Paths to Peace – Ramadan 2023 Night 1

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first and foremost Ramadan, Mubarak Ramadan Kareem to everyone. And we wanted to welcome everyone to the kalam campus. We're in sha Allah, we hope to be able to observe a very beautiful month of Ramadan, with different programs and activities along with obviously all the prayers that are we. And so every day during the Torah, we after eight records, we have a reminder, a short talk Akata, if you will. And what we're trying to do is cover a particular theme in these halted in these reminders after eight o'clock every day. So that there's some kind of coherence. And there's some kind of tie in with all the different discussions that we're going to have.

Previously, we covered all the ayat in the Quran or the verses in the Quran that discuss the concept of new light, enlightenment, this year insha Allah

what we're going to be discussing in these reflections and reminders is something that is a universal concern and struggle, something that concerns all humanity and all people and that is human beings are constantly striving for searching for in the pursuit of peace, tranquility, serenity.

And that's something that plagues all human beings, wherever they are, wherever they're coming from, no matter what their background is. Everyone is constantly looking for that tranquility, that inner peace.

And the Quran repeatedly talks about that same tranquility, that peace, that serenity, that calmness of the soul. And the Quran speaks about it, using some different words. For instance of Quran talks about Salam peace, the Quran talks about Sakina tranquility. The Quran talks about the menina a sense of serenity.

And so, in sha Allah, this Ramadan, what we're going to do is we're going to go through the Quran and explore the different verses that talk about Salam Sakina femenina

in our own pursuit of peace and tranquility.

And so the very first idea that we're going to look at isn't so little Baqara.

It's a little bit later in Surah, Al Baqarah, one could basically saying the last third of Surah Baqarah, at the end of the second Jews. Allah subhanaw taala tells us a fascinating story from the past. Allah tells us about Bani Israel in the Israelites when they lived in the area of Jerusalem, Al Quds.

And while they live there, they were dealing with a very aggressive enemy that kept encroaching in on their territory,

and kept occupying their lands and pushing them further and further back to the point where they had come to the Gates of Jerusalem.

There was a prophet amongst the Israelites at that time. The Quran does not name the Prophet it just says what Allah Allah Who Nabil whom it just says that it was their prophet. However, some of the narrations in the Israeli yards. They identified this prophet as similar II or Samuel.

And it's mentioned that he was very old and elderly at this time. He was very frail.

And they went to him and they said that we need to stand up to this enemy. They outnumber us. They are stronger than us. They are more resourceful, more equipped than we are. But we have to take a stand. Otherwise they'll just trample us. So we need someone to lead us into battle, because he was no longer capable of doing that.

So similar in the Prophet, he tells them that I will pray to Allah to appoint a leader. And then he was given the divine inspiration. The Israelites had previously possess something that was their most valuable possession. The Quran calls it the taboo, it's a taboo,

which basically has been referred to as the Ark of the Covenant. It was a chest or a box made out of wood.

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And that box that chest, it contained some of the remnants of the prophets of the past.

It is said to have contained the staff of Musa alayhis salaam,

the shoes of Musa alayhis salam that he was commanded to remove when he received revelation and prophethood *a Anna lake,

it was said to have contained the, the turban, or the headcovering worn by Harun the Prophet Haruna alayhis, Salam.

And most significantly, it contained some of the remnants of the original tablets, that the total was written upon the stone, the Allah, the stone tablets were in that container.

And what they would do with that container is as so long as they had that container in their possession, there was a divine assistance and mercy with them.

So whenever they would go to battle, they would take that box with them, and they would place it in the battlefield. And they would receive divine assistance and they would achieve victory.

That box, that container had been taken from them, had been stolen from them.

And that had been lost to them.

So the sign was that Allah will appoint you a general, a leader.

And the sign of the fact that this is the leader that's meant to be is that he will bring that box that container back to you.

And yet to come will and yet to come a taboo the fee Sakina to metal become here, he'll bring that container back to you.

And the man who ended up bringing that container back to them was a man that the Quran identifies as Thor Lutz, typically referred to as Saul.

And he came he was a very, a man of very strong and imposing physical stature. He was very known to be very knowledgeable and wise. But he was a very humble and simple person.

And the story goes on from there, that he was able to bring that box that tie boot back to them. And then they were able to go out to the battle. And in that battle, not only did they achieve victory, but that is the battle where we come to be introduced to none other than Donald Alehissalaam when he kills dilute Goliath from the other side.

But I want to keep the focus here, on this box, this container, this taboo, it's this ark of the covenant,

and it contained the remnants of the tota.

What is the torah, the torah was a message from God. The Torah was the revelation, the Torah was the Scripture.

It was a message from Allah.

And that box, that container also contained the staff in the shoes of Musa alayhis salaam, the remnants of the prophets. And it contained the turban or the head covering of the Prophet how to nollie salaam, the remnants of the prophets.

And when Allah speaks about this box and what was in that box, Allah subhanaw taala says something very interesting. We'll call Allah Hoonah Begoun Allah says an ayah number 248 their prophet set to them in the Ayatollah Maliki, the sign that this thing, this general this leader, that he is divinely appointed and he is the one that's meant to be, is that and yet to boot, that he will bring that container that box back to you.

But then Allah says about that box, fee Sakina to Mira become

what does that box contain? Allah says that the box contains peace, tranquility, Serenity from your Lord. And we just talked about what was in the box. What was in the box was the Torah

was a revelation. It was the Scripture. And it was the remnants of the prophets. And Allah says that the message from Allah

and the, the things that the prophets have handed down for you, those two things combined equal serenity. Those two things combined, equal peace, tranquility from your Lord

and the connection to us because it's a very interesting choice of words that Allah has here. Because Allah subhanaw taala

is connecting it to us now.

We're all in search of that peace, that tranquility. That calmness, that serenity.

But that calmness, that tranquility is found in two things. And our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in his seminal address, the hood above hydrated with that.

He concluded it by saying, direct to FICO, I'm Ryan.

I'm leaving you with two resources.

I'm leaving behind two things for you.

Learn today Luma termasuk timbi, Hema,

so long as you hold on to these two things, you will never lose your way.

You will never go astray, you will never feel lost.

You will never feel troubled.

Kitab Allah was similar to NaVi salon he said, the Quran, the book of Allah,

and the tradition, the way of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

And so that is our taproot. That is our Sakina that is our piece that is our tranquility that is what holds for us our personal victory. And our collective dignity as an aroma is the Quran and the tradition, the way of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

We're here in this blessing month of Ramadan, by the grace in the Mercy of Allah, this is an opportunity, once again, for us to be able to connect or reconnect whichever one that is. But for us to be able to build a valuable, meaningful connection with the Quran, and with the life and the legacy of the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam, let's avail this opportunity. let's utilize this opportunity that we have, where we stand in prayer and we listen to the Quran being recited where we made time during the day to be able to hold and sit with the book of Allah and read from it. When we opened up the translation, and we read the translation and tried to understand it, when we tried to

practice and then and, you know, adopt

the character and the ways and the conduct of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam because as the prophets Allah the sun told us, that malum Yadav hola zu,

well, I'm gonna be here, that someone who does not abandon speaking evil and doing evil,

Felisa, lelaki Hydra

that Allah has no need for someone to starve themselves and deprive themselves of food and water.

So let's spend our days and nights while we are fasting,

adopting and conducting ourselves by the character of the prophets and lobbies. And let's utilize our days and nights to connect with the Quran and the meaning and the message of the book of Allah. Because that's what contains our peace and our tranquility and our victory in this life and in the next, may Allah subhanaw taala grant us all the ability to practice everything we've said and heard Subhanallah he will be humble he Subhanak along the Huntik mesh Hello hola ilaha illa Anta nasaka. Gov