The Life Series #3 – The Good Life
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Channel: Ali Hammuda
Series: Ali Hammuda – The Life Series
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AI Generated Summary ©
The speakers discuss the challenges of happiness and the importance of finding the root of it in everyday life. They touch on the various sources of happiness, including the book of Allah, the Hadith, and the source of happiness in the life of the world. The speakers emphasize the importance of finding the right "," and the benefits of living in a good life to achieve a light heart. They also share stories of finding happiness in writing, finding one's target audience, and traveling to Belgium in the music industry.AI Generated Transcript ©
Smilla are hamdu lillah wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah he was early he was a happy human.
Good to see you again dear brothers and sisters in our third talk from our Ramadan 22 lecture series titled The Life series.
A quick recap we've covered lecture number one, the gangster life started at the very bottom of the pyramid.
We worked our way up to speak about what was nature number two, the empowered life.
Now we're speaking about the good life, I'll hire to tell you that
taken from a passage from the Quran,
translated directly from Surah, to Nahal, the chapter of the beasts as you shall find out,
and next week we'll be having a lot already talking about the last lecture, which will be the final life you child life, Allah gives us life until then.
So we are different in just about everything. Just looking into this room, different ages, different colors, different interests and ambitions, different experiences.
Yet something that all of us in this room have in common, rather, all of humanity rather all of creation
is that they are all on a quest for sad happiness.
No one will turn around and say to you, I am actively looking to be upset, miserable in grief and sad throughout my life.
It is the common denominator between all of creation.
But the question is, where are the stores of happiness found?
In no era in human history have the means for comfort and well being and happiness being attained like they have in our era today? I don't think anyone will disagree with this.
In no era have the complex mysteries of the universe being resolved like they have today.
In no era have the unfriendly elements of nature.
being subdued, like man is able to do so by way of knowledge, experience and technology like he can do today.
Homes are cozier than ever before furniture softer and more inviting than ever before. Snacks food drink, entertainment, sanitation,
cooling, heating, cold water, hot water, you name it, it's all on demand available at the click of a button.
Never have the means for comfort and well being and bliss being reached like they have today. You had what is interesting is that it seems that as we dive deeper into the modern world, the further away people seem to become.
Or the further away people drift away from the shores of happiness. So something is very wrong. There was a statistic published by
the UNICEF that suggests that New Zealand when you say New Zealand, you think of seascape you think of comfort, you think of happiness, you think of pure air.
They say that in New Zealand, it now has the highest rate of teenage or youth suicides in all of the developed world.
The Independent also published an article saying that in England alone in 2006, there were over 31 million prescriptions of antidepressants. That's just in England.
And in another article published by the independent
it suggests that between 2010 and 2017, the rate of teenager suicides in England and Wales has rocketed up to 67%.
The irony is that the 21st century has taught us how to fly in the air like birds.
And how to dive deep into the oceans, like fish.
But how to walk on the face of the earth as a happy content, upright, satisfied, blissful human beings. This is a goal that many people
We are still struggling to arrive out. So what is going on?
And here I remember the story of Christina Onassis,
the daughter of the multibillionaire Aristotle Onassis, I don't think a lot of you are looking at the age range we have here and maybe familiar with Christina story, but your father's will be aware.
When her father died,
she inherited all of the billions, the reserves, the islands, the yachts.
And she became the richest woman on earth. But it seemed that happiness for her was still an impossible task to reach.
She married an American man. And within a few months, that marriage became non existent, and they both took their separate paths.
She tried her luck a second time, this time with a man from Greece. And it was the same pattern.
Within just a few months,
it was all over.
She would try her luck, a third time, this time with a Russian.
And during a particular press conference, people were baffled, and they said to her, how can it be that a woman like yourself who represents the capitalist society of America can be compatible with a man who represents the communist society of Russia? What was her response? She said, I'm just trying to be happy.
Looking for happiness.
It was the same pattern. A few months down the line. They took their separate paths, and it was all gone.
So she will try her luck. Now for the fourth time Nope, this is the fourth husband from the fourth country, and barely within the span of two years. She's now intending to marry a man
from France, a French industrialist.
And during a particular party,
she was visited by the press. And they said to her, Christina, is it true that you are the richest woman on earth and she said, I am definitely the richest woman on earth, and I am definitely the unhappiest woman on earth as well.
Within a few months, that marriage was all gone, they were divorced, and they took their separate paths. And at this point, Christina vowed to find happiness all by herself without a man in her life.
But again, happiness was impossible for her as she began to move from country to country from party to party from city to city, until she was found in Argentina, at the age of 37 years old, lying dead in a hotel all by herself.
Well, let's do our Assata jam. Oh, Malinois, akin to who was
changing the details of this heart wrenching stories impossible.
But changing the details of many similar stories of Muslims and non Muslims alike, who are experiencing some of what she is feeling, that is possible, and that is what we seek to do today. So now we ask the question moving on.
Where is happiness to be found?
Where is happiness to be found?
In fact, is this the right word we should be pursuing?
Is happiness the correct objective of a Muslim in the life of this world? Because happiness has become the buzzword of the 21st century modern man. Wherever you look, wherever you read whatever TEDx video you want to watch, everyone's talking about the same thing. Top Tips to leading a happier life.
The most viewed videos online, whether they're short clips, or long lectures or podcasts, they are usually people interviewees, scholars, leadership managers, influencers, School scholars in positive psychology, they're all talking about the same thing, how to be a happier person. Yet I have found in almost all of this research, very few of them will dare to ask the awkward question
to address the elephant in the room. What is the awkward question?
Does this world even offer happiness?
Is it right? To even search for happiness in the world as we know it today?
And if the answer is no, what's the alternative?
Surely the alternative is misery and depression.
As a Muslim, we also ask the same question should
We'd be pursuing happiness in the life of this world. Furthermore, does this world offer happiness as we understand it defined in Western literature today?
Well, when you look into the Book of Allah, here's where it gets interesting.
First of all, how does Allah Jalla Jalla who speak about the life of this world?
He said, Yeah, a U haul in Zanu in NACA CAD Johan de la Rebecca Callahan familia que Oh man. You are restlessly toiling towards your node and you will meet him.
According to the book of Allah, this world is a home of restlessness, labor and toil.
And Allah gender Jolanda who said luck halacha men in Santa Fe.
Gathered, we have created man in toil.
So that is how Allah speaks about this world. toil, labor, restlessness, hardship.
And on top of that,
you don't find the word sad that happiness mentioned at all in the Quran.
Interesting
only in one context.
And that is the context of Jana.
Allah Jalla Jalla who said Yama Yachty, Lata Qalamoun have soon in that he is me he on the Day of Judgment people will come and no one will speak only with the permission of Allah for Birmingham shatta Eun will say I need some will be miserable. And some will be happy.
For another Latina shopUSA Finn nadie la Hui has a Hebrew washer here. As for those who are miserable, they will be thrown into hell. And they will be sighing and gasping in pain. And then Allah says later on, well, I'm Melina. So I do that in Jannetty. And as for those who are destined to be happy, they will be in Jannah. So the only time happiness is mentioned in the Quran is in which context
gender
that
in of itself, is a powerful and profound message to humanity.
That the happiness of perfection that people are pursuing, is not offered by this world. It is only an offering that can be found in Jannah.
So bearing in mind how the Quran speaks about dunya hardship, toil, labor, and bearing in mind
how Sahar their happiness is only ever mentioned in Jana. Does this mean that life today does not offer any joy?
Now we're going to focus on the details.
Because our religion is massively practical and incredibly realistic.
And the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
as Al Hakim narrates, in his Mr. draconian authority of Saudi Arabia workers that the Prophet Muhammad Ali who salatu salam said Rama on minister
there are four characteristics that contribute to happiness.
Look, Alma Otto saleha, a righteous wife,
while Miss ganool was a spacious home Wellmark Kabbalah honey, a comfortable vehicle, one jar husana and a righteous neighbor.
These things contribute to happiness. And then he said, what what allowed me and I shall call Allah, there are four things that bring about misery Almara to sue an evil wife,
one Miss Canada, yet a small house
was in Maracaibo so
and the uncomfortable vehicle was jailed was soo, and an evil neighbor.
So yes, there are things that bring about joy in the life of this world. But look at the Hadith, it is very specific, it said Mina sad, that contribute to happiness.
They can add to your happiness.
So if these things they just add to my happiness, they just contribute to overall happiness. Where is the foundation of happiness in the life of this world? Where are the sources of the happiness? You say, I want to get to the root of it all.
I want to find the spring, the fountain of happiness in dunya where do I find it?
Allah Jalla Jalla and who has given you a very clear recipe for those who are searching for it in the book of Allah in Surah two national chapter of
The Bs
in the clearest in the most unequivocal in the most unambiguous of words, Allah Almighty said mana amela Sani ha. Whoever works good deeds
means they're carrying our own thoughts whether male or female, that's condition number one, and has an ad good deed.
Condition number two what who I mean, whilst having a man
whilst being a person of faith,
what is the outcome equals failure no here now who hurt and pulling you back, we will cause them to live a good life.
Then Allah says what energy and know who you are or whom we as an American, we are alone and we will give them their reward in full in the hereafter because of what they used to do.
So that is the equation, the dooming of good deeds, like your presence here in the masjid, praying and benefiting from an Islamic talk. Whoever does good deeds, plus Eman, having faith in Allah that you preserve, equals you lead the good life and notice how Allah does not say we will give him happiness.
He did not say Fernando's leader who we will give him Sahaja happiness in the life of this world. He didn't say that. He said, We will give him a good life.
You see, as common as it is to use this word happiness today, even the non Muslims now are losing interest in that word.
And they're saying it's a little bit overused.
And in fact, we should be searching for something a little bit more realistic than happiness. And one of those scholars is a man called Martin Seligman,
Professor Seligman, he is the founder of a science called Positive Psychology. Positive psychology is that branch of psychology that focuses on the study of happiness.
So he's a reference, he's an authority in the field. And he said, I, these are his words, I actually detest the word happiness.
And I believe that it is so overused by people today, it's been rendered meaningless.
And then what he essentially says, and I find this massively interesting,
he says, happiness is just a feeling like any other feeling that goes up and down many times a day.
He says, happiness is just a mood.
When something good happens to you, during your day, you're happy.
And when something bad happens, you're miserable. It doesn't mean you are a happy person in life or a miserable person in life. It goes up and down many times in life.
10s of times, you have a nice, lush, warm meal in front of you.
You're happy, you go hungry that day, you're sad, it doesn't mean you are a happy person in life, or you are a miserable person in life. It just goes up and down many times in life, it's a mood like any other moods.
So he said, We need to think of terms that are deeper than happiness to describe the well being of a human being.
Do you understand what I'm saying? We need to coin a term that factors in the ups and downs in life. And he speaks in his research about
flourishing.
Meaning,
despite the booms and busts of your everyday,
genuinely speaking, your flourishing, he said that's more realistic of a pursuit to search for flourishing, not happiness. In other parts of his writings, he speaks about well being.
So despite the booms and busts of your everyday struggles, you're having fight with your wife or struggle with your husband. Cash is a little bit low, whatever it may be, but generally speaking, you're well
genuinely speaking, you are well he said well being and in the third part of his research research, guess what other word he uses to describe what we should be searching for instead of happiness. Take a guess
the the good life.
He said we should be looking for the good life.
And that is what Allah promises when he said whoever works good deeds
whether male or female, whilst having Eman then we will cause them to live a good life.
Let us now break down this equation
to components that we've discussed and I promise the good life. Let us rewind and take it component by component. Whoever works good deeds, Allah said wherever, whether male or female.
Brothers and sisters, this is the first ingredient needed for someone who is looking to lead and hire to pay you back the good life.
Your life is defined by Hassan as the search for good deeds.
And if the only reward that you receive for doing good deeds is in the life of this world, it would be worth it.
Imagine there is no Jannah imagine that there is no God that you believe in
just the worldly gains of doing good deeds of peace of mind, of spiritual growth of happiness, health of heart, reduction of stress, sense of inner growth, inner expanse, joy, bliss, productivity, motivation, those worldly gains would be enough to justify the doing of good deeds because of the effects they have in bringing about wellbeing in a person's life even without religion.
And that's why Abdullah he dies he said
in Al Hasan at Bucha and Phil watch he went over unfilled can be wasa attend fear risky, walk on water and feel bad any will help them feel colonial Hulk doing good deeds he said Luminate to the face and brings light to the heart and give strength to your body and gives expands to your provisions and places the love of you in the hearts of people.
So what then have a Muslim who does good deeds in dunya and he believes in gender in the era? That is the first component for those who are looking looking for the good life?
The doing of good deeds? What was condition number two brothers?
Wha wha Mortmain. Wiles to having eemaan
What is Iman,
the topic that everyone is speaking about? The scholars have simplified it so nicely for us when they said Eman is this
golden belief and it is something you say
what does the unbilled Yan'an and a confirmation with your heart? Why not don't build geography while Archon and its application with your limbs, your Z Dubois heart it grows with good deeds, why on coastal Belizean and it goes down with sins?
That is Imam.
Eman is the statement of Islam La ilaha illAllah Muhammad Rasulullah something you say with your mouth.
And Eman is a confirmation of that statement with your heart it comes from here.
And then you prove it with your actions, not just lip service, and it rises with good deeds and it falls with sins. You have experienced that. How do you feel sat in this gathering? hearing words that soften hearts and refine the soul? As you hear Allah said, and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said a gathering that is visited by the angels and covered with their wings and that 100 The Mercy of Allah descends upon it. How do you feel in this particular moment set in the house of Allah hearing something beneficial? And compare that to how you feel? After you have just listening finished listening to a musical track?
Or you just finished a Netflix series? How do you feel or finished your cigarette? How do you feel? The difference is enormous. Iman grows with good deeds and it decreases with sins. And Wallah he takes us from you dear brother dear sister. Every joy in the life of this world is deficient if a man is not in the equation
and similarly every difficulty is manageable if Eman is present in the equation,
and that is because eemaan has a flavor.
Imam or Muslim the rates on the authority of Ibis that the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said the VA kata Amelie EMA Lima neuroglia Villa here Robin Robin Islami Dean and people hunt Medina Rasulullah He who is pleased with Allah has his Lord
and Islam as his religion and Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as His Prophet. He who is pleased with these things will taste the flavor of Imam Eman has a flavor La Ilaha illa Allah
and Eman has a Halawa a sweetness. Imam, Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of Ernest that the messenger
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said Salah phone man couldn t he wa JW Hina Halawa Eman there are three attributes whoever possesses them will taste the sweetness of Eman. What are they learn them. And yeah Khun Allahu wa rasuluh who had the Elohim in Matthew Akuma number one
for Allah and His messenger to become dearer to you than everything else.
Number two, when you have been marala you have boohoo in Manila and to love a another Muslim purely for the sake of Allah.
What are the Accra on your own there feel free but there is another hula hoop men who come out here Cracow and Yakuza three na number three, to hate to return to disbelief after Allah had saved you from it. The same way you hate to be thrown into fire. Eman has a flavor. And Eman has a sweetness and Eman has a best Shasha and delight that you experience.
And that is why it will hurt you and Muslim in the right on the authority of Hypno habits that when the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa send them rather when Abu Sufian visited her Oculus, the Christian emperor of Rome who was inquiring about this man called Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was claiming to be a prophet in Mecca. He said tell me about him. Abu Sufyan
do his followers leave the religion after they believe in him. He said no. What did this Christian man say not even a Muslim? What did the Christian man say?
He said what are the legal email Hina to Holly to the Sha Sha two.
That is the reality of EMA and when it's the light mixes with the heart Eman has a delight. It has a joy it has a happiness.
So this is what Component number two we said the doing of good deeds Component number one plus Component number two Eman. This is among equals I'll hire to tell you about the good life what is the good life
let us take a look at how some of the scholars of Islam have explained I'll hire to Paiva you will notice there's no contradiction in them. They're describing the same thing but from different perspectives.
As for Abdullah, he would not have bass he said I'll hire to pay but the good life
who are risk pool hallelujah here. It is the pure and halal provision that Allah gives you. That is the good life. Your earnings are coming from a pure and halal place and so your sadaqa and your DUA are expected. That is the good life.
Meaning that the one who's earning from haram or doubtful sources, they're living a life of misery, and they will be proof to that themselves.
As far as I leave, every tiny bit he said I'll hire to tell you that the good life that Allah promises. This is Alana contentment.
You're pleased with what Allah has given you.
That is the good life that Allah has promised. And these this is the meaning of being a king.
Abu Bakr Al rock, he said Al Khaled al Hayato Paiva the good life it is Halawa to a bar. It is to experience the sweetness of Allah is worship.
That is the good life. You are different to those who battle and prostrate you experience a joy. That is the good life what law
others have said the good life, he is sad it is happiness.
Which one of these opinions apply? They are not opinions. They are describing the same thing from different perspectives. Mm hmm. He said all of this is part of the good life. The one who lives a good life. Allah blesses him with pure and halal risk provisions. And Allah blesses him or her with contentment. And Allah blesses them with the sweetness of worship, and Allah blesses them with worldly happiness. This is a higher total Eva. So the good life is the life of over all joy.
The good life is the life of general bliss, over all contentment, and that is the best that this world can offer you, you want more you have to look towards gender.
But a person who lives a good life suffers like anybody else suffers. But what is different is that you have coping mechanisms. And the Quran picks you up by virtue of the good life that you're living.
When cash is a little bit low,
and now you are fearing poverty, and you're struggling to make ends meet. The Good Life that you have picks you up, and it reminds you when I'm in the
back field or the law Allah
here to school ha there is no moving creature on earth except that it is upon Allah to provide for it.
When you are afraid
when you're scared, there's an enemy on your case. The Good Life picks you up. It keeps you positive, and it reminds you the cabbie and Allah Hamelin leadin Manuel Anelka feeling Allah, Allah, He is the ally and protector of the believers and the unbelievers, they have no protector and ally.
When a calamity befalls you, and you're dumbfounded, you're confused, it is too much too bad. The Good Life picks you up. And it reminds you in Mr. nostra use when difficulty there is ease.
When you feel that no one is willing to listen to your problems, and even if they do, listen, what can they do? They don't understand. And even if you find someone who understand your issues, you know no one can solve your problems and challenges. The Good Life picks you up. And it reminds you in a school with your husband in Allah, I complain of my sorrow and grief to Allah.
When you feel lonely, and abandoned, and in a dark place, completely deserted, the good life still picks you up. And it reminds you mom or dad or book.
Your Lord has not been you farewell. No does your Lord hate you.
So with the good life, you suffer, like everybody else suffers. Muslim, non Muslim, righteous unrighteous, chaste unchaste we will all suffer in the life of this world. But when you need the good life,
your suffering is different. Because your suffering has meaning. Your suffering has value your suffering has purpose. Your suffering expiate toxic sins that you needed to leave your back your suffering raises your place in Jana giving you a home that you never deserved. You're suffering is space and light in your grave. Your suffering has an end date your suffering ends with Jana.
So, those who lead a good life there life is hard like everybody else, but inside there is a Janna there, there is a paradise there. There are coping mechanisms there and that only be fits the believer who lives the good life during times of adversity, he is patient during times of prosperity, he is grateful. This is paradise on earth. And that is the good life that Allah promises those who are good deeds and and they have imagined
what is the good life?
The Good Life is that which was experienced by some of our predecessors and I know for a fact some of you today
were one of them like Ibrahim ham would say, you know, we are aligned with Moodle, Moodle command, he made a 90 minute gala dinner and then he would show you off if the kings and the sons of the kings came to learn of the joy that sits in our hearts as Muslims, they would fight us over it with their swords.
And a second one who said
in a hula Jamar Ruby our cartoons are goofy. In Canada huddle agenda TV Mythili ha then Amy in our home Luffy i You shouldn't buy it. He said sometimes I experience moments of inner joy that are so intense that I say to myself, if the people of Jannah are experiencing this happiness that I'm in, they will be living a good life.
And the third who said Messiah quinoa Hello dunya how miserable are the people have dunya chasing after this world? Hara Jimena dunya Juana de cualquier the mafia, they died and they left this world and they didn't even taste the sweetest thing that it has to offer. They said what is the sweetest thing that life has to offer? He said Malefor to Allah He won Mahatma to who where they could have who it is the love of Allah annoying him and remembering him.
How does the good life and a fourth a contemporary Sudan the man maybe some of you have seen the video that went viral, sat in this ugly hot factory in the Middle East. And they say to him, how are you give her like how are you doing? And he said in his simple Sudan he villager approach simple words yet profound in their meaning. He said, No Allah he feels he had me meaning.
He said, I am set in the middle of Allah's fevers that are crowded and competing to get to me. Wallah he was out of a school Allah shado he said, I don't even know where to start.
thanking Allah.
I'm in the middle of blessings that are competing and crowding and rushing to get to me. Yes, that is the good life, have you experienced it?
The Good Life
is the unique and intimate experience of Salah, praying to Elijah.
When you say Allah Allahu Akbar, and you'll come to realize, you know, in Allah, I am now in a private, and exclusive space, with the summary, with the owner of all Dominion with the knower of my secrets, the NOR of my problems, the solver of my issues, the one who knows my illness, and who won who knows my cure, I am now standing before him law, in law, then you say Allahu Akbar, and you fall down into bowing.
And you feel as if the hand of the clock has stopped ticking, as you are obsessed, and immersed in the glorification of Allah and you feel that the orbiting of the planets and the celestial bodies have all paused and are now on hold as you are in communication with Allah, Jenna, Julianne who, then you say Allah, Allahu Akbar, and you fall into frustration. And you feel as if all of the burdens of the world that you are carrying on your shoulder have collapsed onto the ground with you, you will never need to pick them up again. And there in frustration, you can find to Allah, and you speak to him, you humble yourself to Him, and you cry to him. And you complain to him of your
problem problems and your yearnings and your illnesses. And you ask him of things that you know, nobody can solve and give except him.
Then you raise your head from frustration, and you leave your place of prayer, only to feel that you have left your heart in frustration it hasn't raised its head.
And now your heart begins to ache as it asked you what is the time for the next salah. What is the time for the next meeting with Allah
that is higher. That is the good life.
The Good Life is to pick up the book of Allah Jalla Jalla Allahu for 1520 minutes a day regardless of how busy you may be.
And you hold this book as you feel that I am reading the verbatim literal word of my Lord.
It moves you into tears and emotions. You remember a creamer who would recite the Quran and cry, and he would say Callum Robbie, Robbie, these are the words of my Lord. You hold this text and you think Allahu Akbar, this is not from the universe. This is extra terrestrial. This is the literal word of the king himself how he spoken.
And you recite and you will feel that every second you inhale from the air of the Quran, and you drink from its fountain that it is actively cleansing your soul, refining your conduct, improving your behavior, solving your problems, raising your ambitions. That is the effect of the Quran as you recite Allah be the gorilla he toma in Gulu is it not with the remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest?
That is higher to
that is the good life.
The Good Life is to sit in a gathering like this, with your brothers,
with your sisters,
in the gathering or Allah is remembered where our hearts are suffering, where I shed tears of remorse and hope and love and fear of Allah Jalla Jalla Allah
to experience a tranquility and a Sakina a comfort in a gathering of angels that no one can explain except by those who have experienced it and tasted it.
Whether it's a weekly there's a weekly class that you come to in a masjid or whether it's a Muslim you visit purely out of your love for him.
This is what it means to lead a good life.
The Good Life
is when you realize that no matter what you have done, there is no room for despair.
And when you realize that if you were to meet Allah, with the sins of the world on your back, you give him an apology, and you shed a tear of repentance, Allah would be willing to erase them, to replace them all with good deeds.
Allah is the one whom you if you were to meet him with a lifetime worth of sin and crime, he's willing to erase it in exchange for a moment of civic a moment of truthfulness, a moment of apology, a moment of frustration at the doorstep of Allah and true apology that my brother, that my sister is the good life.
That is the good life
Now, having said all of this, we've understand we've understood the status quo. Everyone is looking for happiness.
We have suggested an alternative term called L higher to pi EBA. The Good Life. We've understood the formula that brings the good life, good deeds and Eman. We've understood what good deeds are. We've understood what Eman is, we have an idea of what the good life looks like. Now we can ask the question what are the detractors of the good life?
Because much like any blessing in life, there are things that can detract from it if you're not careful. There are foods that can detract from your health.
There are certain substances that can detract from your lungs
and so on and so forth. And there are certain things if you are not careful, they can detract from this good life, you can afford to have your good life detracted from
what or they will share to you three very quickly. Beware of these.
Number one, the greatest detractor of the good life, our sins.
And that is why Allah praised the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said to him while we're gonna anchor with rock, we've removed from you your burden, the burden of sins, Allah, the Kaaba rock that was weighing so heavily on your back. There is no luggage that you can carry on your back. Whether it's the luggage of stress, or bad health, or ill children, whatever it may be, there is no luggage that you can carry on your back that is heavier, a more detrimental to your good life, then the luggage of sins.
And when Allah wants a Muslim, to live and to experience the good life, the first thing he does for him is that he forgives his sins because they really cannot coexist.
Allah gender genuine who created your heart in a way, whereby it is only compatible with why revelation and righteousness. You don't want to believe me, you can learn the hard way but don't complain when your heart your heart starts to pain and to AQ.
Your heart is only compatible with hasard good deed is not compatible with sins.
And that's why a person who tries to eat by shoving food into his ear or tries to drink by pouring a fluid into his eye the outcome of both of those limbs will be damaged.
Because the eye was designed to receive light, it wasn't designed to receive fluid. Your ear was designed to receive sound it wasn't designed to receive food. And similarly your heart was designed to receive Allah ye Deen Quran righteousness Toba vicar good friends, Salah the moment you try to put inside of it since you're putting things inside of it that are not compatible with it. And so it begins to bleed and that blood is in the form of grief misery, darkness loneliness emptiness sadness
and that is why Abdullah him namaste he said remember the statement I shared with you in the beginning where he said good deeds they bring about a light in the face and luminosity in the heart and strengthen your body and expanse in your provisions and love in the hearts of people remember that? What is the other half of that statement?
He said we're in Nellis alone and method Phil. He was our I didn't feel Obi Wan and feel bad. And he was he was the one who couldn't feel connected with Hulk he said and since they bring it out a gloominess to the face.
The darkness to the heart.
The weakness in your body and tightness, limitation in your provision your risk and hatred in the hearts of people.
In our modular law, you will see both them that is surgery for you spiritually Hema, the letter Sulaymaniyah to me said a person may commit a sin at night in privacy.
But by day, the disgraceful effects of that sin can be seen in his face.
Your heart is not compatible with sins. So what is the exit strategy? Tell that
apologize to Allah. turn a new leaf and make him a promise that you will live a new way and make the changes needed and allow the good life to flourish.
The second detractor we said number one is what?
Sins number two, lack of contentment.
Hungry always want more.
Nothing can free you an eye into the meadows into the gardens of the good life. Then being content with what Allah has given you.
content with your skin color
content with your mirror reflection hamdulillah
intent with your money,
content with your spouse stop looking around
content with your minimum wage or whatever it may be your early contains happy Hamdulillah.
Without it, you cannot live the good life. And how did Holly describe the good life? Remember, he said it is contentment.
And that is why there was a man in the past who used to go out fishing
every morning.
And he would only come home when he caught just to fish, one of those fish he would give to his family to eat. And the other one of the fish he would sell for income.
So one of his friends, he said to him, why are you asking Kareem you're only fishing, you're only getting two, why not hang out a little bit longer? Maybe you will get three, four, maybe more.
He said then what?
He said then eventually you can make more money. He said, Then what? He said, Well, you can think about employing someone who can fish next you bring in more income.
Yeah, then what? He said then maybe you can think about investing in a boat. He said then what the boat will bring you more fish. He said, then what he said then eventually you can grow and have like your fleet of boats.
He said then what he said then maybe you can open up your fish shop. He said and then what he said then maybe you could have a franchise of a fish shops.
He said yeah, then what? He said, Then you become rich. He said and what he said then you'll find peace. He said my brother I'm already at peace.
Danny, why do you need to take me on this long journey?
To take me to a destination that I'm already at. I'm already at peace. I'm contend
that's what brings a good life. An hour Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said this when he said Lisa Lena and Kathy Lara in the Marina Marina naps. Being rich, he said, not about having a lot of material possessions, a lot of money. That's not richness. He said, being rich is when your heart is content.
Allah can give you the money of God on
in today's times the money of bases, the money of Zuckerberg, the money of musk.
But if your heart is not content, if you still hounding after dunya for more, day or night, even you put your head on the pillow your head 111 dunya, dunya. Don't you don't you're in your dreams in your wakeful hours when you're eating while you're with your family, you are an impoverished human being.
And you may be on minimum wage on the other hand, but your heart is content you are the king, you are the one who is rich.
So what is the exit strategy for this one now? Gratitude? say Alhamdulillah give Schuco to Allah. And the more grateful you are to Allah, the more he will give you to be grateful about and the more ungrateful you are to him, the more he will give you things to complain about saying hamdulillah Yeah, he I wish I had two cars today. Me and my wife. We both need a cup. We can only afford one sale. hamdulillah remember those who don't have cars? They have to bus it to work.
Yeah, okay, I have to take the bus. I wish I had a car you have to say Al Hamdulillah. At least you have the money to buy a bus ticket.
Other brother may say I don't even have the money for a bus tickets. Yeah, he said Hamdulillah you have feet you have legs. Other people have no legs. say Alhamdulillah. Look at the people who are less than you don't look at those who have been given more than you that will help you appreciate the favor of Allah upon you. And by the way, let me tell you this. Being a person of contentment does not mean that you have to have no ambition.
It doesn't mean that you don't have desire to move for more.
Being a person of contentment simply means that you are happy with the present. having to rely on
Allah gives me more hamdulillah fine. If I don't have any more Alhamdulillah I'm happy where I am. That is contentment. And that is the true meaning of happiness.
We said detractor number one is what sins exit strategy or stock futile law to
detractor number two we said is what lack of contentment? What is the exit strategy? gratitude to Allah Alhamdulillah and look at those who have been given less than you. And the last detractor I want to share with you
is ambitions that are exclusive to you focus with me here.
One of the main detractors of the good life is when your ambitions they are purely personal. You know, you don't have any aspirations and ambitions that aren't
bigger than yourself. This is one of the greatest causes of human misery and is one of the biggest detractors of the good life.
You see nothing but your mirror reflection, nothing but your career, nothing but your strength and physique, nothing but your appetite, nothing but your wardrobe. Prepare for a life of misery, and a life of emptiness.
Most of the people who complain of misery and depression, they say, I feel empty inside,
hollow, shallow. And that is because Allah has built you in a way, whereby you want to be part of something that is bigger than your individual existence.
You want to be part of something that is growing, something that is bigger than your life you want to serve, but you haven't tried it?
Look, I mean, if I was to now take a group photo of us one of these cameras,
then I show you the picture
of us, what will you look for in that picture? On there? What will you look for in the picture?
janky What will you look for? Yeah, and I will do the
first thing you will do is look for yourself? How do I look at the picture? Because that's how Allah created you. You always want to know how you fit into the bigger scheme of things.
So what is your project? What is your vision as a Muslim?
What is your arm and your action of public service that you will show Allah as your dowry your manhood for Jana? What is it, the project that transcends your personal whims, appetites and desires. If you want to live the good life, you have to realize that being happy is the process of working towards it. It's not a destination you arrive. That's just Jana Donia there's no GPS location, you punch in and you say Sahaja happiness, it doesn't exist. IBV is the journey that brings you the happiness, it's the development of that project is the search of your ambition as a Muslim, and then to do something of public service for humanity in the name of the religion.
You actually Allahu Akbar, if Allah subhanaw taala said, Yeah, you are living in an O you who believe, either Akela Lakota for several field modality epsa, who have Salah who, when you are told to make space in the gatherings, make space, Allah will make space for you.
Allah will make space for you if you make space for your brother in a gathering. What then have a Muslim or Muslim who is making space for a community making space for an old man through his or her Islamic project? What type of space will Allah give you space in your heart space in your money, experience in your grave space on that tight Day of Judgment space in Jannah.
But when you don't have that goal,
you feel empty and confused, and you feel down.
The most confusing and distressing part of writing coursework is the beginning. Because you're still trying to formulate your ideas. What is the title? What's the intro? What's the main body what's the, I don't know, you're down.
And when you have the vision, you have the title, and you're now researching your writing. It doesn't matter that you staying up night, it doesn't matter that you're high on caffeine doesn't matter that you're tired, because you have a goal. Now when you're writing, you're happy now. And similarly, you will be down when you haven't gathered your thoughts. You don't know who you are yet.
But you will be the happiest person on earth when you discover what your role is as a Muslim here on earth that transcends your personal individual existence, find your Islamic project
and make dua here in the month of Ramadan that ALLAH inspires you to find it. And then begin the consultation phase and allow yourself to achieve it or die trying to do so I want to share with you finally one quick story of a contemporary Sheikh His name is Sheikh said he doesn't like Yanni.
He's an art Moroccan color to the religion of Allah, who passed away in his mid 40s. I think it was due to a tragic car accident that happened to him in the Middle East. But he has an amazing story about how he found his way back to Allah and his search for happiness. And I want you to conclude with this story because it really has up nicely with the very first story I shared with you the story of Christina. It's like the mirror reflection of her story, but it ends in a positive way he found the good life.
And he says that I was a young man raised by practicing Muslim parents in Morocco. But like the majority of the youth of my era, I only had two objectives in life. I wanted fame. I wanted money
In essence, I just want it to be happy. Where do I start?
He said, I joined our local radio station in Morocco.
And I quickly began to work my way up. I had shows between shows, and I was presenting the news. And eventually I worked my way up. And I was now leading on my own shows.
Then eventually, there was an opening in TV in media, and I managed to become now a household name.
And I was presenting the news, I was delivering late night shows as well. Everybody was speaking about Saeed as a Yanni in Morocco.
But he said despite the fame and the money that was coming in, I still felt wretched, worthless, pathetic. And the state of inner tightness was getting worse and worse, where do I find the happiness? And then he said as he narrates his own story, I was what Allah said in the Quran, when he said, from a unity law, who and your idea who your shahada, who is,
whenever Allah wants to guide a person, he opens up his heart to Islam. Well, maybe your ad or your the La Jolla journal. Sadara Hoda, yep, and hydrogen can Assad have his summer. But when Allah wants to misguide someone, he makes his heart tight and constricted, as if he is climbing into the sky. He said, I was that person.
He said, I thought to myself, happiness is not here. Happiness is in the music industry.
So he said, by virtue of my access to TV, I was able one day to drop in a quick tune during one of the shows. And instantly they recognized that this guy has a voice. And I came into the music industry. And all of the radios, all of the TVs now around the Arab world, they were listening to say there's a Yanni singing, I still felt wretched.
I said, No, no, no, what am I thinking, happiness is not here. Happiness is being an actor.
So I became an actor, the doors opened up for me very quickly. And I would only take the hero of any film, to top positions, and my films became instant hits all around the world at this point. He said, Now I was driving the finest cars, rearing the most expensive clothes. My friends were the princess of the Middle East. And I would go and visit them in their palaces and the gates would open up as if I own that palace.
But he said how low, tight and pathetic, my heart felt.
I didn't know what to do.
He said, I decided to tour the world. A world tour, show them who say the ziani is maybe this will relieve from my sense of inner rot that I am feeling. And he said I had a brother in Belgium, who was older than me a lot more practicing. He'd migrated to Belgium. I thought maybe I visit him on the way for one or two days, if I find time.
And I began the tour.
And I arrived at Belgium to visit my brother for what was supposed to be 24 hours, 48 hours visit. He said hi he was surprised to see his feet, his face radiating with a light.
And he was contented. I came into his house simple home, him and his wife are so happy, so pleased and I sat with them and I ate with them. And then he showed me around the area, the Muslim community in Belgium, we sat in the masjid, their Halaqaat and their circles. And he said, I was feeling something going through my veins that I had never felt before.
I realized that was happiness.
I was content.
And he said I began to feel the verse from the Quran he quotes monogamy lasagna has been decades and I want that whoever works good deeds, with a male or female whilst having a man we will give them the good life. And he quotes woman Arada and victory for in Allahumma. He said I'm Duncan Allah said whoever turns away from my remembrance will give them a miserable life.
And we will resurrect them blind on the day after he said I felt that I felt that.
And he said, prior to this, I had an interview before I flew out,
and the interviewer said to me, isn't it such an amazing coincidence? Mr. Side?
Your name is Syed. Which means what?
Which means what brother's happy? They said, Isn't it a coincidence that you will have a name?
That is parallel to your life? You must be a happy man. He said my brother. What you and others may think about me is actually not true at all.
I am far from happy.
And my name he said he had by name has four letters. Seeing I mean yeah
dal Saeed.
He said as it stands, however, only three letters of my name apply to me the first three letters seen an iron and yeah, sir IE, what does that mean?
Pursuit Chase. He said, I'm a man of pursuit and Chase, I can't find the happiness. But when I find the fourth letter of my name, the Dan might become happy. Trust me, I'll, I'll let you know.
He said the days and the years and the months passed by
my visit to Belgium was only supposed to be for 40 or so hours, I spent two years with my brother
growing, I found happiness, I stayed with the brothers, I learned the religion and I came to realize that happiness was not in money, not in fame, not in women not in wealth, happiness was only found with Allah subhanaw taala and calling towards his path see the project that is bigger than yours.
He said then I took out a paper and pen after I had joined the international lecture circuit we used to benefit from him as kids a lot. His public lectures were amazing.
He took out a paper and pen and he wrote Dear editor in chief of newspapers such and such, my name is saya Yanni, you interviewed me on places such and such on days such and such. And you asked me if I was happy and I told you only the first three letters of my name apply to me but when I find the fourth I will let you know. And you will be happy to know that I have found the letter dial. I have found the fourth letter of my name. I am now Saeed I am now happy. And I found that fourth letter in the worship of Allah and righteousness and calling to his wife.
These are some of the tools to the good life I wanted to share with you their brothers and sisters I asked Allah Jelena God Allah Who to help us act upon them. We will see you Inshallah, next week in the same place, same time for our final lecture, or some of the lower than 100