New Year Reflections

Reflections on the Start of a New Year

Shaykh Alaeddin El Bakri

MCA Santa Clara, CA

1/3/14

We are all spinning.

The planets spin because they are making tasbih. 

Everything makes tasbih to Allah.

But what are you spinning around? 

Making money?

The dishes, the laundry- never ending...

Eman is on your right side and the Deen (religion) is on your left side, protecting your weak side where people, shaytan can affect you.

That's why when you go for hajj the kabah is on your left side. 

Our head should be spinning around our deen.

3 Things that affect the way you think:

1. Childhood. How your parents raised you. In the first 2 years of life you are recording everything, so these two years affect the rest of your life.

But we are not doomed by this. Allah gave you the ability to reformat yourself. If this was valid excuse there would be no day of judgement.

2. Your Culture. It's because of my culture.

Your reactions, what you say, what you do come from your culture to some extent.

But if this would excuse you there would be no day of judgement.

3. Your environment. Your friends affect you. Check who are your friends. Friends determine who you are. If environment is a valid excuse there would be no day of judgement. You can change your environment. Person watches a movie every night. Watches sports every weekend. Our life is a living soap opera. The new generation is raised by the TV. TV corrupts people. Entire culture can change in span of 10 years. Indonesia- saw difference in just 5 years. Largest Christmas celebration in Indonesia. Mall - hijabi giving out Christmas gifts.

If you get stuck in any of these 3, you will be a victim of your past, present, and future. Are you happy? I bet you are not happy. You will always be lost. Either you are a copy of your mother your father, neighbor, friend, movie actor- but you are never yourself. 

How can we change that point of reference? So what is your plan? I am sure it is to change. Right now you are a guest in the house of Allah. At this moment if you see your reality and you want to change, all you have to do is ask Allah- please Allah guide me, please help me change. 

You are so focused on making money- then you die. The money goes to your children to fight over. Especially if they are not from the saaliheen. So you didn't do a good job raising them. If you had taken that money and donated it for the cause of Islam - Allah would have put a baraka in this money and guided your children to be saaliheen. 

Hadith. Prophet (Salla Allahu 'alaihi wassalam) drew a box. Life= Baby- youth- adult- elderly - back to 0 death.

Health, wealth, knowledge, time- everything is going down. Running out of everything. Very scary. Very sad. This is when Allah says wal3asr, inna insana lafe khusr, By time, verily man is at a loss.

I don't say its haram to celebrate birthdays. But be clear what you are celebrating. Are you happy you lost one year of your life? One year closer to death? Yallah blow out the candles. I ask the child- how much did you memorize of the Quran this year. How much of the Quran did you understand this year?

After death - starts the real life for a believer. Death is the liberation, the freedom of your soul. The hereafter is better for you if you knew.

People are afraid of death- why? Because the grave is a small space, deep under ground, lonely, dark, and cold.

Actually, If this is the case, this is a good case. It could get worse, much worse. There could be punishment in the grave for people who never prayed, never repented from their sins. Go and read about it. 

There will be a window in grave where you can see your place in hell. Wind from hell comes in. 

Then a person comes to you with a bad smell, bad clothes, with very scary look - he says I am your bad deeds. Imagine watching a horror movie for thousands of years. Why would you want to do this to yourself? 

Then you are questioned:

"Who is your Lord?"

A five year old can answer but a 40 year old cannot. Because he's in a shock of the sight of the angels, the muhasaba. He says 'huh? huh?' like a question- duha-ha.

"Who is your messenger?" Again he can't answer. Even though he may be a born Muslim- because he never thought about death and the grave. He was afraid to know about it so he avoided thinking about it or learning about it.

What is worth that? Your favorite show, movie, money...

Now compare that with the grave of the people of heaven.

Hadith of the people of heaven:

- Qabr, grave, will be seven heavens above the ground. Radwa min riyad al Jannah - a piece of a garden of Jannah. 

- It will be as big as your sight. Very big. No narrow feeling.

- No darkness . Noor. All lit up. Qabr light. Better than everything.

- Not lonely. The most beautiful person will come, nice clothes, nice smell - He says I am your good deeds. I will give you company in your death. Reminds you of your good deeds. Will show you the movie of your good deeds. 

- You will have a window in your grave to see your place in Jannah. You will see your big house, big trees- when you said subhanAllah walhamdulillah wa Allahu Akbar. You will see a lake- and that is yours too. Our money in Jannah is al 3amal al saalih, our good deeds. 

These people will be asking for the day of judgement to come- aqim al sa3ah. While the one in the grave next to him will be asking Allah to delay the day of judgment.

People fear what they don't know- believers know what happens in the grave. So they are looking forward to that.

Difference between the two? - A conscious decision you made. Allah is not going to force you. You have to make the choice. You don't have to wait. The morning might never come. Evening might never come. What are you waiting for? What are you selling your akhirah for? 

Day of Judgment hadith

- There are a group of people that even the martyrs, Prophets, and truthful ones will envy. They will sit on a stage made of light. Those are people who loved one another in the name of Allah. Be around the one who is closest to Allah. Cling to them and change your life. 

1. Have you made the choice? scream it inside you. Yes I choose you ya Allah. If not, make tasbih to soften your heart.

2. Then what is your plan? We don't have to invent it. It's in the Quran. 

O Allah change the world through us.