You're Not Perfect??? That's Perfectly Okay! - Highlights

Allah has many attributes. He has 99 names, he has 1000 descriptions. In some of our supplications. However, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala has decided to choose two attributes to introduce Himself. In the Holy Qur'an, every chapter, except Surat al-Tawbah, begins with the phrase "Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim." In the name of Allah, Ar-Rahman, the All Compassionate, Ar-Rahim, the All Merciful. The narrations of Ahl ul-Bayt tell us that the greatest verse in the Holy Qur'an is the Basmala.

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim is the greatest verse that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala has revealed because it introduces the Almighty God with two amazing attributes. Al-Imam as-Sadiq, alayhi as-salam, in one hadith, he expresses his frustration with some other schools of thought. He says, how dare they omit the Basmala from their prayer? They do not loudly recite it, even though this is the greatest verse in the Holy Qur'an.

How could they do something like that? And they consider those who recite the Basmala in their prayers to have done bida'h, to have come up with an innovation. How dare they do that with the greatest verse Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala has revealed? Now, when you look at the root word Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim, these two words are two derivatives of the same meaning, which is mercy, the mercy of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. The word Ar-Rahman means the all encompassing mercy of the Almighty God.

And this all-encompassing mercy includes everything. All of the creation, all of the creatures of God, the believers and the non-believers, the humans and the animals, the inanimate objects and the living beings. Everything is subject to the mercy of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. The second attribute in the Basmala is Ar-Rahim. Now, Ar-Rahim is also merciful, but for who? Ar-Rahim is the special mercy of the Almighty God that is given only to the believers. So His Ar-Rahmaniyya encompasses everyone, even the unbelievers, but His Ar-Rahimiyya includes the believers only.

It is for the same reason that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, when it comes to His special mercy, Ar-Rahimiyya, Allah does not equate between the believer and the unbeliever, because there's a huge difference between the one who believes in Allah and he recognizes the laws of Allah, and he submits to the laws of Allah in his heart. So in the first part of the hadith, Allah says: Inna al-'abda min 'abidi al-Mu'minin". The first criterion to receiving that special mercy from Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is one's faith and one's Iman.

Therefore, if you want Allah to increase His blessings upon you, His Rahmah upon you in the world, and especially on the Day of Judgment, you know what to do. You simply need to increase your faith in Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala.

Then Allah gets to the second part. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala states: "La yundhibu adh-dhamb al-adheem". My believing servant will commit a major sin. And because of this major sin, he brings upon My punishment in the life and on the Day of Judgment. Wait a minute, is there a contradiction here? Allah is saying, my believing servant committing a major sin. How does that work? Isn't that a paradox? Don't we have a discrepancy here?

Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is speaking to us, His creation. He has created us and He knows us very well. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is reminding us, look, you are not infallible. I did not create you infallible. You could be My believing servant, but at the same time, you could commit a major sin. If you commit a major sin, it is not the end of the world. You could still be my servant, you could still be a believer.

We all make mistakes, we are human beings. And Allah recognizes that we are human beings who are fallible, who are prone to committing sins. There are some people in their minds, that if some human being in society, he committed a sin, that's it. This is the end of the world. This person is no longer loved by Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. This person is not to be respected. This person has no faith.

That's not the case, brothers and sisters. Allah says, this believing servant can actually commit a sin, a big sin. "La yundhibu adh-dhamb al-adheem". And because of this, he brings upon My wrath. I have to punish him because of this sin, in the world and in the hereafter. Now, there are some people who develop a habit of sinning. That's different.

Allah is speaking about His believing servant who occasionally commits a sin. Not someone who has no piety, someone who has no faith. Because when you have faith, that protects you from falling into sin. If you know someone who is constantly sinning, constantly sinning, they have no respect for the laws of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. And whenever you talk to them, they act arrogant and stubborn. No, Allah is Rahim, don't tell me that what I'm doing is wrong. Realize that these people don't have complete faith.

The hadith says sometimes because of your sins, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala will cast sorrow in your heart. You will feel depressed, you will feel down. Why? Because of a sin that you committed. The hadith says sometimes you will trip, fall and wound yourself. Why? Because of a sin that you committed. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is Just, and therefore, sometimes, we pay for our sins here in this life. Not only in the hereafter.

Now you may ask, why is it that God just does not punish us in the hereafter? Why in this life? There are a number of reasons, but one reason is the life, this world is too limited and too short for some people to be given what they deserve for sinning. Look at the tyrants, for example, a person like Saddam Hussein.

I ask you, how can Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala establish justice for him on the face of this planet? When you consider that he made millions of people miserable, he orphaned hundreds of thousands of children, he widowed hundreds of thousands of women, he tortured hundreds of thousands of people, how could you ever give him what he deserves in this life? The world is too limited, it is too short for him to receive the punishment from Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. He does receive partial punishment. But that is why you need the Akhira. Because without it, these tyrants can never get what they deserve.

That's why those who reject the Akhira, those atheists who reject God and the Day of Judgment. "No, the world is it. When we die, we'll become part of the ground". This is a very dangerous ideology. You know why? Because this creates depression in the hearts of people.

If I was living in Iraq and I saw all the misery of Saddam, and I don't believe in the Akhira, why wouldn't I commit suicide? Honestly, why? This man ruined my life, ruined my society, and the lives of millions of people. And then there is no Day of Judgment, there is no Day of Reckoning. He became dirt. I'll become dirt like him. Why should I even live this life?

So this believer makes a sin. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala says, because of this sin that calls on my punishment, I have to punish him in this life, and in the hereafter. Then the third segment, and here's how we come to discover the Rahmah of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala.

In the third segment of this hadith, Allah says, however, "fa andhuru fima salahuhu min akhiratih", however Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala doesn't rush, He doesn't haste in His punishment. Allah says, "I look at his best interest. What's his interest for the hereafter?" This person had committed a sin. A lot of the dealings that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala does with us, brothers and sisters, are based on our interest. If we only knew.

We're always nagging and objecting to Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, but we don't realize that what Allah has done to us is actually in our own interest. Allah says, I look at the interests of this person. My believer has committed a sin. Should I punish him in this world or in the hereafter? Allah says, "because I have mercy on My servant, I will hasten the punishment here in this life, so he does not have to deal with this sin on the Day of Judgment." Which one would you rather choose, brothers and sisters? Next time, if you feel Allah punished you for a sin, thank Allah. Say Oh Allah, I thank you. Because I'd rather face my sins in this life than in the hereafter.

In the fourth segment, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala says: "I will for my servant to be punished. I write that. I will it. However, I keep it hanging. I do not execute the will". Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, on the one hand, He wants to quickly punish you, to purify you, and that is from His Rahmah. But on the other hand, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala does not execute the punishment yet. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala keeps it hanging.

"Wa ma ya'lamu bi 'abdi". And my 'abd, my servant, has no clue what's going on. He's sleeping in his bed, and he has no clue what's going on. He's committed a sin and he has not asked for istighfar. This hadith is assuming that the person has forgotten to seek Allah's forgiveness. Because if you ask Allah's forgiveness, there's no reason why Allah would punish you. Allah would remove that punishment.

You've forgotten to ask Allah for His Rahmah, for His mercy, for His forgiveness. You're sleeping, you forgot about the sin. You have no clue. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is now writing a punishment that awaits you. There is this calamity that awaits you and you have no clue about it. But Allah has kept it hanging. Why does Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala make some of his wills hanging? Why?

Allah doesn't execute them immediately. Allah does so because He is giving us a chance to change that, brothers and sisters. And this is the biggest lesson we learn on Laylat al-Qadr.

That I as a human being, yes, I am weak, I am nothing when compared to the greatness of Allah. But this Merciful Lord has given me a chance to change what Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala has destined for me. "Yamhu Allahu man yasha wa yuthbit" (13:39). Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala can erase some things which He has decreed for us, which He has written for us. Allah can change that. I have a role in that. When you do good, for example, the hadith says, "Allah has decreed for some individuals to die in three years. They pay charity, they donate, they visit family members, they help someone. Allah makes that 3 into 30 years."

Allah gave you the opportunity to change that. For what reason? Allah says, "because I don't wish to see My servant in pain." Allahu Akbar. "I don't want My servant to suffer. He deserves it. He should be punished and it's good for him, if he gets punished, it's perfect, it's excellent. But I hesitate. I don't want to harm My servant". Look at the Rahmah of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala.

Allah says because My servant, he performs the nawafil, the good deeds, the extra recommended acts in his day, at night, I don't wish to harm him at all.

And this is the role of recommended deeds. Some people say, the wajabat they are enough for me. Why the mustahabbat? I don't need any good deeds, any extra recommended deeds. The role of recommended deeds is that they protect you from the punishment of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. Because of this nawafil, Allah says, because of your nawafil, I will avert that danger away from you.

Realize the importance of nawafil. You know, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is still not happy with the situation. Ya, Allah. What more? How much more can you give me? I've committed a major sin. You have forgiven that sin. You wanted to punish me, but you kept the punishment away from me. Allah says: no, my dear beloved servant, I want to have more mercy on you. What is the mercy of Allah? Allah says in the final segment of the hadith, "had you been punished for that sin", imagine if Allah had punished you and purified you for that sin.

If you were punished, you would have received a reward from Allah, right? Because anytime we experience pain in life, Allah rewards us, brothers and sisters, because Allah is Merciful. Anytime you go through difficulty, you go through pain, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is actually rewarding you.

Now, had Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala punished you for that sin, Allah would have given you also a reward because He had punished you. Now Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala says: "look, that reward which you could have gotten by being punished I decided not to punish you. But I will still give you that reward."

Is there a Mercy more, brothers and sisters, from Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala?