Amjad Tarsin – Find Your Life’s Purpose Teen Chat
AI: Summary ©
The "we" in one's spiritual experiences and desire to fulfill their spiritual desires is emphasized. This "we" is the essence of who one is and how one experiences it in their life. fulfillment is the essence of "we" and how one experiences it in their life.
AI: Summary ©
Salaam Alaikum,
So inshaAllah.
What I kind of want to talk about today, when we're talking about,
you know, the purpose, or finding our purpose, is really bringing it
back to the greatest question in existence,
which is,
why do we need Allah subhanahu
wa? Do we need Allah subhanahu wa? You know, a lot of times we look
at, we look at being Muslim, or this the rules, or the
commandments of Islam just kind of like something that's like a to do
list. Now my parents tell me that this is what I need to do. There
are things that are good and right, and then there are things
that are wrong and harmful, but at a deeper level, before we even
appreciate and understand why those things are important. The
first question we ask ourselves is, why is our relationship with
Allah subhanahu wa so important?
And why is it that Allah subhanahu wa created us as human beings, and
that the human being is unique? So
I'm going to tell you all of a memory that each and every one of
us have, and I want to ask you if you remember this memory or not.
The memory is there, but I want to ask you if you remember it or not.
Allah subhanahu wa taala, before any of us came into this world,
Allah subhanahu wa taala. When he created our father, Adam alayhi
salam,
he took out all of the souls of all of his progeny, all of his
descendants, all of humanity
and the souls of every single human being stood before Allah
subhanahu wa taala and Allah asked a very significant question that
really defines our existence, where Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala
said, Allah to be ragbipom,
am I not your Lord?
So I want us all to close our eyes for a moment and really think
deeply within ourselves that Allah subhanahu wa, before I came into
this world, every single human being was brought before Allah
subhanahu wa, and heard this divine address, you me and
everyone else on The face of the earth was spoken to directly from
Allah subhanahu wa stubikom, am I not your Lord? It's kind of a
rhetorical question, which means I'm definitely your Lord. Do you
recognize that? And every single human being said, Bella Shahid,
indeed, you are, and we bear witness to that.
So I want to ask you all a question. Does anyone remember
that being asked that?
Okay, I don't see anyone's hands up. Why is it that we don't really
remember it the way we remember other things? Does anyone know why
i Any guesses? Does anyone take a guess?
Because it happened in a different life, good and there was another
hand.
Okay. Any other thoughts,
the memories that we have in this world are memories that are stored
in our ring their experiences from this world. That's not where this
memory exists. It doesn't exist in the place where you have memories
of things from this world and this life. So where is it?
I heard someone say something, your soul exactly
stored inside of your soul.
And your soul is the essence of who you are.
So people come into this world, and you find many, many, many,
many people
who are really looking for meaning,
and they're looking for purpose, and they're looking for happiness
and fulfillment.
But one of the beautiful things is that whenever Allah subhanahu wa
sent Prophets and Messengers. He sent them so that people could
believe in Allah, Subhanahu wa taala, and actually fulfill the
purpose for which they were created. So that's what we're
talking about today,
is that the purpose of your existence, your purpose in life.
Is
your connection with Allah, Subhanahu wa, realizing Abu DHA,
realizing servitude, realizing really having a strong and living
connection with the One who created you, Subhanahu wa taala,
and everything else that we do, of the five daily prayers of the
sunnahs, of doing the things that are pleasing to Allah and avoiding
those things that are haram, of the way that we eat, the way that
we dress, the way that we live our lives, all of those things stem
from this first ultimate reality when Allah subhanahu wa created us
so that when we come into this world, we're able to reconnect
with that memory and fulfill the promise that we made with Allah
subhanahu wa. Does
that make sense? Does anyone have any questions so far,
is everybody with me?
All right, so, but we have a difficulty. There's a problem, and
a challenge
is that when people come into this world, a lot of times, they try to
find that purpose and meaning in worldly things.
Sayyidina, Imam ashefair, Rahima, Allah, the great Imam Asha he
said, and said, Rohit La binjismi and Son, you are, through your
soul, not your body, a human being. But when we come into this
world, Allah, Subhanahu wa taala, he created our body from worldly
materials from the earth. So part of us, our physical construction
is worldly,
but then our soul is from the heavenly realm.
So the human being combines these two kind of heavenly inclinations,
but then also the nefcy worldly desires and inclinations as well.
And much of our religious experience is really trying to
give the preference to our spiritual our spiritual
aspirations and our heavenly inclinations.
But a lot of people in the world don't do that.
A lot of people really get caught up in the things of the world.
So you find people when they come into this world, they think that
the purpose of their lives and that their happiness is in what
is in fulfilling their desires that come from their nets.
And Allah subhanahu wa he did create us with those desires. So
there is something that we have to do with those things. But the
prophets and messengers, Ali masala and they gave us guidance
on how to direct those desires in ways that are pleasing to Allah
subhanahu wa taala.
And then the amazing thing is that when you look at people of the
world,
and you see how much effort they put into fulfilling their desires,
whether that's fame,
whether that's money, whether that is being seen as beautiful or
desirable, whether that's seen as all of having cars and big houses
and all of these various things that really stem from The nest.
Let me ask you all a question. How many of those people really seem
fulfilled?
I'm asking you all a serious question. What do you all think
when you look at famous and wealthy people who have all of
these things of the world, how many of them seem really at peace?
Really? That's your you honestly feel that way.
I mean, I agree. That's my assessment as well.
And then on top of that, you see, despite the fact that they have
everything that so many other people this like point 00, 1%
of people in the world who have everything that everyone else
wishes they had, but still, they seem depressed, they don't seem
fulfilled, and in many cases, they even take their own lives, or
they're just really addicted to different kinds of substances that
just make them Forget about whatever pain or emptiness they're
experiencing, but then, ironically, only take them deeper
into that, that Dark Pit of emptiness.
So, so if we look at that and we take, you know, we learn from
that, their example of, okay, all of those people
they're on.
TV all of the time. They have the nicest cars, the nicest clothes,
millions and millions of people follow them, all of that stuff.
They still have broken relationships. They still seem to
be very fragile people, even psychologically. You see that they
often go through breakdowns, or even the media will kind of flip
on them one day their love the next day that they're ridiculed
and mocked.
So you realize that even those people, they're searching for
meaning,
and many other people are searching for meaning, but they're
looking for it in the wrong places.
So if I think, let's say, for example, I'm thirsty and I'm
drinking salt water. It's
just like, it looks like water,
right? It, you know, it's to say it is water. It's a different kind
of water, but salt water will never quench your thirst. That's
like the dunya.
It's like, I'm looking for meaning. I'm looking for
fulfillment. I There's this really deep existential need within me
for something bigger than just the little things that are currently
available to me. So people just keep on drinking salt water, but
they just get thirstier and thirstier and thirstier till
eventually they die. What
we realize, and this is why I really want to go through this
with you, is that the purpose of our life is filling ourselves with
that connection to Allah subhanahu wa.
Is that true honor, true happiness, true fulfillment, comes
in your connection to Allah subhanahu
wa. So that's kind of what we're going to focus on now,
the ilaha illAllah. So we talked about that covenant that we took
with Allah, subhana wa taala, that exists within us at a deep
spiritual level.
It exists within our spiritual memory,
and that really sets us up in this world for seeking this meaning in
our lives. That sets us up in our lives to really search for
something bigger. And that's why a lot of people say, like, what's
the meaning of life? What's the purpose of my existence? Is it
just to make a lot of money, to have a lot of power, to have a lot
of wealth and material things and then die.
And then even some people went so far, like the Pharaoh, to actually
be buried with their material things, as if those material
things can follow them into the hereafter. They don't. But what is
it that comes with you? What is it that actually defines your
existence in this life, and then for eternity, it is that you fill
up your heart with the light of iman.
Is that you seek honor in the ways that Allah subhanahu wa taala has
made honorable. The more you connect to the Prophet Muhammad,
sallAllahu, alayhi wa alayhi wa sallallah, the more honorable you
become.
The more that you understand your purpose in life, your
responsibility that ALLAH SubhanA Khara has placed on your
shoulders, the more benefit, the more capable you are of leaving
the world better than how you found it,
of contributing something that's actually worthwhile and
meaningful,
but there are so many things that are kind of like illusions
that make us think that this is going to make me happy, this is
going to make me beloved to People, this is going to make me
feel fulfilled.
How many of you bought wanted to buy something, whether it was like
a game or an item of clothing or something that you wanted so bad,
and then when you got it, soon after you get it, you feel like it
diminishes in your in your eyes. How many people felt that way
before
I remember, I'll tell you a really funny story. There was a really
nice shirt that I wanted to get, and I remember getting it. And my
cousin also got it. We both had it, and when I saw him wearing I
said, Man, why does that shirt look better on him than it does on
me?
That's because the nefs, that's how the neffs works. And then the
more that you're able to realize my value,
my word, my happiness, is not in that thing. What is this going to
do? This is going to make me happy, clothing, the way that I
look, even that side.
Make you happy,
because it doesn't really access and tap in to the purpose for
which you were created.
And a lot of people in this world, and one of the reasons why this is
important to highlight is because there are so many people in the
world who Captivate others. They capture people's attention. People
look up to them. Oh, did you see what they did? Whether they're
athletes or singers or actors and actors, whatever it may be, people
are really captivated by the details of their lives. And then
you might start to realize, well, maybe they have something that I
need.
And it works at a very subconscious level, like most
people don't think about those things like, Oh, you have
something I need. But then deep down inside, it's like, Oh, if
only I can be like that person, if only I had what they had.
And so things would really be different. My life would really be
different.
But what Allah subhanahu wa has given you is even greater than
that, and it's much closer. So, as Allah subhanahu wa says in the
Quran, what we just talked about, what is Aha bucham in many Adam
and luhori him the Riyadh, Abu Asmaa hum, Alam fusim Allah to be
Rabbi hum, Prophet. Remember when your Lord took the offspring from
the loins of the children of Adam and made them bear witness about
themselves? This happened to all of us. And Allah said, Am I not
your Lord? Adubala, shahidina? They said, Yes, we bear witness to
that. And had a feeling. So you cannot say on the Day of
Resurrection, we were not aware of this. Deep down inside. People are
aware of this. But then with the dunya and with giving into the
desires of the naps, it starts to really cloud that memory and veil
that memory, and it becomes like a mirror that you can't see clearly
through because it has rust and it has grime covering it, so you
can't see anything reflected in it. But when you connect to the
prophets and messengers, why do we pray?
I'm asking you that question, why do we pray? What? What's the end
goal of Salah? What's the ultimate outcome of the Salah?
Why is it so important? Yes,
to get closer to Allah subhanahu wa Yes, to talk to
Allah, to talk directly to Allah subhanahu wa taala, anyone else?
Yes, feel a deeper connection with Allah, to feel a deeper connection
with Allah. Subhanahu. Wa, excellent.
All of those answers are correct.
But oftentimes, if we look at the salah like, ah, you know, I'm in
the middle of something and it's time to pray, it's almost like I'm
just going to do it to get it out of the way, la Salah opens up a
door between you and Allah subhanahu wa that even the angels
in the heavenly realm, they get a portion of that they don't even
necessarily have that whole, full opportunity or the same potential
that's given to us in the Salah.
So when we look at it and we realize that this Salah actually
helps me attain the purpose for which I was created, it goes from
being something that's just a chore to something that's actually
an opportunity
and something that becomes very beloved and special,
but it all goes back to understanding what these things
really are.
Am I just praying because I don't want to go to *, or am I
praying because I realize that I am speaking directly to Allah
subhanahu wa, I am deepening my connection with Allah subhanahu
wa, I'm fulfilling the purpose for which I was created. And Allah
increases me in honor, increases me in blessing,
makes me more beloved to His angels, makes me more worthy of
the amazing spiritual gifts that nothing in the world could ever
equal
that's what the slaughter really is, right? So it goes back to
understanding our true purpose in life. And Imam Ibn Al Ayyam, one
of the scholars in Islamic history, he said, There is a
sadness in the heart that can only be removed when you have uns, when
you have this close connection to Allah subhanho wa taala,
there's a sadness in the heart that can only be removed, that can
only be filled a hole in your heart that can only be filled with
a.
Allah subhana wa taala.
And that's why you see so many people there looking for meaning.
And actually, one of the other things that's that's worth
mentioning, this applies to both men and women, is that Allah
subhanahu wa created us as human beings to be hardwired to love.
That's why, you see, you know, so so many people are focused on
love, and unfortunately, in today's world, in society, they've
made love very superficial. It's not even love. They just they,
they present love
in a way that's really just something that's very almost like
an animal desire that's not love,
but Allah subhanahu wa created within the human being this love
of love
to be hardwired to love. Why? Because the greatest spiritual
virtue, the greatest thing that you can possibly acquire is Allah
subhanahu wa
and you know, a lot of us, one of the one of the deepest human
needs, is to be loved,
which is why, you know the family unit, our relationship With our
parents, our relationship with our children, right? Is so important
because it's a very essential human need to be loved.
And then what happens to a lot of people is that as they go on in
life, they continue to seek that.
But sometimes and especially in kind of popular culture where
we're
we're encouraged to find that in ways that have nothing to do with
real love.
And people, when they do that, they continue to feel emptier and
emptier, which makes them wonder, you know, am I really doing it
right?
But then think about it, let's take a small step back. Imagine if
Allah subhanahu wa the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the
Almighty, the all powerful, the most gentle, the Most Merciful,
the Most Generous. Subhan wa taala, Allah Subhan wa there is
nothing like him. His creation has no similarity to him. Subhan wa
taala, he is far infinitely above them in his perfection, in his
beauty, in His Majesty, in his power, Subhan wa Taala now think
of all of Allah subhanahu wa's grandeur and His Majesty, and
realize that He has given us
little human beings, flawed Human beings, the opportunity to become
beloved to him.
If Allah subhanahu wa grants you His love, you don't need anything
else in existence. All the money in the world is worthless in your
eyes, all of the fame and the applause that people might give
you means nothing if Allah subhanahu wa grants used his love,
I'll tell you an amazing story. There was one of the sahaba. His
name was Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Huda. Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Huda
follow the Allah. He's not
very well known because he was younger. Sayyidina Abdullah ibn
haudafa Aldi Allah. He was sent by Sayyidina Ahmed ibn Khattab to a
Christian king to teach him about Islam.
So as he goes there, there are kind of taken prisoner him and a
group of Muslims. And the Christian king says, Listen,
I'll give you
whatever you want. I'll give you half of my kingdom, and I'll marry
you to my daughter. You will be my heir. You will inherit from me if
you leave Islam.
So then say, now the law I bin Khalifa, all the Allahu, salaam,
Sayyidina, Abdullah
all the Allah. He says, Absolutely not,
absolutely not. I would, even if you ask me to leave Islam for just
a moment and you would give me your entire kingdom, I would not
leave Islam.
So then this king starts to starve him, and
he says, Don't give him any food except alcohol, wine and pork, and
see if he buckles under the pressure. So they're bringing him
food, they're bringing him things to drink, but they're all haram.
So say, not abutting for that. But he refuses all of their food. Then
finally, the king threatens to take his.
Life to execute him. And
then he starts to cry. So like he goes, Oh, now we got he's starting
to break
now. Maybe his his commitment to us now, maybe we can now break
him. So he says, Why are you crying?
He said, You know when I realized that I can only die one time. I
wished that I had 100 souls and I could sacrifice all of them for
Allah subhanahu wa. That's what made me cry. Now I want us all to
pause for a second.
What kind of person
can do that?
You know what I mean, what kind like, what? What was the state of
Sayyidina, Abdullah ibn hawdaf as heart, to be able to go through
that and to without even the slightest shadow of a doubt,
committing himself at that level,
it's not something that is just a choice that you make in your mind.
His heart and soul tasted the sweetness of Allah subhanahu wa's
love.
He had become someone who, because of realizing and experiencing
Allah subhanahu wa, nothing in existence could shake him.
Isn't that powerful?
Isn't that miraculous?
I'll teach you all a Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa Abu
Sabi SA and this shows us, once again, the purpose of our life and
our potential.
You know, when I was your age,
you know my older brother, this is before the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, there was just the Marvel comic books, and my brother
used to collect the comic books, and we used to love all of these
superheroes, you know, people who were had these amazing powers and
abilities. And I think part of the reason why we tend to love those
things is because it speaks to that deeper
existential question of, doesn't my life mean more than just the
mundane things that we go through. Isn't there more meaning? Isn't
there more potential? So anyway, when my brother taught me this
hadith, you know, many years later, it reminded me of, you
know, these amazing kind of stories, these journeys, these
epic stories of people overcoming the most insurmountable aunts and
having this amazing transformation and accomplishing the the most
amazing things. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, want
us all to pay attention to this. This is a very, very, very
important Hadith,
and it's not important because you're going to be tested on it.
It's important, because when you learn it and you understand it, it
opens up your potential and it opens up opportunities in your
life.
So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said that Allah
subhanahu wa taala says
that mana Ali what Ian them to who will have Allah says to His
creation, whoever shows hostility to one of my awliya? Does anyone
know what the Awliya are?
The Awliya are the most righteous people. Yes,
they're protecting friends. They are people who are so beloved to
Allah subhanahu wa that he takes care of them. They are like the,
the elect among the, the righteous servants of Allah subhanahu wa. So
we call them awliya. We call them Sally in righteous people. And
this hadith Allah subhanahu wa says, Mena, Adeli, walien, any of
my awliya, any person who's a Wali of mine and another person shows
hostility to them. Allah subhanahu wa taala says, I declare war
against that person.
That's That's intense that ALLAH SubhanA says, I love this servant
so much that if another person shows hostility to them,
I declare war against that person.
Then the Hadith goes on to describe to us, who are these?
Awliya, how does someone become one of these elect and beloved
servants of Allah, subhanho wa taala. How does that happen? So
then the Hadith goes on, and Allah subhanahu wa says, Wa ma Takala,
ba ILA, ya Abdi, Shay and ahaba Eliya, mem Taal, tu Hua Ali, ALLAH
SubhanA says, My ser.
Servant draws closest to me with an with an act that is most
beloved to me, which are the obligatory actions.
So think about that, your Salah, your fasting and Ramadan, your
zakat, when you get to a point where you're able to pay the
Zakat, all of these things, these obligations, the five pillars of
Islam, the things that Allah has made obligatory and mandatory, and
those things that are haram, that we avoid, those are the things
most beloved to Allah, subhanaw, taala. So when you fulfill those
things, you actually are putting yourself in a position where
Allah, Subhanahu wa potentially will grant you His love.
So that's the most important thing. Are the obligations the
Hadith goes on,
wamaza, Abdi, Abu ELA ya bin nawaki, hatta o hibba and my
servant
continues to draw closer to me, closer and closer and closer to
Allah. It's not a physical closeness, it's a closeness with
your
heart until I love him or I love her.
Then what happens if Allah subhanahu wa grants you His love?
What happens
for either Abu, if I love him, kun tu, semu, aladi, yasma, Obi, I
become the hearing with which he hears
Well, Basara, who led the yellow bit and the sight with which he
sees wa yada will let the tubia and his hand with which he strikes
and his foot with which he walks. And if he asks me for something, I
will surely give it to him. And if he seeks refuge in Me, I will
certainly provide him my protection.
Allah subhana wa Taala gives each and every one of us that
opportunity. I remember when I first read this hadith, I was like
man. This is if you Allah becomes the sight with which you see, the
hearing with which you hear, the hand with which you strike,
and Allah protects you. What greater honor is that?
What greater honor is there than that?
That's the potential that Allah subhanahu wa single human being.
That's the opportunity that every single human being has been given,
and it's available to
age is not necessarily a factor that affects that. If you look at
many of those Sahaba people, like Abdullah ibn Al Abbas and
Sayyidina, and as ibn Malik and Sayyidina Abdullah ibn mas you
look at many of the companions, they attain the highest levels of
righteousness when they were still very young, right?
So it's not something that is limited by by age.
So this goes back to why do we need Allah, Subhanahu wa?
Because our connection to Allah fulfilling the purpose for which
we were created. All of that answers that deep existential
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much.
All of that goes back to
that memory that Allah subhanahu wa imprinted upon our souls,
and that Allah subhanahu wa Tada created us to honor us, and He
created us in order to give us
so when we come back to why am I Muslim? What's the purpose of my
life? What is it that I want to accomplish and achieve in my life?
All of that connects back to this reality,
all of that connects back to this meaning, which is that Allah
subhanahu wa has given me the opportunity to be beloved to him,
and that if Allah subhanahu wa bestows His love upon you, there
is no greater sense of fulfillment. There is no greater
achievement. There is no greater honor that can ever be compared.
There's another Hadith of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa Alam
about when a person becomes beloved to Allah subhanahu wa
loves a servant. So let's say a person continues to establish the
Salawat and their obligations and their Farah IL and so forth, and
they.
Continue to also voluntarily worship Allah and make dua and
engage in dhikr and do all of these things that are beloved to
Allah, Subhanahu wa,
once they come to that point where Allah grants them His love, the
Prophet salallahu alayhi wa, Salam tells us what happens that he
calls out to Jibreel salaam, either ahabala Abu nada Jibreel.
When Allah loves a servant, he calls to Jibreel, and he says,
Yeah, Jibreel ini UI bulan and him,
oh, Jibreel, I love such and such a person. So you love
them. Jibreel Abu,
now just think about that first name, Jibril Ali his salaam, the
greatest of all the angels, when someone on this earth becomes
beloved to Allah subhanahu wa taala, they might not even know
it,
but Jibreel Ali, his salaam loves them and knows their name and
Allah subhanahu wa taala has mentioned their name. You know, if
you're on social media of someone that you really admire tags you or
mentions you, it's like such an honor.
They mention me like, it's amazing how these words, they're actually
the same words that we have in a hadith, and there's a much deeper
meaning spiritually, but it's the same word that someone mentions
you or tags you, or whatever it may be. Oh, this person remembers
me. They thought about me, they put my name, they mentioned my
name, and that's just a created being. All of those people, no
matter who they are, if they are, if they're beloved to Allah, then
it's good that you love them. But if they're just like a regular
person, that and in some cases, someone who might not even really
be that virtuous or noble, it's not that big of a deal. That
person breathes the same air. They go to sleep at night. They're just
a regular human being that somehow got some fame, and people took
that to mean something.
But what if Allah
mentions your name?
What then
and then he mentions your name to Jibril Ali i The hadith goes on,
and the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam, he said, then Jibreel
Ali is Salam. He goes to the inhabitants of the heavens, of the
heavenly realm,
and he calls out to the people in the heavenly realm,
yah
in Allah, You hid bu fulan and Ibn fulan In bu Allah. Loves so and
so, the son or the daughter of so and so. So you all love them.
So then the people, the inhabitants of the heavens, love
that person, someone. Then that person has Abu, has a degree of
acceptance on the earth, and that has, you know, a meaning that that
is deep as well.
So it goes back to these, this original concept of the purpose of
our life is to rediscover
the wisdom for which we were created.
And Alhamdulillah, you all are here. We're all Muslim. We're
already connected to the Prophet Muhammad, sallAllahu, alayhi wa
ali wa sallam. We already know about Islam. There are so many
people like Shaykh Yahya, who's teaching the adult, the adults.
There are so many people who had to go through the darkness of kufr
in order to find Islam, and then they really appreciated it, but
Allah subhanahu has already given it to us without any prior
difficulty or effort on our part,
so when we understand and rediscover the wisdom for which we
were created, then the next thing is that we have to fulfill them.
And when we fulfill that, Allah subhanahu wa Ta fills your heart
and soul with fulfillment, with contentment, with purpose, with
benefit, with blessings, with knowledge, and then Allah
subhanahu wa continues to raise you and elevate you and make you
Beloved, even in the the heavenly realm. And many of the Sahaba
Alana, they would see angels and speak with angels, all these
amazing experiences. But it all goes back to that original
interaction where Allah subhanahu wa addressed us. So I'm going to
leave it there inshaAllah and open it up to hear from you all
any thoughts or
any questions that any of you have.
Yes, like,
if you are ignorant and you haven't heard of like a lost
message, and you go to your and then you will, like,
automatically go to hellfire, even if you like.
But then, in that verse that you said
at a studio,
isn't that like a
that's a very good question. Did everyone hear the question? Okay,
so the question was about people who might not have ever heard
about Islam, or have never heard about the prophets and messengers,
and then they die on the Day of Resurrection, they won't be
automatically punished because they never had an opportunity. But
how do we make sense of that? And the verse where Allah subhanahu wa
says that they all bear witness that Allah subhanahu wa is their
Lord.
So when we bear witness to that we're accountable. We're
accountable when we hear the message of the prophets.
So what happens is when the Prophets and Messengers come and
they inform us about something that our fitrah, our natural state
already senses, you know you are created for a purpose, that you
have a creator, and that you the way that you live in this world,
you will stand before Allah, and he will judge you. All of that
goes back to
this, the memory that's imprinted in our fitrah, in our souls. So
when the Prophets and Messengers come, it's like they reignite,
they rekindle that memory.
But if a person never had that opportunity, Allah subhanahu wa is
just he does not hold them accountable without having the
opportunity, right? So,
and then the people who do hear about it, then they they don't
have an excuse, because it already speaks to a deep reality within
themselves.
Yes. So earlier, we were talking about how people who you know are
really rich oftentimes they're not really happy.
And then we talked about how Islam is like if you follow correctly
all these thoughts they need to give you true happiness.
What about people who are just like ordinary people who say, you
know, I found happiness in my religion, or I found happiness in
my heart?
Yeah, mashallah, that's also a really good question. Thank you.
So let me just take one small step back. So even when we were talking
about,
you know, people who are very wealthy and have all of these
worldly things that it doesn't fulfill them. So I just want to
make a small differentiation between happiness and a sense of
peace and fulfillment. Just I think that's an important
distinction, because sometimes people who are experiencing
difficulties but they're patient. They might not necessarily be
happy in that moment, but they might have a sense of peace and
fulfillment in their Imaan, so back to your question about people
who might find happiness or a sense of happiness in their in
their homies, in their skills, or even in their in their work and
their religion. A lot of times,
the goal is not necessarily just to be happy,
right? The goal is to have this complete and full alignment with
what Allah subhanahu wa taala wants from us and the purpose for
which we were created, right? So there is a strong possibility that
people can find a great sense of fulfillment in other things, but
it's not the deepest sense of fulfillment. It's not really
speaking to this existential question that burns inside of many
people, right? So it's not that it can, you know, no, it's either
complete fulfillment or no fulfillment whatsoever. But we're
talking about going to the deepest levels of why we're we were
created. And there are many things that, you know, intelligent human
beings have come up with thoughtful people, whether it is,
you know, being in touch with nature, whether it is removing
things that are unnecessary in our lives so that we don't have this,
you know, stress and strength all.
Those things are, you know, useful, but then getting even
deeper than that, the purpose for which we were created, and really
that can only be answered by the prophets and messengers
and accessed at a spiritual level.
Does that answer your question?
Yes. What happened to Abdullah bin hudayi? Ah, beautiful Masha Allah,
what happened to say now, Abdullah ibn hudafah, who therefore close
to who they found mashaAllah. So then I'm so glad you asked,
because I forgot to finish the story. So when he cried and he
said, I wish I had 100 souls that I could give for Allah subhanahu,
then the king was like,
This guy is not going to break.
Like, how do you break someone who continuously outdoes your schemes?
Like, it's just so far beyond your your level that you're used to. So
then the king says, Listen, if you kiss my forehead, which is, you
know, a an act of respect, if you kiss my forehead, I'll let you go
free. And he said, No, I'm not going to kiss your forehead,
because you're, you're, you're trying to humiliate
the people of Islam, and I'm not going to give in to that like I'd
rather you just take my life. He said, I'm going to kill you. Then
said, Kill said, Okay, if you kiss my forehead, I'll let you and the
300 other Muslims that we captured go. They said, You'll let the
other 300 go as well. He said, Yes, so then I'll kiss your
forehead and humiliate myself for the safety of 300 other people. So
then he kissed the king's forehead and he let them go. And when they
returned to Medina, Sayyidina Ahmed ibn Al khatt Al RadiAllahu
ano, he said every Muslim should kiss the forehead of Abdullah ibn
hudafah, and I'll be the first to start. And he was the Khalifa, and
he went to say NA Abdullah ibn hadafah, and he kissed his
forehead to honor and respect him for the sacrifice that he made for
it to save the lives of others.
Inshallah, thanks for asking that any other questions or even
reflections or comments. I'd love to hear from you all. I don't
really believe in just, you know, giving you all a lecture and
telling you all things that you might have already heard before. I
don't really want to hear from you all what your thoughts and
feelings are, yes, a lot of religious Catholics
and Christians, how will
that apply to their district? That's also a very good question,
and it's important for us, when we come to these kinds of questions,
especially because we live in a diverse society is that we're not,
we're not putting down other people.
But it's really important that we understand the significance of the
truth, especially truth with a capital T that relates to to Allah
subhanahu wa Ta, in the case of, let's say Catholics, or even
people of other faiths who are very devout and are seeking to
fulfill their love of Allah subhanahu. So someone who's in
touch with their fit Allah, someone who looks at nature,
someone who sees the Signs of God, they actually very easily can fall
in love with Allah subhanahu all the blessings that we have, and
what this indicates of Allah's beauty and majesty and perfection.
But what's even more important than our love of Allah subhanahu
wa is receiving his love.
So Allah says in the Quran Qul in qun, Allah say, oh Prophet, tell
the people say to them, if you love Allah, kun in kuntung to
heaven, Allah, your bibcon, Allah, then follow me, and Allah will
love you and forgive you your sins. So there are a lot of people
who naturally are seeking, I love God. I really want to dedicate my
life to God the and what's even more significant is receiving
Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala is love in return. But the way to do that
is through following the truth with a capital T that the
Messenger of Allah. AJ, so those people, people who generally have
faith Allah has already put them in a special category of kita, and
there's a certain consideration and respect that is given to them
on that basis. On the Day of Resurrection, Imam Al Razali, he
has a really beautiful breakdown of the three different categories
of people who are not Muslim, there are three categories. Imam
Al Ghazali doesn't say that all non Muslims are entirely the same.
So he says the first category is like what we just mentioned not
too long ago, someone who grew up in a place where they.
Never heard about Islam. They never heard about the Prophet
Muhammad, sallAllahu, alasallam. They never learned about the
Quran. So obviously they never became Muslim. So Imam alahzari
says this person is not held accountable. Allah subhanahu will
not punish them or hold them accountable. Never had a chance to
begin with. The second category of someone who's not Muslim is
someone who did hear about Islam, but what they heard was all of
these very
twisted lies about Islam that are not true. And actually, Imam Al
Ghazali says that, you know, they kill people and this and that and
the other, and making up lies about the Prophet Muhammad,
sallAllahu, alaihi salam, and making it seem like something so
evil, Imam ASA says it's it would be impossible. It'd be so far
fetched to assume that anyone who hears that negative description of
Islam was, oh, that sounds beautiful. I'd like to become
Muslim.
Even this is far fetched, that you would be like something's wrong
with you that attracted you, right? So he says that category of
people will also not be held accountable by Allah subhanahu.
And many, many people in the world today fall into that category.
They watch the news, or they don't know anything really about Islam.
He says the third category of non Muslims are those who actually did
hear about the message of Islam, and it was conveyed to them in a
way that was
clear, and they did have an opportunity and they chose not to
follow, says that category of people will be held accountable by
Allah subhanahu. So you can apply that. You can apply that to the
different situations, and at the end of the day,
you know Allah subhanahu wa is the one who will ultimately judge and
we leave that with him, right? But those three categories, we can
apply them to the different situations to get a sense of
Allah, Subhanahu wa TAS justice.
Any other thoughts or comments? Yes, earlier, you were talking
about how we really
want
Allah so
mashaAllah,
are those the two things? Okay, beautiful,
so on one level. So the question is about that we want Allah
subhanahu wa taala to love us? Does Allah subhanahu wa already
love us on one level. Aruna scholars say that the act of
creating, the fact that Allah subhanahu wa created us, is an act
of mercy,
and that universally believers, non believers, Allah subhanahu wa
taala, through creating them, has already shown them an act of
mercy,
perhaps some might say an act of love as well.
There's a difference between that and this higher level of love that
is granted to those that fulfill Allah subhanahu wa taala commands
that's like a much higher level ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala says in
the Quran khaliest, the light is light and Darkness equal, or
someone who sees and someone who is willfully blind, ie, they're
blind to the truth, they cannot be equal, right? So this is
definitely, like you mentioned, a higher level and a very special
kind of love, whereas what is shared in that act of mercy for
all of creation is one thing, but this is something above and
beyond.
That's a very good question as well.
Let me ask you all a question.
What do you think is the most difficult obstacle to fulfilling
this kind of purpose? Oh, make it higher.
Is that better? What
do you feel like is the biggest obstacle between you and achieving
the purpose for which you were created? Yes, I feel
like in society, it's kind of harder to practice. What we are
told to like, I don't know if work lasts from a certain area to
another, maybe two salahs. You miss
Mashallah. So she said that, you know, one of the things that's
challenging is just.
The environment that we're in and being surrounded by, you know, the
majority of people who might not be Muslim, and then, if a person's
working, for example, long hours, they might miss the time for
prayers and so forth. So that's one challenge and obstacle. Thank
you. Anyone else? Yes, to fight
against your desires. To fight against your desires and your
nafs, that's a big obstacle. Mashallah, yes, when people judge
you and talk about
you behind your back, when people judge you and talk about you
behind your back, how many other people feel that way as well? That
that's a hard one, that one's challenging, are you what? There
was another hand. Was it you? Yeah, I was just gonna say, like,
the dunya as a
whole, the dunya as a whole, right? That there are so many
desires and the, you know, even the people that we, you know, see
and interact with in the world and will have kind of influence on a
lot of things that's also very challenging. Yes,
Islamophobia, right? People who might have an antagonism against
Muslims or talk about us behind our backs, yes, maybe, if you're
already Muslim or
inferiority complex, an inferiority complex, right,
feeling like, oh, you know, maybe because we're a minority, I'm not
surrounded in a society that is majority Muslim, that maybe what
they have is better than what we have. And even in many Muslim
countries, they look towards the west in that same way. They think
that, you know, Western culture and societies is like, somehow,
this utopia, this heaven on earth. Yeah, those are all really good
answers. Anyone else?
Yes, myself, myself. Mashallah, the nefs. The nefs is a is the
biggest veil. Scholars say that the nefs is the biggest veil,
right? That the nefs is even more challenging than 70 Shayateen, 70
devils, and it's right there inside of us. It's, you know, you
can't disassociate from your nefs. Mashallah, anyone else? I Okay, so
let's talk about some of those things. Okay, if we recognize and
realize that there are these obstacles, whether it's
Islamophobia or people's judgment, let's start with that the other
side is taking a 15 minute break. Okay, okay, beautiful. Then you
know what we can do. Check this out.
Let's take a 1015 minute break. Okay, we'll come back at 1150
so one, as soon as the adults are done, we'll come back here at 1150
and we'll break up into groups, and we'll all talk about, we'll
break up, maybe, let's say, into six groups, three groups for the
young men and three groups for the young women. And we'll talk about
these things, and then you can kind of present solutions to
overcoming those obstacles. How does that sound?
Okay, so we'll take a quick break and come back and discuss those
things together. Inshallah. Inshallah, what we'll do now,
remember, before we took a break, we said that we were going to get
into three groups, three groups for the young men and three groups
for the young women. Actually, what we can do is just maybe, in
the area here this first row, you can all make a small circle the
second row, you can all kind of face each other and the young
women who are seated on the cushions. You all can make one
group and group number one, we want to discuss. How do we
overcome the obstacle of people saying things behind our back and
people disliking Muslims, how do we overcome that obstacle? And
group number two, we can talk about, how do we overcome the
world and the fact that there are so many things in our environment
that get between us and fulfilling our purpose. And then group number
three, you can discuss, how do we overcome the obstacle which is
within our own selves, our own naps? Okay, so we're going to take
five minutes, and then each of you can you'll have one representative
who can speak on behalf of the group, and we can do the same for
the young men
the rose. So you all the young men, a few of you can come to the
front here, and we can make a group, and you can discuss in that
same order. So the first one is, how do we overcome the obstacle of
people who say bad things about Islam or talk about us behind our
back, where Islamophobia the second row and the second group
can talk about worldliness and how we overcome that?
Obstacle. And the third group, you all can discuss how we overcome
our own nufus, right, in order to accomplish and achieve our purpose
in life. So you all have to come together and start discussing
Bismillah. And we'll just spend five minutes doing that for
backbiting. What you should do is mainly just ignore it and turn it
into something positive, and pray for the person who's back fighting
for you,
the
back
bedding about you. Can you translate the meaning of that? I'm
not sure, but
that the disbelievers would make fun of, is this, laugh at you? No,
they would. They would laugh with the believers, right? So that's
something that even in the time of the companions and the prophets
and messengers, it was always there any other suggestions or
that was
primarily Okay, Inshallah, so let's just discuss that a little
bit, because there were some very good things mentioned there. And
one of the one of the beautiful things, there was a practical
element, and then there was also another element. Is everyone with
me, another element related to understanding our relationship
with Allah subhanahu wa and how superior that is to every other
relationship, and how our connection to Islam and our
connection to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa Salam is the
greatest honor, is accepting the fact that not everyone's going to
like you,
and when you're comfortable with that reality, and when you seek
Allah subhanahu wa's love, then you're actually empowered in an
amazing way, like Sayyidina Abdullah ibn hudafal just spoke
about he wasn't interested in anything that that Christian king
had to offer him. He wasn't interested in what anyone thought
of him. His only concern was his connection to Allah, Subhanahu wa
and seeking higher and higher levels with him. So that's really
beautiful. And then also the practical element that was
mentioned is making dua for those people and making sure that we are
representatives of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu, alas, so that
his name can spread even to those who might say bad things about us
today, and then maybe, you know, in a short while, a year or 10
years from now, they might become Muslim. Inshallah, beautiful.
Thank you for that. So now we'll go to we'll go to the young men in
group number two, and then the young women. So the group number
two in the circle. Back here,
you all were covering how to overcome this obstacle of
worldliness and the world and the desires of the world.
Okay? We had, there's also, I think, people following online.
So we had two things, okay, so one was, we thought of life as like a
placement test
for your position in the aquada. And then we also our thing was, we
don't know when we're gonna die. We always hear about people dying.
We never think about what if that was us? It's like, are we ready to
die? And it's like, not yet. Or No, we aren't sure. And it's like
we should always be willing to let go of what we have in this life
and be ready to go to the next be wanting to go to that.
We also had a few more points. One was that you have to remember that
this life is transient. It's not, it's not permanent, right? Like,
it's like a place to test it's not. This is not where we want to
really be successful and rich. Sure, being successful in this
life is great, but that should always be what the goal of ending
up in the al Qaeda, right? And the second thing was, you need to keep
in mind that this world is not really permanent, and you do that
by surrounding yourself with like minded people. So people who are
good Muslims, right? Can't just be a Muslim because you have Muslim
friends who might not really be concerned about where you end up.
And if you have non Muslim friends, they should be friends
who don't distract you from your goal of the right. So if you're at
a movie theater with your anonymous friends and you need to
pray longer.
You should have the kind of friends that will say, yeah, go,
take five minutes and pray, right? We'll be waiting for you, not the
kind of friends who will say, No, just stay here with us. It's fine
for prayer,
wonderful. And if we go to the.
Is that the end of group number two, if someone can take the
microphone to the sisters,
the young ladies,
who's going to speak on behalf of the second group of the young
ladies
who's
going to speak on your behalf? There we go. Thank you.
We came up with being grateful for what you have. Okay, mashallah,
and how does being grateful for what you have help you overcome
the obstacles of the world and the desires of the world,
or what other, what other suggestions or ideas did you all
come up with?
Okay,
anyone else is there anyone in the group who has a suggestion that
was mentioned?
Okay, we can go on to the third group. You can pass it to the to
the third group behind you.
And this was talking about how to overcome
things stemming from the the nefs or from our own selves, how to
overcome that obstacle that sometimes gets in the way of us
fulfilling our purpose.
So we were thinking about, kind of like learning about what you can
do better, and then also practicing that, and maybe
practicing you could read the quote on, and I don't know, kind
of surround yourselves with better people who do want to choose the
same thing, or are doing the same thing, and by doing, by
surrounding yourself, you kind of take some of the characteristics
that they have and put it in yourself.
Did you want to add to that you Okay,
Okay, any other, any other suggestions or ideas from that
group.
Okay, then we can pass it to the third group of young men, if you
can just pass them the microphone, and then your representative can
speak about some of the ideas that you all had.
Okay,
so
we just came up with,
like, make your heart to help it, not to help, like, avoid
distractions of this world,
and like, distract yourself with like, good things like liquor and
prayer and try to humble yourself. Like, don't be too distracted with
this world then, because nothing in this world will matter when
you're dead, except for your deeds and your gratitude. Mashallah.
Mashallah, beautiful, beautiful. Yes.
How to deal with this world. It reminded me of Hadith. I've heard
about how
this world
is,
mashallah, he was saying that when we were when thinking about
how temporary this world is it reminded him of a Hadith of the
Prophet salallahu alaihi wa ali wa salam, where he said that the life
of this world, the time that we spend in this world, is like
someone coming and sitting under the shade of a tree for a short
while, then continuing on Their journey. Right? So mashaAllah,
those were all excellent suggestions and ideas. And one of
the major things, and this is really kind of, you know how they
there's pro tips when you're trying to really achieve
something, people who've accomplished it, and people who
have achieved those things, they find ways of simplifying that for
others and Allah subhanahu wa at
the end of time, for the last community of believers that would
ever be on the face of the earth, Allah subhanahu wa taala made
things simple and straightforward and achievable for the ummah of
the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi said, the shortcut, as you
know, we always hear that the easy way to accomplish everything that
we've talked about, fulfilling your purpose in life, attaining
Allah subhanahu wa's Love, having the strength and the fortitude to
overcome the criticism of people, to overcome the desires of the
world, to overcome the trips, the tricks of the nephs and the shape
on the way to achieve all of those things is to strengthen your
connection with the Prophet.
Muhammad, sallAllahu, alaihi salam.
And you know, when we send Salawat upon the Prophet sallallahu,
alaihi wasallam,
what happens spiritually, something really amazing.
And what happens is that your soul remember how we were talking
about, you know, these memories of the soul and the capabilities of
our soul and how when Allah subhanahu wa love someone, he
gives them all of these openings of becoming, the hearing with
which they hear and the sight with which they see. When you send
Salawat upon the Prophet salallahu Alaikum, when you learn about his
life, when you try to embody his beautiful character when you love
him. SallAllahu, alayhi wa sabio salah, your soul is brought closer
to his soul. There's like a connection that takes place. You
know how we have, like Bluetooth and Wi Fi, and you have these
connections that can take place, that are invisible, but there's a
connection. This microphone here is wireless, but there's something
here that connects it to the system that then makes it convey
my voice. When you send Salawat upon the Prophet sallallahu,
alayhi, salaam, your soul becomes connected to him,
and when your soul becomes connected to him, all the doors of
goodness open up for you,
of fulfilling the purpose of your life, of finding fulfillment, of
actually having a purpose,
and one of the greatest purposes that we have as Muslims, you know,
we were talking a little bit about inferiority complex and people
speaking of us in negative ways and things of that nature. When
you're connected to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, your
heart fills up with mercy, such that you want good for everyone in
creation. And then Allah subhanahu wa there are people that he
chooses who become people they they're like servants of the
Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and they become people
who spread the lights of guidance to other human beings. They become
like the chosen people who the mercy of the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam is spread to people through them.
But all of that comes back to loving the Prophet sallallahu,
alaihi wasallam, sending Salawat upon Him so that your soul is then
connected to his soul. And then, you know, if you're connected to
the Wi Fi, right, you start to get all the information, and you start
to you're able to download things, then you're able to receive from
the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa ala, those things that
are pleasing to Allah, Subhanahu wa, and you fulfill all of these
other aspects that are noble, of being a source of mercy and
benefit for humanity, of Understanding your own purpose of
having that sense of peace and serenity and fulfillment. So
that's one practical takeaway from today. Is that we all should have
a portion of sending Salawat upon the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa
Allah. And then another thing that we should commit ourselves to is
always learning about his life,
always learning about the life of the Prophet salallahu Ayu Abu
Asmaa. There are so many amazing wisdoms and lessons and every
single thing that we go through in our lives, every difficulty, every
challenge, all the ups and downs, all of that, the answers to all of
that are found in his life, sallAllahu, Salla. And whenever we
look at his life, we can see what he went through, and we can apply
it to what we're going through right now.
And then we also see His mercy, Salalah, how he wanted good for
people, how he was able to transform people's hearts, and
then that also inspires us to be sources of benefit and goodness
for our friends and our neighbors and all the people that we meet
and all the people In our lives, and ALLAH SubhanA wa taala, he
tells us that this is true life. Remember, we were talking about
the purpose of life, and we talked about how ALLAH SubhanA Khara
spoke to each and every one of us and said, Allah subhirapkoh, and
that when we fulfill that, we are brought closer to Allah subhanaw
taala, we actualize the meaning for which we were created, the
purpose of our existence. Allah subhanahu, WA says in another
verse of the Quran
that do you see the one who was dead and we brought him back to
life? Wa, Jana Lev yamshi.
Bananas and that he had a light that was with him when he would
walk among the people. Now, when Allah subhanahu, in this verse,
talks about the person who was dead and then brought back to
life, it wasn't someone who was physically dead.
And the Ulama scholars, they say that this verse was about
Sayyidina Hamza, Aldi Allahu, anhu, or Sayyidina Rama,
RadiAllahu, Anhu. When Allah put Imaan in their heart, when they
connected to the Prophet sallallahu said,
and they were able to really access the purpose of their
existence. It's as if Allah, Subhanahu wa brought them back to
life that's true. Life that's truly living is when your heart is
filled with iman and you're connected to Allah, Subhanahu, WA
Abu Asmaa, seven. And then on top of that, that person, Allah gives
them a noob, he gives them a light that then emanates into the lives
of other people, that then benefits and brings blessings to
the lives of other people. So each and every one of us, when we sense
Salawat upon the Prophet sallallahu ALA, and when we learn
about his life, we benefit ourselves and we bring life to our
own hearts, and then we become sources of benefit for humanity,
and that is some of the most meaningful aspects of our lives,
realizing our own obodia and servitude and benefiting creation
and benefiting humanity.
Sayyidi,
would you like to add anything we can bring you
the microphone. We're very fortunate to have Amul tariff here
in mashallah, and for those of you who are in the area, you know this
is a Amul Tariq is a great resource that you all can benefit
from, and Shali will benefit from Biennale, any comments or
questions before, before we close for the day?
Yes, I was reading in a book that, like the Prophet saw
some had jinns, like inside or, I don't know if I really understood
it right, but, but they were good jinns that, like they advised good
things? Is that something that's exclusively available to the
Prophet, or is that all
Masha, Allah? So the question so the Prophet, salallahu, alayhi
Saira,
he was sent with guidance, and he was sent to all of humanity, and
also all of the jinn. So Allah, subhana wa Taala tells us in the
Quran that the Prophet salallahu, alaihi wa sallam of a particular
more than one, but of a particular incident where he was teaching the
jinn about Islam and reciting the Quran to them, and they were
discussing it and so forth. So the messenger of Allah, he he was also
had access to the world of the unseen. We don't see the jinn.
Most people don't see those things, but the Prophet sahala,
they have access to that. And the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa
sallam, he, you know, would, would speak with the jinn and sit with
them and so forth.
I don't know the the way that it's accessible to other people, but
for the most part, that's something that
is is relatively unique to the prophets and messengers. But there
are people, as we said, the awliya, who might be able to have
a certain what is called unveilings. They see certain
things from the unseen wallahu iron,
any other questions or or comments?
What's one thing that that you've taken away from today?
What's like a lesson that you all learn? Yes?
What Masha Allah, beautiful that you know, all of the things that
are on this earth, they're going to fade. They're not going to
last, the things that are really worldly, but the only thing that
really matters is your connection to Allah subhanahu. Beautiful,
yes.
Mashallah, that we learned about the purpose of life, excellent.
Anyone else? Yes. So like only our connection to Allah matters. What
about connections to anyone else? Masha, Allah, that's a good
question. So we're going to get to you, Inshallah, that your
connection to Allah subhanaw taala is all that matters. What about
your connection to anyone else there are when we say that your
connection to Allah subhanaw taala is all that really matters in the
absolute the most absolute sense. Now, Allah subhanahu wa has told
us that other relationships and other connections are very.
Important, your relationship with your parents, your relatives, your
neighbors, that Allah subhanahu has informed us that these things
are very important, so those things are also important as well.
But ultimately, at the end of the day, the reason we wanted to
emphasize that is because we start to be pulled in so many different
directions that we assume that you know that what this person thinks
of me, or having fame and followers and having all of those
things is really what matters.
But those things are not valuable in and of themselves, but those
relationships that Allah subhanahu WADA has told us to maintain and
to honor, they're also, by extension, very important and
honorable.
You were gonna say something,
mashallah, can you share that with us?
You don't have to, only if you want to.
Okay, good. MashaAllah, anyone else? What's the takeaway that
you're going to go home with today? Yes, back there, if you
have Allah, you have everything. MashaAllah, you have Allah
subhanahu, you have everything. If you have Allah, Allah subhanahu wa
protect you. Allah will honor you. Allah will fulfill your needs. You
have everything. Like Imam Ibn Al Asmaa, he says,
Whoever has Allah, what have they missed out on?
And whoever doesn't have Allah, Subhanahu wa, have they truly
gained? Can have all you can go to the you can be the smartest person
in the world, you can go to the the moon, or you can go to Mars,
or you can go wherever. But if you don't even know why Allah created
those things, or that there is a Creator who created those things,
what good is all of that going to do
nothing? And then the person who does have Allah everything in this
life and that you're after. Thank you. Yes,
I was just gonna say that maybe, I guess my takeaway point was, is to
try to find, like, a lot in the beauty of everything I see around
me and like, have a more deeper appreciation of like, rather than,
Oh, this flower is so pretty, like Masha, that Allah has given me the
eyes, the ability to see color these, you know, just Masha Allah,
beautiful is that
being able whenever seeing any of the beauty that we see in creation
is actually taking a little bit more time to appreciate that this
is coming from Allah subhanahu wa, and even our ability to appreciate
it is a gift From Allah subhanahu wa. Thank you. Yes,
inshaAllah, beautiful, that there is a void. There's a hole in our
hearts that can only be filled with Allah subhanahu wa, anyone
else? Oh, yes.
One thing, one thing that I learned today was that
establishing a deeper connection with Allah subhanaw taala can give
you a lot of benefits in this life and
mashallah beautiful is that having a deeper connection with Allah
subhanahu wa benefits us in this life before the hereafter. Right?
Is that when we have Allah subhanahu wa his his blessings, he
provides for us, he honors us, he brings good things into our lives
and wards off harm from us. But that doesn't mean that everything
is always going to be just happy and joyful. Sometimes there's also
difficulties. But even in those difficulties, we witness that
Allah subhanahu wa is assisting us and supporting us and helping us
through those things before even the Hereafter. And if you imagine
other people who don't have ALLAH SubhanA don't have that
connection, nothing makes sense. Nothing has meaning, good things
and bad things, all of it ultimately amounts to nothingness
and meaninglessness, and that kind of mindset creates a very evil
type of despair.
Allah tells us that the shaytani wants people to despair. He wants
people to always be in a state of panic and fear, and one of the
greatest ways to accomplish that is cutting them off from Allah
subhanahu
wa. Thank you. Anyone else? Yes, sorry, I answered my question
earlier, like obeying your parents is one of the probably the big
agenda. And.
So you know, in your where's the microphone? Can we pass the form?
So, like I said,
abueh, your parents one of the doors to heaven, and you know
about your spells, like you'll be in heaven with your spouse after
you Yeah, God's
love. Will any of those connections matter? Masha Allah,
so that is a very good question as well, once after a person receives
Allah, Subhanahu wa TAS love, will those other relationships matter.
The reality is, they'll matter even more, because the person at
that point, let's say, for example, a person has this very
high degree of nearness to Allah subhanahu wa and their heart is
filled with Allah subhanho wa taala. It doesn't mean that all
other relationships are cut off, but rather they honor those
relationships even more, because the more they love Allah, the more
they fulfill His commandments, and they honor those things that are
honored by Allah. SubhanaHu wa says that when you love Allah,
Subhanahu wa. Anything that's connected to Allah subhanahu wa is
part of that love.
So the the the Beloved of Allah, like the Prophet salallahu ALA,
becomes more beloved to you, the more you love Allah subhanahu wa
loves Allah subhanahu wa becomes more beloved to you because the
lover of your greatest beloved is beloved. You love the Kaaba, the
Quran, the righteous people in the ummah. You love all of those
things. You love that average Muslim, just for being part of the
ummah of the prophet and a believer in Allah subhanahu even
more so the more your love increases for ALLAH SubhanA wa
taala. So it's not mutually exclusive, but it actually
influences and adds to your life.
Any other questions or reflections? Oh, yes, I think
I think
I learned the proper way to think of Salah, not as a chore, but like
as a fulfillment of an obligation. Masha Allah, beautiful. They're
not looking at the Salah as a chore. You know, one of the other
things I wanted you all to take away
is that
when we have difficulties in life, and one of the things that's
natural is that life has its ups and downs when we have
difficulties in life. Yes, you can talk to someone about it. You
should talk to a loved one about it, especially if it's something
really challenging. You need to talk to someone about something
that you went through, or the way that you're feeling, that's a good
thing. But whenever we go through challenges, we should also flee to
the salah that we should find Salah and turning to Allah Subhan
wa Taala and making dua to Allah Subhan wa Taala one of, if not the
greatest way that we approach our difficulties and problems
is that when you turn in the Salah Allah subhanahu wa it's as if
you're entering into his courtyard. It's as if, as one of
the the young men said before that, you're speaking directly to
Allah subhanahu wa taala, it's as if you have a direct line.
Now, if you if you wanted something done and you wanted to
talk to someone powerful who could get it done, it would take so much
work just to get their number or just to have an audience with
them, yet, Allah subhanahu wa, that door is wide open whenever we
want, and even in those times where maybe we're not in a place
or a position to pray, we can always make dua, and Allah
subhanahu wa has left that door completely open for us, right? So
we always turn to Allah subhanahu. We realize that we're given this
audience with the King of kings, jala, Jala and the taslagas is
you. Beautiful opportunity. And when we have a rough day, or we
have a difficulty that we don't know how to solve, or we have any
need, we should go to the Salah, and we should ask Allah subhanahu
wa to fulfill our needs and seek the fulfillment of everything from
him, Subhan wa taala, along with the other means that are available
to us. But Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala is the one who says Kunta
kon
inshaAllah. Anyone else, any other
final thoughts or reflections or questions
or.
Takeaway that you want to share from today.
Okay, Inshallah, we'll just end with a DUA.
But before we end with that, Durant, I want to thank you all
really. I came here from Pennsylvania, I don't know if you
all know that,
and we're here just for the weekend, and I appreciate the
opportunity to sit with you all and to meet you all and to learn
about you all and to hear your reflections and your questions and
your thoughts. And I pray, I hope, inshaAllah that this was
beneficial, and that Allah subhanahu wa blesses you all and
your families. But it's really, really important that we talk
about these things and you're able to really understand your
connection to Allah and this deen and the Prophet Muhammad,
sallAllahu, at a deep level, it's really, really important. You
know, we were at a time where it's not just that we're going to be
Muslim because our parents are Muslim, or people are telling us
to do things we actually have to learn and have a deep
understanding and work through, you know, the challenges that we
face in our lives so that we can see the truth and the wisdom of
what Allah subhanahu wa taala has given us. So I really appreciate
this opportunity to kind of be with you all, and I pray that it's
beneficial and inshaAllah will end with adrahim, Alhamdulillah, mean
wall of love. Salah Ali waim, Allah salimah, Sayyidina,
Muhammad, in
whatever you have, I feared it, Abu Dhabi, shivana hablan, I mean,
as well. You know, what do
we get in a corporate
Allah
we ask you, almost merciful, that you look upon each and every one
of our hearts and that you fill our hearts with imanya or hamara.
Mean. We ask you, Ya Allah, that you show us truth as truth and
grant us the ability to follow it. And we ask you, Ya Allah, to show
us falsehood as falsehood, and that you grant us the ability to
avoid it. Ya Rama Rahi mean. We ask you, Ya Allah, that you fill
our hearts with light and you fill our hearts with iman, and that you
make us yah Rahim, young people who grow up and are cultivated and
nurtured through obedience to you and our connection to the Beloved
Prophet Muhammad, sallAllahu, alayhi wa salli Yu Salah, we ask
you, Ya Allah, that you make each and every one of us a key that
opens up the doors of Goodness for all of creation and barriers
against evil and harm and the things that are displeasing to
you. Ya Rama Rahim, we ask you, Ya Allah, that you make each and
every one of us beacons of light who reflect the light of the
Prophet Muhammad, SallAllahu, alayhi wa Sahib Allahu akbareena,
Bismillah Rahman
Al
Rahim. Alhamdulillah
meant in Abu dharrine,
Indiana,
alayhim,
wala Bo lean
i.