Adnan Rashid – Climbing Rockies with Canadian Youth Q&A
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Everyone.
I was surprised for you.
I am suddenly in Canada.
I was last week in Philippines
and a couple of days ago in London.
Now I'm in Canada in the mountains, in
the Rockies, close to Calgary. About 2 hours
drive from Calgary,
there is a turquoise lake behind me. Absolutely
breath taking. Beautiful.
Now we're hiking. You can see I'm breathless.
Getting old. Right?
But there are some youngsters with me, beautiful
youth from Canada, Muslim brothers, and there are
some questions. So I said, why don't we
have this conversation on camera? You ask questions,
and I'll try my best to answer them
so that you can also benefit, brothers and
sisters. I like to have fun to get,
you know, share share the beautiful thoughts and
moments for my life. So right now, you
may think we are somewhere in Pakistan or
something like that. No. No. This is Canada.
This is the Rockies. We are trekking in
the mountains
in a very beautiful place. Lake Lake Louise.
Is that what it's called? Lake Louise. Yes.
Lake Louise. Right? North Carolina. Close to Banff,
the city of Banff in Canada,
2 hours drive from Calgary. So what's the
question, brother? Let's go. Let's move on. Let's
move on. Okay?
Last night, some of the brothers of the
campfire, we were
asking each other. Yeah. Especially with everything going
on in Palestine and Gaza Yeah. And all
the protests going on, and
and just reflecting on the reflection,
what these protests are really doing. We were
thinking what,
the question was posed is what's the best
thing that you can do to support for
the future? Okay. Brother,
if you heard the question he's asking,
what can we actually do about Palestine, the
situation in Gaza?
Are the protests doing anything? Are they even
worth it? Or what can we do otherwise?
I always give advice to
my brothers and sisters
to play the long game.
Don't always look for short term solutions. You
may make noise.
You may go out on the streets.
You may,
you know, scream and shout
and vent your anger.
Let out your frustration.
But in the long run, is that changing
anything?
No. It isn't changing anything. For the last
70 years, we've been making a lot of
noise.
My advice to everyone out there is play
the long game.
Educate yourselves.
Place yourselves in powerful positions
just like your enemies have done. Just like
the people who are brutalizing the people of
Gaza, the Zionists.
They have played a long game for the
last 200 years. They've been playing this long
game,
increasing their influence,
getting into powerful positions to the extent that
no western politician has the guts
to raise his
voice and condemn
the atrocities.
So my advice is
study power.
How do people become powerful?
How do people end up in powerful positions?
How do they become so influential?
What is it? What are they studying?
Sociology,
philosophy, history,
anthropology,
global politics,
or political sciences, geopolitics,
whatever it may be. You need to study
those
sciences,
those subjects that make you powerful or that
give you the acumen
to become powerful. So play the long game.
Make your noise.
Raise your voice.
Register your
disapproval.
Register your protest, but don't stop there. You
need to think of the long term solution,
which is to
start thinking about
how do we
become so powerful
that we can stop oppression, and why do
we want to become powerful? To oppress people?
To brutalize people? No. We want to become
powerful
so that we can change the world to
be a better place. This is what Islam
teaches us. This is what the Quran teaches
us.
We
are to make this world a better place,
and that's only possible
when you have the influence
Allah wants you to have. That's my answer.
If you want specifics,
if you want me to spoon feed,
I don't know if I can do it
in every single 1 of your cases, but
I can give you general advice.
Take degrees,
become journalists,
get into politics, not for your stomachs, not
for your properties,
not for your little gains, but for a
greater goal
because we will all face Allah on the
day of judgment,
and life is very short. No matter how
much money you make, how much influence you
may have,
how many
helicopters or private jets you may own.
But eventually, at the end of it,
you're dying.
You're going
6 feet down in Earth. We're not gonna
take it with you. So why play that
game? Why even try that?
Why not work for a greater cause, and
that is to make this world a better
place? So that's my answer.
Any more questions?
I have 1 following up question on that
stuff,
for that answer.
But, actually, I'm doing a master's degree in
political science. Okay. And,
I have noticed that
there is a specific mentality
that is common
between some Muslims.
They do not motivate
their children
or their sons or daughters
Yeah. To go and to study
the,
Humanities. Humanities. Yeah. Yeah.
And,
actually,
I have noticed
that in the public service of different repharmaments
around the world,
you must have some public servants Yeah. Who
tell you Yeah. About the needs of the
people Yeah. And who offer also recommendations
and,
solutions Yeah. For the problems that a government
or a nation
faces.
So how can we
motivate
the community
to push
their sons and daughters
for doing such degrees or for getting involved
in the politics
of the countries that we live in. The
problem is the Muslims in general
don't think strategically.
We think very short term. We are shortsighted.
We think of our stomachs.
Most of us actually come from countries
that are economically
developing countries.
These parents, a lot of them, they struggle
financially when they were growing up, and they
project that struggle onto their children. And they
want their children to do
well economically. So they send them into these
money making schemes, become an accountant, become a
lawyer, become a doctor.
Okay? Become a doctor.
Okay? These are noble causes,
Noble areas. Yeah. But at the same time,
how many more?
How many more do we need in these
areas?
We need more people studying 10 hertz.
Subjects
like
history, philosophy, sociology.
Okay? Anthropology,
social sciences, for example,
political sciences.
Okay?
Geopolitics.
We need
strategic minds
to lead the Ummah, to guide the Ummah.
Okay? Stop thinking from your stomachs
because you may
pick up a spanner. You may become a
worker, but you're not a leader. You're not
a thinker. You're not changing the world.
Okay?
Yeah. So so my advice on that point
is
that you
start thinking strategically.
Think big.
Okay? You may produce a couple of doctors
in your family. You may have a bunch
of lawyers
who are making good money. They may be
able to buy cars and a house or
2, but that's not changing the world.
We need to produce leaders. We need to
think strategically.
We need to groom our children from a
very young age to be great people.
When your children are being raised, instead of
slapping them up
and forcing the Quran down their throats, sending
them to the masjid to be beaten by
the to
learn the Quran,
you should think strategically,
Instill the love of Islam
and the Quran in their hearts.
Okay? So it's not a different way. This
is the way to go.
And
lift their spirit.
Just like Rasulullah
when he was speaking about Hassan and Hussain.
How was he speaking about them? In fact,
about Hassan of Yalan, the prophet said,
This son of mine is a leader,
and he's a toddler. He's a little child.
And why is the prophet talking to him
or talking about him like this? Because he
wants him to be a leader, and he
became a leader, as we know. He did
a great deed for Islam. He united the
Muslims
again.
So
the advice is stop thinking petty,
stop thinking small, think strategically.
We need leaders, global leaders.
We need to produce people who think global,
not local, not street wise,
not town wise or village wise,
but world wise.
This is what we Inshallah.
So send him to subjects,
areas of study,
which may not be immediately money making scenes.
But once your children become influential,
they become powerful,
they will automatically naturally make money. So don't
do things for money and a small house
here or there or a car or something
like that. That's my advice. You had a
question?
I
have a question regarding the brothers who are
becoming doctors and engineers now. Yeah. It's my
old passing to maybe in Palma 1 day,
helping,
in the in the
you mentioned the follow-up about we are not
the knowledge of humanities and in liberal arts.
Yeah. So for the ones who are not
studying these fields Yeah. But have an interest
in these fields Yeah.
What would you suggest there? Because there are
set curriculum they can follow to become adept
in the liberal sciences,
in rhetoric and in grammar and in logic
and in humanities and history. Something
at least what is
necessarily foundational
for me to be more of an impact
Look. If you have managed to get a
degree or 2 in,
money making schemes, I call them, which they
are,
They are noble
noble endeavors. Maybe you wanna put the camera
straight. No. No. No. This way. This way.
This way. This way, please. Okay. You nearly
messed up.
Okay.
So,
if you have become a doctor or a
lawyer or an accountant,
okay,
and you have taken up these
areas as a career,
no problem with that. Make it a means.
Make it a means, not the end.
Okay. The end should be a greater goal
in life.
And
your education shouldn't stop with your degree in
medicine or accountancy
or law.
That could be the beginning
so that you can
become financially comfortable. And after that,
take up other areas of study. Like, we
have many examples.
People who were medical doctors,
but they became
very
influential in other fields.
Okay? They produced works in other fields. I
know people
who studied
engineering, and then they ended up becoming theologians
or poets
or thinkers for that matter.
So
people think once I get my degree in
law, in accountancy, in medicine, that's the end
of my life. No more studies.
I was studying for a career. I'm done.
Wrong way of thinking.
This is very wrong.
You have to think big. Make yourself financially
comfortable,
and then keep going. Keep going into other
fields that can actually change
the world and make it our better place.
Strong.
Okay.
Now
that I'm talking to you and getting breathless,
I just wanted to have
so it's up here. I want you to
see, behold
this beauty, natural beauty. Canadian
nature.
Absolutely amazing.
Okay. Look at that. Look. The color of
water. We didn't paint it by the way.
We didn't put through any any color in
it. That's the natural color. This water is
from
snow.
Okay. You can see the glacier on top,
and this is where the water is coming
down. And this is a turquoise lake called
Lake Louise, And we're walking with brothers
from all over Canada.
Let's not say where. Okay. Let's go.
So,
guys, we're doing q and a, by the
way.
Okay.
Any more questions?
I have a little bit there. I've been
selfish. Wants
to go. Yeah. Kind of building up on
the previous question. Like, for example, myself, I've
been thinking Oh, really hard. Okay. There's always
a
question.
Make money.
Yeah. And these are things that just sucks
your time completely. Yeah.
And I've been trying to push, for example,
to become a teacher and said, right,
so how would we
Guys,
as the question continues,
I just want you to behold absolutely amazing.
Okay. This is in this world. Imagine what
the Jannah will be like.
Sorry. No worries. So beautiful.
Oh,
wow.
If this is the duniya,
brothers and sisters, I want you to imagine.
Actually, you cannot imagine
what Jannah would be like.
Love walking.
Sorry. So your question was
doing computer sciences
and people want want you to get into
big corporations Yeah. Work for them, and that
takes all your time. Yeah. Right? Okay.
And that's
it. But for me, personally, I would I
would like to present today into teaching or
something that would Yeah. Create a more
meaningful impact, but we would look like kids
in the country like Canada Square.
We don't really have much of training. 0.75.
How can I
people
like myself, because many
especially basic people and solutions like myself, where
we're,
being forced
into the You see, this is a big
problem
within our communities?
Our kids are being raised to study
areas
that they don't really have any passion for.
They do it to please the parents.
They do it for a career to make
money because this is the this is the
mindset.
Our kids will grow up. They will go
to university.
They will get a degree, and they'll get
a job. This is the mindset.
Hardly any parents are thinking our kids will
grow up. They'll become great people, and they
will change the world to be a better
place. This is the thinking that's lacking, and
this is the problem. The brother, he just
mentioned that he did computer sciences.
And if he goes into a big major
corporation to work for that
company or corporation,
he's not gonna get time to do things
he really wants to do, things he has
passion for, teaching
or making a difference to this world.
It's in the state as we can all
see Politically,
economically, morally,
you name it. The world is in a
mess.
This world
is going through a very interesting period in
its history. And how are we gonna change
that?
Okay.
It is enough
for
good people to do
nothing
for bad to flourish.
Okay? You become bad
soon as as soon as you become idle
in the face of evil. So you have
to do something. You have to exert your
influence to change the world. So, again, this
is to do with thinking. What you just
mentioned there, this is a problem with the
mentality.
Why do we study?
Why do we
seek education?
People think education is for money. It's for
the stomach.
It's just buying food,
buying a house,
buying a car. That's what the education is
for. But
never the purpose of education was never that.
Even Islamically speaking,
Allah
when he describes the virtue of knowledge, this
is to raise your status as a human
being.
Raise you your
your caliber.
Raise your
thinking. Raise your morals
and your values.
Not
raise your stomach
or raise your bank balance
or raise your cars.
That's that was never the purpose of education.
So we really have to go back to
the Quran
and start reminding us all. What is the
verse?
What does that verse actually mean?
That those
who have knowledge
can never be equal to those
who have no knowledge.
So we really have to think about this
principle. This is a real mess,
in particular, in the Muslim world
where
all our kids and that's why
Palestine is happening.
That's why
whatever happened in the last 30 years in
the Muslim world is happening because we don't
have leaders.
We have no leaders. Sorry. You like it
or you don't like it, this is a
reality. The reason we don't have leaders is
because we are not producing leaders, we don't
have mechanisms,
we don't have plans to produce leaders
But your enemies,
they are producing leaders.
Albeit for the wrong ends,
for evil
ambitions, but they are succeeding
so far. So we need to change our
way of thinking.
That's it.
Way to make an impact
on the next generation.
Right. Islamic schools. Yeah. Because, this this a
first 1 question because that's what I'm considering
for myself. Yeah. Because I think that would
that might help me.
So you're asking me how do we change
the curriculums of Islamic schools?
That, but also is is this career,
something that could help create a meaningful impact
on the next generation?
Islamic studies.
What what are you asking about? Islamic schools
here, they have, like, all kinds of studies.
So it's not Okay. Unless Islamic schools
unless Islamic schools are specifically
raising leaders and
to teach them basic
curriculum,
meanings of certain verses
of the Quran or
meaning of certain verses of how to teach
them. Sorry. How to teach them how to
pray, how to make.
All these things are very important.
But unless
or until
you instill in their minds
a desire
to become those people
who will change the world for for better,
who will
play
a noble, a moral role
in the world. We leave behind a good
legacy.
They won't do it. They will become ordinary
people.
They will leave the Islamic school.
They will again go into
becoming a doctor, a lawyer,
or
or, an accountant.
Okay?
They will make the basic money. Yeah. They
may pray
5 times a day.
They may fasten Ramadan.
They may go over Hajjid Ummrah every now
and then,
but that doesn't necessarily
change the world.
To change the world, we need
specific
specific mindset, specific
attitude.
Okay?
And for that, you're gonna have to teach
the children in that way, in that way.
You're gonna have to teach them how to
become leaders.
For example, teach them history.
Teach them the rise and fall of civilizations
and dynasties.
Why civilizations rise?
Why they fall?
What causes the decline of civilizations?
What call causes them to rise in the
first place? These are the things you need
to teach them. So they become
global thinkers.
They look at the world
as if they have a bird's, you know,
bird's eye view
rather than looking at the world or looking
at the little world as if there's nothing
else out there. So you have to expand
the horizons of thinking. That's it.
I'm sorry if my advice is very
vague in general,
but I have to give this advice in
general terms. But I'm still making specific points.
Yeah.
Wow.
Where do you think of it? Oh, look
behind me.
That's amazing. Right, guys?
This is the most dynamic video on my
YouTube channel it's going to be. You know
why? Because I have about 7 cameramen. The
phone is shifting from person to person. That's
why this the skills
and and the quality of of cameraman ship
is probably changing.
Everyone for carrying the phone. Yes. Sorry. Yeah.
So the question was
Speaking about the Muslim history Yeah. What do
you think are maybe 5
most important Muslim events or events that happen
in Muslim history
or themes
in Muslim history that every Muslim man or
woman
should know in modern times.
Look. I can speak in traditional conventional terms
and give you those major events that changed
the course of history. For example, early Islamic
expansion
of the Muslims took a lot of territory.
That was
a dynamic
event
in the 7th century that took place when
the Muslims came out of Arabia and they
took a a lot of land.
Then after that, I believe,
Imam Ahmed bin Humble
and some of the ulama
standing up
to Greek
philosophical
influences, Hellenic influences. They stood up to that
and they protected Islamic identity.
The purity of Islam.
Okay?
You cannot lose the purity of Islam just
because you are
influenced by another civilization
or its achievements.
Don't ever let the achievements of another civilization
deceive
you into thinking that
we need to upgrade Islam, or we need
to add to Islam, or we need to
reform Islam
to
reach to that level because Islam has everything.
Islam is a very comprehensive way of life.
Islam works on
personal development,
morals,
most importantly, morals. That's the first thing. Makes
you a better human being. It should.
And after that, the natural outcome is once
you become moral human beings,
upright human beings,
naturally,
you will produce great people
who will do great
things. And just like that in
the Islamic history,
once Islam
had spread throughout
the Mediterranean world
and beyond, even in the Persian territory,
great luminaries were born.
Poets, thinkers, intellectuals, scientists, philosophers,
theologians,
you name it. Islam
and the Muslim civilization
produced these great personalities,
and
the credit goes to Islam.
So I would say 5 major events,
early Islamic expansion.
Imam Ahmed,
his
stand
against Hellenic influences,
his stand against the Mu'tazila,
okay, was a very important
event.
Preservation of hadith
done by the students of Imam Mohammed. For
example, Imam Bukhari, Muslim Abu Dawat, Imadhi, even
Maja, Nasai,
these people,
they all belong
to 1 group of people
who decided that we must preserve
the sunnah of the prophet.
That's also very important.
Okay?
Then
colonialism
was something that put us on the back
foot. Okay? Took away a lot of our
identity.
Our
people,
generally Muslims in the Muslim world,
were pretty much all colonized by Western powers
in 19th century,
and we pretty much lost our sense of
identity.
And this is what we're trying to revive
and bring back.
Now that does not
mean that does not mean that we don't
make progress.
We do make progress.
We love technology.
We love scientific research.
How do we know that? For 1000 years,
Muslims dominated scientific research
from the best lab
labs,
from the best libraries,
from the best scientists and thinkers were in
the Muslim world. How did that happen? If
Islam was detriment
or detrimental to
scientific advancement and technology,
how did you produce so many people for
a 1000 years
of that magnitude?
So
the point
is
there are many major events that took place
that shaped
our history. Some of them we're going through
right now
in this age.
We are making history right now.
Everything that's happening in the world today
is going to become part of history. It's
going to be documented.
The question is, where are you in that
picture?
What role do you play?
Do you want to just be born,
eat,
go to the toilet, and die? Is that
what you want? That's what cattle do.
Okay?
But if you want to make an impact,
then move.
Start thinking big.
Things will change, and you will make history.
You will become that part of
Muslim history that people will talk about
in jama.
Okay. Thank you so much. I think we
should stop here. I'm getting more breathless.
We're inclining
more and more.
So thank you so much, brothers and sisters.
We'll be sharing more similar content in the
coming days. So I will tell you the
title of this video
q and a with the Canadian youth
in
the Canadian mountains.
You can stop the video now.