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You Can Be Punished With Comfort | Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman
What does Islam say about karma? In what ways do our past actions affect our present and future? Listen to this khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman to gain deeper insight on the connections between our actions and their consequences.
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
We begin by praising Allah and bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for Him. And we bear witness that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His final Messenger.
We ask Allah to send His peace and blessings upon him, the Prophets and Messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in their blessed path until the Day of Judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen.
Dear brothers and sisters, if you do something wrong to someone else and something immediately happens to you in the same category of that wrongdoing, what do you say?
Where does your mind go? Many people would use the word karma. They would say it's payback. You do something and it is done to you. You do a good deed and they call it pay it forward.
And good deed will come to you in return. You commit a bad deed or you do something wrong and then somehow you'll taste the consequence of that wrongdoing as a whole. So I was asked this question last week as I gave a khutbah where the Prophet (ﷺ) spoke
about a young man who committed a sin and as soon as he turned away from that sin he hit his head on a wall. And the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned to him that this is a sign of Allah wanting good for you.
Allah hastened the punishment for a servant for whom He wants good because it's a chance to turn back to Allah. Someone asked me the question, does Islam believe in karma?
And of course karma as a religious philosophy comes from a mixture of the Hindu and Buddhist
philosophies and it's the idea of consequence happening in an almost mechanical way. It assumes that there is a leveling playing field that exists in the inherent creation
that if you do something at some point in your existence something is going to come back to you in the exact same way. Now when people say that Muslims believe in a concept like that many times we're not thinking
about the religious philosophy, we're not thinking about how to unravel all of that or any layers, we're trying to problematize it. We're just saying that Muslims also believe that correction or rectification comes within
the same domain. You do something good we have this idea of Allah paying you back with something good. You do something bad we have this idea of you being paid back by something bad. As you do will be done to you.
These are concepts that exist in our terminology as well. So what's the problem? And I don't want us to necessarily think about problematizing, I want us to think about broadening.
For one, we don't believe in this robotic mechanical payback clause that everything exists in this perfect order in this pattern to where you do something bad and it's going
to come back to you, you do something good and it's going to come back to you in this mechanical fashion. We don't believe in mechanical consequence, that's the first thing. The second thing is we don't believe that there is some sort of energy or the universe
gives or the universe takes or time gives or time takes. And the Prophet (ﷺ) in fact problematized that idea when you start to speak about time
and place as things that actually give or do to you. How? Hadith Qudsi, Yasubbu ibn Adam ad-dahr, wa ana ad-dahr. Man curses time. He curses time.
And Allah says, I am time. Why? Because bi yadi al-layl wa an-nahar. I have in my hands night and day. I am the one who is controlling time. So don't speak of time as an independent doer. Time does nothing for you, it does nothing against you.
Time is one of the things that Allah controls. The earth doesn't give you anything, the universe doesn't give you anything. Allah 'Azza wa Jalla is the one who owns the earth and He owns the universe. So it's important to not speak about these things as forces, as autonomous forces that
have any actual doing. They don't. Allah 'Azza wa Jalla is the divine legislator, the divine creator, the one who ordains through this. So that's something that we have to establish that number one, it's not mechanical.
The idea of consequence and reward is not some mechanical pattern. Number two, don't speak about time or place as doing anything. They don't do anything. Allah 'Azza wa Jalla is the one who does.
Number three, very important, that our existence is not relegated in this time bound fashion, in this dunya, in this world.
So our conception of consequence and reward is not confined to this dunya. It expands far beyond this dunya. And in fact Allah 'Azza wa Jalla does not speak about this world as the place of consequence and reward.
Sometimes Allah 'Azza wa Jalla gives you a little bit of consequence, so they can taste a little bit of what they did. Sometimes Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala allows for some reward to come to you for something
good you did, to incentivize you to do more. But this is not dar al-jaza, this is not the place of reward or consequence. That is actually the hereafter by default. This is dar al-ibtila.
This is the existence of this dunya, is the land of test. And that's the default. So when jaza, when reward or consequence come in the dunya we sense, they're not sought. This isn't the place that that happens.
But they're either ta'jeel bushra al-mu'min as the Prophet (ﷺ) said, the hastening of Allah's glad tidings, or Allah 'Azza wa Jalla giving you a reminder or a
wake up call or a punishment so that you can wake up and prevent yourself from a larger punishment. Why is it important to discuss the subject? Why not just simplify it and just say yeah, good things happen to good people, bad things
happen to bad people. Because when you start to believe in patterns and mechanical doings, then you really dull
the idea of a most merciful God, Allah's hikmah, Allah's divine wisdom. You dull the concept of du'a and the concept of tawakkul and relying upon Allah Subhanahu
wa Ta'ala. You turn it into something that's very, very material, that's very, very mechanical. And so we might not believe in karma in the religious philosophical sense, we believe in qadr, we believe in Allah's divine decree.
In some ways there is alignment and in some ways there isn't. And what I wanted to do with this khutbah was to peel that back bi idhnillahi ta'ala and for us to think about this and I want you to understand why it could be dangerous to
buy into a materialistic reading of a philosophy that's foreign to Islam and call it just karma, just relegate everything to karma. For one, and it's a very important one, imagine if someone in Gaza is walking and a bomb falls
on top of them and you say, karma, you did something in a previous life or you did something when you were a kid and you deserve this, that's why it happened to you. Can you imagine how cruel that actually is to say to someone that has a bad circumstance
in life that it's because of something you did before and this is why it's happening to you, even to imply that in the softest sense. But when you think of this dunya as payback, payback, payback, payback, everything in this
dunya is payback, then you tell someone who is in a bad situation that this is payback for something, that something is happening to you because of payback. And what does that end up doing to a person? They start seeing Allah 'Azza wa Jalla in a negative light.
Why? Because I pray Jumu'ah and then something happened to me, may Allah 'Azza wa Jalla protect us all, something happened to me bad after salah. I gave sadaqah today and somehow I lost my job. Doesn't Allah 'Azza wa Jalla say,
وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ Isn't Allah supposed to be giving me as a result of me giving? Yeah, but not necessarily in the way that you want.
You can become a very bitter person when you turn everything into consequence and payback, consequence and payback. So what does that young person in Gaza do?
They turn back to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala with tawakkul. What is that person who has wealth and who has a very good life do? They turn to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in begging Allah 'Azza wa Jalla to not let this
be a form of deluding them. They don't assume Alhamdulillah I'm doing well, therefore Allah is happy with me and something bad happened to me, therefore I did something bad.
No, because Allah 'Azza wa Jalla sometimes tests with ease and He punishes with reward. Can Allah 'Azza wa Jalla be punishing someone with ease? Yes.
Allah 'Azza wa Jalla says, وَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَأَوْلَادُهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي الدُّنْيَا Don't be amazed by the amount of money that they have and the amount of children and everything
that they have going right for them. Allah wants to punish them with their wealth, punish them with their children, punish them with their ease. What? Allah punishes people with ease?
Allah 'Azza wa Jalla sometimes punishes people with ease. You can't understand that if you relegate everything to an immediate payback system. And so when you see someone who everything seems to be going right for them, even though
they're wrongdoers, you don't develop a bitterness and say, something is wrong with this picture and this is unfair because you don't believe in a mechanical payback system.
You understand that you have a Lord that decrees in wisdom and that rewards with justice and mercy. Period. Alhamdulillah. What can this do to a person? A person can believe in Allah 'Azza wa Jalla.
Ahasiba an-nasu ayyutraku ayyakulu amanna wa hum la yuftanoon. Do people think they just say we believe and then they're not going to be tested. Allah 'Azza wa Jalla says, wa mina an-nasi man ya'budu Allaha 'ala harf. There are people that worship Allah on an edge.
When good things happen to them, they're happy. When bad things happen to them, they say, what is this faith? Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) explained that there were some people that came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and they believed in Islam and then they went back
and his wife had a miscarriage. This is what Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) says. Remember these were people that were coming from idol worship where everything's supposed to happen immediately.
They came back and wife had a miscarriage or my camel died or I lost some money in my business and they said what type of deen is this? I don't want it. Because they were trying to deal with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in this payback system
where I have to see the results happen right away. And if the payback doesn't happen the way that I want it to happen, then I will question
the forces that be and I will assign all sorts of things using my limited logic to this and to this and to that. And all along Allah 'Azza wa Jalla says, liyabluwakum ayyukum ahsanu 'amala.
All of this was to test you to see how you would act with your deeds. No, your circumstances are not because of something you did in the past probably. Definitely not in the past life because we don't believe as Muslims in reincarnation.
So it's definitely not something you did in a prior existence. It might be that Allah 'Azza wa Jalla is letting you taste some of the punishment and the reward for something that you did to someone else or for someone else so that you could wake
up to a greater purpose. But don't treat Allah 'Azza wa Jalla in accordance with this payback system. Don't reduce and diminish Allah Ar-Rahman.
Al-Hakeem, Al-'Adl to this payback system doesn't work that way. Instead, lean into your tawakkul, lean into your trust of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Scrutinize only your deeds.
Now here is the other side of this. Does Allah have patterns though in His creation? Allah 'Azza wa Jalla uses the word Sunnatullah. Allah has His patterns.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will drown the Fir'awns. Allah 'Azza wa Jalla will punish the oppressors. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will reward those who are oppressed. Allah 'Azza wa Jalla promises eventual victory for those who are the downtrodden.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has His Sunnah that He places on this earth. But you are not allowed to impose upon the Sunnah of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala nor
assume fault when Allah 'Azza wa Jalla places an intentional delay in everything Allah 'Azza wa Jalla does is out of His divine mercy.
When Allah 'Azza wa Jalla places an intentional delay, so sometimes Allah delays the oppressor so that He can punish him. Sometimes Allah delays the oppressed so that He can elevate him.
Sometimes Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala does not give you the reward of something good that you did here so that He can save it for you all over there. Sometimes Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala erases the consequence of something all together in this dunya because your tawbah was sincere.
You don't have to be punished at all, not in this dunya or in the Akhirah, because your tawbah was sincere. At-ta'ibu mina adh-dhanb kaman la dhanba lah. The one who repented from a sin is like one who never sinned in the first place.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala transcends all of this. But here is what I want you to think about. Irhamu man fi al-ard, yarhamukum man fi as-sama. Be merciful to those on earth, the one in the heavens will show mercy to you.
Ya ibn Adam anfiq, unfiq 'alayk. O child of Adam, spend and I will spend upon you. Hal jaza al-ihsan illa al-ihsan. Is there any reward for good except for good?
Know that Allah 'Azza wa Jalla will not let a deed of yours go unpaid if it is good. And know that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala does not forget a sin just because you forgot it.
Allah 'Azza wa Jalla will reward every single good deed that is a promise of His. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will litigate the sins that are unrepented for and Allah
'Azza wa Jalla will forgive the sins and the wrongdoings. But your Lord has put rules of goodness and informed you that any good that you do will come back to you.
For sure in the hereafter and sometimes in this dunya as well. To give you a hastening of your glad tidings. But I end with this thought.
Should a person give sadaqah for example so that they can have goodness in this world. Because Allah 'Azza wa Jalla mentions that if you give He'll spend upon you and that mal, money is not decreased.
Ma naqasat, it will not be decreased from sadaqah from charity for example. Should I remind you for example put money into charity like a slot machine. I see that every time I do something good Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala gives me some more in this world.
No. That's a messed up intention. That's actually the wrong intention. Instead you should be doing it li wajhillahi ta'ala for the pleasure and sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala with the hope of the reward of Allah in the hereafter and with
the tawakkul, with the trust in Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Even when I do good in this life Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala finds pathways for it to become a means of my goodness here. But you don't do it for that purpose.
Man 'amila salihan fali nafsihi. When you do something good it is for you. Wa man asa'a fa'alayha. And when you do something evil it will be repaid. But Allah will decide how. Allah will decide when. Allah will decide who.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will not subject you to a pattern. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will remind you of your purpose. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala does not want you to operate with Him the way that you operate with tickets.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala wants you to operate with Him like an 'abd with his Rabb, like a slave with his master, like a servant with his Lord, like a created one with his creator, like one who trusts the one who deserves to be trusted.
That's how Allah 'Azza wa Jalla wants you to deal with Him. That's what Allah calls us to. Do not relegate yourself to this dunya, pursue the akhirah and let everything fall into place the way that He sees that it deserves to fall into place, not the way that you want it to
fall into place. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala reward us with the best of this life and the best of the hereafter and protect us from the fire. Rabbana atina fi ad-dunya hasanatan wa fi al-akhirati hasanatan wa qina 'adhaba an-nar.
Wa aqulu qawli hadha wa astaghfirullaha li wa lakum wa li sa'iri al-muslimeen. Fastaghfiru. Innahu huwa al-ghafur ar-raheem. Alhamdulillah.
As-salatu wa as-salamu 'ala rasulillahi wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man walah.
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik 'ala 'abdika wa rasulika Muhammadin wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim. Allahumma inna nas'aluka al-jannah wa ma qarraba ilayha min qawlin wa 'amal.
Wa na'udhu bika mina an-nar wa ma qarraba ilayha min qawlin wa 'amal. Allahumma inna nas'aluka al-jannah wa ma qarraba ilayha min qawlin wa 'amal. Wa na'udhu bika mina an-nar wa ma qarraba ilayha min qawlin wa 'amal. Allahumma inna nas'aluka al-jannah wa ma qarraba ilayha min qawlin wa 'amal.
Wa na'udhu bika mina an-nar wa ma qarraba ilayha min qawlin wa 'amal. Allahumma inna nas'aluka min khayr ma sa'alaka minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Wa na'udhu bika min sharri ma ista'adha minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Allahumma inna nas'aluka min khayr ma sa'alaka minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ).
Wa na'udhu bika min sharri ma ista'adha minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Allahumma inna nas'aluka min khayr ma sa'alaka minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Wa na'udhu bika min sharri ma ista'adha minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Allahumma inna nas'aluka min khayr ma sa'alaka minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ).
Wa na'udhu bika min sharri ma ista'adha minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Allahumma inna nas'aluka min khayr ma sa'alaka minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Wa na'udhu bika min sharri ma ista'adha minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Allahumma inna nas'aluka min khayr ma sa'alaka minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ).
Wa na'udhu bika min sharri ma ista'adha minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Allahumma inna nas'aluka min khayr ma sa'alaka minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ). Wa na'udhu bika min sharri ma ista'adha minhu 'abduka wa nabiyyuka Muhammadun (ﷺ).


































































































































































































































































































