 We begin with the praises of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. We thank Him. We say, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. We say, Subhanallah wa bihamdihi, Subhanallah al-Azim, Subhanallah wa alhamdulillah wa la ilaha illallah wa allahu akbar. And we understand and we know that our praise will never be enough, but we try to attempt in any little way that we can. I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, and that Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is his last and final messenger. I encourage myself first and foremost and then the rest of this congregation to have taqwa, to have God consciousness of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And insha'Allah in today's khutbah, this is the concept we're going to be talking about in discussing taqwa of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, God consciousness of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. But before we do that, just a quick reminder of what the salaf tell us. The salaf tell us, they give us beautiful analogies to understand our relationship with Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And one of the analogies the salaf tell us is that obviously we all know this concept of the sirat al mustaqeem, the rightly guided path, the straight path, the middle path, the clear path. This is the path of Islam, this is the path that we are on. And the salaf, they give us very beautiful analogies. They say that when we are walking towards Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, on this path towards life, we should walk to Allah with two sandals on, two sandals. The first sandal is the sandal of fear, and the second sandal is the sandal of hope. And you need both of these sandals in order to get to Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in this analogy. You can't just have the sandal of fear on. If you have the sandal of fear on, you know, we've met, all of us have met brothers and sisters in our lives who are walking or attempting to walk to Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala with the sandals of fear on, right? And they tell you, this person's going to Jahannam and this person's going to Jahannam and you're going to hell and you're doing this wrong. And God's going to get you on this technicality and this is what's wrong with you. We all have met people like this in our lives and they're not really nice to be around, right? And usually one of two things happens when they teach people. Either people flee from them because that's not Islam, or they become extremists, right? So you can't just walk to Allah with the sandal of fear, but it's important. You have to have hope to balance it out, but you also can't just walk to Allah with the sandal of hope. If you walk to Allah with the sandal of just hope, then, Ya'ni, we've all met Muslims who do whatever they want to do, right? They drink whatever they want to drink, say whatever they want to say, look at whatever they want to look at. And then when you ask them, brother or sister, why are you doing this? They say, oh, you know, Allah's merciful, Allah's Rahim. I can, it's okay. And that's true, Allah is merciful, Allah is Rahim. But you can't just have hope, right? You have to balance the hope with the fear. Have hope in Allah, have a good opinion of Allah, but also have fear and majesty of Allah. So these are the two sandals that we should be walking to Allah with on this journey of life, on this path, the Saraatan Mustaqeem. And then the Salaf give us another analogy. The pious predecessors, they tell us that if you want to fly to Allah, if you don't just want to walk, if you actually want to fly to Allah, then fly to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And again, this is an analogy, a metaphor, right? Don't take it literally. But they say if you want to fly to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, fly to Allah with two wings. The first wing is the wing of shukr. The first wing is the wing of shukr. Having thankfulness to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for everything that he's given you, everything that he does for you. Understanding that we are only in the position that we are in because Allah has decided to have mercy upon us and to be gentle with us subhanahu wa ta'ala. So you fly to Allah with the wing of shukr and then the other wing, the second wing is the wing of ta'uba. Repenting to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for all of our mistakes. Allah takes such good care of us, he sustains us, he protects us and yet we still have the audacity to disobey him? And we know what's wrong and we still do it? It's okay, this happens. But we have to repent to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So these are the two wings that we can fly to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with. The wings of shukr and the wing of ta'uba. Alhamdulillah. Brothers and sisters, I want to pivot and talk about taqwa, the concept of taqwa. Taqwa, our scholar, is translated to God consciousness, being aware of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And taqwa is really what makes Muslims special. Lots of things make us special. But one of them is this concept of taqwa and having God consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And taqwa was something that the pious predecessors, they understood. They had taqwa. And that's why when the Muslims had true taqwa and everything that they did, the Muslims did everything with such ihsan and such greatness. We made such great discoveries in mathematics, in science, in architecture. The list goes on and on. Geography. We made such great discoveries. We had such great profound impact. Astronomy. We looked at something and we were able to understand the haqq of it. Because Muslims had taqwa behind everything, every single thing that they did was God consciousness. Was being aware of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and every single thing that they do. The pious predecessors used to fast, used to wage wars and battles in the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Wow, they were fasting. But now many of our youth, they can't even do an exam while they're fasting, right? What's the difference? They were human beings just like us. Yes, they were raised in a time that was a little bit more intense and a little bit more rugged. But they were human beings just like us. Why were they able to do that and we're not able to even do an exam? While fasting. Brothers and sisters, it's taqwa. They had taqwa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. God consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is the difference. Many of the inner cities here, you know, it's a well-known fact that Muslims are the ones that are running the liquor stores. Right? It's very sad. Muslims are the ones running the liquor stores. When Tabliqi Jama'at dies, different groups, Muslims have gone and asked them, Why are you doing this? Why are you selling haram? You know it's detrimental to society. More importantly than that, you know Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has banned it. Why do you do it? Oh brother, I have no choice. I can't, there's nothing else I can do. You know, this is easy for me, you know. No. Muslims used to have taqwa. We used to enter the ghettos and change them into the best streets and cities. But now it's vice versa. Why? Taqwa, having God consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Not being conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is really the key. And I want to share two stories with the congregation today that highlight taqwa. And they're cute stories. They're nice stories, but they have profound lessons and many of the salaf, our scholars, say that they're actually true stories that have been passed down to us. So let's listen and see if we can gain some insights into them. There's a story of a man named Hatim. His name was Hatim. And he had a daughter and he had a wife and two daughters. And he lived in pre-modern times. He lived in pre-modern times. After Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had passed away, the Islamic empire was expanding, he lived in this time. And his name was Hatim. He had a wife and he had two kids. He had two daughters. And it was Hatim's dream to go and perform Hajj. It was his dream to go and perform Hajj. He wanted to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam every year, every year. But every year it wasn't working out for him. Every year he found that he wasn't able to go on Hajj and he really, really wanted to go on Hajj. And so he asked his wife and his daughters, you know, he asked them, I want to go on Hajj. And every time they would tell him, his wife would tell him, you know, Hatim, you're the sole breadwinner of our family. You're the only one that provides for us. If you leave us for Hajj, the provisions will run out. The provisions will run out. And at those times, brothers and sisters, Hajj wasn't just a quick, you know, 12-hour flight away. This was a four or five-month journey that individuals went on to perform Hajj. And back in those times, you know, you didn't just sit behind a computer and a paycheck entered your, you know, bank account. Back in those times you had to actually go and toil with your hands. You had to trade. That's how you made your income. If Hatim just leaves his family, then the provisions stop. So this is the reality in the time that they were living in. So his wife said, Hatim, every time he went and asked her and his daughters, his wife would tell him, Hatim, you know, you can't leave us like this. You can't, you're the only breadwinner and you can't just leave us. So one time he goes again. The next year he goes to his wife and his kids and he tells them, I really want to go on Hajj. I need to fulfill this fifth pillar of Islam. I need to do this. And his wife gives him the same answer. She says, you know, you can't leave us. If you leave us, what's going to happen? But his daughter, his younger daughter was very special. She had Taqwa of Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. She had God consciousness and Tawaqal in Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Trust in Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And she told her father. She said, Ya Aba, O father, Ya Abu, Ya Aba. Allah's promise is true in the Quran. He is the one that takes care of us. He is Al-Razaq and Al-Wahab. He is the sustainer and the provider. You don't provide for us. Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, provides for us. So go and perform Hajj. And Hatim was emboldened by the words of his daughter. And so he said, you know what? You're right. I'm going to do it. Enough is enough. I'm going to go do it. And so he left for Hajj. He left some provisions for his family. And he left on a four-month journey to Hajj. A few weeks later, the provisions start to run out. And the mom says to the younger daughter, what did you do? You emboldened your father. You told him to go on Hajj. Now the provisions are running out. We're left alone. We don't have a protector. Why did you say these things to him? And she said, I said these things to him because they're true. Allah is Al-Razaq. Allah is Al-Wahab. He is the one that provides for us. Our father doesn't provide for us. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, provides for us. But she was very upset with her mother's words. And so she started to cry. And every day, her mother would say, why did you say this to your father? Why did you say this to her father? And so one day, so every time she went and she followed the Sunnah of the Prophet, subhanahu wa ta'ala, where she would find solace and prayer. And so she went into prayer. And she raised her hands to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. And she would ask him for his sustenance and for his help. And one day, she was on the prayer rug, crying to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. And they hear a knock on the door. They hear a knock on the door. And she goes to the door. And there is a guard there, a guard, a soldier. And he says to her, I am with the congregation of the governor of this land. I am with the congregation of the governor of this land. And we are passing by. And your house is the first house we saw. And we need water. We've been on the road for a while. We need water. We need some refreshments. Is it OK if you give us some? And so she says yes, of course. And so she prepares some refreshments. And she prepares some water. And she puts it on a tray. And she gives it to the guard. And the guard goes back to the governor. And he gives the governor the refreshments and the water. And the governor has his fill. He drinks his water. He quenches his thirst. And then he says, who gave this water? Who gave? Which of my subjects gave these such nice refreshments? And the governor says, you know, I believe it's the house of Hatim that gave it. And the governor said, oh, I know Hatim from a long time ago. It's been a long time. I should go say salams. And the guard said, you know, actually I heard in talking with the daughter that Hatim is not there. And he's actually gone on Hajj. And he's been on Hajj for a while now. He's left. And the governor said, oh, my gosh, Hatim's family has been by himself. So I was not made aware. His wife and two daughters are left alone. We need to take care of them. And so he went to the house. And he took a sack of gold coins. And he placed it at the house. And then he told each of his guards, I want you to do the same. Take some of your income and place it here at the door for this family. They took care of us. We are now going to take care of them, subhanallah. And Hatim's wife and kids saw this. And they took the wealth. And alhamdulillah, their provisions were taken care of. And the daughter started to cry. She started to cry. And the mother said, why are you crying? When we were poor, you were laughing. And now we're rich because of the governor and you're crying. What is going on? Why do you have this type? Why are you doing this? And she said, I'm crying because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala looked down upon us. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made a way out for us. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is fulfilling his promise right now. He is the one that provides for us. They didn't know that the governor was going to come through town. They didn't know that the governor was going to have a relationship with Hatim from the past. They didn't know that this governor was going to be an upstanding governor and say, this is one of my subjects. Let me take care of them. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made all of this happen. And he built a way out and made a way out for his servants. Subhanallah. This is taqwa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, having God consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And brothers and sisters, each and every one of us here has a story like this. If you talk to an auntie or an uncle or someone in your family, someone would tell you some type of story like this. Every family here has a story like this, where we were being oppressed overseas by the ta'al eban or what have you. And we didn't know how we were going to get out. And we found a way out because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made it. So many of us here, if you speak with each other, so many of us have these stories. Subhanallah. This is taqwa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The second story is a story of a man who was sitting outside of a palace of a big mansion. He was sitting outside of a big mansion. And there was a little hole in the wall that was protecting the mansion. And there was a little stream coming out of it. And a fig came through the stream, came through the hole. And he grabbed the fig, and he ate half of it. And then he said, oh my gosh, this wasn't my fig. This is not my property. I took this fig without asking. This is not OK. So I need to ask for forgiveness. I need to make sure this is right. So he knocked on the door, and he said, can I please speak to the owner? I need to ask for forgiveness for eating half of this fig. Brothers, it's half a fig, not even the whole fig. And the caretaker of the house said actually the owner is away in another city. And it's a three, four day travel. If you go there, you'll be able to meet her. But otherwise, I can't help you. It's not my fig. So this man went, and he traveled three, four days. He tracked down the owner, found out where she was. And he said, oh my sister, I ate half of your fig without your permission. I'm asking for your forgiveness. I'm asking for your forgiveness. And she said, you can get my forgiveness, but only if you marry me. I'm a recent widow, and if you marry me, then you'll get my forgiveness. And he said, why do you want to marry me? And she said, because men like you are few, you have dacoa of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. You have God consciousness of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. You ate half a fig that wasn't yours, and you traveled four days just to ask for forgiveness. It's half a fig. So I want to marry you. And Alhamdulillah, it's a cute, feel good story. True story our scholars say, and they got married and lived happily ever after. This is dacoa of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is the God consciousness that we have to go back to, brothers and sisters. I'll call it Goli hadab astaghfirullah. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Inna allah wa malaiqatuhu yusalloon alal nabiyyai wa ladina amaloo sallu alaihi wa sallimutasneema Allahumma salli ala siddana Muhammadin wa ala ali Muhammad kama sallita ala siddana Ibraheem wa ala ali siddana Ibraheem inna kahameedum majeed. Brothers and sisters, this is the dacoa and the God consciousness that we have to go back to. If we all were like this man who wanted to seek forgiveness just for having half a fig, if we had this type of dacoa, then brothers and sisters, a lot of our problems in our community could be solved. A lot of our problems could be solved if we just had this amount of dacoa. I'm not going to park in a parking spot that's not reserved for MCC because I have dacoa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Our problems with our neighbors would be gone. If everyone had this dacoa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, had this God consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, aware of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and everything that they do in every moment that we do, this is what made the Muslim special brothers and sisters. This is what made the Muslim special. To be a Muslim is to submit, to submit to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to submit to his laws and his rules. And we have to go back to that submitting. And if we do that, then we will be elevated. And we can be like the payasalaf. These don't just need to be stories, brothers and sisters, these can be realities in our community. These can be realities in our community. And there are many beautiful stories in our community. But these can be realities in our story, in our society. Right now, they don't have to be feel-good stories that we tell of the past, brothers and sisters. This can be you, myself and this can be you. I remind myself first and foremost and then the congregation. This can be me and this can be you. This can be all of us, brothers and sisters. Having this type of God consciousness in every single thing that we do. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us this type of daqwa, this type of God consciousness. Bismillahir rahmanir raheem. Bismillahir rahmanir raheem.