Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera – Building a Vision
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hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa salatu salam or adalimumab Ruthie
Ramadan Lila I mean, what are the early he was Sufi or Baraka was
seldom at the Sleeman cathedral, Eli Yomi Dean. So I began praising
Allah,
Lord of the worlds
and I pray that Allah sends His peace and blessings upon the one
who was sent
and appointed as a mercy and blessing for this world. So may
Allah Shower him with his blessings and His peace and His
mercy.
And we ask Allah subhana wa Tada for assistance in this regard.
Allah subhanho wa Taala says in the Quran, let us take some
illumination, let us take some inspiration Inshallah, from the
words of Allah. Allah says in the Quran in Surah Surah
there all the wheeler here in a shameful anti Ragini Bismillah AR
Rahman AR Rahim.
mukha UD de Lara Ginetta AR Jana houfy. Manisha
od Minh overread Thumma John Doe Jehan. Yes, I
moved my mother, hurrah. Woman out on the Pirata was SARAH Yeah, ha,
who I mean, for Hola.
ICA Anna, Sarah you whom mesh Skura. Good Lin. Nomi do Ha
ha ha.
Even alto you know big. Why America Anna, or become a Hurrah.
Oh, who gave her body about although who NIDA about one, Euro
two EC Bo da Raja to the root of we, this dunya comes before the
akhira. This world comes before the Hereafter. And in Arabic, the
terms for both of these are actually very intuitive. The word
dunya as we all know that we're dunya for this world, literally
speak, literally speaking comes from the meaning of dunya comes
from possibly to two meanings. One is to be close. Because this is
the part of our life, which is the closest to us. This is what we're
immediately facing right now. This is the life that we are traveling
through at this point in time. So it's called the dunya. Our hero
means something that just follows something that comes later Archaea
on that which comes later on, so that dunya and the earth there is
a very literal meaning. So this is the dunya. And you get the
accurate that comes afterwards. Now I want to give you a simple
equation.
Because the dunya comes first, and there is no way that accurate can
come first. So ontologically speaking, this is completely
accurate in the sense that that dunya will always come first.
Because the closest you can't change that around, this can't
become the Ark era. And that can't become the dunya. Right? This is
what it is by by its very definition of its word. This is
what's now. So ontologically speaking, this is what exists
right now. And that will come into existence later. I mean, it
already exists. But we will go into it later. So now, the
question is this,
when I've got two things to worry about, when I've got two things to
be concerned about, they both they come in order, there's the first
thing that I need to worry about, then there's something that will
come later on,
if I'm going to be focused entirely on that immediate first
stage.
And I don't care about what's going to come afterwards. I'm just
focusing focusing on what I'm to do right now the next stage in my
life. And I'm not focused about the stage, which is inevitably
going to come later on. It's definitely it's going to come but
I'm just not in it right now. Then anything that I do is going to be
fixated just on this world.
On this particular project right now, I don't care about the other
project right now. I'm only worried about this project. So for
example, you know, that living in London is expensive. And you
probably know that you're probably not going to be able to live with
your parents for the rest of your life. They're gonna want you to
work and probably get a place for yourself because going to be
overcrowded. Maybe you got brothers and sisters in, you know,
in your house as well. So now, whenever whatever you do, you're
going to be focused on you have to be focused on what's next. I mean,
you're not thinking of buying a house tomorrow you right right now
most of you are probably wanting to, to get married first finish
off your studies and then get married first and then maybe think
about buying a house. But the person who's probably going to be
more successful is the one who's already thinking of
about buying a house from now,
there's going to be two types of people right now there's going to
be some people who are going to be thinking, I just want to spend the
next few days next few months, next few years that I'm here away
from my family, or whatever it is, that's what I'm worried about, is
another person who's also spending time with you in the same place
they both, there's the other person is also at Imperial
College, he is also studying, maybe it's on the course maybe
sitting next to you, right, maybe he or she is sitting next to you,
right. But they in their mind, they are actually concerned about
buying a house from now,
the way they study the way they spend their time, the way they
make the effort, the kind of the way they waste their time, if they
do is going to be very different from the way you do it.
Because they've got many more things that are already in their
mind than just immediately how I'm going to enjoy the next two, three
years, because I'm away from family and I got nothing to worry
about.
You see what I'm saying? The more the greater your ambition, the
further you think when you factor all of those things in, it will
impact the way you do what's coming next, what's coming
immediately now what is the present, and you will be more fine
tunes, you will be more exact in the way you do things. And you're
probably going to be more successful.
Take that that's on a kind of a micro level, take that on a macro
level, take that on a duniya akhira level, and you get the same
thing. Anything that you do for this world, it's going to be
purely for this world, you will get it you will do it. Now, if you
do something for the earthhero, just like this person who is also
concerned about buying a house, right and setting himself up
setting herself up from now, they're still going to study, just
like the other person who's only focused on next two years, they're
both going to study, they're both going to get what they're
hopefully come here to get, but isn't going to they're going to be
a different difference in the quality of what each one of them
is going to get. One is only going to be focused on the now the other
one is going to be focused on the tomorrow. So what I want to say is
that focusing on the future doesn't
does not damage your now it only enhances it. If you focus only on
the now then you may be successful in the now but you may not be
successful for tomorrow. But when you've taken into consideration
tomorrow, in your equation of now, then you have suddenly enhanced
the way you do things. So simply put like that, when anybody is
focused on just this world on doing things for this world, and
thus now let's take this buying a house in a really nice postcode, a
really nice house and a nice car, and the most handsome and
beautiful and
attractive looking spouse. Right? You're thinking about that? No,
but is that as far as you're gonna go? All of that is also now. Now
based on the accuracy
the end of the day, what you're going to make in this world in
terms of settling down and getting mashallah Nice job and buying a
house for yourself, setting yourself up becoming whatever you
want to become in this world. At the end of the day, what is that
going to be next 50 years, next 60 years, maybe 70 years, if you're
very lucky. That's all now in terms of the hereafter. The
hereafter is eternal. So just the way you would enhance yourself by
thinking about tomorrow. Now, it is also good idea to think about
the ultimate tomorrow, the Akira now in this dunya it's not going
to spoil your dunya you have to remember that just like thinking
about buying a house from now on settling down is not going to
spoil your efforts and your work and your degree here. It's only
going to enhance it. That's why thinking about the Akira is going
to improve your dunya.
If you work just for the dunya, you will only be working just for
the dunya if you're working for the akhira. But because you're
working for the dunya dunya has to come first that can only be
enhanced and improved. So let us be for the earthhero and not just
for this dunya let us be for tomorrow and not just for today.
And that is one of the most prudent things. And once you're
fixated on a higher goal, which is the ultimate goal of being with
Allah in paradise close to him, that in sha Allah, everything you
do here will suddenly be done for a different reason. You will have
meaningfulness you won't feel devoid inside. Just about over a
month ago, I saw a story which Subhanallah it really really got
me thinking in South Korea, anybody from South Korea here,
right? Anybody from the area know? Right? So, South Korea There's a
guy in
his late 20s, a really
a guy in his late 20s was some really, really popular singer or
something just died about six weeks ago, but two months ago,
right month or two ago, right?
It's only 20 something and you see that all of these young people,
they are actually crying as though they've just lost their father, or
their mother or their grandmother or somebody. And I just looked at
all of these crying, I thought this guy must have been something
special. I read more about this person. And he actually took his
life. And the note that he left behind the writing that he left
behind, was that he was empty inside.
He is in so called inspiring so many people outside. But inside he
is devoid to such a degree that he can't even handle himself. He
can't tolerate himself. He can't live even for the now. And there's
no concept in the of the Akira for him maybe. So he kills himself.
And all of these people are crying, what are they crying after
crying after somebody who's empty inside? Is this what the modern
world has given us to cry for somebody who's struggling
themselves? What a weird world we live in. What a weird world we
live in, that really got me thinking is this Subhan? Allah
SubhanAllah.
That's why this is what Allah says, In the verse that I just
recite in solitary Surat, if anybody desire, Allah says, If
anyone desires only this fleeting life,
we speed up whatever we will in it, if you want this life, and you
want that nice house, wherever you want that house, maybe around the
corner from here, right? Maybe just, you know, princess, or is it
Prince Consort road, or whatever it is, you know, you want a nice
flat there, you know, that's fine.
If that's what you want, well, we can give it to you. It's not
difficult, we can give it to you. We can speed up whatever we will
in it, for whoever we wish. In the end, we have them prepared for we
have them prepared held for him in which to burn disgraced and
rejected. This is a person who is focused entirely and only
exclusively for this dunya don't care about the hereafter. So Allah
says, you want something I'll give it to you, you're gonna make some
effort, you'll get it. Then he says, But if anybody desires the
life to come and strives after it, as he should, as a true believer,
his striving, his striving will be thanked, we will be grateful for
that striving. Now that striving doesn't mean that you don't earn
top marks here and top grade zijn that you don't get the best job
that's possible and that you don't live in a nice race. That's not
what it means. Just your focus was different.
And then Allah says that to both the latter and the former, both
types of people, we give some of your Lord's bounty, the sustenance
from God the provisions from God there for both of you.
Right there for both types of people, we will give to this one
will give to that one, whoever tries they'll get it. But says
Prophet, Your Lords bounty is not restricted. See how we have given
some more than others. So we will give some people more, we will
give some people less, that should not deceive you. But the hereafter
holds the greatest ranks and the greatest favors. May Allah make us
of those who are focused on those greater favors we may get from
this world in sha Allah, right Allah give us Alfian Baraka, Allah
give us blessing and safety in what He has given us. May Allah
give us a lot in Laos to spend on others as well. May Allah not not
make us of those who have to beg others wonderful, but our focus
needs to be the hereafter.
Then start off after the Quranic verse, logically speaking, we move
on to the Quran, we move on to the Hadith Allah the Prophet
sallallahu Sallam says in this hadith narrated by YBNL manager
from Zaid immunother. But he says,
The one who holds aspiration for the hereafter
the one whose focus is the hereafter the hero, Allah will
gather his affairs of this dunya that gather his affairs together
and pour richness in his heart.
So the person will be in control of his, his or her focus in the
world, they'll be in control. Allah will give them huge amount
of richness and contentment in the heart that they will actually not
feel devoid and want to commit suicide. They will actually feel
really satisfied and fulfilled inside which is really important.
And the dunya will come to such a person willingly.
The world will come to you willingly because you have
connected yourself to the master of the world,
to the creator of the world. So his production he
His objects, his making will all come to you. Because you're not
going after the lowly, you're going after the high. So he will
give you the lowly thing that he has created. Then he said, The one
who holds material aspirations, their end goal is material
aspirations. They don't see beyond that.
The whole material aspirations, Allah will scatter his affairs. So
he'll be what it means by scatter his affairs is that he's going to
be rushing around to tie this end together to do that, to do that,
to that do that devoid in the heart, you just running around
just trying to make it work. Even if you're the wealthiest person in
the world, you've got no contentment, you're just rushing
around, then. So the prophets, Allah says, Allah will scatter his
affairs and put poverty in front of his eyes, and a statement to
poverty in front of your eyes, you know, you know what I get from
that, it's like, you know, you have something coming out of your
head, like a wire or something, a frame, and then there's like
poverty. So you're just chasing around, it's just poverty is
always there, that's all you're seeing. That's all a person sees.
And what it essentially means is that you're always going to be
concerned that I got nothing, I got nothing, I need to do more, I
need to do more, what a bad state to be in when you're never
satisfied. So poverty will be placed in front of their eyes, and
the world will not come to them. Except if Allah has written it for
them. So only the amount that Allah has written you, that is all
that's going to come to you anyway, in both cases, is just in
one year satisfied in the other one, you're not so satisfied. So
most of us want to succeed, right? That's why you're here most of us
want to succeed. Some of us are mashallah very good at our
studies, who's good at their studies, who like, you know,
really knows their stuff will get good marks?
Or is that not something you're asking Imperial College? Right?
So some of us are very good at our studies. And some of us are
actually very talented and gifted. And there's no doubt about them.
Hamdulillah that should be celebrated. But don't scam artists
also have a talent?
Don't these really complicated thefts, people who do these big
scams? Don't they also have great minds? Allah has given great minds
to many different people. But it depends on how you use them. Like
having a great mind is a gift. How you use it is Tofik. is divine
enablement. Crooks, good crooks, they know what they're talking
about. They just didn't come to Imperial College, or didn't come
here first. Right? Or maybe they did? I don't know. You know, so
Allah protects us.
They've just used it the wrong way.
We don't want just a good career in this world. We don't want to
just be high achievers in this world. And then after that be
devoid inside, right?
So what are we asking for here? We want people that are going to make
a difference to this world. And to difference to the hereafter. If
you want to leave something for people to remember you forget
whether people remember you or not to make people's lives better, to
actually leave some kind of mark in this world, then we need to
have two things. Scholars, they say that right to become a high
achiever in anything, there are two things that you need. When I
say a high achiever, I don't mean a high achiever in the sense of
just in terms of the world, a high achiever, both in terms of this
world and in terms of the Hereafter, there are two
qualities, do you have those two qualities? Number one, to have an
active mind.
To have an active mind, you're always looking for some
opportunity. So you're smart, and you're intelligent, but you're not
just smart and intelligent. But you actually have the second
quality, which is have a burning heart,
a heart that is compassionate, a heart that wants to make a
difference, for the right reason. If you've just got a mind that
wants to make a difference, because you just want to be known
to be a great individual, and for your name to be plastered everyone
plucks on offices and other places. Right? Then that's not the
same as the one who wants to do it for the sake of God in an
altruistic way. You need a burning heart, and you need a really fiery
mind. And then after that these people will be true achievers in
this world that will be both achievers for this world and of
the hereafter. I mean remote minion Ramadan Hatha Radi Allahu
Anhu. This is what he says he says, For Coonrod, Jhulan original
who fifth thorough will Herma to humanity he thorough.
This is talking about having the highest ambition possible. This is
what he says. It says Be a person whose feet are firmly grounded on
the earth. But
the the head, the head, the pinnacle of his aspiration is
On the play the scarf,
your hem and your aspiration your resolution is on the stars. So
your feet on the ground so you're still a worldly being you're not
flying around, you're on the ground. But your inspiration your
aspiration is up there on the stars the Pleiades star as they
call it the thorough and thorough another another really famous
airport he says that only a jet Doofy Itala Bill Rula for other
exactly Oh, a mood, a mood a mood to zero. It says Just let me do my
hardest to try to reach an elevated height and status to
reach a high position this let me work
and do my best. After that. Either I will reach my objective, or I
will die and at least I'll have an excuse. At least I tried.
At least I tried.
He also says in another place. He says in the LI him Merton a shed
in the LI him mitten a shed Domina zakhary were acquired in Raisa
tiltable he says I've got such an aspiration that is stronger and
more tougher than at than a rock and that is stronger and higher
than the highest of mountains. That's my aspiration. aspiration
is a good thing. Without that you're not gonna move on Meridian
did not have the aspiration that he had, you would never have
achieved what he did. That's just very simple. Muhammad shulkie.
Another famous poet. More of recent times, it says a Toyota
yatta yatta. You Ruby Jana, hi. Well, Maria T Ruby, humanity he
birds fly with their two wings. Birds fly using their two wings,
the human can also fly high. The human flies with his aspiration.
You have aspiration, you can go wherever you want. These are the
people that end up doing something. They end up helping a
lot of people and they leave a mark in this world. And they have
great places for them in the hereafter.
There was a scholar who passed away one of the greatest of our
jurists, and in the hereafter when he when he when he left this
world, somebody sees him in a dream. And this is quite a common
occurrence among some people. He sees somebody sees a dream in
which he sees this Imam. Imam, What did Allah do for you? He said
he gave me Jana. He said, Why did he give you Jana? For what and he
must have thought the response would be, I have worked so hard in
writing all of these books and in teaching all of these people and
working to provide a lot of juridical rulings and all the rest
of it. I was a great jurist. He says, One day, I was sitting
about to write something with my pen. And in those days, you know,
you had your read pens that you made yourself by shaving them into
a pen, and you dip them into ink, I just dipped my pen to ink. And I
was about to write I was just with my pen like this. And a fly came
and sat on my set on the nib and started taking from the ink. And I
looked at it, and I thought it must be thirsty. So let me leave
it there for a while. I just held it there for a moment until it
flew away. I was forgiven for that. And I was given Jana for
that reason.
Now, before you jumped to conclusions, why did he let him
drink all of this bad ink? Right?
And did that come to anybody's mind by the way?
It did. Thanks for being honest. Anybody else did that come to your
mind? Yeah, there you go. And that's a good point. But you guys
need to study anthropology. Right? Don't ever project your social
understanding of the products of today, which I don't know what's
in this thing to be honest, right? But don't project that onto other
people. There's a country in which when they memorize the Quran, by
the end that child has memorized finished memorizing the Quran,
he's read the Quran, he has written the entire Quran, and
they've also drank the entire Quran. And the way they do this is
that they have these wooden boards, and they make a form of
edible ink made of some some, I don't know burnt sugar or whatever
it is, right? They write their next lesson with it. And I've seen
this. I haven't seen the edible ink one because they were washing
it off in the morning, probably made of charcoal or something.
There's in Mauritania, they write the next day's lesson because they
don't have copies. They don't have published editions printed,
printed copies. They write it, they memorize it, and then it's
gone forever. It's only in their heart. What they do is when they
wash it off, then they drink that water.
Right? It's edible. So it's edible ink, right. So it wasn't harmful.
Just for animal rights activists. I need to clarify that. Right.
He was given something he was given. He was given paradise for
that reason. Allah can choose anything. It's that level of
compassion. So these are not people who are just career
oriented, wanting to make a great name for themselves by producing
all of these books.
You know, they were doing things for the lowly creature like, like
a fly that nobody cares about flies, nobody gives pays any
attention to flies.
People who want to do something they will do a lot of us were
complaining that we don't have time, you're so focused on one
thing, believe me, we all have a lot of time. But we have a lot of
time that we waste. This is the time of massive distraction. One
of I was just looking around to see what people said about
obstacles that come in the way of visions. What, there's lots of
people who have vision, there was an article I read some time ago,
which I couldn't on earth today, while looking for it. But I
remember some points. There's a lot of people who sit and have
great ideas. I'm going to do this, I can do this, man. Why don't they
do it this way. And they sit and criticize, and they have great
ideas for themselves. But then eventually, they never end up
doing anything themselves. There's lots of people who are armchair
critics, who never end up doing anything themselves. They have
great ideas. I know some people there was one student, when I
studied in the seminary, I used to I he was a role model for me, in a
sense, his English, his his lecturing style, his knowledge was
absolutely immaculate, it was really something that you would
aspire to. But the one thing that he didn't have was that he would
have to be forced to do something, he would have to be forced to give
a speech to produce something. And now I don't know what he's doing.
You get numerous people like that. And yet there'll be other people
who didn't have the same kind of talent. But their aspiration was
higher than if this guy had if this guy had an aspiration, that
was the required aspiration, you would have been somewhere else.
Allah creates people in different ways. They just need that. They
just need somebody to tell them to make it work for them. So as I was
looking, I found that one of the obstacles and the distractions
from people realizing their visions was the following. He
says, everybody has things they like to do. I'm talking about fun
things like hobbies, routine, television games, and all of the
other Knick Knack things that fill our lives. And he says, one for me
is video games, he says, right? Again, these things are probably
not a problem in themselves. But sometimes we can give an
inordinate amount of time to these things. When this happens. The
opportunity cost of time wages war against the higher purposes of our
life.
Yesterday, my daughter and I played Call of Duty. The game
keeps a record of the amount of time that an individual plays.
I've never played this, I have no idea about this, but he's saying
so I'm taking his word for it, and displays the information publicly
for others to see. Publicly It's alright. For others to see. Okay,
during one of our games, an opponent had logged 31 days of
gameplay.
31 days of gameplay. That's zeal, man, that's aspiration.
Right? That's aspiration? Well, no Subhanallah
This is one of our greatest obstacles today, I think if this
is one of the main because it's comfort, you know, like
comfortable enough even to when you want to just have some comfort
foods, ice cream, right. So when you're when you're like that, you
just want to just sit and watch YouTube, you just want to just
watch video after video and it keeps giving you I don't know, it
knows your mind. So that it gives you the right kind of it gives you
the right kind of suggestions. And by the end of it, it's three hours
and four hours, and you've got an exam tomorrow. People like that
are just not going to make it. They just lost too much time.
I'll give you an example.
Anybody got a PhD here?
Who's working for their PhD? You got a PhD, you're working towards
a PhD, right?
If I tell you that I know a woman, not even a man I know a woman as
though women are inferior or something the way I'm talking
right? They're not I'm just saying that generally in people's minds.
I know a sister. I know personally, who has a heart
failure of the Quran.
Number one, she's a Alima of the sacred sciences. She spent
whatever number of years doing that. And now she also has a PhD.
Right? That's not a joke. She's got the Quran by heart. She's got
the sacred sciences, right to an advanced level, the six books of
Hadith, etc. And she has also a PhD though.
Is there anybody here that can challenge her?
Even those of you are doing PhDs even after your PhD, can you
challenge her aspiration?
They've made it somebody's got it.
Now that's not to say you can't do that you can do that as well.
hamdulillah mashallah your college is quite a roll on the sense that
you've got students. And I know one of them is supposed to be in
for escape today. But he seems to be here, right?
Like joking with him, so I hope he doesn't find it. I don't want to
mention who he is so
but mashallah, you got students here? And you're not the only one
here? There's a few others, right? Oh, are they from UCL?
They're studying it. Okay. So they're they're studying, they're
studying to become an alum or whatever, in the in the afternoon,
sorry, in the evenings. So you're doing both. Now, that's not easy.
Believe me. It's not easy. You know, when you have exams and so
on. It's not easy. And it's not the best way to do it either. But
people with zeal can do it. I know a person who used to live in
America, she was doing medicine, right? You got people here doing
medicine? I believe. I think the last time I asked all the women
are doing medicine, right? If I remember correctly, right.
She used to call my wife. She studied the shaft effect, but she
needed to understand Hanafy fix used to call my wife once a week
or something on the phone and study for about an hour with her
on the phone. Why would you want to do that? You're doing medicine,
you already know your Shafi folk, but the local people they will
kind of 100 views or whatever. And she needed to know that she was
calling somebody in another country on the phone for an hour
studying. Now that is going against all odds. She had a vision
and mashallah, today she's doing a wonderful job.
These are the people with vision, they don't just satisfy themselves
with the little bit of tomorrow of today rather, write all of this,
what's going to happen? They're focused on what they're going to
do tomorrow and more. So they focused on the hereafter.
Where does it come from? Where do you get where do you get this him
from? Says that him in high aspiration. It comes from God, it
comes from Allah. If you don't have high aspiration, then ask
Allah, you're gonna say, I can't even bother asking Allah, I need
him to even ask Allah. It's like circular reasoning. If Allah
doesn't want to give you you're not gonna get. But if you're
sitting here, and you're listening to this in sha Allah, it means
that Allah wants something from all of us, because he's given me a
chance to actually rectify what I want to do to think about what
kind of aspirations that I have.
If you want aspiration, if you want that drive, you don't you're
missing the oomph in your life where you want to get up and do
something, and you find you're just wasting your time. Today,
somebody sends me a Whatsapp Video is somebody I've been having a
conversation with for a while, that he's just got a lot of lip
lift. He's just really laid back. He just can't do anything and all
the rest of it. I just had that discussion with him. A few days
ago, I get
a YouTube link from him saying, if you got time watch this. Like what
is it? Is it's an over an hour interview with Mike Mike Tyson.
Right? I said mashallah, you got a lot of time?
When are you going to do something Mike Tyson is gone, he's done.
He's done? What are you going to do? When are you going to do
something,
you got the time to sit for over an hour and to watch something
like that. I'm not saying he's wrong, you know, you could get him
at an aspiration from that. But if that's all you're gonna do, you're
not gonna do anything for yourself. What's the point, if
that's not going to make you move, then has been a wasted hour for
you. So a lot of people they have great ideas, a lot of a lot of so
called aspiration in theory, but they just never able to take this
take the first step and do something about it.
Rohit will ask us for honey, who's one of the greatest ethicist of
the Muslim of the Muslim classical period. And he is actually one of
the major inspires of Imam Ghazali. In his work as well, like
a great scholar, he writes that
the person with high aspiration, and a vision is the one who is
never going to just be satisfied. Now listen to this carefully. It
says that is a person who's never going to be satisfied just with
animalistic desires. What is that having some good food? Having a
place of safety? That's every animal gets that or tries and
attempts for that? If that's all you want in this life, then? Are
you better than an animal? Are we better than animals? Aren't we
supposed to be doing things for others, that altruism that we
have? Even some animals have that there was a whale that actually
saved a woman last week from a shark?
Like you could tell that was premeditated. They're known to be
very altruistic, these. These, I think the humpback whale humpback
whales, you get that in some animals. He says that's what it
is.
So he then says the person does not become just a slave of their
stomach and their private parts that that's all they want to just
fulfill their animalistic desires. That's all they worried about as
long as they can get laid and have good food. That's all they're
worried about. That's what
Some people live for right to have their beer and to get laid but
finish. That's what people are worried about. But no, he makes a
huge effort to try to gain the most noble characteristics and to
perform the most noble of actions.
And he says that the one with lowly aspirations is the one who
is opposite to that the first one.
He also says that it's the one who tries to gain the highest benefit,
highest merits highest excellencies. But he doesn't do it
for the sake of show for the sake of fame, for the sake of wealth,
and just for the sake of
pursuing lowly desires, that's not their motivation, they may get
that in the process, but that's not their motivation.
They don't do this just to get one over another person, or to be
superior to others. But they do this because they want to thank
Allah for Allah has given them
you're in a thank Allah, if this is what you've given me, if you've
given me mashallah so much intelligence, you've given me so
much money you've given me
whatever it is that Allah has given you. I want to just thank
you for that. I want to use it in the right way. That's what he says
is the right motivation. Now, I know I'm speaking about this, and
I know, or at least I think you're all going to be inspired.
It's a bad thing to say.
But I'm just being realistic. If I can get one of you to be inspired,
then we've been successful.
Because that's one more achievement in this world, isn't
it in an altruistic sense, but I just say that I hope there's more
than one.
I hope there's more than one, you may be that one, you must think
you're the one and you must think you're the one and you must think
you're the one why should it have to be somebody else? And there's
enough space in Allah's benevolence, so it can be all of
us.
It could be all of us. But unfortunately, you never get 100%
result, do you? But maybe you will get 100% result tomorrow I pray to
Allah today. I pray to Allah that he makes this 100% successful
because the campaign you started is a wonderful campaign. So may
Allah make this by the end of it that you're all really really
going you do something out there
Abdullah Abdullah Masuda the Allah and I'm just going to show you
some visions and some motivations of the people of the past Abdullah
Masuda the Allahu Anhu says, well let de la ilaha Jiro by the one
besides whom there is no other God, I have studied and read from
the directly from the mouth of the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam. 20 Something chapters of the Quran meaning those are the
chapters of the Quran that I've taken directly, straightforward
from the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam. And he says that if
there is somebody that I find,
who has more knowledge about another Surah, who took it
directly from the Messenger of Allah, right, and I can get there
on a camera, then I would do so shows you his zeal for what he's
trying to acquire. He's willing to go to extents to try to get it
from the direct source.
Imam Al Bukhari. Everybody knows him today. He didn't receive his
status just by accident. He wasn't a guy who did what everybody else
did. He traveled the world looking for scholars. There's another
scholar that I just read about recently ignore circa a half
ignore a circuit. He was a historian. He was a hadith
scholar. He was a poet, and he was an amazing personality. He was
born in about 499 Hijiri in Damascus, and he died in 571. HD,
right, which is Salah Medina nodine. Zheng these time, right.
They were students they used to come to attend his does. He he
studied in Damascus, and that was it. It was done. There was nothing
else he could study there. So he decided to go to Baghdad. He
stayed there for five years studying everything that he could
there. And those people were just like, what kind of an
individualist the students? Right? Then he came back home. And he
started writing the history of Damascus. 30, Medina, the mosque,
the history of the city of Damascus. We just received our
edition of that book, you know how many volumes it sent?
And it gets
2040 That's how far your mind goes. Right? I don't blame you for
thinking 40 Because man two volumes is big. 10 volumes is
massive. 20 is like you pushed it and he just added 40 Like okay,
just try 40 Anybody willing to go more than that?
At volumes. I've got them you can come and see it. I've got a
picture I think here right at volumes. He starts off from the
beginning. Any profit that came to Damascus he describes that he
talks about Damascus from the Roman
times. And then after that he discusses every single individual
until his time that he could record the life story of all the
scholars and all those who have achieved something in Damascus.
So he started writing that book. And then he decided to go to Iran,
that area of the Persian Horizont area. And he spent a few years
studying that he went to one scholar there.
And he stayed with him for three days. And finale, I think his name
was in I think in Shiraz in Iran today. He studied with him for
three days. And he overwhelmed him with the kind of questions he
would ask and everything. And that scholar then pledged to himself
that tomorrow, I'm not going to let him in. I've had enough of
him, like, you know, is, what is this guy, right. And that night,
the next morning, when he wakes up, he's got a knock on the door.
And it's not the shake is not it's not a circuit is somebody else. It
says, You know what, I'm a messenger from the Messenger of
Allah telling you that that student from wherever you need to,
you know, he gave certain glad tidings about him. He says, I saw
in my dream that Professor Lawson was telling me that you need to
entertain him. And he says from then I let him in. And then he
says I wouldn't even it says that he wouldn't even stand before a
circle stood. Because that was like a divine vote saving for him.
He comes back to Damascus after all of this study, all the effort.
And I think you can relate to this because you know, you are making
an effort at the end of the day, whether it's on a different
subject, but he makes an effort. He comes back and loaded in zanghi
is now in power. Right now. The DMZ is the precursor of
Salahuddin, he's the one who set the system up to then be able to
defeat the Crusaders noted the Inzaghi then start to notice
things and he is not a official scholar. He's just the guy who's
got a lot of leadership capability. He's got a lot of
power, right? Because I just want to give you this as an example
because you might think it's only scholars who can achieve these
great things in the day. No, it's other people who can do that as
well. So Nadine is only then sets up the first Hadith school that
specifically dedicated to Hadith studies that dar Hadith and Maria,
the first teacher there is not a circle. And then it continued
within his lineage, his children and others who are then scholars,
if not circles, uncle was a great scholar. His brother was like some
big coffee and a judge and another one was a big scholar. His father
was a scholar, his maternal grandfather was a scholar. He was
just born in that kind of a family. Okay, he had a thing going
for him. Right. He was just there. Right, but
Salahuddin, both Salahuddin Rahim Allah and nurudeen son used to
attend his birth that mothers are did so well is this new redeems?
And we established it, that afterwards, some of the greatest
of our scholars that some of you would have heard their names have
studied there and graduated from there. So you had the likes of
Mizzi is probably not so well known by some of you, but some of
you may know Mizzi. Then you had people like
iblue Cathy's, the great Hadith, the great Hadith scholar, he
studies there. Then you have Imam nohi, who studies that author the
other side of him. Then you have Edna Tamia, who studies the
epidural Khayyam, who studies there. These are some of the
greatest names that have had a massive impact on the world today.
They study in that mother. So who's going to get the reward of
all of that
noted in Sandy.
So you can establish thing, we got another example. And I've actually
got to talk about this online. If you you know, if you want to know
more about this, but this is speaking about faulty model
failure.
Right? I didn't talk about her here today. No faulty model
failure. She is. She is a Moroccan woman, right.
She established from her inheritance money, she established
the first university full time university in the world, before
Azhar before Oxford, before Cambridge, before Harvard before
any of these other universities. Hers was the first one that she
established. And she did this she personally supervise its, its
building. Its development. She personally supervised it.
And then after that, that was it still, I've actually visited it.
It's the oldest standing University. Now it may have gotten
its charter later. But in terms of its function, it was there from
before any other university in the sense of you know, where you have
formulated before, because before the classes were, you did classes
in masjids. Right? You just kind of had informal classes. This was
kind of organized, you know, with lodging, her sister not to be
outdone, she also established a mother was called Jeremy. This one
is called Jameel Kirrawee. And if you go to fez today, you can
actually see it still functioning. And on the other side of the river
in Fez in Morocco, her sister establishes one
they're competing with each other in that you know for that
mashallah so much a class and sincerity that they at least one
of them is still standing. The German cylinder is just a big
Masjid now they don't have a mother
Same the right, but this one is still a university. So about Imam
Buhari, right? I was talking about Imam Bukhari, there was one night
somebody was sleeping in the same room as him. And he discovered
that Imam Bukhari wakes up over 17 times during the during the night.
He goes and kindles the fire, gone does voodoo, comes back and he
writes something, and then he goes back to bed
after a while, because this guy was either sensitive sleeper, or
whatever the case is, he figured this out. Over 17 times, he says
he counted him waking up, kindling the fire, going and doing wudu
coming back, writing something and then going back to sleep. What was
he doing?
You know, when you're laying down, you get these thoughts when you've
been thinking about a project or subject very much and then some
thought comes into your mind. He didn't want to lose that thought
because believe me, there's lots of thoughts that come in your mind
and if you don't record it instantly, you didn't have voice
recorders in those days. Right? But he had the respect for the
Hadees to such a degree he's not going to just write without will
do. So he goes and Kindles a fire goes and does will do comes back
and then he writes it down over 17 times. That's why he is what he is
today and the whole world benefits from his work. Duquesne Rogers
is an individual in the first century end of the first century,
beginning of second century. He says that Omar Abdulaziz was the
governor of Madina, Munawwara first, his cousin saw a man even
Abdul Malik was the belief and he had made him the governor of
Madina, Munawwara then when Sulayman passed away, he Omar
Abdulaziz was made the belief so when he came to Damascus as the
belief this Rogers Duquesne, Roger says that I went to him because
this was an agreement we'd made. There was some agreement that I
had to go through before I got there. And I said, he said to me,
oh Duquesne, I am extremely ambitious. I am extremely
ambitious in the Lean of center worker, right.
He says my knifes wanted me to have Imara my enough Smilow myself
I had this zeal and this ambition to become the Emir of Madina.
Munawwara He says, When I then became the Emir of Madina,
Munawwara
my knifes then wanting me to become the Khalifa, the Khalifa of
the Muslims, now that I've become the Khalifa of the Muslim world
next, he says, now that I've become the Khalifa of the Muslims,
my knifes now wants Jana.
He got it right finally, right.
That's the great thing. He says that when he became the Khalifa,
he was a * before that he would never be seen in the same
garment twice. Like some of the starts today. When he became the
belief, he dropped everything now it was all about paradise. May
Allah give the US that kind of ambition as well? Because if
that's the ultimate ambition, then what a wonderful ambition.
So just a few pointers about how to get a high him and how to get
a vision. Number one, we have to ask Allah to help us because Allah
does that help can help us decide and can strengthen us and can
support us. Without him. None of us can do anything. We have to ask
Allah subhanho wa Taala that's why the Prophet sallallahu sallam said
in a hadith narrated by Abner Hepburn and Hakeem and Bay hockey
and others from Aboriginal hammock. Radi Allahu Allah, the
Prophet sallallahu sallam said, either below or above the Salah,
who, when a person is loved by Allah, He sweetens the deal for
him, he uses him. Somebody asked the question, what is this word
mean? What do you mean that Allah Our seller who said he gives him
the ability gives him the ability, before he departs from this world
to do a certain good deed and achievement, by which his
neighbors and people around him will be satisfied by him. Meaning
you do something that people are going to be satisfied. And today,
you're in a global world. Remember, you do something bad the
whole world will know within a few moments on Twitter and Facebook.
But that gives us an opportunity that if you do something good,
your goodness can go around the world. I'm giving a talk here
today, in front of whatever number of people we have here. But in sha
Allah tomorrow, this talk will be online and if I can benefit
somebody else, I've got the whole world. Do you see what I'm saying?
So today, we can actually use these to our ability. And that's
what he said, may Allah also this, this basically proves that it
comes from Allah, you're going to have to sit and cry in front of
Allah. I've got a teacher of mine who's a very successful
individual. I remember meeting him when it was not as successful as
yesterday. And I remember he said, that every day, by the end of the
day, whether we that's with the last prayer or before you go to
sleep, he used to read two records of prayer of solitude Hajah, to
records of a novel prayer just asking Allah that oh Allah accept
me for the service of your deen do something. Let me do something in
this world. And today much
Allah He is benefited multitudes of people, multitudes of people. I
remember this when he wasn't as well, well known when he had a
small place. Now he's got a massive place, you're going to
have to ask Allah believe me, there is nothing you can do
without Allah. You can do it, but you won't be fulfilled. You can
get things for the world as the verse of the beginning said, but
if you want to be lucky of this world, and in the hereafter
fortunate in both worlds, you want it to be meaningful, where you're
not going to feel devoid inside. It's not just going to be an empty
Korea move, then you want to ask Allah and have him on your side.
Another thing that helps hugely is to have a role model. Having
somebody that you can look up to, she's done this, he's done this,
that really helps not just to keep becoming fans have many, many role
models and following them, that's not the point. But it's to get
inspired by them and then do what you have to do. Today.
Unfortunately, there's just a fan base that's developing around
people. That's a problem. Those fans don't do anything, they just
remain fans. You don't want to be a fan, you want to be inspired by
somebody. And then you want to do what you want to do.
The next one,
you don't want to look, you don't want to end up being just another
doctor from among the multitudes of doctors. You don't want to just
make be another engineer that's making a lot of money that ends up
buying a nice house in a classy area, right where there's no
masjid. And then the children that grow up your children that grow up
there, they're confused about their faith because they got no
Muslims around them. And then the next generation is totally lost
because there's no Masjid in that area.
Right? Think about it. If that's your idea, think about this thing.
I know people have moved out to these areas, and then they're
crying now. Because there's no Masjid around there is no mothers
around them. We have to focus on the hereafter. I looked at some of
the highest salaries this primarily for America Britain, you
don't get this much. Maybe you can correct me said that one of the
highest salaries and in terms of satisfaction in their job was for
a neurosurgeon. Average Salary $381,500
It's about $250,000 a year average salary. Right? I got lots of
friends in America a doctor's mashallah, right here, the doctors
aren't so happy, generally right NHS and so on. Number two was a
cardiothoracic thoracic surgeon, a 359,900. Then you had an
anesthesiologist so you guys quoted that a nice, a nice artist
or something like that. The British way just can't say.
be whatever you want a construction manager pilot and
administrator pharmacist the data miner software developer Ay,
ay ay, whatever you want to do strategic planner. Main thing is
you need to stay connected with Allah and do something that
somebody else can benefit from as well. That's really important.
Remove the obstacles from your life, remove the distractions,
have a game here and there if you need to, you know, relax for a
bit, if you need to, that shouldn't become your objective.
Surround yourself with good friends with surround yourself
with people with him. You know, like look for those kinds of
people. Get away from people who are going to waste your time and
you feel obliged to go out with them all the time. You feel
obliged to go and chill out with them all the time. Get rid of
those people go and find other friends. If you're not the
leadership type. You can't become a leader of these people. You
can't make them do good things, then leave them and find somebody
else. Allah will look after them. It's not your obligation. But do
something for yourself. Choose the right friends and stop
complaining. Do something and prove it Stop complaining about
others that is extremely important. That's why a poet says
Allah Kadri al asmita till Aza amo.
It is according to the level of the person with resolution that
great acts of resolution will come about how much resolution you
have. That's how much resolute acts will come about with the
quadrille. Karami Alma caramel and so on what tech guru he is CEREC
Haha, what does guru vi Anil Alimi Allah, Allah amo, he says that for
the small person, the lowly person, small, small things are
considered big, big things. So they worry about small, small
issues. But for the great people, even the greatest things are too
small, because they're always looking for something greater.
They're always looking for something greater. I'm going to
end by taking a quote from this book, which has been one of the
inspirations of my life. I read it when I was about 20. I wished I'd
read it when I was 12. I would have had a different perspective
of life. I've been a lot more confident in my teenage years. But
this is a book it's called saviors of Islamic spirit. It deals with
the first this first volume, right this first volume deals with about
the the most effective and highest achieving individuals of the first
seven centuries of Islam.
It just takes those gives you a bit about their life. And it just
tells you how they dealt with challenges and how they achieve
what they did. I want to read from you from one of my favorite
I'm one of my role models. I've never seen him, I hope to see him
in the hereafter. His name was ignorant Josie, the Great's humbly
scholar of Baghdad, this is what he says. And they say the hotter
he says, the greatest trial for mankind lies in the loftiness of
his ambition.
If you have high aspirations, it's going to be a trial for you
because you won't be able to get everything you want. That's what
he's saying. I'm going to let him speak, the higher his ambition,
the lofty or his aspiration for advancement or success. However,
one is sometimes unabIe, unable to achieve one's ambition, owing to
unfavorable circumstances or lack of means.
This creates dissatisfaction. But Allah has made me so ambitious
that I always have a yearning for something higher.
Yet to have never felt that Allah Most time might not have made me
too ambitious.
He is really expressing himself in his dilemma. It is true that life
can be fully enjoyed only by a carefree, improved, imprudent and
listless person. But nobody endowed with brains could ever
prefer the retrogression of his intellect simply for the sake of
getting more fun out of worldly pleasures. If you just want to
chill out and play games, that's what he's saying. Nobody is going
to be satisfied with especially if you've got a brain, you wouldn't
want to do that. I know of many people who are boastful of their
lofty ambitions. This is talking about people with empty ambitions,
they've got lots of me and don't do anything. But I have found that
aspiration actually limited to only one field of their activity.
They're not, they're not multifaceted, right? In which they
are utterly desirous of achieving success, these people are
completely indifferent to their deficiency in other fields.
He gives a it gives a number of other ideas.
It is related that Abu Muslim ahora Sunni could not sleep well
during his youth. When asked why he replied, how can I sleep?
Brilliant and ambitious, though I am, I have been condemned to To
lead a life of poverty and obscurity, then what would satisfy
you as somebody, he replied, I'll be satisfied only if I achieve
greatness and power. He had the wrong ambition, then try for
somebody advice. This would not be possible without putting my life
at stake. He replied. He was asked again, then why don't you do so?
He replied, because my intellect asked me to not run into danger.
I don't want to put myself in danger for doing that. So he's
like, he's got ambitions but he's got impediments. Then he says,
What would you do them the question demanded, I would not
accept the advice of my intellect replied double Muslim, and would
give myself up to my fully I will play a depths desperate game at
the bidding of my ambition, and seek the help of intellect only
when imprudence fails me. I have no other course left as poverty
and obscurity are interdependent. Anyway, even though Josie says on
giving further thought to this self, deluded, yet ambitious man,
self deluded, deluded, but ambitious, I came to the
conclusion that he had not given thought to one of the most
important factors, and that was the question of life to come. He
was madly seeking political power, for which he had to be cruel and
unsparing of innocent human life. That was his ambition, but he
didn't want to be cruel. So he didn't want to take the position,
but he really wanted the position. We had, isn't it? Right? You want
to be a politician, but you don't want to be a liar.
You don't want to do fake news.
But you want to be a politician, but then you don't want to do fake
news. Subhanallah you don't want to make false promises. You don't
want to play dirty games. You don't want to tow party lines.
What a dilemma Subhanallah but we need politicians good ones. How do
you get them?
Then he says, My ambition, however, is quite different from
this, he discusses other people and he says my is different. I
aspire for profound knowledge, embracing the entire field of
learning. In his time, you could do it not today. There's too much
to learn, right,
which I know I cannot attain. I want to achieve a thorough and
complete knowledge of every branch of learning, which is obviously
not possible in the short span of human life. I do not consider
anybody perfect in the knowledge of a science so long as he lacks
perfection in another branch. For example, if a hadith scholar is
not a master of jurisprudence, too, I consider his knowledge to
be incomplete.
He says the imperfection of knowledge I think can be
attributed to lack of ambition alone. Not only that, to me, the
ultimate objective of knowledge is an ability to act on it. Thus,
what I want to be able to combine with my knowledge, is the
diligence of Bishal haffi and the piety of Mark Ruffalo, querque. He
wants to have their piety as well while having the knowledge of the
greatest people in knowledge. But it is hardly possible to
accomplish this along with the preoccupations of studying and
teaching and other mundane affairs. That is not all. I aspire
to obliges others but do not want to live under their obligations.
My preoccupation my studies is also an imperative
Man in the way of my earnings, but I detest being indebted to anybody
or accepting gifts from others. I ardently desire to have children,
as well to be an author of merit and distinction, so that these may
honor my memory. But both of these pursuits stand in the way of
solitude and contemplation to Allah.
Wow, he's thinking about everything. Then he says,
I would like to enjoy lawful pleasures as well. I want to enjoy
myself as well. I want to have good food and so on, but do not
possess the means of achieving achieving them. And if I devote
myself to obtaining them, then I would lose contentment and peace
of mind. So too with other matters, for example, I like the
delicacies and refinements with my good tastes desire. All these mean
to aspire for mutually opposing ends? What would they do with such
lofty ideals who aspire simply for worldly success, wealth, power and
position? I too want worldly success, but in a manner that does
not cause me to impair my faith, or to expose my learning or
virtuous action to any risk of injury. He's got his priorities
right for sure. So then he says, who can appreciate the
restlessness of my ambition? On the one hand, I relish night
vigils, the 100 and taking precaution God fieriness, but on
the other hand, I have an inclination towards the
cultivation of knowledge, teaching and writing, and the acquisition
of appropriate foods for the body. None of this is possible though
without occupying the hearts. interaction with people and
educating them is also necessary. But on the other hand, when the
sweetness of supplication in seclusion in aloneness, and
intimate dose discourse with the Divine is diminished, that this
creates much grief and sorrow for me as well.
Spiritual decline is unbearable for me, but making ends meet for
my dependents stands in the way of my spiritual progress. I have
endured the strains all through my life is concluding it says, I have
endured the strains all through my life, and submitted to the will of
Allah. For it seems the path to success and perfection for me lies
in struggles and afflictions, I must continue to try for the
loftiest ideal is to seek the pleasure of Allah, I guard myself
against every defilement and take care that not a single moment of
my life is spent in any vain effort. Glory be to Allah, if I
succeed in my endeavors.
I won't mind if I fail.
I won't mind if I fail for the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam has said that the intention of the Faithful is better than his
actions. So at least I've got the intentions, I will try my best. I
know I'm not going to get everything. But at least I'll be
able to say that I have tried. And I will be then given those
statuses because my intention was there.
I think that's a good note to end with. And I said that, for me was
extremely, extremely inspirational when I read it. And that's just
you know, Josie, you got Abner Razali. The way they say to get
him is by having role models, the best role models would be those
that you can see and interact with. But in the absence of such
role models, then the next best is those you can read about. But at
least have somebody that you can read about, or that you can see
and interact with.
Right? You can even take benefit from people like Bill Gates, from
the Apple guy. The cerium. Yeah, you know that he came from a
Syrian family, right? Most people know that by now. It's kind of
amazing. They take inspiration from whatever you want, you just
need to direct it in the right way. So we ask Allah subhana wa
Taala to make this a successful endeavor for us, Allah allow us
all to do something many things in this world that he is satisfied
with. We ask Allah to take us on and guide us that He guides us and
he inspires us so that your time here is spent well, your time in
this world is spent well. And we're not just focused in
achieving achieving things for this world. But we're also focused
on achieving things for the hereafter. So we get the things of
this world but mashallah we also have prepared for the hereafter.
Welcome to Darwin annual Hamdu lillahi rabbil aalameen