truth will prevail, whereas the falsehood will shrink. The worst situation is to be defeated within. We, as Muslims, may lose a battle, but does that mean we are completely defeated and that we will no longer win? Who told you that? Allah the Almighty is the Ever Living and He will never let Muslims down.

 Two days ago, I commented on a speech which made people desperate saying, "You can say whatever you want, to make any comment, to expect anything and to be pessimistic or optimistic, but never forget that Allah the Almighty exists, and that He is able to change the balance of power. Who expected that the giant Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union) which was considered the center of atheism, and which owned a nuclear weapon that could destroy the five continents five times would collapse like the feeble spider's web? Allah the Almighty is capable of destroying everything, so put your hope only in Him". The power of the tyrannical force (the U.S.A) is temporal, because if it were permanent, that would completely contradict the Existence of Allah the Almighty (Allah is never heedless of what the unjust ones do). The appointed term of this tyrant force has not come yet, it is arrogant, it interferes in the internal affairs of other countries, it demolishes other peoples' culture, values and principles, it enslaves all other people and it considers whoever refuses to obey its orders terrorists regardless the religion he belongs to, but who enabled this tyrant force to have power over us? It was we who did that when we neglected to follow the teachings of Islam.  Consider the following Noble Ayaat in which Allah the Almighty says:

"And that Our hosts, they verily would be the victors."

[As-Saffaat: 173]

"and (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them)"

[Ar-Rum: 47]

"Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) in this world's life"

[Ghafir: 51]

"So think not that Allah will fail to keep His Promise to His Messengers."

[Ibrahim: 47]

  Allah never breaks His Promises to Muslims, so the bad situation we suffer is the result of our own mistakes. However, finding a collective solution for our problem is beyond our capacity, so what should we do instead? We should look for personal solutions; everyone of us should be an honest faithful modest Muslim. When you talk to other people you should be honest, when you deal with them you should be faithful and when your lust is aroused you should be chaste. That is all what you should do.

Every Muslim should comply with Islamic teachings in all his affairs

  If you want to consider the difficult situation of Muslims, you will know its causes once you enter into their houses, and when watch the way they deal with people when they handle their business. You will notice that they never adhere to Allah's Orders neither in their houses nor in their work, so do not blame Allah the Almighty for Muslims' defeat, but rather blame the Muslims themselves. We can restore our energy, vitality and morale when we obey Allah the Almighty. You should deeply reflect on your acts and behavior million of times before you disobey Allah. Moreover, you should reconsider every deed that harms the reputation of Muslims billion of times before you perform it, because whenever a Muslim commits a mistake, his mistake is attributed to Islam not to him as an individual. Muslims are now under the spotlight; their mistakes are exaggerated and there is critical media disinformation against them. Not to mention the brainwashing that is done to other people to hate Islam and the morale-breaking Muslims suffer from. This is what is going on nowadays. Nevertheless, if you strongly believe that you are on the truth and that Allah the Almighty will never let you down, He will fulfill His Promise to you, but you should first be a true Muslim who is worthy of Allah's Victory.

 I repeat what I said once in a previous lecture: Although the Prophet, peace be upon him, is the Master of creation and the Beloved of Allah the Almighty, and although his Companions were the best people as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Allah has chosen me, and He has chosen my Companions for me.", in the bottle of Uhud, some of the Companions committed a mistake (some archers disobeyed the Prophet's order and left their strategic positions thinking that the battle was over). As a result, Allah the Almighty did not grant them victory. Similarly, since Muslims nowadays commit a great number of mistakes, Allah the Almighty will not grant them victory. Thus, we should amend our personal affairs in accordance with our religion.

 You may see a woman who wears Hijab and dresses decently, but her daughter wears tight pants! Is the mother a true Muslim woman? How could she allow her daughter to wear such indecent clothes? As for Muslims in general, how could they watch pornographic channels at home! Every day I hear many stories that I could hardly believe. Do you believe that there are many cases of incest in Syria?!! Do you believe that there are 15.ooo houses of prostitution in Damascus?! Unfortunately, all these bad things exist in our country. Allah the Almighty says:

"And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much."

[Ash-Shura: 30]

  The only solution we have is that every Muslim should control his personal affairs making them acceptable in his religion.

"Once a Bedouin came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and said, "O Messenger of Allah, advise me but do not make it too long!" The Prophet said, "So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom shall see it, And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it." That man said, "is sufficient for me!" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "That man (the Bedouin) has grasped the essence of Islam"."

 No matter how much you listen to Islamic lessons and lectures, unless you live your life according to the teachings of Islam, these lectures are worthless. Actually, the Prophets, peace be upon them all, were sent to their peoples with few honest and concise words, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to preach his Companions from time to time, lest they got bored. Muslims at his time were honest, they used to obey Allah the Almighty and their hearts were filled with compassion, sincerity, and love for Allah and for each other. Unlike them, the hearts of Muslims nowadays are filled with enmity towards one another. In addition, feuds and sh3er problems are widespread among them. You heard the news about the horrendous acts of betrayals between Muslims. How could Muslims ask for the disbeliever's support against his fellow Muslims! Some of those have grown their beard to look like righteous Muslims, but do you think that they are true Muslims?

 Dear brother, I am saying this to you because, by Allah, I am deeply hurt by the situation we are in. Thus, I hope that we we are at the highest degree of awakening and commitment to Allah's Order. Working on becoming a true Muslim is a fateful matter, because this worldly life is evanescent. Many incurable diseases can put an end to your life, such as malignant tumors, blood clots, valve thrombosis, high blood pressure, brain thrombus, etc… These diseases are widespread in all societies, which is really scary.

Four great blessings which people ignore

 One of the scholars of Damascus, may Allah have mercy upon him, used to do a very strange but a remarkable habitual activity during Eid (Muslims' festival). On the first day of Eid, he used to the cemetery and visit the graves with his students to remind them of the situation of the deceased who lost their lives (who cannot perform righteous deeds anymore). Unlike those people you are still alive, so you can repent to Allah, ask for His Forgiveness, perform righteous deeds, spend your money for the Sake of Allah, lower you gaze from looking at forbidden thing and so on. The dead missed the chance of doing all these things in life, while you are still alive (you still have a chance). Therefore, you should appreciate the value of being alive and of having the gates of repentance wide open for you and of having the chance to ask for Allah's Forgiveness, to perform righteous deeds and to fix your past mistakes.

 On the second day of Eid, that scholar used to go with his students to the hospitals, so that they would appreciate the grace of good Health. Some patients have liver cirrhosis, other ones have kidney failure, other patients have a blood clot in the brain, some have a malignant tumor, some of them suffer from hemolysis and so on, while you're healthy. On the third day, he used to go with them to visit prisons. You enjoy full freedom; you can travel wherever you want, for example to Homs or to Aleppo. Also, you sleep in your house peacefully. If some people knocks at your door, you welcome them normally without being afraid of them thinking that they may come to arrest you, while if someone is prosecuted, his will be extremely terrified whenever someone knocks at his door. Thus, you should appreciate the blessing of liberty. On the fourth day, he used to go with them to visit psychiatric hospitals in order to appreciate the grace of having their sanity.

 Every one of us is alive and is rational, and all of us enjoy good health and freedom, which are the four great graces many people underestimate. That scholar used to do that activity to make his students appreciate the blessings of existence (being alive), health, freedom and sanity. Allah the Almighty says:

"Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in, in this world)!"

[At-Takaathur: 8]

  Some scholars said, "Drinking cold water is considered a worldly bliss." You live in your own house, while there are many poor people who sleep in the outdoors even in the cold days when it is 8 degrees below zero, for example. Also, millions of people are homeless and live in tents, whereas you have a home where you meet all your needs; a heater, food, a comfortable bed to sleep on and so on. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah the Almighty will ask you about this blessing; did you perform acts of obedience to Him at home or you performed bad deeds which do not please Allah the Almighty, such as performing immoral acts, watching unethical movies and series, backbiting and tale-bearing and having meetings where undisciplined mixing between men and women took place. Also, you will be asked about the blessing of health; did you make use of it to obey Allah the Almighty or to disobey Him. Furthermore, you will be asked about the blessing of having free time. You may find someone who does not work in the afternoon, so he spends his free time reading magazines or watching the news. Instead, he should reauthor the Noble Quran, perform a righteous deed, seek Islamic knowledge or attend an Islamic lecture. Having spare time is really a great grace. Also, having sufficient provision is a great blessing. It is manifested in having enough income which covers your expenses, no matter how low it is. It suffices your basic needs, so you have enough food. Hence, you should not humiliate yourself before anyone in order to make him give you Sadaqah, because Allah the Almighty has provided you with sufficient provision. Verily, these simple blessings (having a house to sleep in, the good health, the space time and the sufficient provision) are really great ones.

 Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

"Love Allah for He gives you sustenance from His Bounties, love me for the Sake of Allah's Love and love my progeny (Ahlul Bait) for the sake of my love."

[At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Abbas]

  The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to appreciate the blessing no matter how small it is.