Facing Reality – Now what?

Fajr Reminders - Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Center

The election is over, and America has decided who gets the most powerful job in the country. That is why I thought it is important to put it in perspective. قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ بِيَدِكَ ٱلْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ A’al Imraan 3: 26 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allahﷻ! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honor whoever You please and disgrace who You please—all good is in Your Hands. Surely You ˹alone˺ are Most Capable of everything. The earth belongs to the One who created the earth and everything it contains, the One who owns the heavens and everything that is in them and everything between the two, the One who created and sustains all that we know and all that we don’t know, the One to Whom is our return – He is Allahﷻ and He is the Only One we worship. وهو الذي يملك الأرض وما فيها، وله ما في السماوات وما بينهما وما في العالمين. الذي خلق ويدبر كل ما نعلم وما لا نعلم، الواحد الأحد. فهو الذي إليه مرجعنا - هو الله - الذي لا نعبده إلا هو. He introduced Himself and reminded us: Ayatul Kursi/Hashr/Ikhlaas. Someone sent me a TikTok interview where the interviewer asked a senior priest for advice to young priests. He said, ‘Tell them to forget seminary and all their seminary degrees. Tell them to read the Bible and pray a lot. Tell them that unless they develop closeness to God they can’t achieve anything. And the only way to get close to anyone is to spend time with them. So, pray a lot.’ Now, tell me if this applies to us or not in the same away? So, let us remember the reality and the reality is that Allahﷻ is our Rabb and to Him is our return. As far as we are concerned, only what Allahﷻ wants will happen and if we have Allahﷻ's pleasure on our side, Allahﷻ will keep us safe. This is an opportunity to realign our focus and to repair our Aqeeda and remember that it’s only and only Allahﷻ who can do anything. Our real test is not this or any election. Our real test is when we meet Malakul Mawth. That’s what we need to prepare for. So, we say Alhamdulillah and we turn to Allahﷻ. Allahﷻ told us the stories of His Anbiya to prove this point that only what Allahﷻ wants to happen, can happen. And that Allahﷻ protects His people wherever they may be in whatever condition, provided they behave like His people. Allahﷻ told us the story of Ibrahim (AS) and all that led to his being thrown into the fire. As he sat in the cup of the trebuchet about to be thrown into the fire, Jibreel (AS) comes to him and asks if he needs any help from him. I can see the smile on his face as he says, ‘Thank you, nothing from you.’ Jibreel (AS) goes to Allahﷻ and reports his conversation (which Allahﷻ already knows) and begs for His help. Allahﷻ says, ‘Tell him that I sent you and that I want to know what he wants from me.’ Ibrahim (AS) replies, ‘My Rabb doesn’t need to ask. I want whatever He wants.’ This conversation is my imagination based on the Hadith, but it shows the essence of the state of the Muslim. Ibrahim (AS) said this because he had said before this something that His Rabb told us about. إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥٓ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ Baqara 2: 131 When his Rabb ordered him, “Submit ˹to My Will˺,” he responded, “I submit to the Rabb of all worlds.” This is the position, the stance, the status of the Muslim. I have submitted. Not I will submit. I have submitted. When the Muslim submits, Allahﷻ takes direct charge of his affairs. Allahﷻ ordered: قُلْنَا يَـٰنَارُ كُونِى بَرْدًا وَسَلَـٰمًا عَلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ Anbiya 21: 69 We ordered, “O fire! Be cool and safe for Ibrahim!” No intermediaries. No Jibreel (AS). Nobody. Allahﷻ orders, ‘O fire! Become cool and safe for Ibrahim.’ To be Muslim is to recognize the reality that it is only and only Allahﷻ who commands and does. Nothing else has any power.