Abdul Wahab Saleem – Raise Your Standards and Pursue Excellence

Abdul Wahab Saleem

Friday Khutbah

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The success of Islam's message of success is highlighted, along with the importance of raising the bar and achieving success in life. The speaker emphasizes the use of Islam's strength and talent to help people, including fixing bad habits and following a daily routine to develop a habit. The importance of positive competition and working hard is emphasized, as well as fixing and practicing habits. The speaker also mentions a study on a person named Sunur who had a dream of learning Arabic and the Quran, but chose not to do it due to lack of skill.

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			When we let him in Shruti and fusina women so yeah Dr. Molina, Maria de la Hoefler moody Leila. Oh
my god who Fela de Allah where shadow Allah ilaha illallah wa shadow no Mohammed Abdullah he rasuluh
my bad but we'll see come what Yeah, yeah better Oh ALLAH he has Zoa gel for in the Hosea Doofy,
dunya and Ohara.
		
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			Indeed all praises due to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah,
		
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			Allah, the One who sent His messengers, Allah, the One who created patience and perseverance within
human beings, Allah, the One who tested people and gave them the TOEFL also to be patient as well.
And we send salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
		
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			through what is to proceed, my brothers, I want to talk to you about raising yourselves, raising the
bars, raising your
		
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			bars in every aspect of your life.
		
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			A believer is always looking to become better. A believer is always looking to achieve more than
what he had done in the past. And this is something that Allah Allah Azza wa Jalla loves as well.
There are some people out there you look at them. And you say, you have all of the abilities to be
that person who can achieve so much with his life within this dunya and for the hereafter as well.
But the person is just sitting around, he's not moving, he's not doing anything. He's not doing
enough. He's not taking advantage of the skills that Allah has given him. Because every skill set
that Allah has given you, there is also questioning that will be upon you on the Day of Judgment
		
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			because of that. Don't forget that there are skills that Allah has granted you and those skills that
Allah had granted you, they are going to lead to a questioning as well on the Day of Judgment. What
did you do? You all know that hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in which a person
will be asked about five things, they will be asked about his youth. And what he did was that he
will be asked about his money and what he did with it, you'll be asked about these things. What does
that mean? That means every time you have an asset, you have a skill, you have an ability, there's
question, there's questioning, when you have something you have a gift from Allah,
		
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			Allah is going to ask you, and that is the reason why we need to raise the bar with everything that
we do in life. If you're able, and you choose poverty, and you're extending your hands, to people
around you, that is something you're going to be asked about, if you're capable, and you can achieve
something, and you choose not to. And because of that, you end up becoming a failure in life. That
is something you're going to be asked about, you see an opportunity to do some head, Allah has given
you the strength to do it. You got to do it. You have to use those skills that you have in a
positive way.
		
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			Musa alayhis salam when he traveled from Egypt, and he went to Meridian, Musa alayhis salam had a
skill and that was the fact that he was very built. He was a very big built guy.
		
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			salAllahu alayhi wasallam. So when he went to Medina, and he saw some ladies, they needed help, and
they're standing by the water, he used the strength, he had to go and move that big rock on top of
the well, so that they can get some or you can get some water for them. He used the skill, the
talent, the physique that Allah had granted him when he made the mistake. Musa alayhis salam while
he was in Egypt still, and he was trying to aid a person from the Israelites. And he ended up
striking the Coptic and he died. He told Allah azza wa jal, oh Allah because of what you've granted
me, but I'll be the mayor and I'm telling because of what you've granted me, I will never become a
		
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			person who aids those people who are transgressors.
		
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			Why because he realizes he has superhuman energy and strength and power. He didn't know he's going
to try to help this man and punch the the oppressor and the person just falls to the ground. It's a
knockout strike. He didn't realize that but when he realized it, he realized I have strength. He
promised Allah that I'm never going to use this except in the right way. And so when he got to
Meridian, he used it in the right way. He saw two ladies they needed help. He's tired, seven days
he's been traveling. He hasn't had prevailed, but he doesn't look at all of that. He goes but I'm
one of them Madea as
		
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			soon as he got to the water, he saw two ladies that needed help. They're standing around in the
back, they wanted to get water for their livestock he went, used all the strength that Allah had
given him, not in search for food. He's hungry he hasn't had food for seven days. But whatever
leftover strings he has he moves that rock takes out water and gives it to them goes and sits down
makes dua to Allah but be in the mountains Delta either Yemen Hayden familia, Oh Allah, the goodness
that you will reveal down to me and for me, I'm hoping for it. So use that strength that Allah has
given that whether that be the physical strength, whether that be the energy, whether that be your
		
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			your mental abilities, your cognitive abilities, whether that be a skill set that Allah has given
you something you can do fix repair, something you can make all of that that needs to be used, you
need to raise the bar and that's what Allah loves. There's a hadith of the prophets of salaam which
I admire and love and all of the Hadith of the prophets of salaam I admire and love the prophets of
Salaam. He said that in Allah Karim, Allah is very honorable. He loves the people that honor. And he
said, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that he loves madly in love and another tradition Malyon omole He
loves the matters which are heightened people when they're trying to achieve the most Allah loves
		
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			this. So when you push yourself to the limits, Allah loves this.
		
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			Allah loves this. You've got to push yourself harder. But Allah also hates the opposite as well.
While you're corrosive Safa The Prophet said. And he, he hates the crude lowly things, when people
are making decisions that make them nobody's Allah Subhana Allah Allah doesn't love this. And that's
why the Prophet told us that in Jana, there are 100 degrees 100 degrees in Jana.
		
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			And he said that between every Jana and every degree of Jana, it's like the heavens and the earth,
and the highest of that is Alfred those are a paradise. The highest of that is Alfred Villa dos.
		
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			When you ask Allah the Prophet continued for either Sir Elton Allah, when you ask Allah as for what?
		
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			First Hello will fill those and asked for the highest of the field dose. Don't settle for less.
Don't settle for less even in Jannah look for the highest in this life. Look for the highest work
hard compete. There's all these verses in the Quran, which talk about Saudi Aramco SABIC boom
festival to the naffaa. So what is all this raise Chase compete for the goodness, work hard. There's
no harm in positive competition. So long as we're not working against one another. There's no harm
in positive competition work hard and race for the greatness. And that's why the Prophet was told by
Allah azza wa jal as well. And as an extension in the Quran, even the prophet is being reminded to
		
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			raise the bars. When Allah subhanaw taala tells them first speed, gamma sabara kulula asmita rosary
Be patient, just as the profits of might were patient, just as no one was patient, just as Adam was
patient, just as Ibrahim was patient, just as Musa was patient, just as Lisa was patient raise the
bar.
		
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			Ibrahim thrown into the fire. But he continues to call new Hala. He said I'm rejected for 950 years.
He continues to work at ESA and he said I'm attempted to be crucified, but he's going to come back
to this world and he'll continue to lead in positivity. Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam exiled,
stoned, horned in every which way but he continued to call and call and call why because Allah is
teaching us through these messengers to raise the bar work harder, no matter what happens. What
hurdle comes your way, keep on going. So Allah wants you to keep moving. Allah wants you to keep on
trying, Allah who is that he will Jalon he wants you to raise the bars. I ask Allah Allah azza wa
		
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			jal to give us the Tofik to raise the bars. I asked Allah Allah azza wa jal to never allow us to
settle for less or some Allahu Allah says Sayyidina Muhammad in early he was so happy here
Alhamdulillah him then you are in your MO You can feel almost EDA or SallAllahu ala Sayidina
Muhammad in one early he was a heavy engineering
		
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			but your brothers and your sisters, a poet by the name of an Watanabe once said and it's such an a
true statement. He said Well, I'm raffia Are you been nasty? I even cannot conceal Catarina Aleta
mummy. There are some people who are capable
		
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			of completeness, there are some people who are complete capable of greatness. There are some people
who are capable of doing more, you can see every reason why this person could be more than what he
is. But then they make the choice to be incomplete. They make the choice of incompetence, they make
the choice of inability, they make the choice not to do what Allah has commanded mandated them to do
through the skills that Allah has granted. So he says, I've never seen a defect in a human being
more so than the defect of a person who's capable of completing himself, but he chooses not to. And
this is a reality, there are people around you, you look at them, sometimes ourselves as well look
		
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			at yourself, you know that if you just worked another hour on this, you would be able to do it, you
know that if you worked a little bit more on your Quran, you would be able to accomplish it, you
know that if you work a little bit harder in the gym, you will be better in that way. You know that
if you work a little bit harder, you go from the B's to the A's. You know, if you work a little bit
harder on that relationship, it's going to work out. But sometimes people just make the choice that
they don't want to do more.
		
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			push yourselves, push yourself salah, more, but it is that the well Janelle, he wants you to do
more. He wants you to make those positive habits. I left in the year 2006, to study in Saudi Arabia.
At the time, I knew a lot of people who had similar dreams, they wanted to learn and they will had
the dream of learning Arabic and the Quran, and they wanted to do all of these things.
		
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			And upon return in 2019,
		
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			I noticed that some of those people, they're still dreaming, because they didn't want to put down
the habits. And that goes for every single thing in life. It goes for tolerable. ilmi goes for your
physical goals, it goes for social goals, it goes for your relationships with your family, whatever
you do, unless you have the right habits, you're never going to accomplish, you will continue to
dreaming a decade will go by you will be sitting there dreaming, another decade will go by you will
sit and dream when your 40s or 50s. Come now you will give up hope as well.
		
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			It's about the habits, fix those habits, you do a little bit on a daily basis of whatever you want
to accomplish. You will see over time, that little bit will add up. It's those habits that count.
And this is the reason why the Prophet always encouraged the habits, he would say that the most
beloved of actions to Allah is what a little bit but those which are consistent, those which are
consistent, but there are, even if it's a little bit, you want to memorize the Quran, if you spend
an hour a day, I promise you for years later you will be done. He'll be done. You might be perfect.
You might be great, you might not be the best, but you will be done 100%. Even if you don't have the
		
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			skill over time, that skill we will be developed into you. You want to learn a language. You spend
your time daily, it's who you're going to get to that you want to become that guy who's buffed. You
go to the gym on a daily basis. Sooner or later, you're going to get there. You may need some help.
You may need some support, you need direction, but you will get there but it's about those habits
and that's why some of the stuff they used to say that Kali Linda immune hieromonk a theory among
others doing a little bit every single day is better than doing a lot but then you just stop at the
end of it. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was a man of habits, and one of the habits of
		
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			Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was that he would read the Quran and very regularly so the
prophet is not going to forget Allah promised him that we will make your heart that container for
the Quran. But the Prophet wanted to continue to do it on a daily basis. SallAllahu it was
		
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			one day, a group had come from the thief to the Prophet Alayhi Salatu was Salam. And this hadith and
Sunnah be dealt with and others. A group had come to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam from
bundles of teeth. And they had been standing there in front of the prophets. I send them hoping for
guidance. So the Prophet gave them an appointment. He told them after Isha at this time of the
night, I will come to you, I'll talk to you. So the Prophet would go there on a daily basis and he
would talk to them. And this was when the Prophet was in Medina because delegations was only coming
to him in Medina, no delegations in Mecca. So
		
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			the prophets are setting him on night he got delayed. The Prophet usually doesn't get delete, but he
got delayed. It wasn't a fixed hard written in stone appointment, but the Prophet got delayed. The
Sahaba from se they're standing there waiting for them or sitting there waiting for the prophet but
		
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			prophet is not there. Some time went by the Prophet came walking in.
		
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			And every day the prophet would come. And the narrator, he said he would stand in one on one leg,
and then he would stand on the other leg, and then he would stand on the other leg. Why? Because he
was tired. So Allahu Allahu wa salam, even the prophet would get tired. The Prophet would get tired
by that time of the night. So he would, he would switch between his legs, sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam, to continue to be able to have that stamina to stand, and he would talk to them. And the
Sahaba he said, the main thing that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was telling us was that
when we were in Mecca, we were people who are downtrodden, we were people who were suppressed and
		
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			oppressed. We were people who were who were going through a difficult time who still die fina was
dead, they lean.
		
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			But now, when we got to Medina, things have changed. Sometimes they win, boorish, sometimes we win
us no doubt. Who are they him? Are you dallona Elena.
		
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			So then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that night when he was late, the prophets I said let
me said that in a whole plethora aleja just a minute Quran and in some of the narrations is V
mineral Quran. The key to an a true kahawa. Raja is that the amount of Quran that I daily read
		
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			that portion of the Quran I wasn't able to do it throughout the day.
		
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			And I was afraid that if I come to you all that I'm going to miss it, so I disliked coming to you
before finishing it off. So what does that show you? The prophets of Allah who already was salam has
a habit. Do you think Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will forget? Do you think so? Allah
will allow the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam to forget. But the prophet has a habit. He needs
to follow that habit. Because these habits are the things that make great people with your habits
you will develop in whatever direction you want to develop yourself. You know, the 10,000 hour rule
that they talk about. It's no joke, it's a reality. Whatever you want to do, when you put the hours
		
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			into that you're going to get better at that. So Allah wants you to become an expert at whatever you
choose in life, and do a little bit of the deen as well accommodate that within your life. Make sure
on a daily basis you're connecting yourself to Allah read a little bit of the Quran. Read a little
bit of the Sunnah pick up at the other side of it and keep it in your home. Read it on a daily basis
I promise you, it will make you a better person.
		
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			I promise you what Allah he lives he lives in LA who you will become a better person, you will be
reminded of Allah. When you choose to follow your desires. That hadith of desires will come in your
mind. The ayat of desires will come in your mind when you choose to follow the path of shaytaan you
will remember that Allah told you not to follow the footsteps of shaitan you will be reminded the
Quran is the greatest reminder the Sunnah is the extension to the Quran. I ask Allah subhana wa
Taala to make the Quran the fountains of our hearts. I mean, and I asked Allah subhanho wa Taala to
make the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam our director of principles.
		
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			Well, Bettina, dunya Hassan, Hassan Al Qaeda Agha Nam Jannetty Abram yeah as he is we have a far
we're up in salata in salata didn't have an infection, you will monitor well as he could Allahu
Akbar, Allahu Allah, Allah momentus now