Based on Br. Hassan Adnan‘s lecture on the weekly halaqah at Youth Club Lahore in Dewan e Khas mosque.
For audios and slides check out: CLICK HERE
Compiled by Br. Abdullah Intekhab. May Allah reward him and accept his hardwork.
Top 10 Excuses (to avoid following Islam)
Every single human being on the face of earth has one thing in common to every other human being: Time. This is one resource that we all have and we all have a responsibility to invest it wisely. Just like the student who waits till the last day to prepare and submit his assignment, we’re all waiting too. There’s a deadline, the clock is ticking and our time is running out. LITERALLY!
وَالْعَصْرِ (By the time that is running out), خُسْرٍلَفِي الْإِنسَانَ إِنَّ (indeed mankind is in loss.)
10. Family (I’m too busy with work and my loved ones)
In implying this reason we deny one of the most fundamental beliefs of religion that:
‘Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity…’ [2:286]
Things, whatever and whoever they be, are a part of the life not life itself. Life is bigger, it’s bigger than you and me and it’s getting bigger every day and we’re drifting further and further off.
‘Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one’s] hope.’ [18:46]
Our family, as much as we love them, hindering us in doing what needs to be done becomes an enemy of ours. And we need to be mindful of these facts before we do or say anything or make any excuses or give any rationales. Anything will be an overbearing burden if we can’t control it; life is all about control. YOU have to be in control; your life should not be about “Why me” instead it should be about “HOW”. How do I get out of this situation; or how I do grasp this opportunity to do good?
09. Studies (They take too much time for me to make time for anything else)
Pursuit of knowledge taking you around the world?
Seeking “ilm” for the greater good?
Too much pressure to perform?
Allah says He’s the controller of your affairs; He’ll manage all your worries only if you submit unto Him. We have to also have a correct understanding of knowledge as well; knowledge is that which brings you closer to Allah. Saying that in NO WAY means that Muslims should not pursue sciences and technology; instead what it means is that the right kind of knowledge used for the good of Islam and the Muslims should be our pursuit and that in itself becomes your gateway to religion. So, the pursuit of knowledge instead of being an excuse becomes your reason for following Islam.
08. My Intentions are Pure
Whatever I do, however I live; it’s alright my intentions are pure. We’re just hanging out, we’re just friends, I was just consoling her through that break-up; but my intentions are pure.
بِالنِّيَّاتِ الأَعْمَالُ إِنَّمَا
We LOVE throwing this hadith around don’t we? The point is; actions are a product of intentions. Having a good intention implies a good action and vise-versa. Laws in Islam are based on human Fitrah and saying that one is above and beyond human instincts is like saying you’re supernatural, are you?
A good explanation follows here: http://bukhariexplanation.com/hadith-1/
07. I’m not an Extremist (Take a chill pill, man)
So, you don’t want to be extremists? Good for you! But what is extremism?
Would you call the Prophet PBUH an extremist? He was the best Muslim you see. Had a beard, his trousers hung above his ankles, He was aggressive in daw’ah, was always ready for Jihad. Neither was a mullah, a wahabi or a terrorist (auzubillahi min zalik).
So what is extremism?
The only middle path is that of the Messenger PBUH. Unfortunately we, the Muslims, do follow A middle path but it’s not THE middle path. Ours is a path somewhere between the Messenger and Satan.
‘And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss.’ [22:11]
On the other side; what the middle path signifies quantitatively is to not transgress the boundaries set by the Messenger PBUH; that is true extremism.
06. Mr. Goody Two Shoes
I’m a good person: I don’t drink, haven’t killed anyone, I don’t steal or fornicate. I’m a good person.
I’m from a good family; my father owns a business and runs it honestly; we don’t do harm to anyone; we give charity and I help my father in the business and we live a good life. Don’t tell me to be SO Islamic; we’re alright, we’ve been like this for generations. And whatever “family traditions” we have, I’ll uphold them, don’t tell them they’re not Islamic. They make me happy, how can something that makes me happy not be Islamic!
‘And when it is said to them, “Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger,” they say, “Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our fathers.” Even though their fathers knew nothing, nor were they guided’ [5:104]
We put TOO much emphasis on Haqooq-ul-Ibad, don’t we? Take care of the people Allah will forgive you His rights, right?
Does it make any sense that the One Who gave you life; gave you EVERYTHING is the One you choose to ignore the most? It’s like you were hired to work under someone else but you report to some other guy and keep expecting the first person to overlook your transgressions.
Why would Allah burden you, He has put you in this world He knows you can handle the deen and dunya together. He opens up the avenues of good if we follow good; and will leave us free to whatever we will if we want to go astray. We mystify the good and the bad; Allah has demystified it for us.
‘As for he who gives and fears Allah – And believes in the best [reward], We will ease him toward ease. But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need – And denies the best [reward], We will ease him toward difficulty.’ [92:5-10]
05. I love Allah… Don’t Judge Me
I love Allah, He will forgive me in’sha’Allah. Don’t bug me to pray and fast and what not.
‘Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah , then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”’ [3:31]
Allah’s love is manifest through the love of His Messenger and following what he commanded and did; Allah’s love is manifest in loving the Word that He sent down for us. Allah’s love is manifest through being what He wants us to be. There’s NO other way of loving Allah.
This is not to say that it’s too late; Allah IS all merciful; but ASK! Repent…
“Sons of Adam are all sinful except those that repent’
We all want that one person in our lives whom we can bug all we want and ask anything we want of and say anything to and they will still be happy with us, don’t we? We have Allah; and we miss out on that experience… loving Allah is a transcendent experience in itself.
04. Allah is Ghafoor & Raheem, He will forgive me
Allah IS intensely and extremely Merciful, Allah WILL forgive ALL sins except shirk, Allah DOES love you VERY MUCH… but there’s a deadline; there’s ALWAYS a deadline:
‘Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.’ [39:53-54]
Could it be any clearer? Allah forgives, when you repent; Allah LOVES the repentance of His slaves. And it’s not like you can wait; we don’t know when the time will run out and the doors of His Mercy will be closed forever. Allah is just, what do you think that Allah is foolish (astaghfirullah) that you will spend your entire life in His disobedience and He will still forgive you?
“Migration will not end until repentance ends, and repentance will not end until the sun rises in the west.” [Classified as Sahi, Al-Albani]
03. No Compulsion in Religion
Yes, there is no compulsion is religion but Allah did show you the road, and success is only a consequence of walking this road.
‘There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.’ [2:256]
There is a clear division:
‘And We will present Hell that Day to the Disbelievers, on display – Those whose eyes had been within a cover [removed] from My remembrance, and they were not able to hear.’ [18:100-101]
Nothing else is acceptable to Allah; there is no compulsion is like Allah giving you a choice to go to Heaven or go to Hell. Who in their right mind would choose Hell, only if we knew! Only if we knew…
‘Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them – out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah , then indeed, Allah is swift in [taking] account.’ [3:19]
02. I’ll do it when I’m older
Who owns tomorrow, not even the best fortune tellers can tell what’s exactly going to happen (if you believe in that kind of stuff!). Who has till “old-age”?
Allah says about old people that they sometimes are not even in control of their physical and mental faculties; what use is servitude then? Giving your “party” years to dunya and when you’re bed-ridden hold a tasbih and start going “Haq, Haq”…
Again that is not to say that it’s ever too late to repent; but for us, NOW is the time, Here is the place. No matter if you’re old, young, healthy or stung; repent now and start anew. Like a new born baby in front of your Lord. But we like to plan our plans; we love this life, gotta get me a car, a house, a wife and kids, some property down the line and a solid retirement plan; THEN I’ll start praying five times a day and wake up for tahajjud, but:
‘…But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.’ [8:30]
01. ALL Muslims go to Heaven!
Ok, I’ll grant us this fantasy for a while. But let’s first explore but this word “Muslim” means.
Muslim means the one who Submits in humble submission and worship. Worship to whom? Allah! Ok, so that’s established; we submit to Allah. What’s submission to Allah; Having Iman. What’s Iman; Iman is to recite the Kalimah and ACT on it!
Yes, all Muslims go to heaven; all those who hav said the Kalimah will go to Heaven. But we have to understand things in context here. Saying the Kalimah is a direct case study of بِالنِّيَّاتِ الأَعْمَالُ إِنَّمَا. Saying the Kalimah implies in and off itself faith in Allah, His Messengers, His Books, Angels, the Last Day and His Divine Decree. And having faith in anything is manifest in our actions. By being good Muslims is our faith manifest.
After the Battle of Badr interrogating the prisoners of war when the Messenger came to his uncle Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (RA), the Messenger asked his uncle to set his own ransom price. His uncle responded by saying that I am a Muslim and I only joined the Quraish in Badr so that I could come join you in Madinah, but the Messenger was not convinced and he PBUH said (and I’m paraphrasing) that: We take people as they appear to be through their actions. Anyone who appears to have the actions of the disbelievers we will deal them as such and vice versa.
We pray that every Muslim upholds the values of Islam and can stand with faith and pride on the Last Day in front of His Lord; expectant of His Mercy and not despondent and awaiting His punishment.
Z.Imtiaz 