All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and from Him we seek help. To proceed:
Respected elders and friends,
It is a great favor and mercy of Allah, the Lord of Honor, that Allah the Pure has blessed us all with the wealth of faith. Faith is a very great wealth, and without faith, no deed is acceptable in the court of the Divine.
1. The word of faith is "La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah"
The purpose of this Kalimah is that the conviction of our hearts becomes correct. A perfect conviction that everything happens from one Allah should enter our hearts, and the conviction in things other than Allah should completely leave our hearts. That is, whatever happens, happens only and only by the command of Allah; without the command of Allah, nothing happens from anyone.
* Examples of conviction:
* Fire has the ability to burn, but it cannot burn anyone without the command of Allah.
* A knife has the power to cut, but it too cannot cut anyone without the command of Allah.
* Water has the ability to drown, but it too cannot drown anyone without the command of Allah.
* Incidents of the Noble Prophets:
* When Namrud threw Hazrat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, into the fire—which turns even the most powerful things into ashes—since there was no command from Allah, that same fire became a source of safety and peace for Hazrat Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
* When Hazrat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, placed the knife on the neck of his son Hazrat Ismail, peace be upon him, the knife did not cut because there was no command from Allah.
* Hazrat Musa, peace be upon him, entered the River Nile with his people; there was no command from Allah, so the water did not drown Hazrat Musa, peace be upon him, and his companions. And when Fir'aun and his army entered the same water, the command of Allah came, and that same water became a means of destruction for them.
* Allah the Pure fed, gave drink to, and protected Hazrat Yunus, peace be upon him, inside the belly of the fish. Similarly, He nurtures every human being inside the mother's womb.
Therefore, a firm conviction should come into our hearts that whatever is happening in the world is happening only and only by the command of Allah.
2. The second part of the Kalimah Tayyibah: "Muhammadur Rasulullah"
It tells us the correct way to live life, that 100% success lies only in following the way of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and 100% failure lies in the ways of others. We should make every effort so that every single Sunnah of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, comes into our lives; because Allah the Pure says:
> "Wa antumul a'launa in kuntum mu'minin"
> (And you will be superior if you are true believers).
>
Respected brothers and friends! Faith is not something innate or verbal, but it is something to be learned and built through effort. The Noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, learned this faith for thirteen years. The result was that the faith of the Noble Companions became so strong that it was possible for mountains to move from their places, but it was not possible for the faith of the Noble Companions to be shaken.
Today, there is a dire need for us to learn faith like the Noble Companions. The Noble Scholars have devised an excellent way to achieve this: to go out in the path of Allah for four months and forty days with our lives and wealth and work on strengthening the faith within ourselves.
As long as we stay at home, we must ensure the arrangement of five works in our mosque and neighborhood:
* Daily Consultation: After any obligatory prayer (e.g., after Isha), definitely sit in the consultation that takes place in the mosque; and sit with the concern that the religion brought by the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reaches every house, whether mud or brick. And may the grief of the disappearance of religion from within the Ummah be born in our hearts, every youth connects with the mosque, every child connects with the Maktab, and our mothers and sisters connect with the prayer mat.
* Arranging two types of learning:
* First, the learning in the mosque: Regularly sit in the learning circle of the mosque.
* Second, the learning at home: Arrange for learning within the homes as well. When the sounds of "Allah said and the Messenger said" rise in the homes, goodness and blessings will descend, and the trials of distance from religion will be removed. It is through the learning at home that the spirit of faith is born in the family members.
* Doing the daily two-and-a-half-hour effort
: Take out two and a half hours from your twenty-four hours for the invitation to religion. This is a very noble work, because Allah the Pure has praised this Ummah on this very basis: "Kuntum khaira ummatin ukhrijat lin-nasi ta'muruuna bil-ma'rufi wa tanhauna 'anil-munkar" (You are the best nation produced for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.)
: Arrange for two weekly visits—one visit of your own mosque and the second visit of a neighboring mosque. This visit is a very noble deed and holds the status of a backbone in the effort of religion.
* Work in your daily routine for twenty-seven days a month and free up three days to go out in the path of Allah with your life and wealth.
Come! Let all companions make an intention that they will make these five works a part of their lives and, when given the opportunity, in the path of Allah
will also spend time. Insha'Allah
Requesting prayers: Muhammad Masood Rahmani (District Araria, Bihar)