Alhamdulillah, nahmaduhu wa nasta’eenuhu was nastaghfir Wa nauthu billahi min shururi anfusinaa wa min sayyiaati a’maalina May yahdillahu fa laa mudhilla lah Was may yudhlil fa laa haadiya lah Wa nashhadu allah ilaha illallah wahdahu laa shareeka lah wa nashhadu anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasulullah All praise and thanks is due to Allah. We praise Allah, we seek assistance and forgiveness from Allah. And we seek refuge in Allah from our lower selves and from the wrongs we commit. Whoever Allah guides no one can misguide, and whoever Allah leaves astray, no one can guide. And we bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but God, the One who is unique and has no partners. And we bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and messenger.

وَأَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهَا تَهْتَزُّ كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ وَلَّى مُدْبِرًا وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ يَا مُوسَى أَقْبِلْ وَلَا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الْآمِنِينَ 28:31 "Now throw your rod!" but when he saw it moving as if it had been a snake, he turned back in retreat, not tracing his steps: O Moses!" (It was said), "Draw near, and fear not: for you are of those who are secure. bequeath

Explain كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ It was not a snake It seemed like a snake It was not the truth..... It was the illusion of the truth And the illusion of the truth is what Moses feared, hence Fear is just an illusion, it’s irrational

Why did Allah play this trick on Moses? Allah was preparing Moses to deal with something that requires faith. Because Allah knows that faith and fear cannot reside in the same heart. On is the truth and the other is the illusion.

Remember the story of Nabi Muhammad in the cave of Hira at the first revelation. Describe his fear when he saw Jibreel This is yet another example of flight. So it is a normal human response... Nothing wrong with the experience of fear, but it is something you have to grow from.

But then the Prof. Muhammad grew from his fear in this example: إِلاَّ تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لاَ تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَنَا فَأَنزَلَ اللّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ السُّفْلَى وَكَلِمَةُ اللّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَاللّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ 9:40 If you don’t help him (Muhammad), Allah will!. When the ungrateful infidels drove him out he had no more than one companion. ; they two were in the cave, and he said to his companion, "Have no fear, for Allah is with us": then Allah sent down His peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which you could not see and He rendered the words of the infidels, baseless, and the word of Allah exalted to the heights. Truly Allah is Exalted in might, Wise.

Tell the story of Muhammad and Abu Bakr in the cave What an excellent example of tawakkul (complete trust in Allah) and Iman (faith in Allah) at death’s door.

Here is another story: إِذْ تَمْشِي أُخْتُكَ فَتَقُولُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى مَن يَكْفُلُهُ فَرَجَعْنَاكَ إِلَى أُمِّكَ كَيْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ وَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا فَنَجَّيْنَاكَ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَفَتَنَّاكَ فُتُونًا فَلَبِثْتَ سِنِينَ فِي أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ ثُمَّ جِئْتَ عَلَى قَدَرٍ يَا مُوسَى 20:40 "Behold! thy sister goeth forth and saith, 'shall I show you one who will nurse and rear the (child)?' So We brought thee back to thy mother, that her eye might be cooled and she should not grieve. Then thou didst slay a man, but We saved thee from trouble, and We tried thee in various ways. Then didst thou tarry a number of years with the people of Midian. Then didst thou come hither as ordained, O Moses!

So what is fear? Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger.sensationstimuluspain

A normal response to fear is to flee from it or confront it, also known as the Fight or Flight responseFight or Flight response In the case of Moses, he wanted to flee from it. In the case of Muhammad, he confronted it by projecting his faith over the fear of his companion.

Fear can be widely classified into two types: external fear and internal fear. External fear is caused by something outside or inside of you which you are strongly motivated to avoid, for example: fear of spiders / snakes. Internal fear is something inside of you that you link a negative emotion, for example: Fear of public speaking / Fear to ask / Fear to succeed

The experience of distrust can be explained as a feeling of mild fear or caution, usually in response to an unfamiliar or potentially dangerous person.distrust Distrust may occur as a feeling of warning towards someone or something that is questionable or unknown. For example, one may distrust a stranger who acts in a way that is perceived as odd or unusual. Likewise, one may distrust oneself and avoid a relationship.

The spiritual teacher Meher Baba noted the divisive effects of fear and distrust:Meher Baba "Fear acts as a thick curtain between the 'I' and the 'you' and it not only nourishes deep distrust of the other, but inevitably brings about a shrinking and withdrawal of consciousness so as to exclude the being of another from the context of one’s own life." [2] [2]

Fear has affected human beings in the relationships we choose to have. With fear conditioning we have been taught at an early age either by experience or from our role models what to fear.fear conditioning I grew up fearing black people by the saying: Boetie / Kaffers

Fear of being hurt, emotionally or physically, can keep us from finding relationships that could be extremely significant in our lives;

we don’t fear what we know. It’s always a fear of the unknown and hence, FAITH is so important to help us overcome our fears.

According to Kahoe and Dunn’s Research they found that people who are most firm in their faith and attend religious services weekly are the least afraid of dying.

4:79 Whatever good happens to thee is from God; and whatever bad befalls thee is from thyself. 7:30 some He will have graced with His guidance, whereas, for some a straying from the right path will have become unavoidable: for, behold, they will have taken their evil impulses for their masters in preference to God, thinking all the while that they have found the right path!

3:140 If misfortune touches you, know that similar misfortune has touched others as well; for it is by turns that We apportion unto men such days [of fortune and misfortune]: so that Allah might mark out those who have faith, and choose from among you such as can bear witness to the truth – Allah’s love is not with those who have gone astray.

وَلاَ تَهِنُوا وَلاَ تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ 3:139 Don’t be weak and discouraged and don’t be sad and worried, while gaining mastery (reaching your goals) is certain if you have faith.

Barakallahu lee wa lakum fil quranil kareem Wa nafa’nee wa iyyakum bil aayaati wa dhikril hakeem Innahu jawaadun malikun barrun rabbur ra’oofur raheem May Allah bless me and you through the guidance of this noble Quran And may it teachings and remembrances benefit me and you Truly Allah is the possessor of wealth, the sovereign, the all good, the one who has authority over us, the all-loving and all- merciful.

Sit between Khutbahs

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ 2:186 When those who are subjected to spiritual growth through service ask about Me, I am close: I answer the prayer of every supplicant when he calls on Me: Let them also answer My call and believe in Me so that they make see aright.

Two things come stands out from this verse: 1)Trust (tawakkul) that Allah is hearing you 2)Trust in that Allah will respond 3)Trust that Allah only responds when you have brought your part. 4)The ingredients of a Divine relationship with Allah is that both parties co-create.

13:10 It is the same to Allah whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly; whether he hide by night or walk freely by day. 13:11 For each one there are angels in succession, before and behind him: They watch him by Allah’s command. Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves. When Allah wills misfortune on a people, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect.

Allahummansur man nasra deena Muhammad; Allahummansuril mujahideena fee qulli makaan; Allahumma Yassir wa laa tu’assir Allahumma tammim bil ghayr wa antal kareemu muyassir O Allah, assist those who assist the cause of Muhammad O Allah, assist all those who strive towards good in every place O Allah, make things easy for us and remove difficulty O Allah, complete us in Goodness, Truly You are the most noble of all those who provides assistance. Innallaha wa malaa’ikatahu yusolloona alan nabi… yaa ayyuhallatheena aamanu sollu alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema. Wa aakhiri da’waanaa anil hamdu lillahi rabbil aalameen Truly Allah and the Angels sends blessings and salutations on the Prophet Muhammad, O you who believe, send greetings and salutations upon him. And the final word is that all praise and thanks is due to Allah, the Authority over all creation. اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ 29:45 Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do. Let us stand for prayer!