In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Within the embrace of Allah, happiness pours into the hearts.
Increase your closeness to the Most Merciful.
The Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Musa Mosque.
In al-Badi', presents:
The Musk of the Discourse.
By Sheikh Usama Bahr, may Allah preserve him.
Whoever obeys the Lord dissolves into the sweetest feeling.
I desire men like Abu 'Ubaydah.
Men are more precious than gold in times of hardship and times of need.
Yet a time may come when you find few men among men.
Or perhaps you find them, but they are few.
And Allah the Exalted has said:
“Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least;” (33:23)
“Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least;” (33:23)
And they did not alter [their commitment] by any alteration.
A strong Ummah does not rise except through its men.
And it does not progress except through their efforts.
Whoever looks at the pages of history,
will find men and names like mountain peaks.
So what is it that creates men, and what is it that immortalizes their memory?
It is action and sacrifice.
And the greater the action and the more magnificent the sacrifice,
the more the name shines and its bearer becomes renowned.
He dies, but his memory does not.
He lives on through his words and his deeds.
And generations echo his work throughout history.
How many a martyr does history still remember?
And how many a mujahid do generations still remember?
And how many a scholar does knowledge still adorn?
And how many a ruler do the people still glorify?
They have all died,
but they remain through their work, their knowledge, and their sacrifices.
However, in certain periods of history,
nations may be afflicted with barrenness.
No men are born,
or if they are born, there is a barrenness in giving and in production.
And if I were to wish,
I would wish for men who create greatness,
like Abu 'Ubaydah, may Allah be pleased with him.
For it is narrated that 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,
said to his Companions one day, "Make a wish."
One of them said,
"I wish that this house were filled with gold,
so that I could spend it in the cause of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."
He said, "Make a wish."
Another man said,
"I wish that it were filled with pearls, chrysolite, and jewels,
so that I could spend it in the cause of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."
Then he said, "Make a wish."
They replied, "We do not know what to say, O Commander of the Faithful."
So 'Umar said,
"But I wish that this house
were filled with men like Abu 'Ubaydah Ibn al-Jarrah."
For men are the pillars of construction.
Through their strength, the structure rises and flourishes.
And through their weakness, the structure cracks and collapses.
And a man is more precious than gold, pearls, and all jewels combined.
So today,
the Ummah, in its revival, is in need
of men raised in a school like the school of Prophethood,
and in a house like the house of al-Arqam Ibn Abi al-Arqam.
And the Ummah today
needs callers who graduate from the school of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Its foundation is knowledge, moderation, and justice.
And the Ummah today
is in need of such men.
So where are they?
By Allah, happiness pours into the hearts.
Increase your closeness to the Most Merciful,
so that joy may embrace you.
Attach your soul to your Lord and fill the horizons with light.
Everyone who obeys the Lord
dissolves into the sweetest feeling.
For there is darkness, then light.
And life after it.
If Allah wills a thing, He says to it, "Be," and it is.