Heartwork – Surah Kahf #10

Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah everybody and welcome home. For the past few years we've always started our programs with this statement and we mean it. Because community is a place that we all should call home. A place that gives us peace, a place that gives us tranquility, and a place that we know is going to be there. When Allah Spano Tala describes faith in the Quran, he mentioned stability as being a requirement for faith to grow, a slow, healthy habit will follow or half a summit, that its roots are firm, and its branches grow to the sky. If we don't have stability, if we don't have permanence, if we don't know that something is going to be there for us, then our faith won't be

able to grow. This is why when the Prophet SAW Selim came to Medina and made the migration, the Hijra with his companions, at that moment, when they arrived at their new permanent home, he said, the beautiful phrase of Shiv Sena spread peace, why, because peace can be attained now that we have a place that we can call home. For the past five years roots has been able to be a part of so many people's lives and hamdulillah by the Grace of Allah. And we're so honored to have that be a part of our legacy. But we've been doing it in temporary spaces. We've been doing it in hotel banquet halls and measured side rooms, in people's living rooms at home. And then temporary lease spaces were when

we were signing the lease, we knew that this was not going to be there forever, but that can change. By the favor of Allah with our foundational organization column, we've been able to find this beautiful property here in Carrollton, Texas. That will be the permanent location and facility for the roots community space, a place where everybody can feel that tranquility and have that growth of faith that Allah Tada tells us about, we need your help. To close on this property. We need you to generously donate and contribute whatever you can, adding your name to this list of people that will help build and construct a permanent home for us to build the model community following the example

the Prophet Muhammad SAW Saddam and Medina help us make this dream a reality visit routes dfw.org/home All right.

How's everybody? How's it okay, really briefly for three minutes. I want you guys to turn to each other, left and right. I want you to say salaam introduce each other introduce yourself to somebody hopefully they're new. And I want you to answer Hold on wait one second. Let's

relax I want you to answer this question. Okay to the person so imagine that they're asking you this question. What's one thing you want to accomplish before your life ends?

What's one thing you want to accomplish before your life

okay, you have three minutes if you can a friend and be somebody that you're friends with try to find someone you'll know okay names

names Russian and what's one thing you want to accomplish for your lifetime?

right

all right.

I said one thing one thing you want to accomplish

okay 60 seconds

morning

all right

okay

Oh, you guys learned something new anyone wants to share one that's really nice and interesting. Anyone have one they want to share? That's nice.

Yes

Perfect. Perfect. And there's a lot very good.

To die we think it has to be like grand achievement. Yeah, we don't really look towards the things that we do in our daily life. Yeah, very good. Masha Allah, Masha Allah, Allah give you that

Allah protecting Salah is not easy man it's not easy yeah I believe yeah

yeah

and you put on the spot here is handy if you have a good one

inshallah my goals are I want to open like a free clinic and

oh I'm gonna show up every month free clinic backslash call Michelle I'll make it easy for you inshallah.

Beautiful anyone else?

Yeah.

Just like to make it easier for their parents. And I think that was like really beautiful, like, wow.

Like becoming impatient to kind of understand them.

Yes, Subhan. Allah make it easier for your parents, man. It's really interesting. It's kind of like, especially in the wake up put on talks about that. It's a really, really remarkable goal to have, you know, to be able to lower the wing of humility for them, as Oprah describes it a lot easier. Sharla. Anyone else?

Anyone else?

No, no, no, no?

No? Okay. Well, why did they do this exercise? Because

part of the goal of reading and studying the Quran is to start having questions that go beyond the surface, to start asking yourself those questions.

Hopefully, the stories in this chapter, they really inspire us to start thinking beyond just like the day to day, the one on ones, right. And the reality is that the more you engage with rather more regularly, the less you start to get concerned or bothered by things that are like more petty. And the more you start to really think about and imagine, really the important things in life. And ultimately, all of us know that the end of our time here is called death. That's when our life is taken, our soul is taken. And the reality is that none of us know when that is. And when I say that, I'm not saying that with a cliche. I mean, legitimately, none of us know when that is. And so the

reality is, we have to have these deeper questions that we ask ourselves, and we have to do this more frequently. Because if you were uncertain about something, if you didn't know when something was gonna happen, but you knew that you had to do something before that moment took place, you would actually think about it way more frequently than you do. Right? If you knew that something was going to come and take away your chance, at an opportunity, you would really focus on making sure you get that opportunity done. So think about these things in sha Allah, hopefully the Quran can inspire that within us. Okay, so we are now going to talk about there's a little bit of a passive

Subhanallah between each each story. And the reason why Allah strong Tada are one of the beautiful wisdoms as to why this passage between the story exists, is because it acts as a beautiful summary. And also sort of an introduction, like a transition between the different stories. So you had the story of the sleepers of the cave. And then we went into the story of the two men, the one with the two gardens and the one who did not have the wealth. Okay, the two brothers, if you want to say that there were brothers or close friends, okay, so we get to the point now, where we talked about how the wealthier brother, the wealthier man, who was given all this provision from Allah, His

provision, his blessing, ultimately led him to deny very, very core principle beliefs of God. So his provision, his blessing, it spoiled him. Okay, like too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, right? So he got too much of a good thing. And he wasn't able to handle it. And in his spoiling process, his heart started to feel and his tongue started to utter statements that went directly against what it means to believe in Allah. Okay, so a couple of those statements are, I don't think the Day of Judgment will ever happen. And even if it does happen, I don't think I'm going to have any issue. I'm not going to have any problems on that day, God will give me just like he gave me

here. Now, when he said this, his companion his friend, his brother replied to him, and he said to him that are you disbelief? Are you like professing your disbelief now is just a moment where you're saying that you disbelieve in the One who created you from dust, and then he developed you from a drop of liquid and then formed you into who you are. So the, the brother now is reminding him of his humble origins, which is step number one, the minute you feel yourself floating away with arrogance, or with a lot of sort of entitlement, about the privileges that Allah has given you. The blessing, you have to humble yourself, you have to humble yourself. It's really important also to surround

yourself with people that will, I don't want to say like, you know, take the wind out of your sails because you don't want to be around people that talk down to you are condescend, but it's really important to be be with people who keep you honest. Okay. This is why the prompt is so sudden that there's some advice in our religion, not to constantly praise people's

Exactly right? Not to constantly pray, like that's how he feels about me. Right? This guy again, to me it was made right. So you want to surround yourself with friends? And that's why it's Pamela the word no see how in Arabic? It actually a lot of us we know him to see how to mean what what's the translation that we've heard before you give someone a C means advice. It actually doesn't mean advice directly. No C, advice is a byproduct of what Naseeha is. The C Ha, is sincerity. It actually comes from the derivation of sincerity. Why? Because if you have a sincere friend, that friend, if they're sincere, if they really care about you, then they're going to be the one that's going to

give you that advice. They're going to give you that tough advice. One of the greatest Regrets of the Day of Judgment, the person in Hellfire is going to look at their friends around them, and they're going to say, Why did you do this to me? And they're gonna regret, they're gonna regret the fact that they chose people that wouldn't keep them honest. So it's important as you go through life, especially in the era that we are all in, right, the young professionals, when you really have to start deciding, like this is now you know, you grew up with friends that you had to be friends with, you know, like, the family friends saw a lot of eye rolls, like, yeah, it's okay. Right? You

have memories, and some of those chapters, they close, and you're not as close with them. And then if there are friends that you meet in certain classes in college, or the MSA, right, and then there are friends that you meet after that. And then there are friends. There's a lot of friendship in life and circumstantial. It's a byproduct of a reality, like, you don't have a choice, right? It's sink or swim, like you got to be able to join with the crew. Sometimes it's the Savior emaan. Sometimes it's to save your grades, right? Choose all the smart friends, right? Sometimes it's you know, but there are moments in life and all of us are kind of in that phase right now. Where you

have to start being a lot more intentional about who you spend your time with. You have to think about these things. Because without realizing it, the people I spend my time with are going to form the beliefs that I have in the thoughts that I have. And they're going to make me think about the world in a certain kind of way. So what this brother is doing to us might sound really harsh. Okay, like what, whoa, he's pushing back really hard. He's telling him, Are you the one accountability halacha? Like, What kind of friend would tell you like, did you just become Kaffir?

That's kind of harsh. But in reality, the reality is, if I ever strayed so far as to state and deny something, that was part of my belief, I would hope to God that there was someone next to me who would check me, I would hope to God, because if there wasn't someone there, if I'm saying things or doing things that are just like acid for my email, just tearing it away, just destroying my faith, and everyone around me is just smiling.

Those aren't the people that need to be around. Okay, so he, he tells him, he says, How can you say this? How can you just disbelieve and the One who created you, and he humbles you came from you came from dirt from dust, you came from a drop that it was expelled from the genitals of your father, into the womb of your mother. And then you came from nowhere. And it was a really beautiful story and hustle and bustle at one time ran into this arrogant guy. And they kind of crossed paths. And something happened. I forget the narration Exactly. They either bumped into each other on accident, or it has an industry like walk and didn't stop for him or something. There was some moment where

the arrogant man felt like threatened, he felt sort of like wronged. So he looks at Hudson industries as Do you know who I am? You know who I am? How some industry for those of us who he's like, uh, you know, he's got it, right. He's like a legend in the religious tradition. Right? Classics huddled up in what he says to him. And this is why you'll see why he's got in a second. He looks at the guy and he says, Do I know who you are? And the guys again, do you know who I am? Yeah, he thinks they have some questions. Yes, I know you are. And the guy says, okay, good, right as in like, okay, next time, watch yourself. And he goes, you're just a drop of sperm that came out of

your dad's genitals. Then you went into your mom's womb, you came out of her genitals. Then you lived a life and all you did was carry around feces in your intestines, and soon you're gonna die and worms are gonna eat your body.

Okay, what he said, By the way, was true everyone in this room, so don't feel bad for him. Okay. Why did he do that? Why did he do that? I mean, talk about like, you don't want to I mean, I don't know if you want to hang around that guy that much. Right? That's very, very strong. Well, he did that because the strength of his response maps the strength of that guy areas. That guy was literally telling him you can't walk in front of me. You know who I am. So he said, Okay, I can if you want

I can reduce every human being to the most humiliating, most humble form. And that's what he did on the last panel. So, then the brother he continues, and he says, that for me, as for me, the one that you just disbelieved in Allah, He is my Lord who Allah will not be. Well, I push you to be an OB I had, and I'm never ever I'm never this person says, never going to let my relationship with Allah suffer. I'm never going to divert my worship from Allah away anything. And then he reminds him and he says, if you've entered your Jana your garden, what Allah is the filter, Janata, quilter, masha Allah, you just sort of said Masha Allah, just recognize, right, just recognize that this is from

Allah, you know, one of the key moments of becoming a better Muslim, is looking past the gift and seeing the giver. If we can master that, look past the gift, and see the one who gave, if a person can do that their faith instantly triples Don't you know, whatever, just go sky. Everything you see in life, that is like a privilege a blessing. You look to the one who bestowed it the giver of that gift. And your heart is humbled before it last time, you were reminded of him. So he's telling him now that you and I are seeing the same thing, we both walk into your garden. And one of us says that this is from Allah, the other one doesn't. The other one says that this is from me. And then he says

La Quwata illa biLlah

that you should have just said that this is from Allah, and there is no power except for him. And he says, even though you see me as inferior, even though you see me as less to you in wealth and offspring, maybe for AXA rugby, that maybe Allah to Allah will give me something better than your garden. And he might in fact, take away your garden by sending down calamity upon it, turning it into a barren land. If you ever thought about that, he's asking his friend, what would you become without this gender? What would you become? Who would you be? Ask yourself this question like, who would you be without your degree? Who would you be without your car? Or your apartment? Or your

clothes? Anything that you admire by yourself? Remove it today? Who are you? Are you nobody? You know, the internet has a famous, both a statement, right? that some things are not personality traits. People we turn material objects into personality traits. someone buys a house and all of a sudden, it's all about their zip code men. You know what I mean? Like they move out from somewhere they end it changes them completely. Someone gets a car, and now they identify themselves as like, I am a BMW driver. Right? On the wrist. It's like driving the BMW. What are you talking about? You know, people really transformed the most

insignificant aspects of life. So transient, like can disappear in a second. So he's saying to him, Have you ever thought about have you ever imagined that it's possible that Allah could just take this away from you? Everything? Right? And then what do you become at the end of that? Do you still have some identity some purpose? Or is your purpose now that your privilege is gone? Now that your blessing is gone? Is your purpose gone to? Eye? You know, you wonder SubhanAllah? Like, what kind of worshippers we would be, if Allah subhanaw taala took away some of the things he gave us.

This is an important lesson from this surah

Allah subhanaw taala here is including this conversation, to remind us that, although money itself is not evil, right, money itself is not evil. We don't look at $1 Bill and say stuff.

It's not necessary. It's not like filthy, you can touch it, it's okay. I mean, it's physically filthy, but spiritually, it's not, you know, it's not an intake. And that's just awesome. Money is not evil.

If a person takes that money, and they don't use it for the purpose that they should, it can become very, very detrimental to them.

It can become, it's almost as if it's better off if they had nothing.

Right. In philosophy, there's the question of, there's a question, this is kind of deep, so stay with me. There's everything that is and then there's everything that ought, because I've heard this before there is odd philosophy, it is our problem. So what they say, right, the material world wants you to believe that everything just is this phone. Is this computer is this microphone is and they want you to stop there. Right? The materialist philosophy wants you to accept and appreciate and decentralize the thing for what it is the moral philosophy, right religion, believers, right. And for us, people who believe until Hayden Islam, we don't just believe that things are we believe that

things have a job. We believe that things have purpose. Right? So this fall

don't exist for what reason? Why does it exist

in the life of the Muslim why does this phone exist?

To call it yeah you someone said to your parents can call you that's where you are maybe right to call your parents what else what other good deeds right and then clock one that doesn't steal your data what else

give me the direction very good stop praying southwest what else? So far towards Hawaii some brothers? Good. Well, the Earth is round. It'll get there eventually. No. Right? That's not how that works. What else?

Doesn't let sure as well Washington's mashallah sabbatical law. All right, becoming a sustainer. Okay. Well, donating charity. What else? I mean reading Quran, you guys understand the point. So we are a people that don't just stop this is we say this ought to be, or this ought to do. Right. So that's what his brother is telling him. He's saying this garden for you. It just is. You're walking into this garden, you're celebrating, you didn't even look past the gift and see the giver. You didn't look past and say Masha, Allah La Quwata illa. So this garden, actually to be quite real. He's kind of dropping on him. He says what he says, It's better off that you didn't have it. Because

this is going to destroy you.

And so he says, imagine now he's, he's painting the picture before his eyes. Imagine, maybe you're looking at me, and you think that I'm so important. miskeen and you don't have to help me, that's fine. That's fine. He says that it might be the case that Allah to Allah will grant me something better than your garden, which is what a garden where in the afterlife. Look, you might feel bad for me, because I don't have what you have here. But if I can stay straight on this path with a lot, I might have better than one way you can have you. That's what he's saying. And he says, Likewise, Allah might actually cause this to disappear, he might cause it to turn into a barren waste, and the

water that Allah is providing and the next item 41, it might sink into the earth. And that water that was so abundant, that was irrigating all your crops that was bringing about all of your fruit, all the flowers, all the vegetation, everything that you were celebrating that water, if Allah takes it away, you're done for.

Right, so he's kind of reducing him. Now. What happens next is number 42. Spoiler alert, exactly what the brother want. Now, he didn't make dua for this. So don't go make dua against your friend, right? Hope this happens to you. So you come back to this? No, right? We don't do that. But he's warning him and then Subhanallah it is the case how many of you guys, your parents warned you or something over and over and over and over and over? And you're like, I got this? And then 20 years later, you're like, I do not get this? I mean, sometimes it's simple. Like when I remember when I was younger, my mom's like, where your code? It's cold outside. I'm like, No, it's not. can't cover

up the fit, right?

And then as I'm walking, right in Chicago, in January or February, I'm like it is cold. I come home, my mom sees that my fingers have frostbite. And she's not really that's an exaggeration. And she looks at me.

And she's like, are you okay? I thought I was fine. She's like, No, you weren't, right.

The reality is, sometimes the morning is so accurate, because it's part of the nature of our life. Like you're gonna go through these times. Allah Tala warns us again and again and again. You have friends in your life who warn you again and again and again. Don't do it. Don't do that. Right. Don't talk, don't text. Do it the right way. Don't go there. Stay here. And we keep pushing the limits. And I was so kind man, Allah, you know, I'm going to help out one time, I'll tell you a story. It's really interesting. He caught a man, he caught a man who was stealing in the marketplace. Okay, during his Khilafah and the man was brought to him a man was caught. He didn't

catch him a man was brought to him he was stealing in the marketplace. And you know, stealing obviously, it's a big sin. It's a big deal. And think about the impact of stealing. Like you're actually taking money away. You're taking food away from the mouths of these people's children's pot a lot because you're stealing their product, right? So he goes to the trauma, and they bring him in front. And he says yeah, me don't be mean. He goes, please, please. It was my first time. I swear to you, I swear I'll never do again. And Omar says you're a liar.

He says what is your liar? This is what he mean. He goes hola so kind. He never let you get caught on your first time.

He never bust you on the first. It's so true, man. Oh Allah is true. I see a lot of shaking heads you know it. Right? Ask yourself if Allah caught you the first time you did something wrong. If Allah busted you, right, it doesn't happen. So how Allah so He warns him again and again and eventually what happened?

ans Allah to Allah says in the next i 42. And by the way, the guy admitted it. He's like, you're right. It wasn't my first time like, You're right now, you know, he's like, I just gotta admit it now. He says, and so all of his produce was totally ruin Allah Tada, cause exactly what was described to happen. And he started to the wording is interesting, okay. It says,

for us, Bihar, you're a little cafe he that he started to, like, turn his hands, which is a description that the Tafseer says he's trying to, like, slap his hands, which isn't, at the time was an expression of absolute shock. Like, it's almost like, you know, they say pinch me. He started slapping yourself. Are you serious? He's like, I gotta wake up. Is this really happening? Like one day, you're a billionaire the next day, you have to lose it all. So he started slapping his hands while everything is collapsing in front of him. And he says he calls out to Allah. Where your poodle? Yeah, where you letter? He says, what? You had a tiny lamb who should be Robbie.

He says, God, yeah, well, that's. Yeah. Yeah, well, that sounds like a very, very inferior yet a 20 is a very interesting phrase. It basically is like,

I don't want to use this phrasing. But you know how we say it starts with an F ends with an L. Three letters. Okay, nevermind. Alright. It's a phrase that people use to describe when they're upset with themselves. If blank l

stuck for a while, okay, I'm just gonna put that out there. That's literally what he's saying. He's calling to his destruction. Yeah, he, he's calling to his own destruction. Like, I'm done. I'm done. You don't have to share it right now. It's okay. You could just tell people later, okay, it's Urban Dictionary. Okay.

Everyone's like, let me explain. We didn't

leave. Right. Okay. So yeah, Layton, he is essentially the same meaning. Like, he's so overwhelmed with shock, that he's like, I just want to disappear. I can't believe this is happening to me. And he says, I wish I had never violated. I wish I had never turned away from Allah. I wish I had never done that. Now, when you read this ayah, and you look at some of the times to this, if you see something very interesting, okay. Obviously, it's a good sign. He recognizes that Allah is there. He's remembering Allah and this time, but I will tell you something that is very critical for all of our faiths to be sincere, okay. And that is that every good decision has a window of time, which is

more effective. Every good choice has like a window of time in which it is effective. And then at the end of that window of time, if we let it pass,

it doesn't go to zero necessarily, but pretty close. Right point. 00001. Why? Because when the eye see and the ears hear, and the mind and the heart experience, the warning.

The regret isn't as sincere. The concern the caution, the taqwa isn't as legit, as it was, okay? Like, if you tell someone to trust you, and they don't trust you, until you've proven that they have to trust you. The trust really isn't that strong is it? You can't even call it trust. Your like, I have to have to demonstrate to you why you should trust me before you even give me the dignity of give me a chance. This is what Allah saying here. This person calls out and says, I wish I wish I did not turn away from Allah. But at that point, the Tafseer says it's too late. I'll give you another example. Everyone's Toba, everyone's repentance on the face of the earth will be accepted.

Say suffered Allah. If you say something, Allah, Allah will forgive you. And this will last forever until a certain point. What's that point?

On the sun what?

When the sun rises from

the West, okay, yeah. When the sun rises from the West, why? What is that a sign of?

It's one of the like manifestly apparent signs that the judgment you can't want. That is the sign of the day judgment when the sun rises from the west. So if that happens, and everyone's like, oh my goodness, oh Allah forgive me. It's too late. The hadith says that at that point, the book is closed.

Because why? Because you had your life to trust the message you had your entire life. But you had to wait until there was an undeniable sign. Okay, so many

have us we go through in life, we make decisions. And we know whether it's internal or external, being reminded, don't do that. Don't do that don't make better choices, make better choices, do the right thing, do the right thing. And we keep persevering the wrong way. And then we get caught. And then we get in trouble. And then something happens. And it's not good, right? It's beyond repair, even sometimes, and we send ourselves like, Man,

I'm gonna, I gotta turn myself around. And then we almost expect Subhanallah very selfishly, like all of the impact, and all of the things that happen along the way, should just disappear. But that's not how this works. That's not how this works. I remember my friend once he got dumped.

He was crying a lot. And he kept listening to like sad music.

Like Drake and John Mayer, and all this stuff. And he just kept listening to the stuff. And he was like, basically, he said, like, I don't know why it keeps hurting. Like, what am I going to get over this? And I said, sometimes, man, when you do the crime, you gotta, you got to do the time. Like, if you commit the crime, you got to do the time. The reality is like you spent months and years in a relationship that, quite frankly, is not sanctioned by a lot. And there's a warning out there, there's a warning to people. Look, you have the choice to do what you like, but you are risking yourself. You are putting your heart in the hands of somebody that might not do well with it. And

they might leave you hurting and crying. And so what Islam says, Just do it the right way. Allah wants us to fall in love and have beautiful relationships. That's that's there. He's just like, do it the right way. So you don't hurt yourself. Because you might hurt yourself. And then we sit there hurt crying, listening to Drake,

right? And all these sad songs. And we're like, why does this hurt? I'm gonna be a better Muslim. Oh, well take it away. You're right. It's pot a lot and then you do the crime you got to do the time. It is what it is. So this guy now is saying, oh, man, I shouldn't have done that. But the reality is Apollo's too late May Allah Allah allow us to come back before it's too late. Right? Is this is the reality. You know, you never ever, ever want to have regret when your windows

work and use the regret if you feel if that siren is going off inside of you, no matter how muted it is, no matter how quiet it is, if that alarm is going off inside you don't wait until things don't wait till the concrete has dried.

Make the changes now. Right. This is what this lesson of this man is teaching us of how Allah.

Allah Tala then says at number 43 that at this point, he had no power, he had no ability, no help help himself. He had no one to give him any sort of aid and he couldn't help himself. And it's in those moments when you are at your lowest And subhanAllah the veils of desire, the veils of sin are like taken away from the eyes.

And everything is clear, you can see everything as it is.

And you're like I did it now, I get why this is how I get why this is a problem. I totally understand. He says that this is when you realize that the support that you needed the whole time comes from Allah and instead of asking for it after the fact you need to ask for it before during and after needs to be constant. And he says that he is the one who has the best and reward and the best in outcome.

Okay, now Allah Tada here

he gives us another example I in number 45 He says while the Riblah home method has dunya says What strikes them again run through what's going on strike them again with an example of this life. So now Allah, this is like a it's like a summary. He just finished a beautiful story. And he gave us kind of like a lot of heavy lessons right? Now he's saying you want to know what this life is like? Because what he's going to do now is connect you with the garden. Right? This whole time we've had this nice barrier between us and that guy we've been able to look into if you like bad decisions man. Why you keep buying gardens man should have given that you shouldn't you should have given the

guy money when he asked for Why do you keep making the same mistake over and over again? Okay, so a lot to add on his wisdom. Now he's going to give it he says what would have left them with in the heads of dunya Hold on, don't go so fast. Let me explain to you what this life is like. Because everyone has a garden. Everyone in this room has their desire their garden, even some to see if

one of the warnings they wrote in that if the scholar said this is they were talking to others call

others. So the scholar the Sheikh is ready this explanation. And then college like, he's reminding the scholar Be humble. Right? So everyone here is at risk. You have to know in your life, what's your garden? What's your test? What's the thing that Allah has given you? And you're in a fine line, you're delicately balancing whether it's pulling you away or bringing you closer to him. Everyone has to know. Okay, so he says, given the example that this is the hands of dunya What is it like?

Come out in the novel Mina Santa it's just like when water comes raining down from the heavens, you guys see rain last week? Mashallah. All right should I do I was accepted Mashallah. I got emotional rain, Miss Pamela. It's like 60 days, no rain is crazy. You're begging Allah to come take care of the earth. Subhanallah Okay, so he says like when water comes down from the from the heavens, and what happens for 30 Hina that, that Allah to Allah He mixes it, that water with the vegetation became the battle out with the vegetation of the earth. So Allah Tada. He sends down the rain now what happens when the rain comes down? What happens to the vegetation of the earth?

Everybody?

What happens guys?

Everyone's like, I don't know.

I'm from the city, right?

What happens when it rains?

Things grow his grass grow. Do plants grow? Your trees grow? Yeah, everything grows. Water is essential. Guys remember three things Musa just learned this today? In kindergarten. Okay. Water.

Sun and soil? Yes. Very good. Dirt. Very good. Yeah. Okay, if you're from the south dirt.

So Allah sends out water from the heavens, okay. And it mixes with the soil. And then Allah Tada, allows the soil to grow and the vegetation starts to come out and people started to benefit from it, they start to harvest the crop, they start to sit in the shade of the trees, they start to sit on the grass. Remember, this cloud is being sent as well to like desert arrows. So they're imagining all this happening. And they're thinking like, man, some rain sounds good right now. But then what happens, then the rain stops and that plant or that vegetable or that fruit, or that tree or whatever that was growing. In the absence of water, what occurs to it starts to shrivel up and it

starts to dry up and it dies. And before you know it, that same plant that was so full of life, so full of energy, beauty, right? With the absence of the water, when the when Allah Tala pulls the rain, everything starts to crumble. And Allah Tada says what he says that it starts to get cut up. And eventually, even though when can easily blow it away, like one gust of wind, and all of those beautiful leaves that you saw on the treat or on the ground now, and they blow away.

And then he says, what he says what kind of law I got for the shame of that era. And hola todos, over all things capable. How did this just describe this worldly life? Because number a lot began by saying, this is an example of your life. What's an example of your life? He just described the cycle of life of plants. You tell me, what do you guys think when you read this when Allah says this is the example of your life?

Anybody?

Yes, you start off as dirt.

Yeah, if you ever want to see the example of your life, just look at a plant. You should grow some men. And then let it die stuff. Right? You should grow something and then watch it. Watch it die.

And you know what's interesting is sometimes, like, if you guys ever tried to grow plants and didn't grow, and just died on you, everybody COVID Yeah, pretty much right. 2020 All right. And then he went over all the plants and all the banana bread that we massacred, okay?

Spot a lot. You remember, Ozzie says that you look at the plant and you're like, you feel sorry for it that it was once a plant. He's like, this is you. He's like, this is you. You were nothing. You were dirt and then Allah to add up, sprinkled some water he blessed you with provision and he grew you and you went from being this this this baby this infant that at a week old couldn't even see could properly here. relied on milk. That's all you could drink. That's all you can eat. Couldn't even clean yourself. Your only mechanism of survival was screaming was crying. Think about it. If you've ever heard a baby cry

You know, why not? I can cry wonder why Allah gave them those pipes? You wonder why? Because if they don't have it,

they're not they might not be able to call you. So Allah gave infants, incredible voices.

Decibels that don't make sense. Well, I'm telling you, that little creature can scream to warn you of a tornado, like that siren is powerful. Okay, why? Because it's a survival mechanism.

And then you went from that stage of helplessness, that weakness, and you started to get stronger and more confident. And he started to get stronger and stronger, until eventually you reach the height of your strength you peak. And then what happens after up,

you start getting sore. You can't stay up as late anymore, as the friends say, you can't hang. Right? You play basketball and your legs hurt for a few days. You try to take a tray of cookies out of the oven, you pull your back,

right, your friends, like how do you pull your back, you're like, embarrassed to say that it was because of cookies. Right? You try to lift something, you can't lift it. I told you guys the story, my mom's problem. And I'll never forget, she used to be able to carry a TV in 1995 out of the house, a TV, not this, the big box once. And then 10 years later asked me to help her carry milk.

The reality of life, you're weak, and then you become strong. And then you start to become weak again.

I love how you're saying that. You are just like the cycle that you see outside.

You're just like it.

You look at the tree, and you look at the Earth and you see it come to life when I left us in the rain.

And then you see it die right in front of you.

Right? So what is the purpose none of that tree you should use it when it's what? Lets full life. The tree doesn't serve any purpose when it's just branches. The tree when it's just branches, it isn't beautiful. And it is a functional the apples when they're not there and no one wants to go apple picking when the season is done. Right? Using your time that Allah has given you at the right moment, the right time. Why do you think that one of the people under the shade of the Throne of Allah on the Day of Judgment is the person who when they have all the opportunity in the world, they have everything at their disposal. And someone comes to them and offers and proposes right? proposes

premarital relations, the person says I fear Allah.

Right, we're not talking about a person who is by way later in life a lot to lose a lot to risk. We're talking about somebody who's in the prime of their life, a young man, a young woman.

And in the profits also this is on the Day of Judgment, one of the people that will be in the shade of Allah, under his throne when there's no shade is the person that has every chance, every opportunity to lie to get away with it to set up the perfect opportunity. And they say that I fear Allah or the young person that spends their time in the masjid.

Because when you make the right choice, when you have all of that opportunity, all of that privilege, it shows that you're a real one. It shows that you have faith. So Allah Tada here says, Think of yourself in this worldly life. And the reality Mallozzi says is that if you know that you are extinct if you know that you're eventually going to die just like the tree.

And he says that you should never ever become infatuated with this life knowing that it's going to add

you guys ever bought something that you look forward to for a long time? Because of her waited for a package? Nobody shot. We've all done you guys ever looked? Somewhere in the doorbell you go running? Right and then you just see it's nothing. Then you go back. You're there been excited to receive something. Okay, you guys remember the feeling? You get it? Up until the day that you get that thing. It's as if you can't live without it. You're literally imagining what I can't

ever tell you is delayed.

All right, as my mother would do. Amazon says this is delayed.

The heads would that Madigan's Jeff, right.

We have. We have this within us. Okay. Fast forward 90 days. Fast forward 90 days. The first scratch the first scuff the first bird poop on your car. The first whatever the first stain on the carpet, the first stain on your shirt, whatever it is.

What happens? You literally were at a phase where you cannot imagine life without it. And now you can't even find

don't do anymore.

That's the dunya. Don't become obsessed with something that the minute that you get it, it starts to disintegrate. It's like grabbing something and it just starts falling between your hands. Remember, Ozzy says, Don't fall in love with this stuff. Don't fall in love with this stuff. Rather Allah Tada says in the next idea, and neither will the Luna, Xena to have dunya I hope none of your parents go to this to you. Okay, so that wealth and children are the adornment of this worldly life. Went back the Ethel Saudi have played on her into a beaker. So Sullivan wa Hadron Annaleigh. But the everlasting deeds are the things that are ultimately going to be better when it comes to your Lord.

And they are going to be the things that will give you the greatest reward and the greatest hope on the Day of Judgment. Okay. So what is this talking about children, especially in the time of the arrows were a big deal. If you had children, you were noble, you were your status and society went up. And by the way, you also had a workforce. The more kids you had, there was no such thing as child labor laws. The more kids you had, the less employees you had to pay, you know.

So children were a big deal. And the bigger tried you had the more honor the more shut off you're trying to have it. Right. So that's one of the and then well, and man, it would have been one zero sum and dunya. Allah Allah says, These are the things that people chase after. They want to have a big house and a big family. But Subhanallah

the moment you get what you're chasing, you realize that these things are just as temporary as everything else. These things are just as temporary as everything else. Today was my kids first day of school.

I was a mess. You know, expect the kids to cry, right?

Everyone's gonna be okay. When finally the

kids are like, bye, Bob. I'm like, fine.

I'll tell you something that I see a lot of babies here. I'll tell you something. You know, when people tell you it goes by fast? Well, it goes by fast.

I have the satisfied

it's crazy minutes.

You will have everything you have is just temporary.

Even if it's like the thing that you live for.

It's not with you forever.

It's so painful. Think of yourselves. Don't look at me and say That's so cute.

Think about your parents.

Think about what they did for you.

And then think about at a moment's notice. I got a job, I gotta go.

Get on a plane, you leave.

And they're sitting at the door, and they understand. Parents get it.

My mom told me when I left Chicago, Fort Bliss in the world when I left.

I came here to be a youth director. And to study with Shackleton Nasr, I came here to study primarily and then I needed to pay bills. So I took a job.

She told me 10 years later

that she held her tears at the door

and didn't cry.

Because she didn't want me to be weak.

Don't look at me with Musa look at your own reality.

The one who will do anything for you.

And the way that Allah created this universe

is that even that relationship can last forever.

Even that relationship isn't going to be eternal.

Like I want to poop off his button.

And one day he's gonna leave me

and you can't be heartbroken about it because it's the nature of life.

You can't and man a man will you work so hard for your wealth and look you spend it is gone.

But you can't be mad because that's just the way that Allah created this dunya.

So then what's left?

What about the Apple Saudi hat? The only thing that will be with you and your good deeds.

That's it.

So when you have to think about what you're going to give yourself for what you're going to invest this for what you're going to sacrifice for.

You have to ask yourself, is it going to last beyond me? Or is it going to leave me hanging? You remember was it in his book as well and he writes about this. There was a person who said I noticed that everybody had things they love people, friends, family, whatever. And then I watched that person go from their friends. Okay, imagine that timeline friends, family laughing good times.

parties weddings this that, buy the house, buy the car, all these things. And eventually at some point, they get sick.

And all those social gatherings, all those good times, everything just stops.

And then the sickness gets worse. And then it gets terminal, and then they have three days to live, and then that one day to live, and all of the people start falling off. Until eventually the person is surrounded by maybe a few just their family, and then they pass away. And then the genetic guys prayed. And then they're buried. And even the family that was with them in the in the room when they passed away. They can't go with them in the grave.

None because it says I looked at that whole story. I saw it play out every time.

And I realized,

why don't I give myself fully to these things that are gonna leave me hanging

at the hospital, and then at the emergency room, and then at my deathbed, and they're at my grave. Why would I give myself away to these things that aren't going to stay with me?

Instead, I realized the only thing that will stay with me

are those five prayers

or the fasting Ramadan

is the Son of God that I gave away.

The Hajj that I need, those are the things that are gonna be with me in my grave, defending me sort of Mulk will take the shape of a beautiful human being will come and say I'm going to defend you because you read me every night.

And if any punishment comes from the angels for any sin that we did, sort of mock says nah, not this one.

He kept me as a companion during his life. So I'm with him now.

The numbers that he said, I decided that I was going to make my friends my good deeds by backing up the Saudi hat.

Why Clayton in general, because

that's the thing that's going to matter the most Rasul Allah to Allah forgive us that Rasul Allah to Allah to make all of our deeds, good ones that are everlasting. We ask Allah to Allah to grant us the ability to have clear perspective. And to not only feel regret when the time is up, we asked Allah to Allah to allow us to have those Uturn those moments in life where we can come back to him, and that we can choose to invest ourselves in the things that are everlasting. And not those things that will perish right before our eyes. I mean, me know what I mean. Out of all people, everybody