99 Die for Gold: When Greed Destroys Humanity

And they will not just fight over it, they will fight to the death over this mountain of gold. He says, yet the fighting will be so fierce and violent that out of every 100 99 will be killed trying to take or possess or retrieve a portion of this gold. Now,.

[Arabic recitation]

There's a couple of things here that I want to mention. This narration has it has a point to it, an overarching theme, and then it has an actual story or an actual event. What is the finite event? The finite event is that the Euphrates River. Are we familiar with the Euphrates River? It is it flows and it flows between Iraq and Persia. It's kind of almost that it separates what is known as the Arab world and the Persian world. And it was actually always known as a dividing line between those two main cultures. The Euphrates River, it is such a grand and pure and beneficial river that it is one of the four rivers of paradise. The Nile River is the second. And then the other two are proprietary to paradise. But the Euphrates River, Al-Furat, this river one day, very soon, it will uncover a mountain of gold. In another wording, "Kanz min dhahab." A treasure of gold. When people see it, they're going to start fighting over it. But, as we said, this narration here has an actual event that takes place, but it has an overarching theme. He tells us that when people start to fight, the fighting will be so fierce, so vicious, so violent that out of every 100 participants, 99 will be killed. They will lose their lives to try to pocket a little bit of this golden treasure. Now, here we have an overarching theme. That's the event, but the overarching theme is why is the prophet telling us this? Why? Why Why do we need to know this? As a matter of fact, this would not happen and has not happened yet. So, the question is, why did the companions, out of all the things that were going to happen in the future, why did the prophet choose this thing to point out that was going to happen? What is the lesson to be derived from this event? There is a general lesson to be derived. The lesson is is that this narration captures the mentality, the psychology, and the social structure of humanity during those end days. Imagine with me if during the time of the Jahiliyyah Arabs, the Jahiliyyah Arabs before Islam, those men that we read about that would only die for things honor and valor and vengeance and took pride in authenticity and bravery and family. Don't we have that the Jahiliyyah Arabs used to pride themselves on giving to the poor? Used to pride themselves on keeping ties with their kin and kith, right? And kin and kith. Did they not take pride in being truthful? In not being vulgar? In all of the poetry of the Arabs, you are hard-pressed to find any true vulgarity, right? To the point that the entire Arabic language has shaped the mind of its speaker to not be able to even express true vulgarity in its most offensive of senses unless they go out of their way to do that. The the language itself doesn't lend itself well to vulgarity. And so, the thing is is that in that culture in that time, let's say the Euphrates River uncovered that same mountain of gold, those kinds of people, would we find out of 99 out of 100 people, 99 would die trying to take some of that gold? Do you think that would happen? A people that refuse to tell a single lie, even if it was against their own interest, even if it was against their own religion. A people that would say a line of poetry and then if they were held to it would die defending that line of poetry just so that they don't go down in history as being someone who didn't fulfill what they said. Right? Would they fight in that way? Number one, no they would not. They were above that. Those Jahiliyyah at that time, they were above that kind of fighting over things gold and silver. Yes, that happens. It's not like greed didn't exist, but it had a very different form and it was not as vulgar as it is today. The second thing is out of every 100, 99 are dying. Why are there not groups? Where are the families? Where are the tribes? You would expect that out of every 100 tribes, 99 would be decimated. That's not what he said. He said out of every 100, 99 would lose their life. Why? Because this will happen during a time when the family structure has been broken down so thoroughly that it is every man for himself and money and riches are their god that they worship. Because a man will only die for what he worships or what he values above all else. We are creatures of odds. let's say you and I wanted to cross the street. So the light changes, we cross the street. Right? When we cross the street, are we not playing a game of odds? Is it not possible that there's a maniac that's parked right there in front of the light and is waiting for me to cross in front of him before he runs over me? Is it not possible that someone doesn't see the light? I'm stepping out into a path of giant one and two ton machines flying at 40 and 50 and 60 miles an hour barreling down the road, but I still step into that danger based on what? Based on probability, not possibility. Is it possible that there's a maniac behind the wheel of this car and when he tells me go, I still believe him and cross in front of him, even though I don't know this man from Adam? Why? Because probably he's not a psycho. Probably he's not off his meds. Probably I will survive this. When I go to the pharmacist and when I go to the doctor and I get a prescription, is it not possible that the doctor is mistaken? Is it not possible that he's fighting with his wife and he confused me with another patient and gave me a prescription that will kill me instead of a prescription that will will heal me? Is that not possible? Yes, but is it probable? No, it's not probable. And then when I take that prescription to the pharmacist, is it not possible that the pharmacist is busy on his phone and he reaches for the wrong medication and gives me poison instead of medicine. Is it not possible? It's possible. But but is it probable? No, it's not probable. We go on probabilities. So, here's my question. The probability of 99 to 100. Who would take those odds? Tell me, how cheap and worthless does your life have to be for you to agree to the odds of 99 to 1? Say, "Hey, you want to play this game? 99 to 1. 99% chance you'll die a horrible death, but there's a 1% chance that you might be a rich man. You want to play?" "Yes, I'll risk everything right now." For those odds. You will only do something that if you positively worship money. That is the only kind of person that will do that. Who would agree to those odds? That's what we call insanity. And so, the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, he tells us here that at the end of time, just before the hour, the Euphrates will uncover a mountain of gold. Out of every 100 combatants, 99 will lose their lives in pursuit of that gold. Each of them thinking that he will be the one to take it. That's what he said. The prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, Each one of them looks at those odds of 99 to 1 and still proceeds to enter into that competition. Why? Because each of them is convinced that he will be the one percent and not be the 99%. What do we call this in modern culture? Huh? No. We have a word for it today. Not even gambling. That Not even gamblers, not even addicted gamblers would take those odds. Irrational? Mhm, it's irrational, but that's not the the word for it. It's a It's a pop pop culture word. Main character syndrome. Very good. What is main character syndrome? I am the Disney prince. Right? I'm Aladdin. I'm not Jafar. I'm Aladdin. I am the main character. I'm the hero of the story. You see all this? See all these people? They're all only here to facilitate my existence. All these people, they're just here to facilitate my journey and my ascension to greatness. I'm the one that the stars aligned for, as they say. Right? Have you Who Now they they we have in our modern culture you're a king, you're a queen. Don't be a worker, be a boss. Show up. Be a Be an entrepreneur. Be famous. What's wrong with being a worker? What is wrong with that? What is wrong with being a follower? What is wrong with just being a regular person? what happened to that? No. If you want to be a regular person, you have no ambition. Because ambition and greed now are synonymous. Right? And Machiavellian and outgoing are now synonymous. This is because our people, our time, society, and humanity have largely become godless and debased. And they debase themselves constantly for the smallest and slightest of gratification. Right? And so that's why a mountain of gold will work on them. It would not have worked on other major societies. What about if those 100 people all said, "Guys, we're all killing each other. 99 to 100, 99 to one are the odds. How about we just split it into 100 portions, and each of us take one portion. We all live." Why wouldn't they do that? That's what humans do, you know. Why wouldn't they do that? Greed, arrogance, self-centeredness, hubris, delusion. That's why. And so this is a snapshot of what the world will be like specifically in that region just before the emergence of a Dajjal. And so when we read narrations about a Dajjal will emerge, and most people will fall to his fitna, why is that? Because this is the kind of people there are at that time. This is the caliber of people. People are willing to die.

[Arabic recitation]

Subway to pick up their phone cuz that's worth your life. But if you defile their mother or defile their daughter or their sister, you know, she's free. She could do what she wants, you know, she That's her choice. You understand? That's the kind of environment that we're in. A person who has things that they stand for, right? They are considered to be delusional simpletons. If a person says, "I choose to go hungry than to extend my hand and beg from someone," they will call that arrogance. That's not arrogance. That is exactly what makes a man. That is the epitome of true strength of character. Because a person because a man who has a price is no man at all. Right? Those values are going to become almost extinct. Almost. Almost extinct. And this caliber of person will be the ones that will inherit the earth at that time. Right? That will take over the earth at that time. As the prophet describes, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. But there's one more thing to say and we'll end with this. The Euphrates river, does it run between Muslim or non-Muslim countries? So if that's the state of the Muslimin, what is going on with the rest of the world during those days? This is why this narration was so relevant for the prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam to.

[Arabic recitation]

30 minutes away. Ramadan, you were here for Fajr every single day.

[Arabic recitation]

And what once a week? Once a week? Friday. You think so? I don't think so. You don't think so? I don't know. Okay, so what do you do? You know what I want? God bless you. You remember? God bless you. You remember? You remember how you did it? You remember that? I remember that. You remember that? I remember that. You remember? I remember. You remember that?

[Arabic recitation]

Would doubt him in the morning. That's all I know. Even by the they won't be here. In sha Allah. Yeah. Yeah. In sha Allah. And so maybe I'll see you on Friday or over the weekend. In sha Allah. I'm looking at.

[Silence]

No. Every day in the morning and in the evening to go through the history of the mosque. That would be super nice. And and and I mean you could literally just choose any day that you I'd love to have you. I'd love to have Okay. Hey, do you know what's good though about that one? I mean it's not love. Yeah, but I'm going to go So love is not supposed to Whatever it was It's very small. I got 20 bucks. So then I have to pay you.

[Arabic recitation]