Every Word Has a Smell
Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
Berkeley California
A`oodhu Billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem
Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem
Nawaytu'l-arba`een, nawaytu'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu'l-khalwah, nawaytu'l-riyaada, nawaytu's-salook, nawaytu'l-`uzlah lillahi ta`ala fee hadha'l-masjid.
When we intend to do something Allah swt write it according to our intention.
Ati` oollah wa ati`oo 'r-rasula wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet (s) and obey those who are on authority.
The Prophet (s) said, innama al-a`maalu bi ’n-niyyaat –“Every `amal is by intention.” If your intention is correct then Allah will forgive because from beginning in your intention was to do the best that you can. And we are meeting here and the host want to show the best he can. Allah swt will not look at shortcomings but Allah will give and that is why too many rewards that person Allah will give him, as he prepared he arranged, he was generous and he invited everyone to his maa’ida, table.
The Prophet (s) one time was invited by one of his Sahaba for dinner. And that person was so happy that the Prophet (s) accepted his invitation. It is not easy, although the Prophet (s) did accept anything that the people asked him but still to get the Prophet (s) to come to your house is an honor and no way to understand the rewards that come with that honor. So that sahabi was preparing for many many weeks for that honorable even that the Prophet (s) is coming.
Like today if you invite someone important you prepare all kind of food to show your generosity, is it not?
So you try to do your best. So that sahabi did his best from slaughtering different kinds of sheep , goats, camels, at that time lot of camels, beef, cow, all kind of meat he prepared, and all kinds of vegetables and he was a rich sahabi. And so everyone went ahead and came early to the event waiting for the Prophet (s) to come. And the Prophet (s) was accompanied by Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. Always he was accompanied by Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra). [knocks on mic]
Every moment in your life, is passing. [knocks on mic faster] what is that? Heartbeat] ah. You are living. When it goes like that [dud, dud, dud] what happens? Finished. Everything has a beginning and an end. SubhanAllah.
Who made this heart to work? [knocks mic] a piece of muscle that has four chambers. Allahuma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad (s) hatta yarda Sayyidina Muhammad.
So the Prophet (s) accompanied by Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, arrived to the door of the house, and everyone was racing outside welcoming the Prophet (s), because it is not that easy that the Prophet (s) would have a spare time to come.
[adhan] Allahu Akbar, by the way it is wrong. You need us to pray Maghrib early. Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar. He told us Maghrib is already in 9 minutes early. We had to repeat the prayer twice. That is why we were late.
So the Prophet (s) arrived with Sayyidina Abu Bakr and the owner of house rushing and saying, “Ya sayyidee ya Rasulullah. I am so happy that you came but I feel I didn’t do enough for your honor.”
And what I have prepared is not up to your standard although he was preparing for like one month before. He was a rich sahabi and he brought everything available that is very difficult to get , it was there. As soon as he said that the Prophet (s) face changed and he said to him, "O my ummah. O my son, "O my companion. I know you did your best. But I am not going to eat your food. I am backing up.”
All Sahaba were worried: what had the man said? He didn’t say anything wrong, but what he said, made like a bad smell coming from his mouth. You have to be very careful. Because every word that comes from the mouth has a smell. They angels don’t go by wavelength. They go by smell to record. We know computers, professor is there, they go by what? They go by wavelength. They look and if the heartbeat is correct, these wavelengths are correct, ok. When they want to blow to see how much breath power you have, they see the graph, the wavelength.
Angels don’t go by that, they go by smell. So every word that comes from the mouth is accounted for. So be careful - that is a big danger. That means anything that you pronounce has a different smell that the angels might either accept or reject. So that smell goes from a very low bad smell to a very high bad smell. And it goes from a very low good smell to a very high good smell. Depends what you say. That is why it is better not to say anything. If they invite me to eat without talking it is better; then no mistakes.
You do not know what kind of mistake you make.
And that is why it is when people come together to eat they begin to sit together to conspire against each other. They say “business lunch.” What business lunch? Bad smell dinner. Bad smell lunch. When you eat there are angels coming on the food, descending. On every grain of rice, there are angels and we know that every bite doesn’t go through your mouth and your system without at least 300 angels. 300 angels work on one bite to be sure that bite goes through your mouth and digestive system in the best way. And all their praise will be written to you if you make du`a before you eat. Not if you conspire before you being to eat.
Now they make these big meetings and put dinners especially in Afghanistan, and they make conspiracy against each other. With rice and meat, and all these things, in Afghanistan and in all these countries, like my country.
So in the West they don’t do that. They count how many people are coming. Let us say ten. Then they go to the store and buy 10 steaks and some microwave French fries that are pre-cooked. And one day before they go and get some steaks. Is there anything else besides steak and chicken? There is hamburger and steak and steak burger.
They have nothing. The others have sheep in front of them. I was invited one time in one country I am not saying where. And one very highly official person, his brother was very important. And I was on the same plane with him on a private jet. He was the head of a country. Before we reach (our destination) of the head of the country they have to host us for lunch. And they have two sheep: one in front of him and one in front of me. He looked and he backed up. He was not abele to eat. Why? Because the animal was looking at him. Because they left the eyes. So they are afraid from a sheep but not from other than a sheep.
It happened. [even in Afghanistan. Sometimes not just the eyes but the tongue is sticking out]
So the Prophet (s) backed up. He said, " I cannot go in.” why the Prophet (s) went back? The man said, "Ya sayyidee ya Rasulullah, I didn’t say anything. I said it is not enough for your honor.” He said, “Yes that is ok, but it is not like what I am seeing.” That means that what the Prophet (s) sees is not what we can see, what people can see. The Prophet (s) can see whatever he wants to see. He backed up and said, "O my sahabi, the whole place in our home from your home to heavens angels are descending and ascending with the baraka of that food. But I cannot go in anymore. Your house is so full of angels anyone entering will be honored. Because you said something that is not appropriate to Allah’s Greatness. Allah is sending on your food all these tajallis and all this baraka. How can you say to me that
‘what I cooked for you is not enough honor for you.’? For me if you cooked one bread it is enough. So now I cannot eat because if I eat I feel shy before Allah swt and I see all these angels coming up and going down and how do you say ‘it is not enough for you.’ For me it is enough. Let all the sahaba go in and eat.”
So that is a nice word we say “O we didn’t do enough for you.” What you didn’t do enough? Bring an onion and tomato and some rice and if people complain throw them out. Go see people are homeless they are dying from hunger.
Someone told me today there are 13 million homeless children in this country. And in this country seven children every day die from hunger. In this country. What do you think about in Asia and Africa?
Then the Prophet (s) backed up and he went Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra) and said, "Ya aba bakr, we go back home.” On the way back home they were passing through all these back alleys in Madinatu ’l-munawarrah. Now they destroyed all of them with high rises.
There was near that area before the building and demolition and building all these high rises. It was in early 70s or 69, and whenever I go there and we were living there for may years. There was a house that there was someone of age 120 years living there. We used to go inside and read Dalaa'il al-Khayraat there. Which was not allowed then but now it is allowed. And then you drink water and there was a well of time of the Prophet (s) which was called the well of Sayyidina `Ali (r) which he digged it. And up to late 80s we used to do that and then they demolished it. You can find all these relics there not touched. But not now.
So the Prophet (s) when we was going in middle of Madinatu ’l-munawarrah and a lady came out of her house looking and saying, “It is impossible for me to see what I am seeing. Is that Rasulullah coming alone with Abu Bakr as-Siddiq?” Because when the Prophet (s) travels he is accompanied by many sahaba.
Look that sincere du`a that she made. She rushed out and said, "Ya sayyidee ya Rasulullah, ya shafee` al-mudhnibeen. Ya Rasulullah for many many years I was a believer in you and my husband is very old and cannot move from the bed. And I prayed that before he dies my husband will see you and you will enter my home. And Allah answered my du`a and can you come and see my husband for five minutes little bit of time.”
Allah made that lady’s heart so soft. That she was crying and crying that she cannot believe she is seeing the Prophet (s) in front of her. So the Prophet (s) said, "we will come in.” And he entered with Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra) and met the old man in his bed and read for him. Then that lady brought some food and she said, “I am offering what we have and this is what we have and this is the best that we ever ate in our life until now.” The Prophet (s) was so happy with what she said and he said, "Ya Aba Bakr eat as if you never ate before.” And the Prophet (s) was eating and Sayyidina Abu Bakr was eating and the Prophet (s) was eating and Sayyidina Abu Bakr was eating. Until they were full. and that was when he related the hadith:
نحن قوم لا نأكل حتى نجوع، وإذا أكلنا لا نشبع
Nahnu qawman laa naakul hatta najoo`, wa idhaa akalna laa nashbi`.
"We are a people that do not eat until we are hungry and we don’t eat until we are full; with the exception of today because that food is so highly accepted to Allah swt.”
And they were eating and eating and that lady looking and that man from his bed looking.
And Sayyidina Abu Bakr was surprised at what that food was. It was bread from barley that when you eat you choke from it. And very dry bread that she put with the bread, water and salt. They have to crush the salt as it is from rocks and the bread they have to put in water. And then they eat [adhan sounds] and they eat.
What were they eating Mahboob? [bread and water and salt] and what kind of bread? Barley bread that has stones that you choke with it. And he said, "Ya Aba Bakr! Eat as much as you can.” And what are we eating today. We are eating the best of food, not in the meaning of “best” food, but our eyes are so empty and so greedy that whatever they see on the table they want. And look in Ramadan how much food is wasted. Look how many plates they do in Ramadan. Not one kind of plate; they might make tons of plates!
The Prophet (s) his lunch was dinner at around 5 o’clock, bread, vinegar and oil. Put the bread in the vinegar and oil and eat it - most of the time. Today we are, alhamdulillah that Allah has blessed us with refrigerators and freezers and you have all this kind of food available and that is from the mercy of Allah and from the baraka of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
So we go back to where we began. You have to know what you are speaking. You have to know every word because you are accountable for it on Judgment Day. How many times people get upset in work and begin to say bad words or curse each other or show hatred to each other. Muslims fight Muslims. For what? For nothing. Only they fight for who is going to sit on the chair and be famous. Who wants to sit, sit. Let us be sheep. Why do you want to be shepherd? Shepherd is a very big responsibility. The shepherd is one. Sayyidina Muhammad (s), he will never allow one sheep or one goat to be…to run away. That is why he will never accept one of his ummah to run away. That is why he said, “I observe the `amal of my ummah; if I see good I praise Allah and if I see other than that I seek Allah’s forgiveness for them.” What we ask better than that? What we ask for dunya, although Allah will accept whatever you ask Him, but when you ask for akhira for sure He is more happy than when you ask for dunya.
The Prophet (s) was never asking for dunya. He was always worried for his akhira, for his ummah. How many of you have a watch? Everyone. Do you go around with a watch? Everyone. [except Azhar] And me also. Does anyone walk without a watch. Some have two watches. And some warlords have 10 watches. And in Iraq also they have many watches; if one is wrong the other is correct. In Lebanon we had our turn and now it is your country and your country. The turn rotates. Bangladesh has problems also; you are from Bangladesh.
So why do we carry watches? To see the time. So is the time only for dunya or is it also for akhira. We have a watch to count the minutes, the hours and the day 12 hours day and night. Counting the day. Are we counting how many days left for us for death. Are there watches that tell us when we are going to die? No? I have one. There are no watches that tell when we are going to die. Because you might die before you expect. You might die any moment but you are expecting to live forever.
I was in… where was I? I was in London and I received a call. They were preparing for us a program for us to go to London in different mosques with thousands of people attending from Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama`at. I was in Michigan. And two days before I left one person called me and said they are preparing the program. And one of the main people preparing the program was from Sri Lanka and he went to England and he is very famous jeweler and he works with very famous company that put diamonds and jewels in watches. And he was highly trained and training for a huge store to be opened.
So I was going to London and they called me suddenly out of the blue and they said, "That person was sitting with his wife and watching TV and talking about my schedule that I am coming and they said, "at that moment he went dead. He was making a huge project millions of pounds with a company and he was preparing my schedule and he has no problem and suddenly he died. All this hope that you were preparing this afternoon. People prepare a 10-year plan and a 20-year plan. All finished.
Don’t plan. That is waste of time. They teach you to plan today. All their mind is based on dunya . They are not thinking about akhira. If they think about akhira they will plan for akhira.
Their plan is only how to put my son in university and at that time the son come and says “bye bye” and they don’t care for the father or the mother.
Is that right sir?
You cannot do that in our Islamic culture. Now they are spoiling everyone to run away. Ok you want to plan, plan also for akhira. Allah said:
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
rabbanaa atinaa fi ’d-dunya hasanatan wa fi ’l-akhirati hasanatan wa qina `adhaab an-naar
O our Lord, give us the good of this life and the good of the nexgt life and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. (2:201)
No one is saying not to do it. But why are we remembering only dunya, never akhira?
O Muslims, let us make sure, as yesterday, we took one thing back from the lecture. Humbleness. Today take with you planning for akhira. As you plan for dunya plan for akhira. What I have to do take a notebook and write. I have to do my five prayers, I have to do my fasting and have to do my hajj and I must not lie. Then every day you check the plan and check if you are on target. Then if you made sin repent. And then you make the right side full of rewards and the left side clean. Then when Allah bring the angels with your books they will be clean books.
In any case we know we are weak servants and we cannot do anything. we ask Allah forgiveness and we ask his blessing and we ask Sayyidina Muhammad (s) support in order we reach that day in safety. Without Sayyidina Muhammad’s support we never, never never can reach the shore of safety. The shore of safety is only through the Prophet (s). that he will take us in safety boat to cross to the other side.
Wa min Allah at-tawfeeq bi-hurmati 'l-Fatiha.
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