I Want The Ultimate Happiness

And so we talked about the idea of us first initially fixing ourselves, and then fixing those around us. That essentially is one of the main components towards the arrival of our Imam. That if we are wishing for him to come, then he needs the individuals who are strong in their Iman. And if the Fitna and the test of this era that we live in, is asking us to break that bubble, we can not do it. All I know is the bubble I have created for myself.

Wa ma hadihi al-Ayat ud-Dunyah, illa la'un wa la'ib wa inna ad-Dar al-Akhirata la hiya al-hayawan; law kanu ya'lamoon (29:64). [And the life of this world is nothing but amusement and play, but verily the Home in the Hereafter- that is life indeed, if they but knew].

There were people who gave be'at to Ali in Ghadir, and were responsible for shedding his blood in Kufa.

Uff lakum! Laqad sa'imtu itabakum! 'Araditum bi 'l-hayati id-Dunya min al-Akhirat 'iwadha? [Curse upon you! I got tired of rebuking you! Are you satisfied with this worldly life in place of the Hereafter? Or disgrace in place of dignity?

There where people who knew full well who Husayn Ibn Ali was, reminded them time and time again. They would respond "Of course we know who you are. You are the beloved grandson of our Holy Prophet". And yet they behead the man. Many individuals in history are like that.

A man approaches our seventh Imam, Imam Al-Kadhimm alayhi as-salat wa as-salam, and he begins to complain to our Imam about his situation. His lack of money, the stress he has, he has no job, he has to feed his family. He goes to complain to the Imam and the Imam listens. The Imam, after he is done, prays for this man, but the man continues to complain about his state. When he was done for a second time, the Imam says something very beautiful.

He says "You know what the problem is with you? You are seeking the impossible. You are searching for ultimate happiness in this world. And that is your downfall". Sometimes you and I fall into that exact same trap. It does not exist in this world. It cannot exist in this world. We get stuck and we get trapped and we get distracted and pulled in by the false idols of this Dunya.

"Ya'lamuna dhahiran min al-hayat id-Dunya wa hum 'an il-Akhirati hum ghafilun" (30:7). [They know the outward of this world's life, but of the Hereafter they are absolutely heedless].

And sometimes we actually convince ourselves that person A, family B over there, they are happy. I am sure they are happy. They are happy for this reason. And the reason why we believe they are happy, is the primary reason why they are miserable sometimes.

Because when you search deep inside of a family or individual that might, on the outside look like they have everything, you will know that they are equally as miserable in this Dunya as you are. They are equally going through that test as you are. This world was not meant to give us contentment. This is not where you find this. The result of the test of this world is serenity in the Hereafter. Wait for that over there. Work for that over here. Do not look for it here, work for it here. And you will end up giving it, or getting it in the Hereafter.

Sometimes we are wowed and distracted by this Dunya. Until someone should come and say, Look, you are not here to be wowed by the Dunya. You are here to write the exam, write your test and move on. If you passed the test with flying colours, there are a thousand auditoriums on that side waiting for you to be wowed by.

"Man kana yuridu harth al-Akhirati, nazid lahu fi harthih; wa man kana yuridu harth ad-Dunya, nu'tihee minha; wa ma lahoo fi 'l-Akhirati min nasib" (42:20) [Whoever desires the gain of the Hereafter, We will give him more of that gain; and whoever desires the gain of this world, We give him of it, and in the Hereafter he has no portion].

The trap of the Dunya, we have to be very, very careful about. And yes, I need some more time to elaborate on what the Dunya is, what the Akhirat is. Many of us believe it is a physical world. It is not. Allama Al-Majilisi' Rahmat Ullahi alayh. Imam Khomeini Rahmat Ullahi alayh, both of them.

In Imam Khomeini's 40 Ahadith he talks about this idea, I believe in Hadith number 13. He says "The essence of the Dunya and the Akhirat are not physical worlds. Rather, they are states of existences". Meaning that those collective components that pull you away from the Dhikr of Allah, is called the Dunya. And those collective ideologies that pull you towards Allah, is the Akhirah.

"Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu, la tulhikum amwalukum wa la awladukum 'an Dhikri Allah; wa man yaf'al dhalika, fa ula'ikahum ul-khasirun" (63:9) [O you who believe! let not your wealth, or your children, divert you from the remembrance of Allah; and whoever does that, these are the losers].

That is why where Islam draws the line is not for you to have a nice house or a nice car. Where Islam draws the line is Zuhud, is detachment from the world. That yeah, you might work hard to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, an accountant, an entrepreneur. I am not asking anybody here to live in a shack of a house and drive a clunker of a car. No! This Dunya is yours. Allah created this Dunya for you, and He created you for Him. But where Allah and where the Ahl Al-Bayt draw that red, solid, dark line, is Zuhud. Do not attach yourself to these things. Do not place a price on them higher than their actual value.

"Wa anfiqu min ma razaqnakum min qabli an ya'tiya ahadakum ul-mawt; fa yaqulu: Rabbi law la akhkhartani ila ajalin qarib, fa assaddaqa wa akum min as-salihin?" (63:10) [And spend out of what We have given you before death comes to one of you, so that he should say: My Lord! why didst Thou not respite me to a near term, so that I should have given alms and been of the doers of good deeds?] "Wa lan yu'akhkhira Allahu nafsan idha ja'a ajaluha; wa Allahu khabirun bima ta'malun" (63:11) [And Allah does not respite a soul when its appointed term has come, and Allah is well aware of what you do].

That is why Amir Al-Mu'minin says: if you are going to sell your soul out in this world, it better be for something that is higher than Jannah in price. Because that is where you should be headed, it is towards heaven and the Hereafter. If you find anything in this world better than Jannah, an everlasting abode of peace, then sell your soul out, no problem. If you do not find anything, do not sell your soul.

Why can't we break our bubble sometimes? This Dunya has us in its' clutches. Be careful! This trap is vicious. I talked about the fact that the people of Kufa during the time of Amir Al-Mu'minin was all he had. 12,000 people came from Kufa to Basra to defend Amir Al-Mu'minin in the war of Jamal.

But then we have those same individuals from Kufa ,during the time of Imam Husayn. I mentioned to you 12,000 letters across 15 days, letters were written. This revolution was stirring in Kufa. It is enough to know they were not calling Imam Husayn to be their Wali and Imam. They were calling Imam Hussain to once again restore the greatness of the Kufans in Kufa.

That is why Imam Husayn says "these people are the slaves of the Dunya, the 'Abid of the Dunya." That is all they are. So the idea of the trap of the Dunya. We have to be very, very careful.

"Ya'ti 'ala an-nas zaman butunuhum alihatuhum wa nasa'uhum qablatuhum wa dananiruhum dinuhum. La yabqa' min al-Imani illa ismuh [The time will come for the people that their stomachs will be their god, their wives will be their patron (centre), and their money will be their faith. And nothing will remain of Faith except its name].

In that trap, I am not asking anybody here to not be successful. Be successful. Do not attach yourself to that success. Do not sell your soul out for that success. Do not cut off ties with your family for that success. Do not change your principles for that success.

You guys are young, vibrant, passionate, intelligent, smart, educational, pious individuals. And people like you, Shaytan creates plans and creates movements against. He does not like people like you. He will throw everything at you to pull you off the path. And the one thing that is the most attractive to the youth nowadays is the Dunya. Identify your Dunya, and try to avoid it.

"Inna alladhina yatluna Kitab Allah, wa aqamu as-Salata, wa anfaqu min ma razaqnahum sirran wa 'ala niyah yarjuna tijaratan lan tabur" (35:29) [Surely they who recite the Book of Allah, and keep up prayer, and spend out of what We have given them secretly and openly, hope for a gain which will not perish].