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02-05-2024
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Sermons- Religious Occasions (09): The Night of Mid Sha'aban- Tranquility
   
 
 
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful  
 

Forward

 The Minister of Awqaf (religious endowments) Dr. Muhammad Abdul Sattar As-Sayyed, may Allah protect him, the Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, the noble attendees, the honorable scholars and the dear believing audience, listeners and viewers, may the Peace, Mercy and Blessing of Allah be upon you all.

Following the Noble Sunnah fills the believers' hearts with tranquility

 Today we are celebrating the mid night of Sha'ban. The Mother of Believers Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

((And I never saw the Messenger of Allah fast for a complete month except for the month of Ramadan, and I never saw him fast in a month more than he did in the month of Sha'ban.))

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim]

  Also the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((That is a month to which people do not pay much attention, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which the deeds are taken up to the Lord of the worlds, and I like that my deeds be taken up when I am fasting.))

[Ahmad and An-Nasa'i]

 One of the basic principles concerning the acts of worship is that there must be a Dalil Qat'i (definitive proof) (from the Qur'an and the Noble Sunnah) for an act of worship to be legislated, whereas everything in life is permitted unless there is a Dalil Qat'i that prohibits it.
 When we follow the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, follow his example, and perform the acts of worship perfectly well, including fasting, we will reap the fruits of the righteous deeds exactly like the Noble Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, did. The greatest one of these fruits is the feeling of calmness and tranquility which fills the hearts of the true believers and makes each one of them a true man among people, a hero among men and a good example among heroes. The believer's excellent character regarding his education, morals and smartness is one sign of the inimitability of the Noble Qur'an.

Safety and happiness are considered basic needs for mankind:

  The believer responds to the call of Fitrah (natural unborn instinct which recognizes Allah), and fully realizes the purpose of his existence. As a result, things become crystal clear to him, and he will live under the protection of Allah the Almighty, will follow the example of Allah's Messengers, Allah's Prophets, peace be upon them, and the pious people and will be saved from the torment of uncertainty and doubt. Actually, tranquility is mentioned in many Noble Ayat in the Noble Qur'an, the most well-known of which is the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:

(He it is Who sent down As-Sakinah (calmness and tranquility) into the hearts of the believers, that they may grow more in Faith along with their (present) Faith.)

[Al-Fath, 4]

 Dear brother, there is no happiness without tranquility, and there is no tranquility without faith. The feeling of calmness and tranquility is the main source of happiness. Also, safety and happiness are the basic needs of all people in this world. In fact, Allah the Almighty grants health, strength, intelligence, wealth and beauty to many people, but He grants tranquility just to His true believing worshippers in particular. Furthermore, the feeling of tranquility is the distinct characteristic of the true believer; he is quite overwhelmed by this feeling even if he lacks wealth or good health. He will always be pleased with it even if he misses everything, while man will be wretched when he misses tranquility even if he owns everything. None can grant you the feeling of tranquility or deprive you of it, but it is available to everyone if he acts upon Allah's Orders, and so he will deserve it.

Believing in Allah and the Last Day is the only source of tranquility

 The only source of tranquility is believing in Allah the Almighty which leads you to obey Him, and believing in the Last Day which prevents you from doing harm to any creature on the earth. This profound faith should not become impure by doubt or get spoiled by hypocrisy, and man should act according to this deep faith. Actually, life has taught us that people who are anxious, distressed, confused, futile and lost are those who are deprived of the grace of faith and the calmness of certainty.
  This feeling of tranquility is a gift from Allah the Almighty; Allah sends it to the believers' hearts to keep them firm when people get confused, to please them when people are discontented, to make them believe with certainty when the people's hearts are filled with doubt, to help them remain patient when people lose their patience, and to help them keep calm in difficult situations when people lose their mind. Thus, this feeling of calmness and tranquility is a light from Allah the Almighty which calms the terrified, reassures the worried, pleases the unhappy, gives rest to the exhausted, gives strength to the weak and guides those who go astray. This feeling looks like a gate that is made by Allah the Almighty for His believing servants to lead them to Paradise, and through it the gentle breezes of Paradise blow, its light gleams and its fragrance and aroma emanate. It is a reward from Allah the Almighty to His believing servants for their righteous deeds, and it is a sample of the bliss which is awaiting them in Paradise after their death where they can enjoy these gentle lights, fragrance, safety and security. It was said: "Indeed, there is a Paradise in the worldly life whoever is deprived of admitting to it, will never be admitted to the Paradise of the Hereafter." It is the Paradise of being close (to Allah)", and the Paradise of tranquility. Allah the Almighty says:

(And admit them to Paradise which He has made known to them (i.e. they will know their places in Paradise more than they used to know their houses in the world).)

[Muhammad, 6]

 It means they tested its sweetness in the worldly life.

The blessing without tranquility turns into distress

 Whatever blessing that is devoid of tranquility turns into distress. On the other hand, whatever tribulation that is accompanied by tranquility turns into a blessing. 
For example, a poor man may sleep on thorns, but if he feels peaceful and tranquil, it will turn into a comfortable mattress, while a rich man may sleep on a silk mattress, but if his is deprived of tranquility, this comfortable mattress will be like hard thorns. Also, a man may tackle one of the most difficult matters, but if he is at ease and tranquil, it will be solved easily, whereas if he tackles one of the most trivial matters without having this feeling of tranquility, he will find it too difficult to solve. Moreover, a man may face great fear and danger, but if he feels tranquil he will feel secure and at peace. On the other hand, he may go along a safe path, but if it is not accompanied by tranquility, it will be a place of destruction.
  Everyone can feel this tranquility at any time, place, situation or case. For example, Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, felt it when he was thrown into the fire, Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, felt it when his brother threw him in the will, Prophet Yunus, peace be upon him, felt it in the belly of the whale, Prophet Musa (Moses), peace be upon him, felt it in the sea, the people of the Cave felt it in the Cave after they missed it in their own houses and our Prophet, peace be upon him, felt it when he was in the Cave of Hira' with his Companion (Abu Bakr) while his enemy were chasing him in order to kill him. Likewise, every believer who seeks refuge and shelter in Allah the Almighty depending on no one but Him and asking for the Help of Allah the Almighty Alone, will feel this feeling of calmness and tranquility.
 When Allah the Almighty grants someone plenty of subsistence accompanied by tranquility, it becomes a good means of living, great wealth, a source of ease and comfort in this worldly life and good provision for the Hereafter. On the other hand, when Allah the Almighty grants someone plenty of subsistence, but He deprives him of tranquility, it will turn into a source of concern, fear, envy and hatred. Besides, it may be accompanied by deprivation because of stinginess or illness, or it may be wasted by lavishness and recklessness.
 Also, when Allah the Almighty grants someone offspring accompanied by tranquility, they become the adornment of the worldly life and a source of gladness and delight at the righteous offspring. On the other hand, when Allah the Almighty grants someone offspring, but He deprives him of His Mercy, they turn to a source of calamity, deep trouble, suffering, distress, sleepless nights and exhausting days. Furthermore, when Allah the Almighty grants someone good health and wellness accompanied by tranquility, they become blessings and they will lead to a good life, but when Allah deprives him of tranquility, good health will turn into a calamity, so that he makes use of his good health in committing sins which harm his own soul, and his life will be full of wrongdoings until the Day of Judgment. Also, when Allah the Almighty grants someone high prestige and power accompanied by tranquility, they will be the tools of reformation, the source of security and the means of sending forth good deeds for himself on the Last Day. On the other hand, when Allah the Almighty deprives him of tranquility, high prestige and power will turn into a source of concern about missing them and a source of tyranny, oppression, rancor and hatred. Consequently, man will never be at ease and he will set forth too many sins for himself in the Hereafter.

The reasons of the believer's tranquility

 The first reason of tranquility which the believer has is that he is guided to live in accordance with his Fitrah upon which Allah has created him. This Fitrah is consistent with the laws of the whole world and the Method of the Great Creator; it is in harmony with them, and it is responsive to them. Therefore, the believer lives in peace and harmony with his own Fitrah without suffering from any inner war or self-conflict. Also, his way of dealing with sh3er is based on transparency and cooperation; there is no solitude or enmity. This is how man live while having tranquility, because there is such a mess in the heart that could not be put together except by turning back to Allah, there is such a feeling of desolation in the heart that cannot be removed except by being delighted at getting closer to Allah, there is such grief in the heart that can be eliminated only by getting to know Allah, there is anxiety in the heart that cannot be overcome except by turning back to Allah, there are flames of sorrows that are not extinguished except by being content with Allah's Divine Decree and Predestination, by adhering to His Orders and Prohibitions and by remaining steadfast upon that till the Day of Resurrection and there is destitution in the heart that can be filled in only by loving Allah, turning back to Him in repentance with truthfulness and deep sincerity to Him.

Those who have deep faith are the really happy people

 Dear brother, this is how the Muslim society should be; it should be full of happiness, harmony, love and peace. Also, this is how the true believers should be while they are about to perform the second greatest act of worship in Islam ( they are about to welcome the month of Ramadan). However, the situation of Muslims nowadays is really heart-rending.
 Dear brother, strength is a fundamental characteristic of the believer, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((A believer who is strong (and healthy) is better and dearer to Allah than the weak believer.))

[Muslim]

  As the month of fasting is about to come, I'd like to address every believer saying: Be a strong member of the powerful group, not a meek one as a lamb. You cannot be weak except if you accept to be so. Thus, be whoever you want to be, but you should know that you can derive your strength from Allah when you believe in Him and depend on Him, and when you overcome the feeling of weakness which is caused by the hidden Shirk (polytheism. In this case it is to fear other than Allah). Those who derive their strength from their deep faith and from their steadfastness are the really happy people, while those who are weak because of their Shirk and deviation are the really distressed ones.

Dear brother, you should know for sure that your incapability of doing something is your own choice, as the strong faith is an essential requirement, and life becomes worthless without being powerful as a believing Muslim. Also, strength is the source of confidence, which is only found in the believers' hearts. Hence, if you seek the real strength during the month of fasting, look for the one which makes you in no need for any other strength; it is the strength that is derived from Allah the Almighty. If Allah is with you, who is strong enough to go against you? And if He is against you, who can be of any help to you? O Allah, the one who finds You misses nothing, while the one who misses You finds nothing.

Complaining, begging and pleading are worthless in the world of the powerful

 Actually, cowardliness, feebleness, submissiveness, surrender, defeatism, humiliation and all other terms of weakness are completely rejected in the true believers' life, because you were not created to be deprived of self-determination or to lack aspiration. Consider the following Noble Hadith in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((O Allah, I seek refuge in you from grief and sadness, from weakness and from laziness, from miserliness and from cowardice, from being overcome by debt and overpowered by men.))

[Abu Dawood, from Abi Sa'id Al-Khidri]

Can we really find strength despite our weakness?

  Dear brother, can we really find strength despite our weak position? In fact, talking about the strength which stems from weakness does not mean that one should be satisfied or contented with weakness, but rather it is a call for trying to find the hidden strength inside you even in weak positions. We should search for the potential strength in every weak position, and when Muslims make every effort to do that, they will find it, and then their weakness will turn into strength, because every weakness includes hidden strength. This strength is under the protection of Allah the Almighty. Thus, weakness includes immense strength which can destroy mountains and citadels. You can see or hear about the manifestation of such strength in our daily life. In some cases, when you think that you are strong enough, then therein lies your weakness, but when you seem weak, you hide your power inside you.
 We can confront the atomic bomb with our righteous offspring; i.e. we can foil the evil plots of our enemies against Islam by raising our children properly to make them rational generation who stick to Allah's Commands, and who awaken the Muslim Ummah (nation) in order to bring back its leading role among other nations. A Western scientist whom Allah guided to Islam said, "I cannot believe that the Muslim world can catch up with the West, at least in the foreseeable future. However, I deeply believe that the whole world will kneel before Muslims, not because Muslims will become powerful, but rather because the salvation of the whole world lies in Islam, provided that Muslims understand their religion properly, implement Islam correctly and present it to non-Muslims in a good way."

Allah makes the oppression of the tyrants to Muslims' advantage

 Let's refer to a hot topic; it is about the current events in Palestine. We address those who are trying to Judaize our sacred places (Masjid Al-Aqsa) saying, "O tyrants, if you had known how you served the religion of Allah and how you benefited the believers unintentionally, you would have regretted bitterly. Because of your tyrannical acts, we have more sense of awareness, we stick together more, we become more united, we stick to Islam firmly, we get closer to Allah the Almighty and we resist our enemies in a better way. If we had spent billions, we would not be able to uncover the truth about you as you did for yourselves in Gaza war, so thank you! You made all people all over the world mistrust you, and you revived the concept of jihad in our minds, so we have defeated your tyranny many times so far. Do not forget that (For) each and every matter there is a Decree (from Allah), and yours is about to come. Furthermore, there is a report from one of your allies confirms that you will not be able to stay in Palestine for more than twenty years to come."
 Consider the following Ayah in which Allah the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth says:

(And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors,)

[Al-Qasas, 5]

 May the Peace, Mercy and Blessing of Allah be upon you.

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