Ustadh Usman Abdullah Malik at Cheadle Masjid
Published on: 1st of January 2026
The Baitul Mamur, the celestial house directly above the Kaaba where 70,000 angels perform Tawaf daily, never to return. Against this backdrop of infinite divine grandeur, the Ustadh introduces the lofty rank of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), whose journey was not one of blind inheritance but of critical discovery. This talk challenges the audience to strip away the blindfold of cultural tradition and rediscover the essence of faith through the eyes of a young man who dared to question the very fabric of his society to find the Truth.
Ustadh Usman takes the audience back to the origins of Tawheed (monotheism), exploring Ibrahim’s intellectual awakening amidst a people lost in idol worship. Through pure logic and honesty, Ibrahim (AS) observed the stars, the moon, and the sun, rejecting each as a deity because they eventually set and vanished. The lecture emphasizes a profound binary that every seeker must grasp: you are either the creator or the created. Since we cannot create ourselves, we are inherently dependent, a realization that demands our exclusive devotion to the One who sustains us, rather than the temporary celestial bodies—or modern equivalents—that occupy our gaze.
Bridging the gap between ancient history and modern reality, the lecture pierces through the comfort of contemporary life, arguing that while stone statues may have crumbled, modern idols have risen in their place. Ustadh Usman identifies money, materialism, and social media algorithms as the deities of the 21st century ("isms and schisms"). He points to "rush hour" traffic as damning evidence of our priorities—we rush for wealth but drag our feet for prayer. This segment serves as a spiritual audit, challenging us to review our screen time and daily habits to see what they truly worship, warning that knowledge without action is as useless as a smartphone that holds the world's data but cannot unlock the gates of Paradise.
The narrative then shifts to the necessity of courage. Ibrahim (AS) did not just harbor the truth in his heart; he acted on it by shattering the physical idols of his people, leaving only the largest one intact to prove a philosophical point. When confronted by his angry community, his logic—asking them to blame the big idol—exposed the absurdity of their beliefs. Ustadh Usman highlights this as a lesson in bravery, proving that truth, when coupled with action, dismantles falsehood no matter how deeply ingrained it is in society. It is a call for us to smash the ideologies we have set up as rivals to Allah, just as Ibrahim broke the statues of his time.
The lecture culminates in the ultimate test of Tawakkul (reliance): Ibrahim (AS) being catapulted into a blazing fire so vast his executioners could not even stand near it. Suspended in the air, refusing even the aid of the Chief Angel Jibreel, he uttered the timeless words, "Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakil" (Allah is sufficient for me). The fire, commanded by its Creator to be cool and safe, became a sanctuary rather than a grave. Ustadh Usman closes with this powerful reality check: if you truly have Allah, even the flames of this world will lose their heat, leaving you "chilling" in the protection of the Divine while the world may burn around you...