Why Hesitation Kills Your Faith

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Ash-hadu an la.

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Muhammadan.

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Muhammadan.

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Akbar.

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Nastaghfiruhu.

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May yahdihillahu fala mudilla lah.

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Rasuluh. Ya ayyuhalladhina amanu ittaqullaha haqqa tuqatih.

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Ya ayyuhannasu ittaqu rabbakumulladhi khalaqakum min nafsin wahidah.

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Nisa'a. Wattaqullaha Allah and let it be in Allah can I you Rocky but Yeah, I love you and I love you talk Allah. It took Allah and call and said it down. You sleep a man him. Why you have to him do you know about him? When you talk Allah and I saw him I got faster faster and faster. I'm about to find out what happened to get out of Allah. What kind of heavy heavy Muhammad said Allah and let it be with him. What shall we do more than that to her? What kind of Muhammad be that? What kind of be that Allah Allah? What kind of Allah Allah be in the house? I'm about to for your call Allah to Allah What kind OF KARIM? WHAT KIND OF BE THAT MUHAMMAD be that? I mean be that Muhammad be that Allah Allah be that Muhammad be that Allah Allah be that Muhammad be that Allah Muhammad be that Allah Allah be that Muhammad be that Allah Allah.

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The third chapter of the Quran one of the most important chapters of the Quran. The prophet said Allah and let it be with him urges us to recite Surat al-Baqarah and Ali Imran constantly and to study its meanings and to find ourselves between their verses. He tells us sallallahu alaihi wasallam that these two chapters on the day of judgement for those who learn them, those who implement their teachings, those who are in constant revision, review, reading, reciting of these two chapters, that these two chapters on the day of judgement will come for that person in the form of giant scores, swarms of of birds that will cover and provide shade and provide solace for their reciters. In this chapter Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has dedicated Surah Ali Imran to jihad. The whole chapter. The whole chapter is about the struggle between good and evil. The first half of the chapter is dedicated to al jihad bil qawli wal lisan. The first half of the chapter is dedicated to fighting in the way of Allah with knowledge and with the tongue and with speech. And the second half is dedicated to al jihad bis sayfi was sinan. Jihad with the sword. What usually comes into a person's mind when they think of this. Now, fighting for for sake of Allah. Defending the truth, defending the weak, DEFENDING.

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This is something which is an obligation upon every single Muslim to their capacity. Meaning, that every one of us is to be a victor of truth. We here in the current place and time that we exist, we are not in a place where we are called to physical fighting and arms. We are called to the defense of truth and the alleviation of doubts regarding our religion.

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He tells us that Jihad is two types. Allah mentions Jihad as two types IN THE QURAN. HE TELLS US THAT fighting to defend the truth and the people of the truth is always two types. There is that defense. There is that battle that takes place with knowledge, with statements, with the tongue. And there is that battle that sometimes is resorted to the sword and physical iron. He says, "However, any person any person who is not part of one of these two types of Jihad in some way, he is dead weight on the back of humanity. He is dead weight on the back of humanity. Every one of us is called to rise to the occasion of defending our religion. How do we defend it? We are not in a place of war, of physical war. We're not in a place where we are called to physical arms. And in many ways, that is the easier of the two types of Jihad. We, you and I, when I say you and I, there is no distinction between "Oh, that is the domain of the scholars. They're the only ones responsible for that. I can kick back. I don't have to do anything." As long as you are part of the Muslim Ummah, and you reap the benefits of being part of this great brotherhood and sisterhood in Allah, you are responsible to be a carrier of the truth in some capacity, in some way, even if it is just for you to uphold the Quran and Sunnah to the best of your ability in your own household. To uphold it for something greater than yourself. A man who does not live for something greater than himself will die for less than himself. No man who is not willing to die for that which he lives for, he is not alive. He's never been alive. This idea that, you know, life is really about you get a job, you make money, you go on vacation two, three times a year, we take pictures, and then when I get old, you know, I'm going to be whole It's going to be great. There's going to be a little bow tie That is not how life works. How does life work? You are here for a few minutes. You make your choice. Where are you going because you only have one of two possible destinations. You will go to paradise or you will go to the hellfire. And neither of these two options is a place that any person is forced to go. Every person that enters paradise has made a conscious decision to go there and has put in some effort to go there. And every person who is dumped through the gates of hell has made a conscious decision to go there. Our prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam tells us Kullu ummati yadkhulunal jannah illa man abaa. Illa man abaa, ya'ni illa man asao abaa. Kan ma bidda ruh.

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Meaning any human being who is born during or after the era and the epic of Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi wasallam is all part of his ummah. Every one of my ummah will go to paradise except for those who refuse to go. REFUSE TO GO. WHO would refuse to go to paradise? And so the companions said, "Who would refuse to go to paradise?" Imagine a person insists, "I will not go to paradise. I insist." This person insists, digs his heels in, he must go to the hellfire. What kind of person would make such a decision? Our prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Whoever obeys me will enter paradise. And whoever disobeys me has refused to go." And whoever disobeys me has refused to go. And so upholding this truth, defending it, protecting it, and protecting its people is a responsibility on every single one of us to his capacity. My capacity in defending the truth may be different than yours. My position may be different than yours, but we all have a position and a part to play. And that is that we are to learn the truth and that we are to defend it in hopes that Allah will choose to allow us the honor of dying for and upon it. That a person lay on his deathbed and Allah allow him.

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His body. This is not something that you can take without earning. This is not something that is a conscious choice you make on your deathbed. This is something that you must live upon in order that Allah will give it to you at that critical moment.

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And so, we are to be very wary, very vigilant because if we are not actively defending our religion by learning it, teaching it, implementing it, propagating it, being patient upon it, if we are not doing that, know that those who are against this religion will constantly be straining and struggling to infiltrate it. How is it infiltrated? How? Well, in Surat Ali Imran, Allah tells us one of the ways. THAT IN THE TIME OF THE Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam in Medina, that there were some of the people of the book, of the Jews of Medina, that they had come up with a plan, a plot. They would send people who are considered to be respectable men in the community to go and pledge allegiance to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and accept Islam. And so, they would have a respectable person, a person who is known for his wisdom, known for his for his fairness, known for his intellect, known for his objectivity. He would go and pledge allegiance to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and accept Islam. That's the first part. The second part is after a day or two or three or a week, he would leave Islam. No explanation. That was the plan all along. To enter into Islam, to practice it to a degree that is reasonable. He'd make salah with them, he'd sit with the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, he'd sit with the companions, he'd be one of them, and then, suddenly, he would apostate and leave Islam without any explanation. Why? To weaken the resolve of the Muslimin. That is why. How does that weaken your resolve? It's something that is almost beyond words. It's beyond words. When a person sees this, look at this respectable good man that I've known since I was a kid or my father knew since since I was a child. This is a And then he comes and accepts Islam. Those people feel a sense of pride. And they look at that and say, "See, this is the truth. Such a man would accept Islam." And then the person leaves Islam suddenly. And the idea that is being telegraphed is, "Well, such an objective fair-minded person must have seen something that turned him off of Islam. Must have seen something. Must have heard something that caused him to leave this religion." Not knowing that that was the plan all along to weaken what? Now, a person who would see this wouldn't necessarily leave Islam with him. No. It would just weaken his resolve a little bit. This is what the scholars refer to as a shubha. A shubha, something that is doubtful. A doubt that creeps into the heart. And so we have one doubt that is not resolved and another and another and another and another until finally the person has so many unresolved doubts that their Islam is completely gone or barely even there. Just the shell of a Muslim after that because this person was not active in alleviating those doubts, getting to the bottom of those doubts. And we, you and I, right now, we live literally in the belly OF THE BEAST. RIGHT HERE, THIS IS the mega factory, the assembly line of these doubts. Doubts that we can almost not even put into words. You read the Quran that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will punish the oppressor, will give victory to the oppressed. Then you look around and you see that this is not playing out in the way that you expect. You look in the Quran that a person who commits such and such sin will be punished by Allah. You look and that punishment is not happening. That Allah will reward those who do such and such. And you look around and you see that that reward is absent. Why? Because of a misunderstanding of the Quran and a misunderstanding of what you are seeing. These doubts, they are the death of a person's a person's resolve. And so, what are we left with if we don't actively work on this? We are left with a half measure. Probably the worst situation to find yourself in. A half measure, hesitation. Hesitation kills. What do we mean by hesitation? Half-stepping. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT FULLY COMMITTED, but we're not fully uncommitted. We're not fully there, but we're not fully away. So, we're just kind of in this middle ground, in this gray area. AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? What does the hesitation in the obedience of Allah look like? Hesitation that causes you to lose out on the dunya and to lose out on the hereafter. Hesitation. What does that hesitation look like? Well, we come to salah, but we don't really put a lot of effort into making sure that I make my salah with everything in me. We we make it. And so, there is hesitation. There is hesitation in our obedience. There is hesitation in our and our refraining of disobedience. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he urges us, he teaches us, he tells us, He tells us, "Oh, you who have believed, enter into Islam full measure, entirely. Entirely give yourself to Islam. DON'T HESITATE. DON'T HESITATE. IMAGINE A PERSON who hesitates in doing something that is critical and dangerous. This person may hurt himself. Hesitation will ruin an individual. Will ruin whatever you set out to do. If you have come to the conclusion of doing something, you set your sight on it, and you do it. You fulfill it. You walk that path. And you do not look back. An interesting point about entering into Islam entirely. Al-Jassas, he has a book that he mentions an interesting point regarding this issue. He says, "You look at something a lion pursuing a gazelle. And you notice that essentially the gazelle it is faster than a lion. HOW DOES THE LION CATCH THE GAZELLE? How does a shaitan catch the believer? How? How does a shaitan overcome the believer? How does that lion catch the gazelle? You know why? Because the gazelle doesn't just run. It constantly looks back to see what the lion's doing. How close is it? Is it closer? Because he's terrified. AND SO BECAUSE HE'S CONSTANTLY worried about what the lion is doing, instead of just committing to the run, the lion catches him. And such is the believer. When you walk that path to Allah, don't look right and left and question and maybe or maybe not or is this right or isn't it right or am I correct or am I incorrect? That is not how you commit to something. You commit to it and you go. Straightforward, EYE ON THE PRIZE. DO NOT look right, do not look left, do not wander, step and focus only on the moment that you are in. DON'T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW. You don't have tomorrow yet. And don't chain yourself to the past. It's already done. No one can change the past. The only thing you and I have, THE ONLY THING you and I have is this moment right here. What are you going to do with it? And the next breath, that is a package that you're not allowed to open yet. You have to wait. You have one moment, focus on this moment only. Can I sustain this forever? How can Don't worry about that. Focus on this moment, do it the best that you can. Keep marching forward. Don't look around. Don't hesitate because hesitation kills.

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Ash-hadu.

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Ash-hadu Muhammadan rasul Hayya ala salah. Hayya ala falah. Qad iqamatis Qad iqamatis salah.

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Stand shoulder to shoulder. Align your shoulders and your feet with the shoulders and feet of your two neighbors on either side of you. Straightening the row is part of salah. Still qulubukum.

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Rabbil alamin Ar-rahmanir Maliki yawmid Iyyaka na'budu nasta'in.

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As-salamu alaykum warahmatullah.

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Brother and sisters, please do not leave. I will have a very important announcement to make. And you will be happy that you stayed around to listen to this announcement. And have a seat, please. Just it will take no more than 3 minutes. So, please stay with us and listen to be part of this history that we are trying to make, inshallah. I want to share with you a tremendous news. Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alamin. We have been able to acquire one more acre of property on this street.

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You nothing. Just be enthusiastic. Takbir.

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Something that's going to enable us to expand our Rahmah Academy the way we had envisioned. It is going to be additional acre at the end of that street, which brings us to the edge of the river road. Again, you have to really visualize to understand that our plan was to see if we could acquire enough property to expand Rahmah Academy and grow its the the levels of the classes that we can do. And Alhamdulillah, the footprint, the two acre is all is the same space like this masjid is built on. Just envision this. It's about basically two acre here, and we're going to have another two acres over there. We acquired the first acre about three years ago. This is the last piece that we have, Alhamdulillah, that makes the put the puzzle together. The best part of this I want to share with you that this is a donation from one of the families amongst us. Takbir.

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Dua for the family.

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Husna wa sifatikal ula an taghfira lahum wa an tataqabbala minhum hadhihis.

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Minhum warzuqhum ya rabbal alamin.

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Husna an taghsilahum min.

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Just give me a couple of more minutes so I can finish the rest of it. Our job is not done, right? Now we have the footprint, that the space. We have to build on it. And we have a waqf that is already established for the Rahmah Academy and everybody is encouraged to donate generously for that waqf. There's a separate account. Brother Jaber can put that money into that bank and inshallah that will enable us to make the classrooms usable from the existing building and the mobile home space that's there modified so we can use those for the classes inshallah. So it's going to be expensive but it has to be done and you can make it happen. Now let me just also thank None of this would have been possible without the effort from Tayyab. He has worked on this thing to put this assemble together this lot for at least a year. So I just want to thank him personally from bottom of my heart that that determination, that commitment that really made it happen and jazakallahu khairan Tayyab. Now let me just go to the other other announcements. Fajr tomorrow inshallah is going to be 5:00 a.m. Isha tonight is going to be at 8:45 p.m. And we have a potluck tonight inshallah. Bring your best dish and share with the community. Masjid cleaning is tomorrow inshallah after Fajr. If you can spare the time, please come and join inshallah and to help us out. The Rahmah Academy, Academy is right now is enabled to offer the fifth grade. So, again, takbir. This is something that is happening right in front of you, brothers and sisters. Few years back, we had only first, second, and third grade. Now we are up to the fifth grade, and we have enrolled people in there now. Kids already there. So, inshallah, it will be a very successful year. So, continue making dua for us and also contribution to the to the to the Rahmah Academy. so, inshallah, we are fully staffed, and the classes start on Monday, inshallah. donate generously on the way out.

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