(upbeat music) - Have you ever seen Allah? (choral humming begins) And if not, how often do you get to talk to Him? Every day we open our eyes and take in the world around us.
The beauty of creation, the faces we love, the blessings we sometimes forget. Sight is a powerful sense. People say, "Seeing is believing," right?
But have you ever seen Allah? And if you've never seen Him, how do you achieve nearness to Him? (choral humming continues) Abu Yazid al-Bustami Rahimahullah says, "I saw my Lord in a dream.
And I said, "Ya rab, kayf-at-tareequ ilayk? " "How do I get close to you, oh, my Lord? " And my Lord responded, "utruk nafsak, wa ta'al.
" "Leave yourself behind and come closer. "" Imam Ahmad Rahimahullah also says, "I saw my Lord in a dream and I said, "Oh, my Lord, how is it possible to achieve closeness to you? " (choral humming continues) And he replied, "Ya Ahmad, bi kalami.
" "Oh Ahmad, by my words. " meaning the recitation of the Qur'an. I said, "And oh my Lord, when we recite with understanding or even without understanding?
" And Allah 'Azza wa jal responded, "With or without understanding. "" Meaning the Qur'an is blessed and it's of course better to read with Tafsir in comprehension. But even the very recital of the word of Allah is of the best ways to get close to Him.
Ibn al-Jawzi Rahimahullah mentions that Yahya al Bakkaa' Rahimahullah, saw his Lord in a dream and he said, "kam ad'ooka wa la tujeebuni? " "Oh my Lord, how long have I been calling upon you and you haven't answered me? " And Allah responded to him, and said, "Ya Yahya, inni uhibbu an asma'a sawtak.
" "Oh Yahya, I love to hear your voice. " The prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said that, "Ihsan or Excellence, is that you worship Allah as if you can see Him, and if you can't see Him, then you know he sees you. " But what does that practically mean?
There's one narration, in which, the prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam elaborated. Mu'ath RadiAllahu 'Anhu says, "I went to the prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam and I said, "Ya Rasulullah, awsini. " "Oh, messenger of Allah, give me advice.
" And the prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said, "I advise you, worship Allah as if you can see him and count yourself amongst the already-dead. And remember Allah near every stone and every tree. And if you commit a sin, then do a good deed in its place.
A secret deed for a secret deed, and a public deed for a public deed. "" I want you to think about what the connection would be between worshiping Allah as if you can see him and already counting yourself from the dead. And one of the wisdom of that, is that you now see reality for what it truly is.
And there is nothing more real than Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala himself. Now, there are these dreams narrated from the prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam and the righteous predecessors, where they would say, "I saw Allah. " And we know these to be truthful people.
Imam Abu Hanifa Rahimahullah was recorded to have experienced this multiple times. So, this is an established phenomenon, but the sight of Allah in a dream is rare. It's a unique experience for the soul.
And a vision of the heart that is real yet is nothing like actually seeing Allah in the hereafter, which is the true gift that we all long for. It's something that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala gifted a few of the pious predecessors and not something we should get too caught up in. So, why even mention it?
Because if you pay attention, even in those few dreams that we have, the emphasis even in those dreams is that you connect to Allah through his words of the Qur'an and through your words in du'a, that's the point. You don't have to see Allah here. You're actually engaging with Allah already, directly, multiple times a day.
And some people talk about Allah, but they don't talk to Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'Aala Some people know about Allah, but they don't know Allah. And understanding that direct engagement of the soul, can be profoundly life changing. And of course, anyone who feels that direct connection with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala always wants more.
And that's why Musa 'Alaihi-s-Salam wanted to see him in this dunya. But he was unable to. But what did Allah honor him with?
Allah still honored him with being Kalimullah, the one who Allah spoke directly to. "Wa idha sa'alaka ibadi anni fa inni Qareeb. " "When my servant asks you about me, I am close.
" Before you got here, Allah spoke to you directly and said, "alastu birabbikum? " "Am I not your Lord? " The next time you'll be asked in the grave "man rabbuk?
" "Who is your Lord? " You have all this time to get to know him between the two questions, will you be ready to answer it? The believer in theory, would've spoken to Allah more than anyone else in their lives, if you just took their Salah alone.
And Allah directly responds to you, every single time you pray, and you recite surat al-Fatiha If you don't pray a single Sunna a day, you're still going to have that conversation with Allah, at least 17 times directly. And that doesn't even include the rest of your Salah, or du'as that you make throughout the day. "Prayer is the ascent of the believer.
" Just as Allah took the prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam in body and soul on a journey to him and legislated to him the Salah directly, Allah has given you, your Salah, to where your soul ascends to him and you speak directly to him. And the prophet, SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam, said, that, "The closest that a slave is to Allah is in his sujood," is in his prostration. I remember asking a brother who recently embraced Islam, what's the most beautiful part of Islam to you?
So, he just said, "Man, Allah is just so accessible. I never knew what being able to talk directly to God could be like for me. " And what does the prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam say?
Allah says, "Ana maa aabdi itha huwa thakarani wa taharrakat bee shafatahu. " "I am with my slave as soon as he remembers me and his lips move saying my name. " You won't mention Allah without him mentioning you.
Your soul longs for him, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, at all times. Even when you sleep, Imam al-Bayhaqi Rahimahullah mentions the narration that's attributed to Abu Darda RadiAllahu 'Anhu. And there's almost an identical statement to Abdullah ibn Amr RadiAllahu 'Anhu, that, "The soul of the believer is brought to the throne of Allah when he sleeps.
And if he slept in a state of taharah, a state of purity, his soul is allowed to make sajdah to Allah. And subbhanAllah, we know the sunna is to do Wudu' before we sleep. And that the angels make duaa for us throughout the night if we do.
So, even when you sleep, you're brought near. And if your last deed before sleep was a good deed, being Wudu', then that is going to be the way that it experiences its entire night. And the degree to which that soul longs for him Subhanahu Wa Ta'Aala affects how quickly and how deeply you encounter him, Subhanahu Wa Ta'Aala from the moment that you enter into the barzakh.
Is anyone already seeing Allah? Again, there's nothing like the vision of the hereafter. There's this beautiful narration of Jaber RadiAllahu 'Anhu where he says, that the prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam came to me after my father was martyred in Uhud.
And he said, "Ya Jaber, mali araka munkasiran? " "O Jaber, why do I see you broken-hearted? " So I said, "Ya rasulullah, my father's been killed.
And he left behind all these dependents, all these family members and all these debts. " And the prophet, SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam, he said to him, "Shall I not tell you something to comfort you? " He said, "ma kallama Allahu ahadan qatt, illa min warai'i hijab.
" "Allah has not spoken to anyone before except from behind a veil. " "wa kallama Allahu abaka kifahan. " "But Allah spoke to your father directly.
" And he said, "ya aabdi, tamanna alayya uu'teek. " "Oh my slave, ask something from me and I will give it to you. " And he said, "Ya rab, tuhyeeni, fa uqtalu feeka thania.
" "Oh my Lord, bring me back to life so that I may be killed in your cause again. " And Allah responds and says, "innahu sabaqa minni annahum ilayha la yarji'oon. " "But I've already decreed that no one will return back to that life.
" So he said, in that case, "ya rab, fa abligh man wara'ee. " "My Lord then convey the news to those whom I have left behind. " And that is when Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, revealed the verse about the shuhadaa', that they are ahyaa', that they are alive, and that Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, is indeed taking care of them.
So, just think about it. All he would want after that beautiful moment is to come back and sacrifice his life for Allah again. Imagine that longing and think of the martyrs of Gaza and Yemen and all over the Muslim world, who now experience Allah's closeness, not only wanting to see him, but to continue striving for him, sacrificing for him over and over again.
Remember Imam Ahmad Rahimahullah, and those many dreams, of the prophet, SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam, when he was being tortured. After he dies, one of his students says, "I saw Imam Ahmad in a dream. So, I said to him, "ya aba 'Abdillah, what has your Lord done for you?
" And Imam Ahmad responded, "He has forgiven me. " He said to me, "Ye Ahmad, you received 60 lashes for my sake. " And I said, "Yes, my Lord.
" He said, "Now my face appears to you, so look at it as you please. " SubhanAllah, you see the direct connection, between bitter sacrifice for Allah when you can't see him, and then the sweetness of seeing him there. Now it may take some time before you get to see him directly, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And we know that the ultimate sight of him is reserved for Janna. But in the meantime, you see his signs. And when you die, you see another set of signs made now visible to you and peeling one more layer between you and him.
When we die, the believers see angels of mercy. The disbelievers see angels of punishment, the shuhadaa' see Janna right away from the first strike. But if you're a believer, you'll get your own version of al Israa' wal Mi'raj at that time.
As Imam al-Dhahhak Rahimahullah narrated, "When the soul of the believing servant is taken, it is ascended to the heavens. And those who are nearest to Allah accompany it. " And they say, "ya rab, 'abduka fulan.
" "Oh Lord, this is your servant so-and-so. " Even though Allah knows better than them. And then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala sends down a sealed certificate, "yu'amminuhu min al 'aathab.
" that assures him safety from the punishment of Allah. And then he goes on to say that, this is the meaning of Allah's words, "Kalla inna kitaba alabrari lafee 'illiyyeen. Wa ma adraka ma 'illiyyoon?
Kitabun marqum. yash-haduhu-l-muqarraboon. " that, "Verily the record of the righteous is in illiyyeen, the highest of places.
And what can make you know what illiyyeen is. "It's a written record, witnessed by those brought near to Allah. " The question is, can you see Allah now through his signs and verses and what is that doing for you?
Or are you waiting for the universe to consume you to the point where you will only see clearly when it's too late to act? If you want that gift, to behold him on that day with your own two eyes, do you recognize that Allah has already given you direct access to him in this life? Will you wait to see him there?
Or will you sharpen your vision here while you continue to seek that closeness to him? "laqad kunta fi ghaflatin min hatha. Fakashafna 'anka ghita'aka fabasaruka-l-yawma hadeed.
" "You were indeed heedless in regards to this. So, we removed from you that cover, and now your vision is sharp. " But you're already dead.
Were you ever really alive in the first place? (choral humming ends) "La'allee a'malu salihan feema tarakt kalla innaha kalimatun huwa qa'iluha wa min wara'ihim barzakhun ila yawmi yub'athoon" Closed captioning provided by MUHSEN (www. muhsen.
