Part 1
Ina'l Hamda l'Illah wa naHmaduhu wa nasta`eenuhu wa nastaghfiruh wa nu'minu bihi wa natawakkul `alayh
Na`udhu Billah min shururi an fusinah wa min sayyi'aati a`maalinaa Mayyahdihillah fa laa modillalah wa mayyudlil fa laa hadi'alah Wa nash-hadu an La ilaha il Allahu WaHdahu la sharika lah wa nash-hadu anna Sayyidinaa Habibinaa Mowlaanaa MuHammadin `abduhu wa Rasuluh Sala' Allahu `alayhi wa Salaam wa `ala Alihi wa Ahlihi wa SaHbihi Ajma`een Tabarakun Tasleemun kathirun kathiraa amma ba`d fi `ibad Allah:
A`udhu Billahi min ash-shaitaan ir-rajeem Bismillah ir-RaHmaan ir-RaHeem
Last Friday, brother Abullah Al-Ghannam gave us an eye-opening khutbah on the condition of our brothers and children in this country and how they are getting diverted from Islam. He has clearly told with several examples that it is easy for a child with out proper guidance to be lost in this society. Many of the evils take over the character and the child heads towards a life style which is not Islamic. In continuation of this topic I shall Insha-Allah talk about how the process of diversion takes place. l will talk how Iblees traps the people to get away from Islam. The material of today's khutbah is from an article published in Al-Hijra magazine by Shaikh Ibn Al-Qayyim .
It is not possible to encompass one of Iblees' evils, let alone all of them. Since Iblees' evil is of six types, Iblees remains behind the son of Adam until he gets him to do one or more of these six evils.
THE FIRST EVIL is the evil of KUFR AND SHIRK to create enmity to Allah and His Messenger
.
This is the first thing Iblees wants from al-'Abd (the worshipper). If Iblees gains this, he made this person
under his control, one of his soldiers, and he appoints him as a deputy or agent against other human beings.
This person will then drag others to the sin of Kufr.If Iblees fails with his ammunitionof first evil, then Iblees tries the SECOND CLASS OF EVIL. This is BID'AH (innovation). Iblees loves Bid'ah more than debauchery and disobedience because the harm of Bid'ah is in the essence of the religion. Moreover, it is an unrepentable sin and is against the call of the messengers and is a call to a message different from the one conveyed by Ar-Rasool. Bid'ah is a gate to Kufr and Shirk. Therefore, if Iblees gains the performance of Bid'ah from a person and makes him one of the people of Bid'ah, he also becomes one of his agents and a caller of his.
If Iblees fails and is unable to trap the person, he then proceeds to the THIRD CLASS OF EVIL, which is the class of MAJOR SINS in their various forms. Iblees will encourage the person to commit some kind of major sins. Once you have committted major sins, then you can be dragged to perform bid'ad or even kufr.
If Iblees is unable to grab the person with his third degree of approach, then he employs the FOURTH CLASS, or the MINOR SINS. These sins may ruin a person if they accumulate. That is why Ar-Rasool
said, "Be
aware of the minor sins, because the simile of the minor sin is like the people who went to a desert. Every one
of them brought a stick of wood until they had kindled a huge fire (just as the minor sins add up little by little
until they become a major sin)." The person continues taking the matter of minor sins easily until he considers
them inconsequential. Therefore, a person who commits major sins but fears their effect is in a better condition
than he is.If the person has prevented Iblees from trapping him at this level, Iblees moves him to the fifth level. The FIFTH LEVEL is to occupy the person with PERMISSIBLE THINGS that do not gain him reward or punishment. However, the punishment of this level is caused by passing the reward missed by being occupied with these deeds. If the person has kept Iblees from succeeding at this level, and if he is careful about his time, being covetous with it, knows the value of moments, and knows the value of what comes of comfort or torment, Iblees transfers him to the sixth level. The SIXTH CLASS is to occupy him with DEEDS OF LESSER REWARD to keep virtue away from him and to prevent him from attaining the reward of the favored deed.
Therefore, he orders him to do a good action with less reward if that includes leaving a better action. Very few people are aware of this. Because if a person feels a strong urge to some kind of obedience, he does not doubt that it is true obedience and that he is getting closer to Allah. He never thinks that this call is from Iblees because he believes that Iblees never calls one to do good. Therefore, he thinks that this call is from Allah. Actually he is excused because he never knew that Iblees would call one to seventy doors of good deeds either to get him to one door of evil or to let a better deed than these seventy deeds pass away from him.
This cannot be known except by a light from Allah, a light he instils in the heart of the person. The source of this type of knowledge is following the way of Ar-Rasool (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and taking care of the levels of deeds with Allah, the deeds of His favoured ones, the deeds more pleasing to Him, and those more beneficial to The person, and deeds that have more Naseehah (guidance) from Allah, His Rasool, His Book, and His believing worshippers. No one has this type of knowledge except the inheritors of Ar-Rasool (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), his deputies in the Ummah, and his successors on earth. In addition, most of the creation is screened from this. This call does not come to their hearts. Allah gives His favor to whomever He wills from among His worshippers.
Bothers and sisters: Please be careful about the traps that Iblees has laid down in various forms. Our goal should be to achieve the highest degree of Taqwa. Please do not accept any thing less than that. In our day to day life, we look for the best in everything. In schools, any grade lower than A is not acceptable. Then why do we accept less or just passing grades in the matter of religion?
I shall make Dua now and please say Amin.