Understand Your Place in Today’s World: If you work righteous deeds, obey Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and avoid sins, you will find Salvation and Paradise.

Understand Your Place in the World: If you work righteous deeds, and obey Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), you will find Salvation and Paradise

In the name of Allāh, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation, may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and likewise, his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly until the establishment of the Hour.

Alhamdulillāh, Allah has bestowed upon us blessings and He has obligated upon us gratitude, worship, and obedience. And He (the Most High) has informed us that righteousness and obedience to Him is the cause of salvation and happiness—and He warned us from sin and disobedience, and informed us that it is the cause of destruction and misery.

Ibn al-Qayyim (Allah’s mercy be upon him) stated in Al-Jawāb al-Kāfī liman sa’la ʿan ad-Dawā’ ash-Shāfī (The Sufficient Answer for the one who asked about the Cure of The Healer):

“The most deceived of the people is the one who is deceived by the world and the immediacy [of its pleasures]. So he prefers it over the Hereafter and he is pleased with it more than he is for the Hereafter to the extent that some of them say: ‘The world is tangible currency (it is here and now), and the Hereafter is delayed payment. And tangible currency is better than delayed payment!’”

Shaikh Al-Fawzān commented: “Allah (the Most High) said:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُورُ ٥

‘O mankind! Verily, the promise of Allah is true. So let not the life of the world deceive you and let not the Avowed Deceiver deceive you with regard to Allah.’ (Fāṭir: 5)

Allah encourages us to desire the Hereafter because it is the final abode and it is forever, and eternal. And He (the Most perfect) prohibited us from being beguiled by the beauty and glitter of this world because it is transitory, short-lived and captivating—and He warned us from the one who is called al-Gharoor (the Avowed Deceiver) and his whisperings, and he is the Shaytān (Devil).

So, if a person is secure from these two trials, i.e., the fitnah of the world and the fitnah of Shaytān, he will be secure in the Hereafter. So, these two trials are the most dangerous upon a person—and how many people have been destroyed because they were deceived by this world, and how many have been destroyed because they were deceived by Shaytān?! So, their danger is immense.

And some of the people, or most of them, say: ‘The world is in front of us, here and now. As for the Hereafter, then it is a promise for the future, so we will not abandon what is in front of us for something in the future!’ They say this because they do not [truly] believe in Allah (the Mighty and Majestic). For this reason, Allah said:

إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ

‘Verily, the promise of Allah is true!’ So, those who prefer this world over the Hereafter, do not believe—rather, they are referred to, in today’s terminology, as materialistic (seeking the material pleasures of this world)! And as for those who prefer the Hereafter over this world, they are the most intelligent of people and people of true insight, but they are few in number as compared to those who are beguiled and deceived.” (See p. 131, with Al-Fawzān’s comments)

The true believer in Allah does not focus his attentions on this world—this world is just a stepping-stone to the true life of the Hereafter, so he desires Jannah and its rewards and pleasures, and to see the Face of Allah as the mightiest reward:

۞ لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ ۖ

“For those who have done good is the best reward (i.e., Paradise) and even more.” (Yunus: 26) The ‘even more’ was explained by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to mean that they will actually see Allah [with their eyes] as reported by Imām Muslim in his Saheeh.

As for this world, just because a person has wealth, treasure, land, women, children, cattle, and horses does not mean that Allah loves him! That is the beguilement of Shaytān. Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Allah has divided your manners between you just as He has divided your provision. Allah gives wealth to whom He loves and to whom He does not love—but He does not bestow imān (faith) except upon whom He loves. So, whoever feels miserly about giving in charity from his wealth, or he fears fighting the enemy in battle, or he is reluctant to wake up for the night prayer, then he should at least be plentiful in saying: Lā ilāha illallāh, wa subhānallāh, walhamdulillāh wallāhu akbar.” (Al-Adab al-Mufrad of Al-Bukhāri, no. 275)

So when Allah does bestow His bounties upon a believer, He is grateful—and the bounties are so many, that one could never enumerate them! Ibn al-Qayyim (Allah’s mercy be upon him) said in Al-Wābil as-Ṣayyib minal-Kalām aṭ-Ṭayyib (p. 3):

“Allah asks that you make yourselves from those who, when He bestows upon him bounty, he is grateful; when He tries him, he is patient; and when he commits a sin, he seeks forgiveness. These three affairs are the embodiment of the happiness of a person, the distinguishing sign of his success in this life and in the Hereafter—so, a person must never detach himself from these affairs, ever! He should be constantly alternating between these three levels.”   

Furthermore, we are obligated by the Lord of the worlds with the performance of righteous deeds and to be prolific in acts of obedience because this will lead us to Jannah and save us from destruction, misery, and punishment, just as Allah stated:

ثُمَّ نُنَجِّى رُسُلَنَا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نُنجِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ١٠٣

“Then in the end, We save Our Messengers and those who believe! Thus, it is incumbent upon Us (Allah) to save the believers.” (Yunus: 103)

Those who remember Allah in bounteous times of affluence and ease, Allah remembers them in their times of hardship. Ahmad (no. 2800) reported in Al-Musnad from Ibn ʿAbbās (Allah be be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ أمامك تَعَرَّفْ إلَى اللَّهِ فِي الرَّخَاءِ يَعْرِفُك فِي الشِّدَّةِ

“Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Acquaint yourself with Allah in times of ease, and He will remember you in times of hardship.”

So, if we are obedient to Allah, avoid His prohibitions, we worship Him until we die, and remember Him often, and we do not fear anyone except Him, He will give us a way out of our hardships and trials, He will save us and forgive our sins. Allah stated in His Book:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًا ٢
وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُۥٓ ۚ

“And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out [from every difficulty]. And He will provide for him from [sources] he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him.” (At-Talāq: 2-3)

Look at the example of the Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) when he called upon his Lord whilst in the belly of that huge fish and he was enveloped in layers of darkness. The Angels heard his plea, and they said: “Our Lord! This is a familiar voice, and we know it, coming from a strange land.” Allah said: “Do you not know who that is?” They asked: “Who is it?” He responded: “It is my slave, Yunus.” They said: “Your slave Yunus? The one whose actions never ceased to be raised for him and accepted; and whose supplications were always answered?” Allah replied: “Yes.” The Angels said: “O Lord! Will you not show him mercy for he did not cease to do righteous deeds in times of ease? So, save him from his trial.” Allah replied: “Indeed I will.” So, Allah commanded the fish to cast out Yunus (peace be upon him) onto the freshness of the shore.

Ad-Dahhāk Ibn Qays (Allah’s mercy be upon him) said: “Remember Allah in your times of ease for verily Yunus (peace be upon him) used to remember Allah. So, when he entered the belly of the whale, Allah said:

فَلَوْلَآ أَنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسَبِّحِينَ ١٤٣
لَلَبِثَ فِى بَطْنِهِۦٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ ١٤٤

“Had he not been of those who glorify Allah, He would have indeed remained inside its belly till the Day of Resurrection.” (As-Sāffāt: 143-144)

Then, on the other hand, look at Firʿawn who transgressed all bounds, he ignored the reminders and admonitions that were brought to him from Moosā and Hāroon (peace be upon them). So, when his soul was taken, and as he drowned, he called out: “I believe in the Lord of the Children of Israel!” So, Allah responded to him:

ءَآلْـَٔـٰنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ ٩١

“Now you believe! While you refused to believe before now and you were one of the evil-doing corrupters.” (Yunus: 91)

The severest of hardships that we’ll have to face in this world is death, and then that which comes after that is even more severe. So, it is a must that the believer prepares himself for death and what follows it by maintaining himself upon taqwā (the fear of Allah and dutifulness to Him) and the performance of righteous deeds. Allah, the Most High, said:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا ٱتَّقُوا ٱللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍۢ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ١٨
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوا ٱللَّهَ فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ أُولَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ ١٩

“O you who believe, fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do. And be not like those who forgot Allāh, so He made them forget themselves—those are the wicked sinners.” (Al-Hashr: 18-19)

So, mankind is tried and tested to see who will be grateful and who will be rebellious against His Lord. Allah stated:

تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ ١
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٢

“Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things. He who has created death and life that He may test you as to which of you is best in deeds—and He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.” (Al-Mulk: 1-2) So, life is a test and death is a test—did any of us really imagine that once we started believing in Allah and worshipping him that the trials would disappear?! Allah stated:

الٓمٓ ١
أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا أَن يَقُولُوٓا ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ ٢
وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ ٣

“Alif, Lām, Meem. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tried? We have certainly tried those before them, and Allāh will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.” (Al-ʿAnkaboot: 1-3)

So, there are those who are so weak in imān due to their constant sinning and disobedience that they leave Islām when a severe calamity or a trial strikes them, or even if a doubt concerning their religion is thrown at them from Atheists, or Darwinists, or Western Liberals, radical feminists and Wokeists.

A person must pay attention to his heart and its condition, keep it firm upon the religion through the pursuit of Shareeʿah knowledge, obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), dhikr, asking for steadfastness, and keeping away from the sins that will destroy him. Abu Dharr (Allah be pleased with him) said, “Allāh’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) advised me with nine affairs:

(1) ‘Do not commit shirk with Allāh even if you are cut to pieces or burned alive;
(2) never deliberately abandon the prescribed Prayers, and whoever abandons them deliberately has lost Allāh’s protection;
(3) do not drink alcohol because it is the key to every evil;
(4) obey your parents—and if they command you to spend on them from your worldly possessions, then spend on them;
(5) do not contend with the rulers even if you think you are more worthy;
(6) do not flee from the battlefield even if you are killed and your companions run away;
(7) spend from your wealth on your family;
(8) do not cease to discipline them:
(9) and instil in them the fear of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic.’” (Reported by Al-Bukhārī in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad no. 18, graded hasan by Al-Albānī)

All of this requires a firm heart and steadfastness upon the Sunnah. For this reason, Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would often make duʿā (supplication) saying:

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ

“O You who turns the hearts, establish my heart upon your religion.” Anas (Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Prophet of Allah! But we believe in you, and in that which you have brought to us, so do you fear for us?” He replied:

نَعَمْ إِنَّ الْقُلُوبَ بَيْنَ أُصْبُعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ اللَّهِ يُقَلِّبُهَا كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ

“Yes, for indeed the hearts are between two fingers from the fingers of Allah, and He turns them about as He wills.” (Tirmidhi 2140, Ibn Mājah 3834, and graded saheeh by Shaikh Al-Albāni in Mishkāt al-Masābeeh, no. 102)

And in the narration of Umm Salamah the mother of the believers (Allah be pleased with her), he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her:

يَا أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ آدَمِيٌّ إِلاَّ وَقَلْبُهُ بَيْنَ أُصْبُعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ شَاءَ أَقَامَ وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَزَاغَ

“O Umm Salamah! Verily, there is no person except that his heart is between Two Fingers of the Fingers of Allah, so whomsoever He wills He makes steadfast, and whomever He wills He causes to deviate.” One of narrators, Muʿādh Ibn Muʿādh (Allah’s mercy be upon him), upon hearing this hadeeth recited the supplication of those firmly grounded in knowledge from Surah Aali ʿImrān:

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْوَهَّابُ ٨

“Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after you have guided us and grant us mercy from You. Truly, you are the Bestower [of all good].” (Aali ʿImrān: 8)

My brothers and sisters! Know that sins and disobedience are destroyers of the heart and soul—they bring about misery, anxiety, distress, and depression. And when a person is so lost in the abyss of his sins and transgression, Shaytān deceives him further into thinking that the only way to find happiness or moments of pleasure is to engage in more sins, more night-clubs, more one-night stands, more music, more drink and so on—because these bring about short-lived moments of pleasure where he can forget the vacuity^[1] of his miserable, godless and faithless existence that he has been indoctrinated into since childhood, which he then willingly perpetuates even after guidance reaches him! May Allah guide us and them.

Allah has commanded us to cling to His Straight Path and He warned from straying into the paths of destruction, darkness, and misguidance. He (Most High) said:

وَأَنَّ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطِى مُسْتَقِيمًا فَٱتَّبِعُوهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا ٱلسُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ١٥٣

“This is My path, which is straight, so follow it, and do not follow other paths, for you will be separated from Allah’s path. This has He ordained for you that you may become righteous.” (Al-Anʿām: 153)

Ibn Katheer (Allah’s mercy be upon him) said that Ibn Jareer at-Tabari reported with his chain of narration that a man asked Ibn Masʿood (Allah be pleased with him): “What is the Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqeem (the Straight Path)?” He replied:

“Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) left us upon its nearest part—and its furthest end is in Paradise. On its right side are paths, and on its left side are paths upon which there are men that call to whoever passes by them, so whoever takes those paths will be led to the Fire. And whoever takes the Straight Path, he will be led by it to Paradise.”

Ibn Katheer stated: “Allah singled out The [Straight] Path as one because the Truth is one ( لأنّ الحقّ واحد) ―and for this reason, He (the Blessed and Most High) mentioned collectively all those who split and divide from it.” Meaning, that there is an absolute Truth, and it is that which was revealed by Allah. The truth is not subjective, open to whims and desire. Islam, therefore, rejects the fraudulent concept of moral relativism which is the idea that there are no absolute truths to determine whether something is right or wrong.

In modern Western Liberal, neo-Marxist, Wokeist ideology, whether something is right or wrong can change rapidly depending on popular opinion and societal trends that are driven by actors and influencers who are the modern-day leaders of Western youth culture with millions of followers in the digital world of social media—and there, of course, other interests that play major roles too, financial and political. This why major interest groups such as the cult of LGBTQ+ and their co-religionist Cultural Marxists, Atheists and Darwinists work so hard to influence public opinions (especially among young people) because they know that in their societies almost anything can be legalised and legislated through protest, lobbying and persuasion: whether it be gender affirmation surgery^[2], homosexuality, more and more extreme forms of pornography, abnormal and anti-religious sex education (indoctrination) for children as young as 6 and 7 in primary schools, state-funded gender transition encouragement, counselling and therapy―and paedophilia (now rebranded as Minor Attracted Adults) is becoming acceptable in western societies. May Allah guide them.

So, if the one being bombarded by this ideology is a Muslim who has no knowledge of the ʿAqeedah (Creed), and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and does not possess the Shareeʿah means of repelling the doubts, then inevitably his eemān will fall level upon level, and his heart will become darker and darker as he engages in sin and disobedience. His negligence in learning about his Lord (Allah), the Religion of Islam, and the Path of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) makes him a target of Shaytān who will eventually entice him to leave Islam altogether. These are people who wander aimlessly through life, deaf, dumb and blind:

مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّآ أَضَآءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُۥ ذَهَبَ ٱللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتٍۢ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ ١٧
صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ ١٨
أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَـٰتٌ وَرَعْدٌ وَبَرْقٌ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَـٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِم مِّنَ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقِ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ مُحِيطٌۢ بِٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ١٩

“Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire; then, when it lighted all around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness, so they could not see. They are left deaf, dumb, and blind, so they return not [to the Right Path]. Or like a rainstorm from the sky, wherein is darkness, thunder, and lightning. They thrust their fingers in their ears to keep out the stunning thunderclap for fear of death. But Allah ever encompasses the disbelievers.” (Al-Baqarah: 17-19)

The West is in moral decline, at the lowest point in its history, it has [in reality] already fallen, and is only a shell of its former self. The Christians in the West cannot deal with the ideological onslaught of Wokeism, Radical Feminism, Darwinian Evolution and the LGBT+ movement because their churches, church leaders and congregations have been infiltrated by these ideologies. The only fortress that stands for the Truth and refuses to accommodate this destructive insanity is Islam and its true followers, Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Hadeeth (the Salafis).

Living in the West today, our communities are exposed to great sin and immorality as people clamber over each other chasing one fleeting pleasure after another; moving from one sexual partner to the next—without marriage, without commitment—often not knowing the name of the person they’ve just fornicated with! They travel from one alcoholic or drug-induced state to the next—they have no concept of the fact that God is watching them, they do not fear Him or His punishment—they have no semblance of godliness or piety in their lives.

This, today, is the default upbringing of Gen-Z (i.e., the generational cohort born between the late 1990s and early 2010s). This irreligious and immoral lifestyle is pretty much unique to the West―and how many Muslim youth have been beguiled! Except for those whom Allah has showered with His Mercy, saved them, and guided to the truth. Allah (Most High) stated:

لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ٢٥٦

“There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejects the false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break. And Allah is the Hearer, the Knower.” (Al-Baqarah: 256) Allah does not compel them, He shows them right from wrong, He sent His Prophet with guidance and the True Religion—thereafter, it is upon them to follow what is right. Allah brings out those who are sincere from darkness into the light of Islam:

ٱللَّهُ وَلِىُّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا أَوْلِيَآؤُهُمُ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ ٱلنُّورِ إِلَى ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ ۗ أُولَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ ٢٥٧

“Allah is the Guardian and Protector of those who believe. He brings them out of from [the layers] darkness into the light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities—they bring them out of the light into darkness. Such are dwellers of the Fire. They will abide eternally therein.” (Al-Baqarah: 257) So, Allah takes them out from the layers of darkness upon darkness and brings them into the light of Islam and the Sunnah, which is to guide them to the Revelation. As for the false deities, false religions, and false ideologies, they call the believers from the light of Islam and true guidance to the layers of darkness. So, mankind has a choice, so the truthful and sincere ones, who ask the only Lord and Creator to guide them, He will guide them to Himself.

Whether they follow the Truth or not, regardless, Islam will prevail because it is the Religion of God:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ ٩

“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all other religions, even if the pagans hate that.” (As-Saf: 9) Islam is the only way to salvation, to attain comfort of the heart and liberation of the soul—it gives mankind purpose to their existence.

So, what do the youth today do to give themselves a purpose in life? And to blot out their misery and boredom? And to replace Allah’s worship in their lives?

Western liberals and Wokeists give Gen-Z ‘purpose’ and ‘religion’. They use the state-funded school system: 13 years (from age 5 to 18) of indoctrination. So, what are the goals of this indoctrination?

• To fight the ‘patriarchy’ (i.e., male authority) at every level of society from the family unit to the leadership of nations that has supposedly “held women back for centuries”. Since the family unit, with the husband and father at the head is a symbol of this ‘oppressive patriarchy’, Wokeists have no interest in marriage, commitment and family. So, they teach that a single mother with children from multiple boyfriends and one-night stands and absent father(s), is as normal as a traditional family unit!
• To champion radical feminism—and this is not mere equality between the sexes or even the false non-scientific non-sensical premise that men and women are equal, but to make women dominant in society, and to emasculate men.
• To protest against climate change ‘because we can stop the world from heating-up’. So they make these youth martyrs for their cause.
• To join rainbow Pride marches and celebrations, to wave their flags at every opportunity to celebrate their unnatural sexual practices, and to ‘fight for the rights of the oppressed LGBTQ+ community’.
• That (i) biological sex, (ii) gender, (iii) sexual orientation/proclivities and (iv) gender expression are all distinct levels of individual identity (i.e., one is not related to the other)!
• That veganism is the best way to prevent the suffering of animals to safeguard their rights.
• That people should avoid having children because the world population needs to be controlled because ‘mother earth’ does have the resources to feed everyone.
• To obtain a useless degree in subjects like Gender Studies, Feminism, Climate Change and Identity Politics, and then to become a school teacher or lecturer brainwashing others into these divisive, non-sensical, cultist, neo-Marxist, Wokeist causes.

So, whilst these campaigners are not protesting, Tik-Toking, Instagraming and Tweeting for these causes, they occupy themselves with fornication, drink, drugs, clubbing, homosexuality, pornography, movies, and catching up with the next season on Netflix! This is the sum total of their sad existence!

So, where is God in all of this? Where is death, the life in the grave and the Hereafter in their thinking? Where are the acts piety, and righteousness for the sake of Allah and the search for salvation, and protection from Hellfire?

This is why these people are so miserable and living in despair of their future—because these are the activities through which they achieve short-lived pleasures without attaining true richness and contentment of soul. They quickly fall into boredom, uneasiness and misery, so they go out and seek out the next fleeting pleasure! And as the sinful acts become repetitive, they become desensitised to them no longer feeling the pleasure as intensely as it was in the beginning, so they need to seek out more twisted, deviated and perverted ways to satisfy their desires and lusts; more extreme forms of pornography, sexual gratification, etc. Glorified is Allah, Lord of the worlds, who is above what they associate as partners alongside Him—we seek the aid of our Lord from such self-destruction. These young people in the West with all the affluence their privilege has to offer have the highest rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide! Why? Because they are lost, they are in spiritual and moral turmoil and they do not seek guidance from their Lord, who created them and showed them the Straight Path.

Furthermore, Muslims who fall constantly into sin and disobedience should fear Allah, seek His forgiveness, feel remorse for what they have done and repent to Him. Through that, Allah will forgive them, aid them and reward them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

التَّائِبُ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ كَمَنْ لَا ذَنْبَ لَهُ

“The one who repents from sin is like the one who did not sin.” (Ibn Mājah no. 4250, graded hasan by al-Albānī)

Allah has described Himself as al-Ghafoor (the Forgiver), al-Ghaffār (the One who continually forgives), al-Ghāfir adh-Dhunoob (the Forgiver of sins), and Dhil-Maghfirah (the Owner of forgiveness). He (the Most High) praises those who seek His forgiveness and promises them immense rewards. He has shown us the stories of the Prophets who would seek His forgiveness and repent to Him; such as the parents of mankind, Adam and Hawwā’ (حَوَّاء), peace be upon them, who fell into error, so Allah informed us in the Qur’ān:

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ ٢٣

“They said: ‘Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.’” (Al-Aʿrāf: 23) And regarding the Prophet Nooh (peace be upon him), He (the Most High) informed us:

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّىٓ أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَسْـَٔلَكَ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَغْفِرْ لِى وَتَرْحَمْنِىٓ أَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ ٤٧

“Noah said: ‘O my Lord! I seek refuge with You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have Mercy on me, I will indeed be one of the losers.’” (Hood: 47) And Nooh (peace be upon him) said:

رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيْتِىَ مُؤْمِنًا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارًۢا ٢٨

“My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women. And do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction.” (Nooh: 28)

Moosā (peace be upon him) called upon Allah:

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى فَٱغْفِرْ لِى فَغَفَرَ لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ١٦

“He said, ‘My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Al-Qasas: 16) And this was after he killed a man (unintentionally), yet when he called upon Allah, Allah forgave him.

There is a Hadeeth Qudsī wherein the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that Allah said:

يَا عِبَادِي إِنَّكُمْ تُخْطِئُونَ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَأَنَا أَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا فَاسْتَغْفِرُونِي أَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ

“O my servants! Indeed, you sin in the night and the day, and I forgive all sins, so seek my forgiveness, and I will forgive you.” (Muslim, no. 2577) And in narration of At-Tirmidhi (no. 3540, graded saheeh by Al-Albāni), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that Allah said:

“O son of Adam! As long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not care. O son of Adam! Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky, and then you asked forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam! Were you to come to me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then face Me ascribing no partner to Me in worship, I would surely bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it!”

And the scholars of Islam have mentioned that there are numerous virtues and benefits that are attained when a person seeks forgiveness; from them is that whilst a person is seeking forgiveness, Allah will not punish him, just as He (the Most Perfect) has said:

وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ٣٣

“But Allāh would not punish them while you, [O Muḥammad], are among them, and Allāh would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.” (Al-Anfāl: 33)

Shaikh Al-Fawzān stated that from the benefits of seeking Allah’s forgiveness is that Allāh dispels worry, brings them sustenance, and removes the anxiety and constriction of the heart. This is something well-known and experienced by the believers everyday of their lives. (See Al-Khutub 1/223)

Allah said regarding the Prophet Nooh (peace be upon him):

قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنِّى لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ ٢

أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ ٣

يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ ۖ لَوْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ٤

“He said: ‘O my people! Verily, I am a plain warner to you,

That you should worship Allah, fear Him and be dutiful, and obey me,

That He may forgive you of your sins and give respite until an appointed term. Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you but knew.’

He said: ‘O my Lord! Verily, I have called to my people night and day,

But all my calling did nothing but to add to their flight from the truth.

And verily, every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in pride.

Then verily, I called to them openly aloud in public.

Then verily, I proclaimed to them in public, and I have appealed to them in private.

I said to them: ‘Seek forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;

He will send rain to you in abundance,

And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.

So, what is [the matter] with you that you do not ascribe to Allāh His due grandeur and greatness!’”

So, every person should hasten to seek the forgiveness of Allah, perform righteous deeds, and make their final actions before death upon piety and obedience because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

وَإِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالْخَوَاتِيمِ

“Verily, deeds are judged according to their conclusions.” (Bukhāri, no. 2898) And Allah has promised Jannah for those who rush to forgiveness and piety:

۞ وَسَارِعُوٓا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ١٣٣
ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِى ٱلسَّرَّآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَٱلْكَـٰظِمِينَ ٱلْغَيْظَ وَٱلْعَافِينَ عَنِ ٱلنَّاسِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ١٣٤

“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and Paradise as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous. Those who spend in Allah’s cause in times of prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allah loves doers of good deeds.” (Aali ʿImrān: 133-134)

We ask Allah for safety and wellbeing in this life and the next.

والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت أستغفرك وأتوب إليك.

Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wāhid.
Copyright 2023.

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[1] The state of lacking any real meaning, importance, or intelligence.

[2] Gender-affirming surgery gives transgender people a body that aligns with the gender they wish to adopt. It may involve procedures on the face, chest, or genitalia. Genital surgery: A biological male (man) may undergo vaginoplasty, a surgical procedure to create female genitalia, while a biological female (woman) might opt for phalloplasty to construct male genitalia. These surgeries involve complex procedures to reshape the genital area. Top Surgery (mastectomy or breast augmentation) is for transgender individuals who are transitioning from female to male, a mastectomy might be performed to remove breasts. For those transitioning from male to female, breast augmentation may be done to add breasts.