1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,259 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:04,450 --> 00:00:07,650 We are pleased at the Sheikh Hasa Islamic Center 3 00:00:07,730 --> 00:00:10,529 to present to our esteemed listeners 4 00:00:10,529 --> 00:00:12,769 a reading of the book 5 00:00:12,769 --> 00:00:14,609 *The Treasure of the Muslim* 6 00:00:14,609 --> 00:00:17,149 regarding the virtue of calling to Allah. 7 00:00:17,149 --> 00:00:20,289 By its author, John Yar Bamarni. 8 00:00:20,289 --> 00:00:24,940 The honor of this Ummah. 9 00:00:25,550 --> 00:00:29,870 Praise be to Allah, who has made calling to Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, 10 00:00:30,030 --> 00:00:33,789 the honor of this Ummah and its adornment among all nations. 11 00:00:33,789 --> 00:00:38,909 It is the duty of the entire Ummah of Muhammad, peace be upon him. 12 00:00:38,909 --> 00:00:42,750 It is obligatory upon its men and its women, 13 00:00:42,750 --> 00:00:46,270 its poor and its wealthy alike, especially 14 00:00:46,270 --> 00:00:48,670 because calling the non-Muslim 15 00:00:48,670 --> 00:00:51,710 is what solves the greatest problem: 16 00:00:51,710 --> 00:00:55,789 the problem of atheism, polytheism in humanity, and injustice. 17 00:00:55,789 --> 00:00:58,380 And if this problem is solved, 18 00:00:58,539 --> 00:01:01,579 other problems will be solved with ease, 19 00:01:01,579 --> 00:01:04,659 and peace will spread throughout humanity. 20 00:01:04,659 --> 00:01:06,659 Allah the Almighty says: 21 00:01:06,659 --> 00:01:15,060 “Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most of them are evil-livers.” (3:110) 22 00:01:15,060 --> 00:01:18,420 You enjoin what is right 23 00:01:18,420 --> 00:01:22,799 and forbid what is wrong, 24 00:01:22,799 --> 00:01:25,760 you enjoin what is right 25 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,920 and forbid what is wrong, 26 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:35,549 and you believe in Allah. 27 00:01:35,549 --> 00:01:40,030 If you truly knew the virtue of the call and the caller in the sight of Allah, 28 00:01:40,030 --> 00:01:45,150 and the high status that Allah, Glory be to Him and Exalted, has reserved for them, 29 00:01:45,150 --> 00:01:48,430 and what He has prepared for them of reward and recompense, 30 00:01:48,430 --> 00:01:51,310 and of honor, status, and elevation, 31 00:01:51,310 --> 00:01:54,030 you would have abandoned the world and all that is in it, 32 00:01:54,030 --> 00:01:56,750 and you would have rushed today, not tomorrow, 33 00:01:56,829 --> 00:01:58,829 to this duty. 34 00:01:58,829 --> 00:02:01,950 You would have regretted every breath you took 35 00:02:01,950 --> 00:02:05,230 in anything other than calling to Allah. 36 00:02:05,230 --> 00:02:10,349 For every breath and every drop of sweat that comes from you in anything other than the obedience of Allah 37 00:02:10,349 --> 00:02:14,430 will emerge on the Day of Resurrection as a source of regret and remorse. 38 00:02:14,430 --> 00:02:18,430 Because the few, trivial, numbered days of this world 39 00:02:18,430 --> 00:02:23,069 are nothing in the reckoning compared to millions of years in the Hereafter, 40 00:02:23,069 --> 00:02:25,710 in Paradise or in the Fire. 41 00:02:25,710 --> 00:02:28,270 They are nothing compared to the bliss of Paradise, 42 00:02:28,270 --> 00:02:31,150 which contains what no eye has seen, 43 00:02:31,150 --> 00:02:33,069 nor ear has heard, 44 00:02:33,069 --> 00:02:35,629 nor has it crossed the heart of any human. 45 00:02:37,020 --> 00:02:40,699 The global average for the number of callers. 46 00:02:41,629 --> 00:02:44,590 More than eight billion people. 47 00:02:44,590 --> 00:02:47,520 How many callers do they need? 48 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,159 A United Nations report indicates 49 00:02:50,159 --> 00:02:54,319 that the world population is expected to rise 50 00:02:54,319 --> 00:02:55,919 from seven billion 51 00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:00,080 to eight and a half billion people 52 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,680 by the year 2030 AD. 53 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:05,919 And that the world population 54 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,319 will grow at a rate of one billion people 55 00:03:08,319 --> 00:03:11,520 over the next thirteen years, 56 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,639 and will reach ten billion people 57 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:18,460 by the year 2050 AD. 58 00:03:18,460 --> 00:03:20,780 If the global average is 59 00:03:20,780 --> 00:03:23,979 one doctor for every four hundred people, 60 00:03:24,060 --> 00:03:26,060 or close to that, 61 00:03:26,060 --> 00:03:29,580 and if we take the same ratio for every caller, 62 00:03:29,580 --> 00:03:33,819 this means we need twenty million callers 63 00:03:33,819 --> 00:03:37,490 by the year 2030 AD. 64 00:03:37,490 --> 00:03:40,370 For the safety of bodies in this world 65 00:03:40,370 --> 00:03:43,250 is not more important than the safety of bodies and souls 66 00:03:43,250 --> 00:03:46,460 in this world and the Hereafter. 67 00:03:46,460 --> 00:03:49,729 The virtue of the caller in the sight of Allah. 68 00:03:49,729 --> 00:03:51,889 Because they spread goodness 69 00:03:51,969 --> 00:03:55,330 and perform the mission of the prophets and messengers. 70 00:03:55,330 --> 00:03:59,569 The callers were the best of this Ummah, absolutely. 71 00:03:59,569 --> 00:04:03,569 And there is no speech better than their speech. 72 00:04:03,569 --> 00:04:05,900 Allah the Almighty says: 73 00:04:05,900 --> 00:04:12,699 "And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah 74 00:04:12,699 --> 00:04:15,340 and does righteousness?" 75 00:04:15,340 --> 00:04:21,920 “And who is better in speech than him who prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who are muslims (surrender unto Him).” (41:33) 76 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:23,870 And Allah the Almighty says: 77 00:04:23,870 --> 00:04:32,189 “Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most of them are evil-livers.” (3:110) 78 00:04:32,189 --> 00:04:35,470 You enjoin what is right 79 00:04:35,470 --> 00:04:40,019 and forbid what is wrong, 80 00:04:40,019 --> 00:04:42,819 you enjoin what is right 81 00:04:42,819 --> 00:04:46,980 and forbid what is wrong, 82 00:04:46,980 --> 00:04:52,589 and you believe in Allah. 83 00:04:52,589 --> 00:04:54,269 And He also said: 84 00:04:54,269 --> 00:04:57,310 "And it is those who are the successful." 85 00:04:57,310 --> 00:05:00,750 Those are the ones upon whom Allah will have mercy. 86 00:05:00,750 --> 00:05:03,069 And among their profitable trade 87 00:05:03,069 --> 00:05:04,910 is that their reward is continuous 88 00:05:04,910 --> 00:05:07,339 and their recompense is everlasting. 89 00:05:07,339 --> 00:05:10,540 The Messenger, peace be upon him, said: 90 00:05:10,540 --> 00:05:12,620 "Whoever calls to guidance 91 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:16,220 will have a reward similar to the rewards of those who follow him, 92 00:05:16,220 --> 00:05:19,819 without it detracting from their rewards in the slightest." 93 00:05:19,819 --> 00:05:22,139 Narrated by Muslim. 94 00:05:22,220 --> 00:05:27,019 By Allah, we need not to let this blessing pass us by. 95 00:05:27,019 --> 00:05:30,939 For Allah is the Supporter of His religion and does not need us. 96 00:05:30,939 --> 00:05:34,620 On the authority of Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: 97 00:05:34,620 --> 00:05:37,420 The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 98 00:05:37,420 --> 00:05:41,819 "This matter will certainly reach what the night and day reach, 99 00:05:41,819 --> 00:05:45,259 and Allah will not leave a house of mud or fur 100 00:05:45,259 --> 00:05:49,339 but that Allah will cause this religion to enter it." 101 00:05:49,339 --> 00:05:51,660 Calling to Allah the Almighty 102 00:05:51,660 --> 00:05:57,180 means calling to goodness, righteousness, and steadfastness upon the religion of the Creator, 103 00:05:57,180 --> 00:06:00,300 who alone deserves worship. 104 00:06:00,300 --> 00:06:04,060 For He is the Creator, the Provider, the Disposer of affairs, the Owner. 105 00:06:04,060 --> 00:06:05,339 And the intent is 106 00:06:05,339 --> 00:06:08,300 to call non-Muslims to Islam, 107 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:12,060 and to call Muslims who are disobedient, heedless, 108 00:06:12,060 --> 00:06:15,660 or attached to others besides Allah, 109 00:06:15,660 --> 00:06:17,339 to the obedience of Allah, 110 00:06:17,339 --> 00:06:20,220 and to remind them of Allah's promise and His warning, 111 00:06:20,300 --> 00:06:22,300 and His Paradise and His Fire, 112 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:26,379 and to spread the virtues and beauty of Islam and its values. 113 00:06:26,379 --> 00:06:30,379 This duty is among the most noble and honorable of deeds, 114 00:06:30,379 --> 00:06:34,779 due to the numerous merits and praiseworthy qualities it contains. 115 00:06:34,779 --> 00:06:37,259 The virtue of calling to Allah is greater 116 00:06:37,259 --> 00:06:44,379 and its reward is too immense to be mentioned or described in booklets, lectures, or courses. 117 00:06:44,379 --> 00:06:46,620 But by way of reminder, 118 00:06:46,620 --> 00:06:49,819 we will touch upon some of them. 119 00:06:49,899 --> 00:06:55,019 So let us think and reflect upon the verses and hadiths regarding the virtue of the call, 120 00:06:55,019 --> 00:06:59,519 as if we are hearing them for the first time. 121 00:06:59,519 --> 00:07:04,339 The call is the mission of the prophets and messengers. 122 00:07:04,339 --> 00:07:07,300 The great station of calling to Allah, 123 00:07:07,300 --> 00:07:11,939 with which the messengers and prophets, peace be upon them, were honored. 124 00:07:11,939 --> 00:07:17,220 Allah, Glory be to Him and Exalted, chose this Ummah from among all nations 125 00:07:17,220 --> 00:07:19,779 and crowned it with the crown of the prophets, 126 00:07:19,939 --> 00:07:22,259 which is calling to Allah. 127 00:07:22,259 --> 00:07:27,939 The caller to Allah is a follower of Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus, 128 00:07:27,939 --> 00:07:31,379 and Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them. 129 00:07:31,379 --> 00:07:35,139 He is a successor to them in conveying their message: 130 00:07:35,139 --> 00:07:39,060 "Worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him." 131 00:07:39,060 --> 00:07:41,699 And following their path. 132 00:07:41,699 --> 00:07:43,939 This is a high rank 133 00:07:43,939 --> 00:07:48,980 that deserves the sacrifice of the precious and the priceless to attain. 134 00:07:49,060 --> 00:07:51,459 Allah the Almighty says: 135 00:07:51,459 --> 00:08:05,339 “Say: This is my Way: I call on Allah with sure knowledge. I and whosoever followeth me - Glory be to Allah! - and I am not of the idolaters.” (12:108) 136 00:08:05,339 --> 00:08:07,019 Al-Kalbi said: 137 00:08:07,019 --> 00:08:11,420 It is a duty upon everyone who follows him, peace be upon him, 138 00:08:11,420 --> 00:08:15,889 to call to what he called to. 139 00:08:15,889 --> 00:08:18,449 Therefore, it is the best profession. 140 00:08:18,449 --> 00:08:20,829 So, do you aspire to it? 141 00:08:20,829 --> 00:08:23,790 Will you be employed in the greatest profession? 142 00:08:23,790 --> 00:08:25,949 The decision is yours. 143 00:08:25,949 --> 00:08:30,829 If you say yes, you have attained a great victory, by the permission of Allah. 144 00:08:30,829 --> 00:08:33,389 So be patient and steadfast in it. 145 00:08:33,389 --> 00:08:37,279 You have truly joined the ranks of the great. 146 00:08:37,279 --> 00:08:42,240 It is the most honorable, magnificent, and excellent of the servant's stations. 147 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,600 It is the mission of the prophets and messengers, 148 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,679 as the Almighty said: 149 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:57,090 “And We sent no messenger before thee but We inspired him, (saying): There is no Allah save Me (Allah), so worship Me.” (21:25) 150 00:08:57,090 --> 00:09:00,769 Sheikh al-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his *Tafsir*: 151 00:09:00,769 --> 00:09:04,529 All the messengers who came before you, along with their scriptures, 152 00:09:04,529 --> 00:09:07,169 the essence of their message and its foundation 153 00:09:07,169 --> 00:09:11,090 was the command to worship Allah alone, with no partner, 154 00:09:11,090 --> 00:09:14,529 and the clarification that He is the true God worthy of worship, 155 00:09:14,529 --> 00:09:17,809 and that the worship of anything besides Him is false. 156 00:09:17,809 --> 00:09:21,009 So there is no doubt that performing this mission 157 00:09:21,009 --> 00:09:23,169 contains honor for the follower, 158 00:09:23,169 --> 00:09:26,769 and that the call is to make the creation servants of the Creator 159 00:09:26,769 --> 00:09:29,409 and to strengthen their relationship with Him. 160 00:09:29,409 --> 00:09:32,929 This is among the best and most honorable of deeds. 161 00:09:32,929 --> 00:09:37,090 And was the mission of the messengers anything other than that? 162 00:09:37,090 --> 00:09:40,129 So what is your share, O virtuous brother, 163 00:09:40,129 --> 00:09:42,210 O virtuous sister, 164 00:09:42,210 --> 00:09:44,450 of the inheritance of prophethood? 165 00:09:44,529 --> 00:09:47,220 What have you offered for your religion? 166 00:09:47,220 --> 00:09:49,700 Congratulations to the one whose life 167 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:52,659 was spent in fulfilling the divine intent.