Ahmad Saleem – Covid-19 in the rearview mirror

			Bismillah Nura,
		

			Nura?
		

			Allah subhana wa Tada
		

			in his infinite mercy has decided to send us all in this world at a particular specific time.
		

			Every single one of us did not exist, will not exist. And we do exist by the will of Allah subhanaw
taala in this world. Now, when we go through this universe, when we go through this earth, as human
beings traversing through our journeys back to Allah subhanho, wa taala,
		

			ALLAH SubhanA, WA, tada sent us a guidance, a book so that we don't get lost. It's like one of those
moments where, you know, recently Subhanallah, my wife, she was driving and her phone died.
		

			And she had absolutely no way of how to navigate back to home.
		

			And at that moment, we realized that, you know, back in the day, we used to have some form of those
Mapquest books, you know, those yellow books that you would have in the car in the glove compartment
all the time. So if you were lost, you could always figure out, okay, this is the street, this is
the intersection, open it up, find out where you are, I still remember traversing down going all the
way traveling down south to Chicago and other parts of us, you know, and there's one person in the
front holding that map guidances, he's like you're trying to lift it upside down, trying to figure
out which direction you're going, you needed some form of guidance to get you from your a
		

			destination where you leave sorry, from your originating destination to your final destination.
Likewise, we in this world are going to come across areas and places where it's going to be very
difficult for you and I to actually make our way out from that space. How do we get out of the
situation?
		

			Allah has placed me in this it is by the will of Allah that you are there, but how do we get out of
it? How do we navigate this difficult situation?
		

			Because definitely, the situation didn't come on its own. It was by the will of Allah and His design
that he placed you and he placed in every single one of us to kick that capacity as well as the
capability to go through that test or trial or joyful moment.
		

			And that is why the book of Allah Quran is the absolute guide for us.
		

			In this Quran, Allah subhana wa Tada has laid for us his Sunon his principles and Maxim's through
which Allah subhanaw taala governs this earth.
		

			And these Sooners are pre established before even the creation of anything.
		

			Similarly, Allah has sent it down for us and parables in the Quran, these parables will make you
realize the Quiddity of this world, the essential reality of this world in comparison to something
that you visually see. And you will be able to create a correlation between that visual that exists
in this earth, in front of you in front of your eyes.
		

			And the concept that Allah subhanaw taala is trying to connect. And that's why the method is always
you cannot give an example to somebody about something he doesn't know. So you can't go to a person
living in parts of Africa or Asia or China or India or Pakistan or photo Steen wherever the person
who has never seen a picture of CN Tower, and then you go and go up to them and say you know what,
this building is as tall as the CN Tower, they have no point of how are they going to know what CN
Tower is. Similarly the examples that Allah gives us the unthought of the parables are things that
you and I and average human being can actually visualize. You can know okay, this is what Allah is
		

			talking about. It's it's, it's visceral, it's in front of us.
		

			One of those examples that Allah subhanaw taala gives us
		

			is in Surah Yunus verse number 24, where Allah subhanaw taala he starts off by that I will let him
in a shape on the rajim Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim
		

			in
		

			dunya, Dunia camp
		

			in Zen homeliness
		

			fuck de la Bobby hain, back to
		

			me Maya going on.
		

			One
		

			had
		

			either Aha, there are those who who rofa was zighy Annette
		

			Well then know
		

			whom body Runa la de
		

			la Elan una ha.
		

			Virgil nah ha Housley then go
		

			down now be
		

			good I didn't know fell asleep.
		

			Delia Bomi fuck God Hone. So ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. It says in these verses in this verse that we
have, before we begin this verse, we must understand the pre context what is happening because
oftentimes, we can take an Ayah from the Quran out of his context, the context that Allah subhanaw
taala is giving for us is that Allah talks about these group of people, that Allah places them, they
get on a ship, and they're on their boat, and Allah subhanaw taala says, And he talks about it, and
he says, What do you say Eurocom feel very well. So if you're driving, and if you're enjoying the
ride, and if you are enjoying these fall colors, and you're on a ship or a boat, or you're traveling
		

			and traversing in this land, it is all by the will of Allah
		

			had day the quantum field for example, Allah says, example as if you were in a ship. When the time
comes and you get on a ship or a boat or a car for that matter.
		

			What era you now be him beating Hunter Yuba, Allah says that that boat sails and that bowl sails
with beautiful winds. You know, when you're in a boat and that wind is and you're enjoying that
wind, it's not danger, it's not creating the waters. It's not turning the water choppy. Your boat is
becoming bumpy, you're enjoying that when you're driving, and there's no strong winds but imagine if
there's wings and thunderstorm and winds you feel okay it's the right but it's not very comfortable.
Then Allah says well ferry who behind and then they sit in the car and they're joyful with that
beauty and that calmness that Allah has given them in the boat or any other right. Then Allah says
		

			jata Rico Nelson, right? This theme changes, everything flips. And now you have these winds that are
stormy winds.
		

			What whom will emerge and these giant waves start coming up. I remember when I was in Sri Lanka and
they took us out
		

			to see these blue whales giant blue whales and we went out on these giant trawlers huge boats.
		

			Like it was so scary to see that when this ship goes across this giant wave and a dip down you do
not see anything around except water. Like the wave is so high you do not have any visual of which
direction you're headed left right everywhere you look it's water
		

			and it's the most scariest feeling I've ever had. And when you're there Allah singaraja Tamala Anwar
Julian couldn't Lima can these waves surround them from every angle I II The waves are so huge. And
when they go into the dip of this wave, they look around it's water they look in front it's water
they look at the back it's water they look in the right it's water it's water everywhere.
		

			Well then no no whom Oh, hey Bobby, him. Da Allah Hemani Cena, no Dean. At that moment they feel
like done Allah is this water is going to take over us. That moment there is loss, their purity,
their sincerity towards Allah subhanho wa Taala comes out and they call upon Allah with all
sincerity. May Allah grant us that if loss right they call upon Allah with the floss. And they say
what do they say oh Allah if you save us from this Learn Hakuna Nam In a shocking we will be
thankful to you and we will be the most servient sir we will be servants who will who will be so
thankful to you because you saved us from this.
		

			Then Allah says what happens falam Angelholm either home you ever gonna fill out the ability to
help. When Allah saves them and they come back into the lands, they start going after things that
are not helped.
		

			What happened to that promise that we made to Allah that we will be so thankful to you? We were not
thankful to Allah, we get involved in things that are haram we forget the moment that Allah saved us
and we get so involved in this dunya right that everything goes out of the window, Allah subhanaw
taala and then all of a sudden a calamity falls on a person. Somebody dies in the family car
accident, we revert back to Allah and that's where Imams start getting called. People started coming
to the masjid. We started praying which is good, but Allah is talking about this oscillation that
happens between human nature
		

			that were like a rubber band we go back but then when we were gone
		

			too far and Allah gives a little bit of attention to that rubber band we strike right back to Allah
subhanaw taala the lady luck. Then Allah says yeah you in us in nama above you Comala and fusi como
Allah says the spider principle for us to remember when we transgress, Allah says yeah you have nice
oh people, your transgression is upon you. ie the effects of it will be on you. Not on Allah subhana
wa Tada. Nobody else is going to be harmed if you transgress in the way of Allah. Mata al HYAH
dunya. This life is temporary. Mata. The word Madonna actually means in Arabic language the word
matar comes from Mata Allahu before Lang right if somebody is given some like a car and the car
		

			lasts that person 20 years, it's not supposed to last 20 years. Then Arabs they say it medalla who
was so young, that Allah has given this person with IE that Allah allowed him to enjoy that bounty
for a long period of time. Similarly meta also means the peak of a camels luggage so when you put
something on top of a camel and when when the when you put a lot of luggage the top of that,
		

			that top that highest point is called matar. So Allah is saying Metatron hieratic dunya that this
life you're going to have this temporary joint fullness, you're going to go all the way to the peak,
but what happens when you reach the peak? You're going to eventually reach that low end. Mata on
hayati dunya. This is a very temporary life that Allah has given us then Allah says to my Elena
merge Eurocom do not forget we all are going to go to go back to Allah. For noona b o con BMR
quantum dama loon Allah says and then we shall tell every single one of us all the things that we
were to do in this dunya then Allah gives us an example for us to understand this modality dunya
		

			this is the example that we need to focus on. Allah says, In nama methadone hieratic dunya the life
of this example. Indeed, the example of the life of this example, or the parable of this life,
hieratic dunya gamma in it's like water
		

			unzila, whom in a summer we sent down this water from the sky.
		

			I'll do the translation. And we'll come back and reflect. Delta be here in about two hours, this
water comes down, and it mingles with the herbage that you see around
		

			me my Kelowna soil and this fruit, vegetables, all of that you see in the grocery, the Produce
Section, the kettles, the sheep, the goats, all of them are eating from this water coming down to
herbage coming out, and we're all benefiting from that
		

			had either a harati rofa, when Allah says this earth and this example is an example of fruition,
when this earth it takes it adorns itself, it's an imagery that Allah is drawing over here will
allude to that in the next one. When we come back to this I was again and the earth is beautified
well,
		

			and the people living in this earth they start believing and know whom the Runa halaya they start
believing that they have absolute control on this earth at a Morona our decree comes to this earth
Leyland owner
		

			in the middle of the night or the day, fragile na Housley
		

			then Allah says so we made it we cleaned it We mowed it we harvested it down to no fruition. House
Eden a clean mode I eat the harvest came and it was just completely gone. All the fruition cut a
lemon dough now btw Nabi amps it's as if there was no prosperity yesterday is as if there was no
greenery yesterday.
		

			And then Allah says karate Colonel fasudil ayat, this is how Allah gives us ayat and examples and
signs litho will mean for people you have to factor on they think now let's go back and reflect on
this idea quickly. Allah first Allah subhanaw taala first off starts off he says in nama methadone
hieratic dunya indeed the life of this example is like water. See in this life, you cannot live
without water.
		

			So, there is an absolute certain amount of water that each and every one of us needs to live.
		

			If that amount is less or more, it causes damage to our bodies. If that amount of water is
increased, that causes damage to our body, if the amount of water is decreased from the decreased
from the requirement, then that also causes harm to us. Similarly is this duniya take from this
dunya that what you need
		

			if you will let go of it and you
		

			Go below the requirements that is required for you to sustain a life. It will cause you harm.
		

			And if you go after dunya and you take and accumulate a lot more than what you need, it will cause
you harm, just like the water will do to your body. In Amazon will hayati dunya karma in Ansel now
who Mina Santa, this water comes down from the sky so does the decree of Allah subhanho wa Taala
comes down from the sky for delta V Hina battle Earth. Allah is talking about this water coming down
metaphorically I eat the decree of Allah subhana wa Tada for prosperity, all of these things the
Rama, the mercy, this is an imagery all of this comes down and it mixes with now battled the herbage
all the greenery and all the fruition that we see in this land.
		

			Then what happens next Allah says
		

			this becomes a benefit to people everybody's benefiting look at what's happening in our stock
market, look at what's happening with our economy, right everything Allah is talking about this
fruition that you know, this fruition that when we thought we controlled the financial system, when
we thought we would be able to to play with the interest rates and allow the inflation, deflation
stagflation, whatever you want to call it. All of these terms when we were thinking, we are have
power and control Allah is saying that this herbage we all start seeing the effects of it. That's
prosperity, there's so much benefit that is happening in this earth. My goodness, oil and the
		

			benefit is not only to just human beings, houses are being bought there is there's prosperity in
this lands, people are buying houses, cars, everything is happening and on top of that, the animals
are benefiting, then Allah says this earth Allah is taking us out of this example and Allah is
saying now this earth to us this life of ours to us is like a bride.
		

			Either a her that in
		

			this earth comes down as think of it as a bride. A bride completely dresses up for getting married,
and she puts on the makeup and all the jewelry and all the sort of all the adornment was zayin and
all the makeup. Similarly this earth is adorned in front of us we feel a charm and attraction
towards it. All of this is happening. And what happens Allah says the state of the people's mind at
that time.
		

			Well, one of
		

			the people living in this earth they start believing
		

			unknown audio an idea. I mean, we have absolute control over everything. We have absolute control
over financial systems, we have control over this we have control over security, we have control
over safety, we have control over everything. Everything is controlled, and the people start
believing like oh my god, this earth is under our control.
		

			We have control over these things. Well then the home God you don't really have to you have to draw
		

			in this earth. Then Allah says a Taha Umbro now
		

			that our decree comes down, and all of those controls go out of the window. And then what happens?
Excuses articles written to justify the lack of our understanding. We did not same thing. Look at we
went through a period of two years or three years of that, you know, we all saw, nobody knew what
was happening. We thought we controlled medical healthcare is under our control. We think everything
was in our control. We were ahead of everyone. We were mocking when things were happening in China,
look at some of the YouTube videos that were coming out. They're like, Oh, China has been so
extreme. This will never happen in the first world countries.
		

			When we start believing that we had absolute control at AHA Morona our decree came
		

			right now when we are back in this life, there's all these discussions that are happening again to
bring back the mosques. They just, Allah is teaching us we don't control anything in this earth.
		

			It's Allah was earth, and his decrees that are being displayed in front of us and to us is to submit
to that.
		

			And that is why some of the stuff they used to say Allah subhanaw taala has three contracts with us.
Every single one of us Allah wants us to have three contracts. Contract Number one, you believe in
him and you submit. So you believe in Allah Allah Allah illAllah Muhammad Rasool Allah for Allah
mana Hola, Ilaha illa Allah have absolute certitude not one, not gehele not conjecture nor most
probable, none of these you must have certitude La ilaha illAllah.
		

			When you have that, the next part Allah wants is that this is the boundary that Allah has laid for
you do not cross these boundaries. It is going to be painful to
		

			live within the boundaries, it's gonna be difficult to fulfill and make sure that you don't cross
these boundaries, you are going to require suberb to make sure that you don't go beyond these
boundaries. The third contract Allah says, I guarantee your Mata I guarantee your enjoyment, your
pleasure. You do two of these things for a temporary period of time, I will guarantee you ETERNAL
pleasure in Jannah. That's the contract that Allah wants. So when we are living in this world for
one, one, unknown cause
		

			right at that moment when we start believing that everything is in our control, Allah says a TA
Morona Leyland Ana Hara our decree falls in the middle of the night or in the middle of the day. How
many times have we seen when we get up in the morning the stock market is doing great at lunchtime,
something happens in a total crash. These are all signs that Allah is showing you don't control
anything. At that. Hi, I'm Runa Laila, Now Anna Hara, our decree comes in the middle of the night or
in the middle of the day.
		

			Then Allah says, fetch Ah ha ha ha see that this is so beautiful. Allah is giving you an imagery.
		

			Imagine a crop that is so luscious and green. And Allah is saying then when our decree comes, that
lush crop that you see when you're driving on 401, you see these crops, Allah is saying it becomes
as if it was completely mowed down and there was no fruition no plantation, barren land. And how
seed means Allah will move that prosperity down
		

			column to the noble amps. And the person crossing that mode land he is going to look at it, that
fallen societies Allah is going to we all are going to look at them and say, How is it possible?
Something like the Roman civilization can fall.
		

			They were at the peak of everything. How is it that the Persian civilization fall? They were at the
peak of everything. Right? These are examples for us, says Gollum doesn't collapse. Those societies,
those civilizations, those countries, those cities, they become as if there was no prosperity
yesterday. And then Allah says Kedah know fasudil ayat, this is how Allah sends for us. I signs
		

			the Omen Yetta factor rune, but the signs are only for those people who actually take a moment to
reflect and think
		

			who disconnect from our busy lives. With our constantly attract, you know, connected, how many of us
wake up in the morning, the first thing we do is wake up our phones. How many of us the last thing
we do is our phones. We go to bed with our phones, we wake up with our phones. No moment is left in
our lives where we can actually genuinely sit down and reflect.
		

			That's why am I saying all of this is around us. But it is for those omen for those who do Ficker.
		

			Right. And it is without you having happen intellect, educating yourself and using your alcohol,
you're not going to be able to have thicker.
		

			Thicker is this awareness, conscientious awareness of things happening around you. Looking at
things, looking at things and events around your world, and trying to understand what is Allah so
there's because it's the word of Allah. It's the decree of Allah that is displayed. When we pick up
a newspaper and we read something, those all decrees of Allah that are taking place, many of us are
just reading news that oh, this happened and that happened. That's a very entry level. Allah is
saying look at Think about it. There are examples for us. All around. I asked Allah is sending us
signs everywhere in your lives, in your homes, in your cars in your jobs, and every single moment in
		

			our lives. But there are only for those people leave home in yet a factory they take a moment and
reflect back. They think, Okay, what do I what do I learn from this? What is their learning for me
here? What is Allah trying to tell us? That Ficker is necessary?
		

			And then Allah subhanaw taala gives us a final message. And I end with this.
		

			We all have been promised things in our jobs. We've been promised things. When we start our
businesses, we have promises that we're chasing dreams and visions that we chase, all of us are
running after something.
		

			Allah is saying to us in these next verses, What is Allah calling us towards? I mean, we all are
running towards some calling, right? If you're working today, you're part of somebody else's vision.
And if you have your own job, then you're trying to build your own vision. There's only two
possibilities here. If you work for someone, you're always working for somebody else's vision. But
if you have your own thing, then you're working towards your vision. But Allah is saying there's a
third option here. What is that? A lot
		

			All Subhana wa Tada says, While La Jolla del Russo Isla daddy's son
		

			Allah subhanaw taala says, and Allah calls all of us, Isla Dar es Salaam, two words, the home of
peace towards the house of peace. Well, yeah, the Ma sha.
		

			Allah subhanaw taala tells you that Allah guides whoever He wishes. Ilan Sierra
		

			starteam, Allah is the one who chooses to guide whoever he wishes. A lot of people take this as an
excuse and say obey Allah has not guided me. It's not my fault. Allah is saying money or shall
whosoever chooses, I if you make the choice and you want to be guided, Allah will guide you.
		

			But if a person has the choice, and he said, No, I don't want to be guided to set off the team, I
will choose another path, then that person upon him is his own. That's why initially Allah clarified
in nama Bella, you Kumada and you transgressed and went on the wrong path, it's upon you.
		

			But if you choose to come towards me, then Allah will guide Manya SHA Iman or rather, it who's ever
chooses to be guided, Allah will guide him. And these are verses that Allah subhanaw taala lay for
us. We ask Allah that He grants us the ability to actually truly see the world the way it is, we ask
Allah that Allah gives us the basura the insight and the bore the pondering that is necessary for us
to be able to differentiate between the help and button and we ask Allah subhanaw taala that our
hearts that are so disconnected from the kalam of Allah, we have done nothing today but a mere
translation of few verses. But we can all feel that the kalam of Allah has its own MACOM no speaker
		

			no speech, no a lecture can replace that. We've just taken one page of the Quran and displayed
basic, basic understandings of it, but you will probably walk away with a lot more benefit because
it's the kalam of Allah. It's not my column. It's not anybody else's. So take us these take these
moments and these reflections and go back and sit with your family open a sutra that you feel
connected with an insha Allah tonight we will start a similar journey with Surah Tonka have the
Axolotl Orisha after salata Alicia it's a family program, Brothers Sisters everybody invited
inshallah after Isha and we'll spend 45 minutes to an hour together and then we'll have you know
		

			some food together as well as going out so come out will start a surah that is necessary for us
because provinces that I'm asked us to read that Surah every single Friday, what is the hikma behind
it? Why do we need to read it in sha Allah will cover all of that tonight but even Allah Allah Allah
has suffered Hola Hola, como si el Massumi infrastructural find hunger for wine
		

			Smilla Al hamdu lillah wa salatu salam ala Mala Anna Baba and then we ask Allah subhana wa Tada that
he connects our hearts to the Quran. We ask Allah that He sends salutations on Prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Allahumma salli wa salam ala Nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa
sallam to see him and Kathira we ask that Allah subhanaw taala opens our hearts in our minds and
cleanses our hearts from all the ailments so we're able to see and absorb the light of the Quran and
it is reflected in our actions properly. We ask Allah that Allah removes all the barriers that exist
between us and the Quran. So we're able to connect with the message of our OB Jalla Jalla Lu, we ask
		

			Allah subhanaw taala that he fills the hearts of every single person that is listening to this
message with the love of Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and we ask in Allah's infinite
mercy that Allah subhanaw taala protects all of our emotions. We ask Allah that Allah protects the
minds of our generations to come. We ask Allah subhanaw taala that he protects our Ummah from fitten
We ask Allah that He protects this nation, and the Muslims in this city and all other cities across
the world from any fitness and tests and trials and tribulations and we ask Allah that He protects
and then peace and tranquility amongst the Muslim communities across and ask Allah subhanaw taala
		

			with his infinite mercy and His names that Allah subhanaw taala joins our hearts and we set aside
our differences the minute shades that we may have between our understanding of Islam and we become
one and we become brothers either sudo Rimutaka Abilene like Allah says on the Jana we will face
each other and greet each others. We get that in this dunya so we can all meet and under under the
ASHA of ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada and meet each other in Jana.