Transcribed version of belal assads khutbah
"You probably know the saying within the Muslim ummah (our nation) that Allah Azzawajal will test whom He pleases. There are four stages where Allah will give you dawah to strengthen your faith and bring you closer to Him. Dawah is a way to advise, invite, or guide.The first stage is the easiest, and everyone can experience it. Every single one of us around the world gets this first stage for free, meaning there is no obligation. In this first stage, Allah tests you by exposing you to opportunities to listen or read about Islam. Allah SWT may also send someone your way, such as Belal Assad’s Khutbah on Fridays. Listening or reading these wisdoms is easy; most of us are fully capable. Therefore, focusing on the subject you are learning about the teachings of Islam is very important. Nowadays, there are endless possibilities to source and find relevant Islamic information on social media, books, articles, and blogs. For instance, you found this blog post, where you can learn about Islam, Deen, fear of Allah, personal stories, and reflections on various topics. Start by clicking on “About Me” to learn more.Who facilitated all these educational sites for you? Humans invented them, but who gave them the intellect, the eyes to read, and the ears to listen? Allah. Therefore, you will encounter similar opportunities to increase your knowledge. On multiple occasions, I have opened my social media apps and immediately seen teachings and wisdom of Islam. I used to think it was just the algorithm matching my interests, but my watch-list and reading interests are diverse. When Allah guides me, I feel an intense need to see, listen, or read the topics I come across. It is indeed a sign, and you should feel it too. However, if these signs don’t work for you and you continue to go astray, Allah will guide you differently, a little tougher, leading us to the second stage.The second stage is nurturing you through discipline. If you didn’t heed the reminder when you were comfortable, Allah nurtures you by disciplining you. Think about discipline in relation to parents—someone who cares about you. When your mother or father disciplines you, it is meant to be a good thing, done with care and compassion, even if it sometimes feels harsh, like confiscating your phone. Similarly, Allah will bring a problem into your life, a challenge. We all know humans learn best through problems. Once you get through a problem, you feel amazing for having conquered it. So, Allah gives you a problem. This is how Allah tested all the prophets and messengers and their companions. If you face a problem, know that Allah SWT is guiding you; take it positively. That problem is your medicine, and once you overcome it, insha'Allah, you will become much stronger and better. Allah gives you a learning curve, a wake-up call, a problem. Someone in your family might get sick, death may occur, you may attend a funeral, see someone get run over, face an accident (God forbid), or lose something valuable. You may be tested a lot or a little, depending on how much guidance you need. If this doesn’t work, Allah will intensify it a bit more to the third stage.The third stage is that He will bring you something compelling. A problem is up to you how you want to face it, but when He brings you something compelling, it means it’s something you must face. You have no way to avoid it. It could be a court order, a fine, someone confronting you, or sickness. These examples are compelling, a suffering, and a minor punishment.Allah says: “And we shall surely let them taste a little bit of punishment or a little bit of hardship in this world.” Allah calls it adna, which means the lower test before the bigger test/punishment comes. This is done in the hope that they will return. Why are little punishments happening to you in this world? It is in the hope that you may return and stand up again. If this attempt doesn’t work (reminders, problems, compelling situations) repeatedly and they accumulate, and you decide to run away from Allah to everything else in hope of numbing your desires and fears with alcohol, drugs, crime, and other haram activities, then the catastrophe happens. Do you know what the catastrophe is? It’s not death, sickness, a lightning bolt, someone’s murder, losing a family member, or your business. The final catastrophe is Allah just letting you go. He lets you do whatever you want, make as much money as you want, fulfill every desire. Allah lets you go to the Dunya and your desires. This means Allah is no longer with you. He has abandoned you because you abandoned Him. The only thing you will receive is a temporary, ugly world, and even the world will turn against you. In the hereafter, there will be nothing left. Allah says: “And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so Allah made them forget who they are. These are truly the ones who are corrupt.”
