Why Half Measures Destroy Everything
The Danger of Half Measures: Embracing Full Commitment in Islam
Summary
Sh. Ali Mashhour delivers a powerful reminder about the importance of full commitment and presence in Islamic practice, drawing on the principle of entering into Islam entirely and wholeheartedly. He illustrates how Muslims often engage in 'half measures'—attending prayers but checking phones, fasting physically while remaining spiritually absent, or assuming good of others only partially due to fear. Sh. Ali Mashhour emphasizes that actions performed without sincere presence and consciousness yield minimal reward, as the Prophet teaches that one is only rewarded for what they are consciously present for. He warns against mediocrity, stating that just as humans and history forget the mediocre, so too does Allah reward those who commit fully.
Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.
Alhamdulillah.
[Silence]
I'm for.
[Silence]
Form. Alma,.
[Silence]
So in The spirit regarding the virtues of knowledge at half of the Noah mentions an narration that I wish we could really take to heart and embrace with true conviction. Imagine how different our world would be if we really took only what we already know, no new knowledge, just what every one of us already knows and embraced it fully without hesitation and with total conviction. Right? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, Enter into Islam entirely, completely, wholeheartedly. Don't half step. No half measures. What do half measures look like? What does hesitation look like? I'll give you a number of examples. A person is going to come to J, but there's hesitation, but the person is distracted. So they come late. They fail to do the extras that make our acceptable to Allah. They do the bare minimum and then stoop below that come to J but come a little bit late and then when we're in Jum we look at our phone a couple times. We check our email. you know, we don't want the world to pass us by while we're just sitting in the masid, right? And so, we neither are living out in the world, nor are we in we're in some bizarre middle ground where we manage to miss out on both. A person comes to salah, they start their salah, Allahbar, their heart creeps out and runs off to everywhere else in the world except for the masid, except for the moment they are in. So their tongue is saying alhamdulillah and their heart and mind is somewhere completely else. A person wishes to wishes to fast. And so in fasting what do we do? We refrain from eating and drinking. We refrain from intimacy with our with our wives or our husbands. And that is it. The remainder, nothing changes whatsoever about our behavior. We don't change the way that we see the world. We don't change the way that we speak. We don't change the way that we act. As a matter of fact, because of the vices and because of the addictions that we have, we cannot bear to live in the moment of fasting. We just want it to be done. just let me get through this, get this out of the way, get it over with. Let me get my cigarette. Let me get my coffee. Let me get my whatever it is and be done with this. Now, the person is where they're in a middle ground where they're neither fasting nor have they broken their fast. How does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala treat this? How does he deal with this? Well, when a person fails to do these things, their salah will be technically valid cuz they technically made salah. But they will be rewarded nothing or very little for their prayer. Why? Because the prophet sallallah.aii tells us The only thing that you will be rewarded on in your salah is that which you were present for that which you were conscious of. Everything else you you technically prayed. I technically prayed. You can't say you didn't pray. Well, technically the person came and put his body in the masid, hit the autopilot and then left the left the imam here making salah. And this, you know, manifest in a number of ways. I remember one time I was leading salah in New York City. I was reciting the end verses of.
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And then the people behind me said that's a true story. As a matter of fact, I actively avoid reciting those verses. There's a few of them in the Quran because I'm afraid people behind me are going to say, "Why?" And I've read this in books before of this happening. A few of my Messiah told me that it happened to them. It's hard to believe until it happens. Why? Because this is autopilot, right? If you're going to commit to coming to Jum, come to J. If you're going to commit to making salah, make salah. That is going to change everything. If I were to say to you right now, Every one of us knows it, right? How many of us truly embrace this and do it? I don't have a single thing that I am proud of or love except that I wish that every Muslim had it as well. And I do my best to make it actualized for my Muslim brothers and sisters. Imagine. We all know it. What does that look like? That looks if there is any way for me to assume good in something that could be interpreted as good or bad, I will always go to the good for my brother. That's what that looks like. Now, why don't we do this? Well, because we're afraid. We don't want to be the fool, right? I don't want to be the fool. I don't want to be the guy that's, you know, sitting there giving everyone a free pass while they walk all over me. Good. So now we are neither Machavevelian kufur nor are we fully Muslim. We're somewhere in the middle. And mediocrity is forgettable. Everyone forgets mediocrity. As a matter of fact, mediocrity is deplorable. It's looked down upon by human beings. If I told you we're going to go to a basketball game, this isn't the pros and this isn't beginners. This is the most mediocre basketball players to ever step onto the court. Would you want to go to that game? Does that sound exciting? Nothing amazing will be seen, nor will it be comedic and silly because they're all beginners. It's just going to be just mediocre. Just it's not going to be good. It's not going to be bad. Nobody wants mediocrity. And as the human being forgets mediocrity, so do the believers. So does history. So does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala if you are satisfied with mediocrity that is a a very bad situation and so embracing full fully in this narration the prophet sallallah.aii alaihi wasallam tells us only two types of people are worthy of your envy. Only two, no one else. No matter what it is, you are never to look at this person and say, "I wish I had that." Never. Only two people, only two instances, two situations, two states are worthy of your envy. Everything else is overlooked. The first is a man, a person whom Allah has given wealth to. Now, so far we're all really good at this part, right? Being envious of a person whom Allah has given wealth to. We've got that pretty well done. But there's only one type of person who's been given wealth because wealth on its own is not good enough. It doesn't benefit you unless you concentrate it on good. Spending it for the sake of Allah as if you're trying to get rid of it. person may say she but if I spend my money that and I'm not fiscally responsible with my with my donations then you know I'm going to suffer we're afraid we're afraid we're afraid to fulfill the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said he said I swear by Allah if I had the mountain of in gold. It would not last 3 days before it being completely given away. He gestured with his hand this. I would give it away this and this and this. 3 days it would be entirely gone. The mountain of and gold. But wait a minute. What about your family? What about this and that? This is what a shaitan whispers. Shaitan whispers, "Hey, if you give, you're going to go poor." And that's the time when it is most important to give. When the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam was asked about the best, the best charity, what did he say? He said, formill.
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He says the best charity is the charity that you give when you're healthy, when you feel most advert to giving. When you have in your heart the most stinginess, you're almost wealthy. You can taste it. You can see it. You've got it all planned out. When you are most afraid of being broke when you are most stingy, when you feel that you wish you that that you this is the hardest thing you could do, that's the best charity to give it at that moment because why? Because the prophet sallall.aii wasallam said He said, "I swear by Allah that no charity has ever depleted a person's wealth ever." Do you believe? That's why it's called So to wrap up, embracing entirely, allowing yourself to let go. It's hard to do. Don't think that it's easy for me. I didn't come out of my mother's womb in the operating room with a copy of the musaf in my right hand and a copy of Sah Bkari in my left. That's not how I was born, by the way. I worked and I worked in factories and I have been very very poor before and I have been very very wealthy before and the same things that we are all going through every human being has gone through. My struggles are not special. They're special to me but they're not special. Every one of you has stories it. But if you look at your history, look at your history and look at how Allah has treated you thus far. Have you ever truly gone hungry? Have you ever truly been left by Allah, abandoned? Has Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ever mistreated you? More importantly, the things you fear the most, have they ever really happened to you? Because that's what fear is, right? It's always worse in your mind. It's always worse in your mind. It's always worse in your mind. And it's never as bad as you're afraid it's going to be. So if you do something, embrace it. Trust the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam trust Allah have to let go when's the last time you stood for salah and lost track of the time I mean lost track of the time you have no clue what time it is you could have been standing for an hour you could have been standing for 5 minutes when's the last time that happened when's the last time you lost track of time talking with someone when's the last time you lost track of time watching a movie. See, we are capable of doing it, but it's what we do it for. If you allow yourself to fall, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will catch you and he will raise you. But if we stay hesitating, we'll never get anywhere. We will never get the hereafter in its totality and we will miss out on most of the dunya as well. Mediocrity.
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I only have one.
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