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What is your biggest fear? A wake up call amidst collapse | Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman
What are you most afraid of—and what should you be afraid of?
As the world unravels, are we seeing clearly or sleepwalking through collapse?
From Gaza to growing fascism, what does all this mean for us as Muslims?
In this khutbah, Dr. Omar Suleiman delivers a powerful wake-up call for our times.
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him and we bear witness that Muhammad (ﷺ) is his final messenger.
We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him and those that follow in his blessed path until the day of judgment. We ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen.
Dear brothers and sisters, in the current climate where the news never seems to be good news, where there is uncertainty abroad and uncertainty at home,
where you are being hit perhaps in your pockets through the financial losses that are occurring or you're worried about what the markets mean for your career ahead or the
political situation is deteriorating for our brothers and sisters overseas or it's deteriorating here at home, there's a lot of uncertainty and it will force us as
Muslims into one of two situations. In some situations where we will have to make principled decisions and choices,
where we'll have to actively give up something for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give us something better. And in other situations where Allah azza wa jal will test us with something
that is entirely out of circumstance and in that process if we are patient Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give us something better. And I want you to think about this idea of better.
والآخرة خير وأبقى والآخرة خير لك من الأولى The hereafter is better. What is beyond is better. What Allah has promised is better. And in these two situations
the Prophet (ﷺ) said in the authentic hadith من ترك شيئاً لله عوضه الله خيراً منه That whoever leaves something for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Allah will give them something better than that
which they left. خيراً منه And he said (ﷺ) that when one of you is afflicted with something particularly in the famous story of Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) when her husband was killed
He taught the du'a, اللهم أجرني في مصيبتي واخلف لي خيراً منها Oh Allah compensate me for my loss and
Replace it with something better. The same words are used خيراً منه خيراً منها Something that is better will be given
When you either do something for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or you bear something for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala And this helps us to actually start off the conversation about loss and sacrifice Before we even get to what we're afraid of and what we fear
Because we have to ask ourselves what we are pursuing in the first place in one situation You give up something willingly for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in another situation
Allah azza wa jal takes something away from you by his qadr by his divine decree But the idea here is that whether you give up something that is good for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
Or Allah azza wa jal take something from you that you perceive as good and you are patient for his sake He will always give you something better This is where your tawakkul comes into play
This is where your trust in Allah comes into play and it's no secret that in some of our lifetimes This feels like the most testing and trying time for the ummah in our lives
It feels like certainly we are in those days of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala We're in those periods where Allah azza wa jal is subjecting us as an ummah
To a difficult trial where some will pass and some will fail and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us amongst those who succeed Allahumma ameen But there is another manifestation of this attitude
You see just as we're taught that on an individual level sabr and shukr patience and gratitude emanate from the exact same place
So too does what we see as reward and what we fear as loss What do I mean by that? If you're willing to give up something for the sake of Allah knowing that he will give you better
then what do you fear other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and There's something here to be said You enjoy the things that Allah takes away from you that are of good
But you know, He'll give you better Likewise fear is natural you fear persecution You fear being targeted you fear being surveilled you fear physical
Punishment you fear financial loss. All of these are natural fears and Allah azza wa jal Does not tell you to relinquish these fears
Just like Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not tell you to stop pursuing the things that you know to be good for yourself but Allah azza wa jal commands you to put those fears into perspective and to act from a place of principle and so the other
Manifestation of this entire attitude is that when you fear Allah more than you fear something else Then Allah will protect you from all that you fear when you fear Allah
More than you fear anything else. Allah azza wa jal will protect you from everything that you fear Meaning what? وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلَهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ
Whoever is mindful of Allah whoever fears Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and fear is a small word here It is undoubtedly a small word But just to capture the idea of awe of Allah azza wa jal and being mindful of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
Whoever fears Allah Allah will always make a way out for them from what? from the thing that they would otherwise be seeking protection from Allah will make a way out for them and Allah azza wa jal will provide for them
And so if you fear Allah More than you fear loss Allah will not just protect you from his punishments. He'll protect you from the loss that you fear as well Now, what does this mean?
just like in the first scenario that we started this khutbah off with that means that sometimes you're going to be very uncomfortable in this dunya and Sometimes that's a choice that you make to be uncomfortable because comfort is overrated
Comfort is overrated people think that comfort is everything people think that comfort brings happiness and Allah azza wa jal promises you that when you forsake comfort you just came out of a month-long exercise of Ramadan
Where you forsake comfort for his sake that he'll give you something better than comfort and you know what that is. It's clarity It's clarity. See there's the tangible reward you give up something from this dunya
Allah azza wa jal will give you something in the akhirah in return But there is clarity that comes as well in the place of comfort and with that clarity comes true inner
peace comes peace of mind you can live with yourself. You know why you're here. You know what you're doing You can bear what's ahead. You might be uncomfortable
But you're uncomfortable on purpose and you're uncomfortable with purpose and you embrace that discomfort Alhamdulillah for a deen that gives us a reason to be uncomfortable Alhamdulillah
Alhamdulillah for what Allah azza wa jal has given us of his promise So that we know that whatever is in front of us that threatens us We have his promise to look forward to and to see us through that. And so here's the thing
when it comes to fear The question is not what you fear. The question is what you fear more As a community
Allah azza wa jal constantly tells us in the Quran to fear internal decay more than external threats We're always so worried about the big bad enemy إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ
Allah does not change a condition of a people until they change the condition of themselves The Prophet (ﷺ) made the three du'as that Allah accepted two of three Allah azza wa jal gave the Prophet (ﷺ) that he will protect us
From being wiped out by an external enemy. The Zionists will never wipe out every Muslim on the face of this earth They won't even wipe out the Palestinians bi'idhnillahi ta'ala So we're protected from an external enemy
We will incur heavy losses But this ummah will not disappear from the face of the earth at the hands of an enemy The Prophet (ﷺ) made du'a that Allah azza wa jal will protect this ummah from a famine or a plague that wipes us out
We will never be wiped out as an ummah from a plague or from a famine But the third thing, أَلَّا يَجْعَلَ بَأْسَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ That their misfortune is
Not found amongst themselves meaning that they don't succumb to internal wounds as a human body as a Muslim ummah Allah azza wa jal did not grant the Prophet (ﷺ) that du'a That's on you. That's on me
That's on us and so as angry as we are about the bombs that are falling on our brothers and sisters and Those that are paying for the bombs. Let's face it
There are over 50 Muslim nations right in that region and beyond It's on all of them as well every single one of their political leaderships
Everyone bears a responsibility here. That's at the just a sober political analysis The impotence of all of those nations is a shame on the entire ummah But let's also come back to us
How much do we fear our external threats? More than our internal decay as a community even here even in our masajid even amongst ourselves we have to ask ourselves that because once a
Community starts being targeted once a masjid comes under attack. We have to ask ourselves What about all of us amongst each other? Do we fear loss of dunya more or do we fear loss of deen more?
Everyone fears the loss of something. We fear the loss of this world. We fear the loss of our financial possessions We fear the loss of our safety But do you fear the loss of your deeds in the hereafter?
Do you fear the loss of your safety in the hereafter? It's also a question that you have to ask yourself Do you fear losing acceptance from the people more or losing acceptance from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Doesn't Allah azza wa jal use the word khawf?
وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ. They don't fear the blame of the blamer. So whose acceptance? Do you fear losing more the people or Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
No one wants to be humiliated. أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ خِزْيِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَذَابِ الْآخِرَةِ We seek refuge in Allah from humiliation in this world and from punishment in the hereafter But when those two things are at tension
Which fear overtakes the other Do you fear being lonely here? Or do you fear more being left out of the gatherings of the righteous in the akhirah? May Allah azza wa jal not exclude us from those gatherings
You have to ask yourself. No one wants to be lonely but if I have to suffer with some loneliness here and Then not be thrown to the Hawiya once I go into my grave and cast away from the righteous
I'll take it Because I fear that more being left out of that gathering more and lastly dear brothers and sisters when it comes to these fears Do you fear more?
About being asked for your support of Gaza here Or do you fear meeting Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on the Day of Judgment and being asked why you didn't support Gaza more over there?
That's a question we have to ask ourselves in this time where every single instrument of the state is cracking down
On support for our brothers and sisters in Palestine can be quiet can say I can't do it. We have to back off now Are you more afraid of that?
Are you more afraid of Allah azza wa jal confronting you on the Day of Judgment? With those people standing on the other side of you may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from that moment When those fears come into tension with one another
You have to ask yourself which one weighs heavier. What are you more afraid of? I want to give you some perspective on this du'a from the Prophet (ﷺ) Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما)
He describes and I'm gonna run through this a little bit quickly for the sake of time But he says مَا قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (ﷺ) مِنْ مَجْلِسٍ حَتَّى يَدْعُوَ بِهَؤُلَاءِ الدَّعَوَاتِ لِأَصْحَابِهِ
The Prophet (ﷺ) would not get up from a gathering with his companions until he made this du'a for them كَانَ يَدْعُو لِأَصْحَابِهِ (ﷺ) It's a beautiful idea even that the Prophet (ﷺ) was making a du'a for them when the Prophet (ﷺ)
Makes du'a for them and when Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما) stresses that this was a regular practice of the Prophet (ﷺ) I want you to think about that. That means that we're coming out of the Battle of Badr We're coming out of the Battle of Uhud. We're coming out of the Khandaq
We're coming out of Hadithatul Ifk, the slander of our mother Aisha (رضي الله عنها). We're coming out of Hudaibiyyah and the disappointment We're coming out of the fear after the Fath. We're coming out of all of these different things
We're sitting and the Prophet (ﷺ) reminds us with this du'a and there are different variations of it So if a word sounds different then it's still probably authentic in the other variation that you heard
But the Prophet (ﷺ) would say اللَّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا تَحُولُ بِهِ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعَاصِيكَ Oh Allah apportion us enough of your khashyah enough of the fear of you
That would put a barrier between us and the disobedience of you give us enough of that khashyah So that we're not pulled into the disobedience of you
and then he would say (ﷺ) وَمِنْ طَاعَتِكَ مَا تُبَلِّغُنَا بِهِ جَنَّتَكَ and from your obedience a portion That would cause us to arrive at your Jannah
give us enough of our good deeds enough of our actions a portion of that ibadah that would deliver us to your Jannah and then he said وَمِنَ الْيَقِينِ مَا تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مُصِيبَاتِ الدُّنْيَا
I know some of you have heard مَصَائِبَ الدُّنْيَا both narrated and from your yaqeen from your certainty That which will protect us from the effect of the tragedies of this world
Notice here subhanAllah, there's so much to this part of the du'a enough of certainty in you to have perspective when the masaib, when the tragedies of this world come to us
that I trust in your promise, I'm certain in your plan, I'm certain in your reward
I'm certain in you O Allah that everything that comes to me if I bear it right you will not let it go to waste Alhamdulillah
And so you have that du'a and then he continued (ﷺ) and he said وَمَتِّعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُوَّتِنَا مَا أَحْيَيْتَنَا وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّا
So he's asking Allah subhanAllah that you maintain for us the blessings of our sight, the blessings of our hearing, the blessings of our strength, the blessings of our health You're not asking Allah to be sick, you're not asking Allah to be unhealthy
We fear the loss of health, we panic when we start to feel something wrong in us So you're asking Allah subhanAllah to maintain those things for you And he said (ﷺ), continuing
وَاجْعَلْ ثَأْرَنَا عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَنَا And let our, revenge is a lowly word here
But let our compensation, let our payback be restricted to those who wronged us SubhanAllah, like give us the right portion Because sometimes when we're wronged we become wrongdoers
Sometimes we become oppressed and then we become oppressors in response وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ عَادَانَا And give us victory over those who have taken us as enemies, over those who have oppressed us And then he said (ﷺ)
And this is the part that I want you to pay closest attention to قَالَ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مُصِيبَتَنَا فِي دِينِنَا Don't let our tragedy be in regards to our deen
Don't let our tragedy be in regards to our religion You know subhanAllah, the word musibah is a tragedy الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ مِنْ مُصِيبَاتِ الدُّنْيَا Right, it's a tragedy
And there is an admission here that we will be struck with musibat Every single person will be struck with a musibah, will be struck with some sort of tragedy And some of those tragedies will be more jarring than others You can't pay yourself out of tragedy
You can't have anything to protect yourself from tragedy altogether It will come to you But what's the Prophet (ﷺ) saying here? Even though we seek refuge in Allah from all of the masaib مِنْ مَصَائِبِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ The Prophet (ﷺ) is saying
Don't let that musibah be in regards to our deen Meaning at the end of the day Don't let that musibah تُذْهِبُ بِهِ دِينَنَا As the ulama say in the sharh of this hadith That it would take our religion away with it
That we lose some of our religion Or it would cause a نَقْصٌ فِي فِعْلِ الْخَيْرَاتِ It would cause a deficiency in the good that we continue to do It would cause us to withhold our good
Or it would push us towards committing those acts of disobedience and those acts of sin So you're going to be struck by something And you should seek refuge in Allah from all tragedy
But the major tragedy is that tragedy And he said (ﷺ) وَلَا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا And don't let this world be our greatest concern وَلَا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا
وَلَا تُسَلِّطْ عَلَيْنَا مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُنَا Do not let this world be our greatest concern Do not let the greatest portion of our knowledge be worldly knowledge only And do not place upon us those who will show us no mercy
Allahumma ameen Read every line of this du'a on your own time And compare it to our current circumstances And subhanAllah you will see why the Prophet (ﷺ) Was saying it in every single gathering Or in many gatherings alayhi salatu wasalam
With his companions and making du'a for them Here's what I want you to take home with this dear brothers and sisters One of the most hated behaviors to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Is the behavior of self-preservation
That's why the Prophet (ﷺ) used to seek refuge in Allah مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ From cowardice and stinginess It's a hated behavior to Allah azza wa jal Because it represents the way that you see him
Even though it affects the way you deal with everyone else It represents the way that you see him The way that you see his promise The way that you see his reward That tendency to immediately go into self-preservation mode
Anytime we feel threatened We're afraid so everyone shh Retreat to your corner Right now they're just coming for the undocumented immigrants Oh no, ok now it's green cards
We're still ok, we're naturalized, we're citizens Ok now it's naturalized citizens Let's move over We're the born citizens That attitude is an attitude of self-preservation Absolutely unacceptable
Right now it's just EPIC EPIC is every single one of ours masjid right now It's not, oh it's their masjid Eventually they're going to come after our masajid too They're already after our masajid
Because they came after one of us Isn't the same attitude that we hate about those Muslim countries around Palestine Exhibited in our own behavior when we start to act that way Because every single one of them if you talk to their leadership
They say what can we do in the face of all of this We've got to retreat Hold our own national interests How can we be mad at them when we act that way too Aren't we being hypocritical then
SubhanAllah it reminded me of a statement of Imam Ahmad rahimahullah Imam Ahmad who refused to be silent in the fitnah of his time Some of even the scholars said to him
Shhh, quiet, stop speaking How many times are you going to go to prison How many times are you going to be beaten Stop speaking You know what he responded
He said if the scholar remains silent out of fear And the ignorant does not speak out of unawareness How is the truth going to be known It's the attitude of self preservation If the scholar remains silent out of fear
And the ignorant does not speak because he doesn't know any better He speaks out of ignorance Or is silent because he doesn't know how to speak Then how is the truth ever going to reign supreme We have to ask ourselves a question
It's a wake up call Everything that's happening around us is a wake up call Renew your tawakkul in Allah azza wa jal Be smart, be strategic Be together, be as a community, be as an ummah
But trust Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Not the supports that we have Trust Allah azza wa jal, the ultimate supporter And the one who guarantees victory for the righteous May Allah azza wa jal make us amongst them
Allahumma ameen
Alhamdulillah
May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace
May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace
May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace May Allah grant us peace

































































































































































































































































































