How To Fix Your Life | Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman

0:00SPEAKER_00:Dear brothers and sisters, in the famous hadith of the Prophet, where he talks about the strangers and he says, Tulba lil gurab, glad tidings to the strangers. When the Messenger of Allah describes who the strangers are, there are two narrations that are extremely similar. In one narration, the Messenger of Allah says, those who fix what other people corrupted. Those who fix what other people corrupted from my sunnah. So basically, corruption comes after the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

0:43SPEAKER_00:And eventually that corruption overtakes and reigns supreme. And those that will be strangers are those that will not only be able to withstand the pressure of the environment around them, but they will actually be amongst those that fix what has been corrupted. Aladina Yuslihuna ma'fsadanas. And in one narration, also authentic, the Prophet said, Aladina Yasluhuna, those who are righteous, who are upright, when other people are corrupted, when other people have lost their way.

1:20SPEAKER_00:And so it's very interesting when you think about the way that these two narrations work together. What people have corrupted, and when people are corrupted, the strangers are those that take the initiative to fix what is broken. And that includes themselves. And there is this relationship with fixing things that I want to speak about today. And I want to be very clear that it's a little bit different from how we talk about, for example, uhmal, actions, and niyah, and the idea of intention.

1:58SPEAKER_00:Intentions and actions. There's a relationship between intentions and deeds. In the Amalu bidniyat, as the Prophet taught us, actions are by intentions, but the way you pursue those actions shows the sincerity and the depth of your intention. Right? Someone can say, you know, I intend to go to the masjid, but they don't really have the willpower behind that intention. There might be a little bit of sincerity there that, yeah, I really intended to go to the masjid, but the very first excuse that I find, or I'm just not feeling like it, never mind.

2:28SPEAKER_00:Maybe my intention was sincere, but it didn't have enough steam to it. There wasn't enough azimah, there wasn't enough determination to fill that intention. So not all intentions are the same, but there is a relationship between the intention and the deed. Likewise, when we talk about the concept of tawakul in Islam, the concept of trusting Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, relying upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, there is a relationship between Al-Aqdub al-Asbab taking the means and relying upon Allah.

2:59SPEAKER_00:That you taking the means is you doing your part, and then you rely upon Allah. So when the Prophet talks to us about the way the bird goes out in the morning and comes back with its stomach full, the bird spreads its wings, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, rahman, Allah holds it in the air, Allah provides for the bird, but the bird leaves the nest. The bird goes and looks for the food, Allah provides the food. But this particular concept, and I only use these examples because they're more common analogies, I want to talk about the idea of fixing things, fixing things.

3:31SPEAKER_00:How do you fix broken relationships? How do you fix a broken heart? How do you fix a situation where you're not able to find your next pathway? You're not able to find what you're supposed to be doing. How do you find the balance between dua and deeds when things need repair, when things need to be fixed? And subhanAllah was reflecting on two ayat in the Quran that talk about two different situations, but the wording is almost identical, and the equation is in fact identical.

4:03SPEAKER_00:When Shuraib alayhi salam speaks to his people as a prophet speaks to his people, and he introduces the mission that he's bringing. He says, in uridu ill al-islaha mastaatu, that all I want is to reform to the best of my ability. I'm here to fix things, I'm here to rectify things to the best of my ability. But my success will only come from Allah. My intention here is not to take anything from you. My intention here is not to win you over with some sort of ulterior motive.

4:38SPEAKER_00:My intention here is reform. And subhanAllah, even the word itself, and this is what makes the language so rich in many ways, the word itself doesn't allow you to separate reform from righteousness because there is no real reform if it's separated from righteousness. So the root word of reform is the same root word as righteousness. Salah means to make something right. You can't make something right with the wrong intention or the wrong means. You can't even separate the two concepts.

5:08SPEAKER_00:So I'm here to reform. This is genuine reform. And that genuine reform comes from a righteous place and engages in righteous means and seeks a righteous end. But it's to the best of my ability and my tawfiq. My success will only come from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So that's a prophet speaking to his people. Now, the next conversation that I'll introduce in the Quran is not a prophet speaking to his people, but a spouse speaking to a spouse, which might be the most the second most difficult type of conversation that exists in history, right?

5:44SPEAKER_00:So there is the prophet that speaks to his people, but then there are husbands and wives that have issues between them. There might be a temporary band-aid, but it doesn't actually get fixed unless both of them want it to be fixed. Otherwise, you'll buy yourself a week, you'll buy yourself a month, depending on which spouse is the one that's initiating, right? So if it's the wife, she'll buy another year from her husband. But if the husband has already decided we're done, we're gonna be done.

6:24SPEAKER_00:And if the wife has already decided we're done, we're going to be done. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, In Yurida Islaha, you wafillahu beinahua. If they want it to be fixed, Allah will give tawfiq for it to be fixed. If they both want it to be fixed, Allah will put in it the necessary tawfiq, the success of that repair. Subhanallah, look at the two ayat and how identical the equation is. Number one is iradah, is that you want something. It's the equivalent of the niyah, of the sincere intention.

7:02SPEAKER_00:I actually want this. Right? Number two is the concept of islah. What are you seeking? Are you seeking a temporary band-aid? Are you seeking some more time so you can go get your court documents in order? Are you seeking some more time so that you could do this? No, no, I'm seeking Islah. That's the second thing. The concept of righteous reform. Number three is the element of tawfiq. Allah is the one who gives success at the end of the day. And subhanAllah, this is so interesting because what Shuaib is saying is that if your hearts are shut off and only Allah is muqalib al-kulub, only Allah is the one who can turn the hearts right.

7:41SPEAKER_00:If your hearts are shut off, no matter how bad I want to fix you, and no matter how bad I want to fix the situation, and no matter how good my da'wah is, my call will not work because Allah has to be the one to turn that heart that is turned away. So I have to want to turn your heart, and you have to want for your heart to be turned. Because when they turned away, Allah turned your hearts away. That means you're not worthy of Allah guiding you. So I have to want for your heart to be turned, and you have to want for your heart to be turned.

8:17SPEAKER_00:Then the tawfiq of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala comes, where my da'wah is successful and your salvation is possible. Because tawfiq now descended upon us. Likewise, when it comes to a couple that are trying to fix a relationship, you know that if one person is being dragged to counseling, it's not gonna work. Someone's already decided this counseling is not gonna work. No one can tell me anything. I've already decided you are irreparable or we are irreparable.

8:47SPEAKER_00:And by the way, divorce is halal. That doesn't mean that we're not hasty to it. That doesn't mean that it's a good thing, and especially the abundance of it, because shaitan seeks and teaches Mayufaripu and Abihi Bain al Mar iwa Zooji how to tear couples apart. Sometimes it's the only resolution, but it is rushed to too frequently, especially when we have a society of ajala, of things being too quick, everyone's too hasty with each other, no one's patient with each other anymore.

9:15SPEAKER_00:So you know if one person is being dragged to counseling, it's not gonna get fixed. But in Yuriida Islaha, if they both want it to be fixed, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends down something. There's tawfiq. And I can tell you, subhanAllah, and masha'Allah, your Shaykh, may Allah bless him and preserve him. He's been here for 26 years. Very rare, by the way, to see an imam. Stay with the community, stay the course with the community and build and grow that community.

9:42SPEAKER_00:We see it from the other side as well. Sometimes you see what seems to be a very minor disagreement and it falls apart. And sometimes you see a major obstacle and you're like, there is no way these two are going to repair. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala repairs it. Just like when you walk into the hospital, I was subhanAllah just in the hospital yesterday. You see someone who has a condition that you don't think is that big of a deal, and then they pass away.

10:02SPEAKER_00:You see another person who the doctors have given up on, and then Allah miraculously cures that person. Right? But Allah is saying two people wanted to fix it, and they were sincere in wanting to fix it. So where's the tawfiq part here? Sometimes there's an apology that's due in a relationship, and let's actually broaden this beyond the marital relationship. And subhanAllah, think about the akidah implications, the tawheed implications of this. If you believe that this person is hopeless, then what does that say about what you believe about Allah?

10:36SPEAKER_00:What happened to believing that Allah can change any situation? So you believe Allah can free Palestine, but he can't change your spouse? Right? What are we actually saying here? He can't change your brother, your sister, this person who you've had such a difficult relationship with, and you don't talk anymore, you haven't talked for two, three years. You're assuming that nothing changed about that person in two, three years, and there is no way we could ever reconcile because the obstacle between us is too much.

11:04SPEAKER_00:You're not going to get tawfiq from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that way. Nor is the solution for you to just sit there and make dua. Solution is you gotta take the first step. So what's your part? Your part is the apology. But what is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's part? What's the tawfiq? The tawfiq is changing a heart, allowing a heart to accept an apology, allowing a heart to actually receive that, to reciprocate, to soften. SubhanAllah, sometimes the hardest hearts not only soften towards guidance, they soften towards reconciliation in a community.

11:36SPEAKER_00:Two people that don't talk to each other for years. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when the deeds are presented to him every single Monday and Thursday, Allah Azzaab says, I don't want to see these two deeds until they fix what's between themselves. They have to fix things. Then their deeds will become presentable. No, the solution is not for you to make dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala only to fix things. No, you've got to pick up the phone. You've got to be the one to break your own ego so that the relationship can be repaired and say, brother, let's meet for the sake of Allah.

12:07SPEAKER_00:Let's get the community together, let's get our family together, let's make this happen. You do that part. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does his part. And Allah, al-Hadi, his names are so profound because his names actually have this in them. Al Hadi can turn the most difficult heart back to him. He's the guide. He can guide the most difficult heart. And so when someone saw Umar bin al-Khattaballahu tal anhu and thought Umar is irreparable. Omar has no chance.

12:42SPEAKER_00:The donkey of Al-Khattab has a better chance of being guided than Umar. He made a mistake. Al-Hadi could guide the heart of Umar. Radiallahu Ta'ala anhu. Because he's the guide. So that heart just has to be turned this way. Allah also has the name Al-Jabbar. Al-Jabbar. And Al-Jabbar is the one who mends what is broken. And subhanallah, sometimes you do your part, you give that apology, you make that phone call, you text, you do what it is. Now Al Jabbar mends the heart.

13:20SPEAKER_00:Al-Jabbar mends the relationship that you thought was impossible to be mended. But you have to do what's possible for you before you ask Allah to do what seems impossible. You've got to take that step. That's the fixing part that comes before tawfiq, that comes before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, renders something worthy of him putting the last threads to mend it together. You know, subhanAllah, if you think about when we go to Al-Jabbar as ourselves, as broken people, and sometimes subhanAllah, life hits you so many times that you feel like you don't have the motivation anymore.

13:59SPEAKER_00:You don't have the motivation anymore. And Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu, who believes in his dua more than Umar radiallahu ta'ala anu? Umar radiallahu anhu used to say that I do not care about al-ijabah. I don't can concern myself with the answer when I make dua. Because I know that if Allah inspired me to make the dua, then Allah is going to answer the du'a. The same Umar radiallahu alayhi annu said, let not one of you sit and call upon Allah and say, Rabbir Zukni, Rabbir Zukni, my Lord provide for me, my Lord provide for me.

14:31SPEAKER_00:When he knows, anasama la tum tirafidla. The sky doesn't rain gold and silver, brother. That's what Umar is saying. The sky does not rain gold and silver on you. So don't just sit there and pray and say, My Lord provide for me, my Lord provide for me, as if the sky is going to open up and rain gold and silver. No, you've got to take your steps, and then the dua is the supplication, is what seals the deal. It's where then the success comes from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

15:02SPEAKER_00:But you can fix what's in your control. Allah gave you that power. And there is no true power except for His power. But in the process of you saying, there's no strength, no power except in Allah Azza, you're supposed to try to be al-Mu'min al-Kawi. And sometimes strength is the strength of still being able to go to work when nothing seems to be working. Sometimes strength is to squash your own ego. You know how strong, how how strong you have to be to be able to swallow your ego?

15:34SPEAKER_00:Like when the Prophet gives us that visual, that that's a person who's strong to control your emotions, to actually bring that all down. Wrestling that ego is harder than wrestling anybody else. You wrestle that ego, that that ego down, and what happens? Allah opens up a door. Every time you try to fix something for his sake, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala descends success in some way. That doesn't mean that the situation is always going to get resolved, but it always means that you're going to be rewarded, and that at least you can sleep at night knowing that you did your part.

16:11SPEAKER_00:And more importantly, you can meet Allah on the day of judgment and said, I try to fix these things, Ya Allah. I try to fix these things. Even as a community. When the Prophet, and whose dua is more accepted than the Messenger of Allah, asked Allah for three things. He asked Allah that Allah would protect us from an enemy that would wipe us off the face of the earth. These Islamophobes are not going anywhere, but neither are we. They're not going to succeed.

16:44SPEAKER_00:We're not afraid of them. People of Gaza don't fear the Zionists, despite everything that they've employed on them. We can't fear the people that are around us and their intimidation when they're drunk and intoxicated by the hate and bigotry that they've been fed, but they're not going to wipe us out. The Prophet was given that promise that this ummah will not be wiped out. This ummah is not gonna be wiped out. AI is terrifying, but robots are not gonna take over the world and remove all the Muslims.

17:11SPEAKER_00:Right? There is a lot to be worried about there. But the Muslims are not gonna disappear because an enemy will overcome the Muslims and remove them from the face of the earth. It's not happening. Because Allah Azwaj gave that to the Prophet. And when the Prophet made that dua, he had a few hundred followers. Now he's got two billion. Right? The second one is we're not gonna be wiped out from a famine or a plague. You're gonna see earthquakes and landslides and wildfires and all sorts of devastation and war and genocide.

17:39SPEAKER_00:But this ummah will not be wiped out by a plague or an earthquake or a fire. Many people will go, and may Allah Azza accept them as martyrs. But that's not how we end. But the third dua, that their misfortune is not found in their internal disputes. Allah did not give the Prophet that answer. He didn't give him a yes. Is it because Allah doesn't love the Prophet? Of course he loves the Prophet more than any creation. Is it because the Prophet's dua wasn't sincere enough?

18:15SPEAKER_00:Like did he have to try harder or think? No. The thing is that Allah Azza has put that as part of his equation for us that the external will be solved, but you've got to solve what's between yourselves. And how many times do those that wish to break us as a community observe us from within and without? I know there are informants in every masjid, by the way. It's okay. That's every masjid in Texas, every masjid. And now that you can just do it through the devices, right?

18:44SPEAKER_00:Right? Like you can just watch. But the point is, you think that they're not watching and waiting for every single thing to exploit, every fault line to exploit? Right? Break apart the community and then go in and mow it. That's every single community in the world. That's been the strategy since the Munafakin and Medina, the hypocrites in Medina with the Prophet. Try to create a fault line, divide, and then go in while they're fighting each other.

19:07SPEAKER_00:Allah is saying your enemy won't overcome you. But you have to overcome what is between yourselves. You've got to fix that part. You'll be protected from the outside, you have to fix that part. And if you want to fix what's between you, Allah will give the tawfiq for your hearts to be in harmony with one another. But you have to want it. And again, you're gonna have to break your egos in order to make it happen and see the bigger picture. You see, subhanallah, we go to Allah Azza with our broken selves, like puzzle pieces, broken selves, broken families, broken communities, broken ummah, broken pieces of this ummah.

19:48SPEAKER_00:We say, Yajabah, this is what we have. We call upon you, trusting only you. I am going to put it all together as much as I possibly can, but I know that no one can actually finish it, mend it, but you. I'm trying my best to fix it. Myself, my family, my relationship. I'm not using dua to spiritually bypass the deed that you prescribed upon me. I'm coming to you because I know that at the end of the day, my deeds and my strength and my initiatives and everything else is only made possible by your tawfiq at the end of it.

20:28SPEAKER_00:By you giving it success at the end of it. You see, the Prophet would call upon Allah like a man in complete desperation. But the Prophet at the same time had complete certainty in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and did everything that was in his part. And so I'm gonna walk this back, inshaAllah ta'ala, and conclude by just each and every single one of us thinking about this for a moment. It's convenient sometimes for us to just go ahead and resort to personal ibadah and think that we can pray away all of our problems or the wrongdoings that we have done or the relationships that we have broken.

21:08SPEAKER_00:It doesn't work that way. It's insufficient. Because the same one that you are calling upon tells you to do certain things as you call upon him. And so we can't have that contradiction as we call upon Allah. The same one that you have to be sincere for in order for your deeds to be accepted, is the same one that you have to take the means towards as you place your trust in him, is the same one that tells you to fix what's in your control so that his ultimate repair comes.

21:42SPEAKER_00:And just think about the consequences. And this is really what it comes back down to. You know, when I find this tension, like there's there's a remedy to an insincere intention. When I have an insincere intention, I have to remember who's worth doing things for in the first place. That's what their illamat mentioned. Right? No one knows the creator and the creation. And then yuqiru mu'amana tul khalqal al-khalak and then prefers the creation to the creator.

22:10SPEAKER_00:I need to why would I do things for other people's eyes if I know that Allah is looking at me? I have to like actually go back and ask myself that question until it's so illogical that it no longer motivates me. I'm doing things for the sake of Allah Azajan, meaning I'm doing things for the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I have to go back and think about what are the consequences? So what if people are impressed by me? What's that going to actually do for my life?

22:30SPEAKER_00:So what if I get millions of followers, if I get millions of likes, if uh if if if 200 people come up and say, great job, what does that actually do for me? I have to actually remind myself of that. And then I have to remind myself Allah's site is worth more than all of that. All of us in our individual capacities have to do that, right? Because riyat hits every single one of us in our own capacities. When it comes to wanting to fix things, I have to think about the consequences of leaving them broken.

22:59SPEAKER_00:And there are worldly consequences that we ignore, and there are afterlife consequences that we ignore even more. And so when the Prophet said, whoever has a madlama, whoever has committed a wrongdoing against his brother, let him seek forgiveness from it now. Let him get out of it now before he arrives at a day when no dirham or dinar can save him. You can't seek forgiveness from people on the day of judgment anymore. Can't repair relationships.

23:25SPEAKER_00:So you gotta think about the afterlife. Then you gotta think about here. So I say this in conclusion, by the way, to the to the brothers and sisters, especially those that go through difficulties in their marriage, especially those that have children. Your kids deserve that from you. Right? There are worldly consequences that you try your best to fix things. Again, there are sometimes resolutions that take place that Allah knows best. And sometimes we find ourselves after the door of regret.

23:58SPEAKER_00:And you know what? After the door of regret, Allah will take you when you're broken, and at tawab will repair you and accept your repentance and turn towards you. But where there are still doors that are open and things that you can still fix, that's where you have to take initiative. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to fix what is in our lives, fix our families, fix our communities, fix our ummah, our humanity, our societies, all with his tawfiq.

24:25SPEAKER_00:May Allah Azza forgive us for our shortcomings in regards to ourselves and in regards to everyone else. Allah Amin Akuru kawlihada was tahla yulakum alisa al-Mussa meedien, fastah. Allah Mafri al Mu'minin will mukminat, well Muslim al Muslimat, Al Ahiya even Hummel Amat in the Kasamir and Karibun would jawat, Allah Mahfirlana Warhamna, Warfu Anna, Wala to Adibna, Rabana Walamna and Fusanawa Inlam Thahfir Lana Tarhamna Ranaku, Nanna Min al Hasrin, Allah in the Kaafu and Kareem when to Hibul Afwafu Anna.

25:16SPEAKER_00:Allah Mafriwa Dina, Rabbi Hamma Kamarabuna, Sigara, Rabana Habalanaman, Azwadina with the Ryatina, Kurata Ayun, Wajanna Lil Mutzakina Imama, Allah Monsur Ivan and Mustada Afina Fi Mashar, Aldu Magariha, Allah Monsurhum Fi Philistine, with his Sudan, with Il Yaman, with the Kulli Makan, Allah Ika Addin, Allah Maarina Bid Ladi Mina Aja, Iba Kudratik, Allahma Alika Bali Mina Bidimin Wahrajna Banium Salim. Ibadullahi will esan waita Kurbayanha and Fasha I will mun caribalbahi.

25:47SPEAKER_00:Ya evokum la alakum ta karun fascurulla curkumasku ali inama isidlacum while a vicro lahie akbar wallahu yarum matasna unakim sala.