God Is Doing Everything: A Whole New Perspective

(0:01) Alhamdulillah, wa ash'hadu alla ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah. (0:09) This, inshallah, will be the most important khutba I have ever delivered so far, so please (0:16) pay attention, special attention this time. (0:21) I will try to repeat the important points, and I want you to bear in mind that I am talking (0:27) to you, you, don't say he is talking to somebody else. (0:35) Recently I have come to a very important conclusion about believing in God, and this started (0:43) in the Muslim Perspective issue of February 1987, with the title Satan Believes in God. (0:52) It dawned on me that throughout the Quran we are taught that the majority of believers (0:59) in God are going to hell. (1:03) In surah 12, verse 103, it says most people, no matter what you do, will not believe. (1:09) And then in 106, we are told that the majority of those who believe will go to hell. (1:18) This is in surah 12, verse 106. (1:21) And then we read in surah al-mu'minun, number 23, verses 84 through 90, I am going to quote (1:34) starting at 84, say to whom belongs the earth and everyone in it, if you know, they will (1:43) say to God. (1:45) Say would you then take heed, or how come you do not take heed? (1:51) Say, who is the lord of the heavens, the seven universes, the lord with the great dominion? (2:00) They will say God. (2:02) Say how come you do not observe righteousness, or do not observe God? (2:08) Say to in whose hand is the kingship of everything, over everything, the one that can come to (2:18) your help and does not need any help, if you know, they will say God. (2:22) Say how come you have been bewitched, have gone astray? (2:28) So in surah 29, verse 61 says, if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth (2:35) and committed the sun and the moon, they will say God. (2:40) And then the verse ends by asking how come they deviated. (2:45) In surah 29, verse 63, it says, if you ask them who sends water from the sky to revive (2:53) dead land, they will say God. (2:56) Say praise be to God, how come most of them do not understand? (3:00) So all these verses and many more throughout Quran tell us that people believe in God, (3:06) Satan believes in God, but they are still going to hell, now why? (3:11) And the very important conclusion is, you do not believe in God unless you know God (3:16) as He really is, with all His qualities. (3:20) Namely, especially that God runs everything, that God is doing everything. (3:26) And this will shed a new light on our submission to God, our acceptance of whatever is happening (3:33) to you personally, or in the world, to anybody, to anything, to any country. (3:43) We do not believe in God unless we believe that God is running everything. (3:47) And at this point I would like to suggest a zikr for you, something for you to do, every (3:57) day, wherever you go, when you are driving or sitting or you have nothing to do, or even (4:04) if you have something to do, I want this to dominate your life, even mentally, even (4:08) when you are doing something. (4:09) I want you to repeat always, God is running everything, God is running everything. (4:17) This is your new zikr, our new zikr, because the whole world will look different to you. (4:25) When anything is happening that may turn you into an objector, not a submitter, this will (4:30) remind you that God is doing everything, and that you are objecting. (4:38) As a believer you have no business losing your temper, for example, you are not a believer (4:43) if you lose your temper. (4:45) And as I said at the beginning of the khutbah, I am talking to you, don't say he is talking (4:50) to somebody else, I am talking to you, yes you, Abdullah, Ghatut, Muhtasham, Ahmed, Azar (4:56) Ahmed, Frank, and so on, I am talking to you, every one of you. (5:00) You have no business losing your temper, because this indicates you are objecting to (5:06) something God is doing. (5:07) We must know that God is doing everything, even the things that Satan is doing, they (5:13) are following God's law. (5:18) A good example in the Quran is before the creation of Adam, God is telling the angels (5:24) I am putting on earth a representative, which in a nutshell says that God of course knew (5:33) that Adam was going to be duped by Satan and will go down to earth. (5:39) Because when Satan tricked Adam, God said go down to earth, all of you. (5:46) But this, before the creation of Adam, God is telling the angels I am going to place (5:51) on the planet earth a representative, the human being. (5:58) So even though Satan tempted Adam and Eve, God is doing everything, because everything (6:07) is going in accordance with God's will. (6:10) This is our new zikr, when you are driving, when you are sitting, when you are doing anything, (6:15) eventually it is going to happen mentally, every cell in your body is going to say God (6:19) is running everything. (6:23) And this is the true believer, this is the believer in God who will not go to hell. (6:29) The majority of believers in God are going to hell because they do not believe that God (6:34) is running everything. (6:36) In surah 8 verse 17, a classic example, it is not you who killed them, that was after (6:43) the battle, one of the battles in early Islam, it is not you who killed them, it is God who (6:47) killed them. (6:48) It is not you who threw when you threw the arrow or the gun or whatever, it was God who (6:54) threw. (6:57) And this is a very important conclusion, and this is why I think this is the most important (7:01) khutbah I have ever given to you. (7:09) I made a trip recently to Egypt, and everything that happened in that trip told me that we (7:16) do not do anything, we do not do anything, God is doing everything. (7:22) The timing of my arrival, the timing of my leaving, I mean I get on the telephone and (7:27) I say TWA I am changing my reservation from Tuesday to Thursday, I decided to change my (7:32) reservation, I did not decide anything, I did not change anything, believe me, God is (7:35) doing it, God is doing everything. (7:41) In surah number 12 again, the brothers of Joseph decided not to kill him, right? (7:47) They think, they decided not to kill him, they decided to throw him in the well. (7:52) But before this happens, way before this, years before they make this so-called decision (7:58) of theirs, Joseph sees the dream, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing before him, (8:08) with his father, his mother, and his eleven brothers bowing before him. (8:12) Something that was to happen after he is practically ruling Egypt, as a man. (8:20) So when the brothers met to kill him, the decision was already made, they could not (8:26) decide to kill him, it was impossible, but here they are meeting and they have taken (8:31) votes, shall we kill him, what shall we do with him? (8:35) And then they decided, they think, not to kill him. (8:40) God is running everything, this is our new zikr, just keep telling yourself God is running (8:46) everything, especially when you are at the brink of objecting to something, or losing (8:52) your temper. (8:56) When you lose your temper, tell yourself you must separate yourself from you, as of now. (9:01) When you lose your temper against a friend, or a spouse, or a brother, or a sister, or (9:06) anybody in the street, you tell yourself you are not a Muslim, you are objecting, because (9:14) God is running everything, believe me, when your friend, or your wife, or your husband (9:18) behaves in a certain way that gets in your nerves, God is doing it, and it is because (9:24) you deserve it. (9:27) So you have to get on yourself, and correct yourself, and catch yourself objecting, not (9:36) submitting to God, God runs everything. (9:47) I want to give you an example so you understand how God is running everything, and how we (9:52) have the freedom of choice. (9:58) Suppose I had a temporary ability of traveling in the future, let's say for one week, I travel (10:05) in the future and I see what happened to you, what decision you made, okay, so I traveled (10:11) all the way to next Friday, and I saw exactly where you went, what kind of decision you (10:17) made, now back to this Friday, I am giving you a choice to go to New York or to California, (10:23) so I want to give you a choice to go to either New York or California. (10:27) So I am giving you a choice, you are going to freely choose California or New York for (10:32) your trip, but I already know, because I traveled in time this one week and I know that you (10:38) decided to go to California, so even though I am giving you the freedom of choice, I know (10:44) exactly what you are going to do and where you are going. (10:48) But it is much more than this, I don't think you can really understand it, God runs everything, (10:55) and this is the condition, this is a quality of God, and if you don't know this quality (11:00) you don't know God, and you don't believe in God, and this is what the Quran means by (11:05) all these verses, when Satan inflicts disasters, diseases, cancer on people, Satan is doing (11:19) this in accordance with God's law, and we see this in the Quran, I remind you for example (11:26) of the disciples of Jesus when they demanded peace from the sky, and God said okay I am (11:34) going to send it down, but if any of you disbelieve, I will punish him severely, more (11:40) than anybody that I ever punished. (11:43) Now you know that the punisher will really be Satan, but God, this is God's law, when (11:49) they disbelieve, they step out of God's kingdom, then Satan will inflict the damage, but God (11:55) is doing everything. (11:57) So even the actions of Satan are under God's control, God is running everything, God will (12:05) not be a God if He wasn't running everything, so this is a quality of God that we must recognize, (12:12) and we are going to commemorate it, this is in our own language, in English, and you drive (12:18) your car and you say God is running everything, and you look at everything and you say God (12:23) is running everything, because this is the condition of belief in God. (12:29) The Quran says very clearly, when something good happens to you it is from God, when something (12:35) bad happens to you it is from you, but God is running everything. (12:40) God created the fire, you can use it to cook a steak, from a raw steak to a delicious cooked (12:48) steak, unless you like it raw, but you can also put your finger in that fire and burn (12:55) your finger. (12:56) So God created the fire to be in your service, but if you choose to put your finger in it (13:02) and suffer, then this is from you, not from God. (13:07) But it is God's law that made the fire as burning, if you put your finger in it, it (13:11) burns, it is God's law, it is one of the physical laws, there are many invisible laws, like (13:17) if you disobey God, if you go drink for example, it is exactly like putting your finger in (13:22) the fire, but the punishment is not as visible, you can be sure you will pay, it is just like (13:29) that, like the fire and putting your finger in it, alcohol and drinking it, drugs and (13:34) taking them, adultery and committing it, all these things, they are laws, but God's laws (13:41) govern them, and the punishment, the physical, the fire, putting your finger in it, the punishment (13:46) for God for the sins, are exactly in the same way, but they are not as visible, they are (13:53) just as painful if not worse, and this explains all the problems we see in the world, the (14:01) people breaking God's law and paying the price, just like putting their finger in the fire. (14:10) What is our role, what do we do? (14:14) God is doing everything, we do only one thing, one decision, to be with God or not, after (14:22) that God takes over, but we are absolutely free in that decision, to submit is already (14:31) done, and the choice, our choice is to willingly submit or unwillingly submit, and those people (14:39) who do not believe in God out there, they are submitting to God, except unwillingly, (14:43) I mean they can't control the number of beats of their heart, for example, that is one of (14:47) the visible things, but God runs everything, when Reagan decides to agree with the Russians (14:56) on limiting nuclear weapons, he is not deciding anything, he is just like Joseph the brother, (15:02) he thinks he is deciding to meet with the Russians, or vice versa, but God runs everything. (15:15) We know also that the angels are as free as we are, from the incident where Satan refused (15:23) to obey God and bow down before Adam, God wants His creatures to be free as far as that (15:31) decision is concerned, until the day of judgment, the eternal day of judgment, there is no more, (15:39) we will see everything, and we will submit, everybody will submit, including the dwellers of hell. (15:45) It turns out that if we believe that anybody is doing anything, this is shirk, (16:06) this is idolatry, you are putting somebody who is doing something with God, next to God, (16:14) it negates the idea that God runs everything, so if you think anybody is doing anything, (16:23) I mean, this is by definition, it is shirk, idolatry. (16:31) This is why we are going to remind ourselves, to remind ourselves again of Satan's ideas, (16:36) we are going to always say God runs everything, you are going to do it for a while and then (16:42) you will forget, like I forget, so I am going to keep after me and after you, and I am going (16:47) to repeat that, I am going to remind you and you remind me, and you will always continuously (16:52) until every cell in our body is declaring God is running everything. (16:57) Because this, like I said, sheds a whole new light on submission, the idea of submission, (17:03) and this sign out there on the wall, happiness of submission to God, (17:08) is a profound sign, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. (17:13) You are going to be perfectly happy, and this zikr, that God runs everything, is going to help you (17:20) into total submission, because anytime you start to complain or object, you are going (17:27) to remind yourself God runs everything, I am complaining against God, I am complaining (17:30) from God is doing this, so I am complaining, I don't like it. (17:39) We sometimes we turn into complainers, and we have to catch ourselves. (17:49) Complainers will complain when things are good, they will complain when things are bad, (17:54) they get into a rut, and they will complain continuously, that is objection, (18:00) that is the opposite of submission. (18:03) There is a good example of decisions, the May issue of the Muslim perspective, (18:11) we decided to print a certain number, and we said okay we are going to get to these (18:16) Muslim organizations, they don't deserve the Muslim perspective anyway, so we are going to (18:21) skip one, do one and skip one, so we will send only Muslim perspectives to half of them. (18:27) And okay, we made a decision, right? (18:30) We make decisions, but God makes the decision, and God's decision prevails. (18:34) So the next day the press, they call me and they say, guess what, we made a mistake, (18:39) so what, we changed the page, they printed one page on the wrong side. (18:48) So they have to do it over, for nothing. (18:52) So we ended up with a large number of Muslim perspectives anyway, and we have to send the (18:57) perspective to everybody. (18:59) But this is an example of deciding, right? (19:02) We decided to eliminate this name, but God decided, no, we are going to send it to every (19:07) single one of them. (19:09) God runs everything. (19:25) Suboo ila allah, repent. (19:45) I believe this zikr is very important, very significant, and I believe it is going to (19:53) help all of us. (19:55) So I am going to repeat again and impress on you, that wherever you have a chance, (20:01) continuously, God is running everything, God is running everything, God is running everything. (20:07) Silently and loudly, every chance you get. (20:11) And eventually, like I said, every cell in your body will be pronouncing this important (20:17) decision, this is the requirement to make it to heaven. (20:28) I want to talk again about being upset and fighting with anybody. (20:36) Being upset, complaining, fighting, for your own good you shouldn't do that, we should (20:45) not do that for our own good, because it backfires many fold. (20:51) When you say a hurting word, or a hurting look, the Quran goes all the way to suspicion, (20:59) inside of your head, if you are suspicious of some... (21:05) you know, you look at me and I have a stomach ache or something, and I am making a face, (21:09) and you say, this guy is not friendly to me, you have committed a sin, and it is going to (21:14) backfire on you, you are the one who is going to suffer, you must seek excuses for the people. (21:22) If I pass by you and I am making a face, it is not because I hate you, probably I do, (21:28) maybe I do, but what you are supposed to do is, oh he must have a headache, or a stomach ache, (21:34) or something is bothering him, and you love me instead of hate me, for your own good. (21:42) But if I am making a face, if I am passing by you and I am making a face, (21:47) and you assume that I do it because I don't like you, and it is true, even that little (21:52) suspicion in your head will hurt you, will backfire on you. (21:56) So let alone being loud, calling names, these backfire on you, for your own protection, (22:07) for your own peace of mind and happiness, don't do it. (22:11) The reason is that, the mechanism of it is that it is an objection, it is complaining (22:17) against what God is doing, God is running everything. (22:22) And if your husband or wife or your friend is behaving in a certain way, (22:25) it is because of something you have done, you have to tell, you have to join your wife or (22:30) your husband or your friend and call you names, or whatever the other person is doing. (22:36) You ally yourself with your enemy against yourself, because it is something you have done. (22:41) Say God is punishing me for something I have done, I have stepped out of God's law. (22:47) And always remind yourself God is running everything. (22:52) And don't say I am talking to somebody else, I am talking to you, every one of you, and me. (23:00) I have to remind myself. (23:04) I think I am the oldest person in this place, anybody older than me? (23:08) God. (23:10) See from my experience, as being your elder, I will give myself the privilege of advising you. (23:20) From experience it backfires on you when you lose your temper. (23:26) Happiness is submission to God. (23:29) You have to make a decision right now that you will never be upset, you will never complain, (23:35) let other people complain, let them be upset, let them call you names. (23:40) You take the defeated side, for your own good, because believe me you are a lot happier this way, (23:47) and you end up victorious. (23:50) There is nothing in this world that is worth being upset about. (23:55) Believing that God runs everything, as you read in the Quran, equals, or is better than, (24:01) excuse me, is better than owning everything in this world and twice as much. (24:09) If you own Manhattan and all the real estate in Manhattan, they consider you rich. (24:13) So I am not talking about Manhattan, I am talking about all of the United States, all of Japan. (24:18) If you own Hong Kong, you will be rich, with all the real estate over there. (24:25) But believing in God the proper way is better than owning everything in the whole world and (24:32) twice as much. Does this make you happy? It should. (24:38) The simplest thing you do as a believer, which is praying five times a day, (24:44) if you put it in the right perspective of a person who believes, (24:49) is the greatest thing that can happen to anybody. (24:53) Okay, I want you to put yourself in this situation. (24:56) You receive a telephone call from the White House, you say, (25:00) Frank Yergin, you are invited to have lunch with the president next Wednesday. (25:08) Okay, I am going to use Frank as an example. (25:11) Frank immediately will call his work, I am not coming to work on Wednesday, (25:15) and will call his friends, guess what, I am invited to lunch at the White House. (25:23) And he will find the best clothes to put on for that important meeting. (25:33) So five times a day you have an appointment with the king of kings, if you believe that (25:37) God runs everything, that God is the president of the whole world, that Yergin is a dinky servant, (25:45) an insignificant creature of God. (25:49) If you really know that, well, is this what you will do for every prayer? (25:53) You have an appointment with God five times a day. (25:58) You are going to call work and say I am not coming to work because I have an appointment (26:02) with the president of the whole universe. (26:06) So this puts things in perspective. (26:11) You are going to seek executions not to go to the White House? (26:14) I have a headache, Mr. President. (26:19) Most people will go even though they have the worst headache, a migraine, you know, (26:22) they will still go. (26:29) Okay, I finished the main topic and there are two points that I would like to mention (26:35) before I close. (26:36) One of them is something that I started to do, I should have done it a long time ago, (26:41) the statement in the Quran that says eat and drink, but in moderation, not too much. (26:48) So I started doing this after Ramadan and it feels great not to fill your stomach too much. (26:54) I mean look at the wisdom of the Quran, eat and drink, but in moderation, not too much. (27:02) And it is a great thing. (27:05) If I continued the same I would not be able to wear this suit. (27:11) I am beginning to put on some of my clothes that I had discarded. (27:17) God created in the universe, this will help us appreciate God and how He is running everything, (27:24) and will induce us to make this music continuously. (27:29) In the last issue of Parade Magazine, Carl Sagan wrote an article about billions and (27:34) billions, God created a billion trillion stars. (27:39) Now forget the planets that go with these stars, and forget the fact that the sun is (27:45) one of the dim stars, a bright star is defined as a star that is a million times, at least (27:55) a million times as bright as our sun. (27:58) So God created a billion trillion stars, and here there is a table from Parade that says (28:04) how long it would take to count to this number, you know, the billion trillion. (28:13) Or a billion trillion would have 7 times 3, 21 zeros, which will make it a septillion. (28:31) A billion trillion is a septillion, but here they went as far as a quintillion. (28:35) Let us just go to a small number, okay? (28:39) Quintillion is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6 times 3, only 18, not 21. (28:44) The quintillion, how long it will take you to count this number from zero, one count per (28:50) second, night and day, you know how long it will take you to count the quintillion? (28:54) Let us forget the other one million stars, and let us forget the planets and the heavenly (28:59) bodies and all this. (29:00) It will take you, listen to this, you are going to say 1, 2, 3, 4, just counting, okay? (29:07) Not creating, counting. (29:08) It is going to take you 32 billion years, which is more than the age of the universe, (29:16) okay? (29:17) I mean, the universe is not 32 billion years, but if you just count, you look at the stars (29:22) and count them one by one, it is going to take you 32 billion, this is mathematics, because (29:27) you divide the quintillion by the seconds and the minutes and the days and so on. (29:34) It will take you 32 billion years to just count them, and God created them. (29:41) Okay, so you can appreciate the greatness of God. (29:46) Fatimah Salah. (30:09) Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen, Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem, Maliki Yawm Al-Deen, Iyyaka Na'budu Wa Iyyaka (30:17) Nastaeen, Ihdina As-Sirata Al-Mustaqeem, Sirata Al-Ladhina An'amta Alayhim, Ghayri Al-Maghdoobi (30:25) Alayhim, Wa La Ad-Dalleen. (30:28) Allahu Akbar, Samia Allahu Liman Hamidah, Allahu Akbar, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Subhana (30:41) Rabbiyal A'la, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, (30:50) Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Allahu Akbar, Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, (31:00) Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen, Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem, Maliki Yawm Al-Deen, Iyyaka Na'budu Wa Iyyaka (31:09) Nastaeen, Ihdina As-Sirata Al-Mustaqeem, Sirata Al-Ladhina An'amta Alayhim, Ghayri Al-Maghdoobi (31:18) Alayhim, Wa La Ad-Dalleen. (31:21) Allahu Akbar, Subhana Rabbiyal Azeem, Subhana Rabbiyal Azeem, Subhana Rabbiyal Azeem, Samia (31:28) Allahu Liman Hamidah, Allahu Akbar, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, (31:39) Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la, (31:49) Allahu Akbar, Ashadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wahdahu la sharika lah. (31:57) As-salamu alaykum, as-salamu alaykum.