Ammar Alshukry – How to Avoid Spiritual Burnout
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of pouring from an empty cup and the potential conflict between men and women, as well as the impact of Islam on people's emotions and work. They also touch on the challenges of achieving Islam's remorse and the importance of protecting one's privacy and values. The speakers provide advice on how to be casual and change one's behavior, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing family and community. They also mention a course on contemplate the future and being humble and humility.
AI: Summary ©
haven't lost some muscle on my little city lap. It was like this and it was even concealed. Like, should we let it go? It actually could I shadow no Muhammad Abdul Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi salam or it. So I want to echo the sentiment just gonna look at for being up early. You know, I was walking down the hallway around midnight yesterday and I saw a bunch of brothers and they came up to me and they said, you know, so nice to see you. When are your sessions tomorrow? I said I have a session at 1030 and I have a session at 2pm in Sharla data and then they looked at me and they said, Okay, well so we'll see you at 2pm inshallah.
So, just gonna look at for making it this topic is a is a really important topic.
The idea of pouring from an empty cup. You know, we all want to be lights for other people. We all want to be guided guiders of others. Allah subhana data says, when men pass and or cola me men die in Allah, while I'm in our society who is better in speech than the one who calls to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, and there's righteous deeds, and says that I'm from the Muslims and so when I am calling people to Allah subhanaw taala I'm being the best that I can be. It's the it's the work of the prophets. But then the question becomes, how do I call to Allah Subhana Allah if I myself feel distant from Allah, how do I call to Allah subhana wa Tada if I myself am in need of a spiritual
reawakening. And this is something that
is very common.
It is very common the province of Allah to send them he says that Iman wears out, like clothes wear out. So he said, Ask Allah subhana wa Tada to renew Eman in your hearts. ask Allah to renew your mind in your hearts. And so I want to speak Achala to Allah briefly about what are some of the things that we can do? And what are some of the the the symptoms? And in fact, before the symptoms, what are some of the causes even of this type of emptiness, this type of photo, this type of fatigue that we experienced spiritually, even as the outer veneer still stays the same, even as the hijab is still on, even as the beard is still long, even as all of these things are there. On the outside,
this person still looks great, but on the inside, they're becoming more and more hollow. And so the first is preoccupation with the dunya.
When a person becomes occupied by the dunya, now we are all required to make a living. Allah subhana data says, well, so and so on, we'll see but coming to dunya, don't forget your portion of the world. But it becomes a problem when a person's goal becomes the dunya. The reason why they're waking up the cause that makes them move forward. And that which makes them not do something is the dunya. And that can affect the person even in their Islamic work. In fact, even a person's Islamic work can become dunya centric.
I have a question for you. When was the last time you were sitting
with righteous friends with yours righteous friends, and you were talking about hello to each other.
You are talking about the day of judgment to each other. You are talking about a loss of Hana data to each other. You know the province of ally de Sanlam. The vast majority of his teaching the Hadith that we learn, they were not done in formal settings. They were done in informal settings. It's while he's on a mule with a companion. It's while he's sitting with a companion while he's walking with a companion. And unfortunately, many times we make our Islamic exposure in formal settings. It's when I'm at a conference. It's when I'm at Juma. It's when I go to the message for a class, but a lot of the learning that we do, especially as young people and the effect that we have on each
other is in informal settings. For me, I didn't grow up with shield around me it was a long time before I ever met a chef. And even if I met a chef as a teenager, I probably wouldn't have related to him very well. But the people who influenced me the most were people who were young, maybe a year or two years older than me who I looked up to who I want it to be like and they were the ones who were telling me about Allah they were the ones who were telling me about salah they were the ones who are giving me advice about how I can become someone who you know when I was when I was 12 I still didn't have my salah on on time yet you know pray one forget three pray to forget for like
that. I didn't have a problem with so I was one of those like kids who runs away when you tell them so I would come my uncle says to me let's go to the masjid I go to the masjid no problem, but then I wouldn't go and pray the next three. Just forget. And so I remember I was
I was I was maybe not even 12 I think I was 13 and I was speaking
to a gentleman who is much older and much wiser than me, he was 14. And I asked him and I said, but Allah Subhana Allah gave him wisdom. I swear to you when we were 12 1314 years old, he carried himself with such wisdom. Allah Subhana Allah says, Hickmott Ma sha Allah gifts. He gives hikma to whoever he wishes. And at 14 years old, he was incredibly wise. I asked him and I said, you don't have a problem with my salon, he prayed regularly. And so I said to him, What should I do? And he said to me, he said, Pray for 30 days straight. So that's what you should do. Just make it a goal to pray for 30 days straight. He said, If you pray for 30 days straight, you will not be able to sleep
without praying a shot. I said that Ramadan was around the corner. So I took advantage of Ramadan. And I prayed my 30 and Hamdulillah. Since then, it was it was we didn't study it takes 27 days to form a habit. We didn't know any of these things. But my point is, is that do not belittle the effect that you can have on other people and don't belittle the effect that you can have on each other. But that comes from how hearts that are connected to Allah, one of the symptoms that we have is when people who are religious sit together, and they don't talk about Allah subhanaw taala at all. They talk about the Chicago Bulls, there's nothing to talk about with the Chicago Bulls.
They're talking about the Detroit Pistons you're losing streak is, but and they're talking about TV shows, and they're talking about stocks, and they're talking about this, and they're talking about that. And they're talking about speakers and backbiting speakers and the latest drama that's happening here. That becomes our conversations, that is a symptom of a heart that is hardening
was The Hobbit or the lion who sit down and they say let's believe for a little while, let's remind each other of ALLAH SubhanA that again, it doesn't have to be in formal sessions. In fact, I would say that the metric becomes how much we remember Allah subhana data and informal sessions.
Now, when a person becomes preoccupied with the dunya,
then they look for the dunya even in their Islamic work.
I've been to a few communities where people complain and they say even our speakers, we can't get anybody to come and teach a Halaqa because they have to be paid for everything. You know, sure. What do you one time he mentioned to me when I say what do they mean my shift, assuming he mentioned to me that there was a speaker that he had invited to come to teach at the masjid he invited a speaker to the community national speaker.
And so the assistant of the speaker sent an email back and said, This is the honorarium if you want him to do a Thursday night program, if you want him to do a full weekend program, this is the this is honorarium and if you want to include salata, Juma, then and Holdsworth through Joomla, this is the honorarium every time it's a different package.
So chef would he receives the information? And then he says, I sent him back a single line to this assistant, and that line was a line of Imam Muhammad, who said, as he's an idea, and to the bill dunya acaba de Jaiden. Wan Khurana Surah said it is it is very painful to me that people's hearts melt in the dunya when the Quran encompasses their hearts, meaning they're sorry, their hearts have encompass the Quran, meaning if a person has memorized the Quran, Muhammad is saying like, it really hurts me. It's really hard on me to experience and to witness this. When a person who is a memorizer of the Quran says heart has become dissolved in the dunya volunteers in our massages, communities.
You might find people complaining and saying everybody wants to be paid. Okay, bro, you have a full time job. At what point are you going to do something for ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. You don't have to get the dunya in everything that you do. You know, one of the complaints that people have. And the Dunya doesn't just have to be money. The dunya could be attention the dunya could be fame, the dunya could be applause right? How many people want to be in front of the camera as opposed to behind the camera. Everybody wants to create their own Tik Tok account I want. You don't have something to share. Okay, you have something to share. But you also have a role to play. And undoubtedly, being
away from the light is closer to sincerity. You know, one of my favorite projects is
a project that came out of I'm biased. Yes, I am biased, but it's one of my favorite projects, and it came out of Sudan. And
Sudan is my hometown. That's why I'm biased.
These guys, butcher young people. What they did is they said we have amazing reciters in this country. We have amazing reciters of costume. And nobody knows them because she'll don't have social media and they don't know how to work cameras. And we're young and we know how to work cameras. And so what they did was they created a YouTube channel and they called it Nakatsu
Dios, and some of you I think the world's might have become familiar with and falling in love with their citation of someone like Schiff noted by him a whole lot Dido passed away a couple of years ago, she was in and all of these different reciters millions and millions of views are coming out of this channel. And the people who run this channel are unknown. And they're introducing to the world to incredible reciters. And millions of people are benefiting all over the world. And these are young people who said we have a talent we have a skill could they possibly have put themselves in front of the camera and recited? Absolutely, some of them might have been reciters. But they
decided, You know what, at this stage in our lives, we want to make sure that we offer something to Allah subhanaw taala while protecting our intention,
what can you offer?
What participation can you offer to your community?
Number two, another symptom is the lack of remembrance of Allah.
There's the dunya but there's also the lack of remembrance of Allah. You know, there's a verse in the Quran, I want you to write this verse down. It's verse 16, and 17, from the 57th chapter of the Quran, it's a famous verse Surah, that hadith.
Salah that hadith and this verse, when you read the stories of people who repented you find that so many of the setup repented because of their this verse unfolded now repented because you heard this verse, mighty Gibbon did not repented because he heard this verse, this verse has had an incredible effect on people and they're returned to ALLAH SubhanA data. What is this verse? Allah subhanho data simply says, Adam yet needed Medina and tuckshop global money decree law, in fact, of the layman was rude he says about this verse, this verse was revealed four years after we accepted Islam, and Abdullah in this route is the sixth person to accept Islam. So I want you to imagine four years into
his Islam, Allah subhanaw taala is telling the Companions has not the time come for those who have believed that their hearts be soft into the remembrance of Allah, like Allah subhana data saying isn't a time for you to believe again, you know, when you first start practicing Islam or when you first accept Islam, you have this passion, there's a sweetness to your worship, you want to read the Quran all the time, you're memorizing Quran, you're praying salah, not because you're burdened, but because you love it. When a person when that sweetness clicks for the first time, it's an unbelievable experience. And then the days turn into nights and they turn into years, and then the
veneer might stay. But that sweetness is not there anymore. Allah subhana data says has not the time come for those who have believed that their hearts be soft into the remembrance of Allah.
And that they not be like those who are given the book from before don't be like those who are given the book from before Fatah lady who I met, the distance became long for them because at Kulu and their hearts became hard. What cathedral mean home fast code and many of them were transgressors.
On the outside still mashallah brother still mashallah sister. But Allah says, on the inside, their hearts became hard.
And as a result of their hearts became an hCard becoming heart will cathedral minimum fast code, and many of them were transgressors. If you were to actually see their private lives, you wouldn't be impressed. If you saw the things that they watched when watched when nobody was there. If you saw the things that they did, if you saw their business transactions, if you saw the way that they treated their family, if you saw who they were privately, you would find a person whose heart was hard. And as a result of that, many of them transgress the limits of Allah. You know, I have
a poem that I wrote for this, it's a seed of it, and it goes, a divine rebuke, cast in a shade of love. Hasn't the time come for those who have believed that their hearts be soft into the remembrance of the above? Hasn't the time come for them to stop the plate? Haven't they seen that all the faces and places they confused for Oasis? Are Mirage is that fate, that none ever state? Are they done chasing falsehood? Are they ready for the truth that will give them happiness in this life and the next eternal youth the seeker knows that are the remembrance of God is a lifeline to the heart, and a tone of voice with his remembrance speaks light into the dark. These people Allah
subhana wa Tada says that a remedy for this is that they could have a lot
the vicar of Allah.
Rasool Allah on the light and sending them would give the vicar of Allah as a prescription to everybody who came to him and complained about being too busy about being too old. About being too big too hard to learn. Not everybody can sit in seminars all the time and learn not everybody can sit and memorize books. People would come to us little muscle alive seven they say Allah so Allah I am I am initial buyer and Islam called careful tidy.
The legislations of Islam are too much for me. Just tell me one thing that I can hold on to in the province of the Lightstep says let your tongue be ministered to remember
And so bla bla and then comes a little sort of loss of Allah and Sullivan he says y'all rasool Allah, I cannot memorize anything from the Quran. Or he says, telling me something that I can say in my salon those who lost the light. He says, I said say to him, Subhan Allah, Allah hum did Allah Allah Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allahu Allah, Allah and the man grabs it out of the air these words and he holds it in his hand. And then he says to Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, this is for my Lord. What about for me? And sort of pseudo Lhasa la vida Sanchez say Allahu Mahad anyway, if anyone has opened the office really what honey? Oh, Allah have mercy on me
and forgive me and bestow upon me and guide me. And then the man grabs that out of the air and he walks away. Look how simple he is. He's grabbing words out of the air, but he's happy and he walks away and also the loss of aliveness Adam says, I might have
asked for this person who has filled his hands with good with goodness, the remembrance of Allah, you know, it is the greatest thing that affects a spirit person's spirituality on a day to day basis. For my pre med students hear from my doctors here. If there's one exercise that you could tell people to stick to every day for the rest of their lives. What would it be?
Nobody's pre med here. Are y'all Muslim or not?
Walk walking,
walking, just walking. Not CrossFit. Not jujitsu, not anything crazy. Not weightlifting, just walking, just walk everyday. Walk me, there's nothing that you can do over the course of a lifetime, consistently that will help you like walking, but we don't enjoy walking as much because it's boring. I need something more intense, I need something more interesting that they can have ALLAH SubhanA data is the spiritual equivalent of walking.
You can do it every day. You can do it while you're performing surgery, you can do it while you're busy. You can do it while you're carrying three kids, you can do it while you're studying for exams. You can do it while you're taking exams, you can do a lot, you can always do that you could have a lot
and a heart that is devoid of the thicket of Allah, The God of the morning, that's God of the evening. If you don't see someone's tongue, you know,
religiosity is not having a beard and it's not even having you know, certain clothes. It's the remembrance of Allah subhanaw taala.
The next verse is beautiful. So that hadith, ALLAH SubhanA, Allah says, Allah Mo, and Allahu Akbar, demote ya know that Allah brings life to the earth after its demise. And you might think to yourself, What does the first verse have to do with the second verse?
But I think Chicagoans will understand when winters been going on for so long, hearts call out for spring, tired of the snow and the cold, the ice and everything. But there are hearts that are like winter, and they've been winter for so long hearts, barren and frozen, meaning for spring to come along. But Allah brings life to the earth after its demise. And so we see barren places come to life before our eyes and the flowers bloom again, and the birds returned to sink. And Allah can bring life to any heart, turn its winter into spring up could be inadequate it Allah says we have made clear for you the science, perhaps you understand, just like eventually, the cold of the winter
turns into spring, ALLAH SubhanA data can make the most barren hearts come to life again. And so ask ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada to renew your heart, invoke the nick of ALLAH SubhanA data.
Number three, the third thing is a lack of contemplation on the signs of Allah. We have two types of signs of Allah we have the signs of Allah in the cosmos, we have the signs of Allah subhana data in the Scripture, the size of Allah and the cosmos is that you go out into this world and you look and you see the greatness of the mountains. You see the vastness of the oceans. You see the beauty of ALLAH SubhanA diatas nature that's what Allah commands us to do many times in the Quran, He commands us for a reason. And we as a people, generally modern man has forgotten nature. You go to a park nearby you you go to O'Hare Airport, you fly all the way to Dube or you fly all the way to wherever
it is that you fly to. I don't know why I mentioned that city don't go there but
you fly to wherever it is that you fly to. And you say I've traveled the world. But you haven't seen anything you went from airport to airport and you slept and watch movies in between. You didn't see the greatness of Allah subhana wa dadas creation. The sailor who traverses over or the the caravan that goes over miles and miles of desert, that person has an aura and a reverence for ALLAH SubhanA wa dadas creation that's different. Those are the signs of Allah subhana wa do that in the invite and ignite a person's Iman and so we need to go out into nature Nora but also reflecting over the Quran Allah Subhana Allah as if it is at the bone of Quran, Allah KHUDOBIN aquafaba today not
contemplate the Quran. When you read the Quran, do you contemplate the Quran? You know, there are ways to contemplate the Quran even if a person doesn't know Arabic. And we have a course that I teach on this time.
topic called Lost in Translation the arts of contemplating the hold on for anybody who's interested we have it on our faith essentials portal on faith essentials you can find it but contemplating the Quran How do you contemplate the Quran without Arabic lots of different ways but of them is just paying attention to word placement in the Quran, you should read the Quran and you're paying attention to where placement. So I'm ALLAH SubhanA data says Musa to encrypted for example, and ALLAH SubhanA data says he found a service from our service at day now who
Obama's him in Indiana that we gave him mercy from amongst ourselves, and we taught him knowledge. You notice that ALLAH SubhanA data mentions Which one first? Mercy or knowledge? He mentioned mercy first. And so right then in there, while I'm reading the English translation, he gave him mercy and then he gave him knowledge. That indicates to me that a teacher a prerequisite of knowledge is what qualifies a teacher is that a teacher have mercy for their students in the first place. There are so many ways for a person to contemplate the Quran, studying how to contemplate the Quran, especially a couple of months before Ramadan will transform your experience with the signs of Allah subhanho data
that are in the Scripture. And then the last one that I'll end with,
is a cause of harshness of the heart is a person simply not holding themselves accountable?
You know, we are taught to always question yourself, be critical critical of yourself be critical of your intentions. Why did I do this? Why did I participate in this project? Why did I say yes? And volunteer for this program? You know, I'll never forget
shamatha shady for him Allah, founder of a melody, a wonderful man passed away last year with him a lot a big influence on me, may Allah have mercy on him.
One time, we were sitting in a class, and there was a sister who was like the super volunteer in her community, super volunteer.
And she was complaining to him that her community is running her into the ground.
That every time somebody wants something, she's the go to sister. And they keep asking her.
And she's like, how do I? How do I learn to say no? How do I learn to set boundaries? And so he said something that was completely left field for me, I wasn't expecting it. He said, If you find a person always saying yes to everything.
I would say that they should review there is loss.
Because who are they trying to please ultimately?
And I was like, Whoa, who are they trying to please? If I say yes to everybody, even when I it's not in my best interest. And I'm going to talk about best interests in my two o'clock lecture in sha Allah Tala. But the idea of protecting your interests, because every time you say yes to something, in reality, you're saying no to something else. Every time I say yes, to helping this person, volunteer for this, I'm saying no to spending time with my daughter. I'm saying no to spending time with my family. I'm saying no to reading the Quran. I'm saying no to whatever it is that I would have otherwise occupied my time with. And so saying yes, all the time is not something that's
spiritually healthy, necessarily. My goal always has to be Am I pleasing? Allah subhanaw taala by this? Is this the thing that I am doing to please Allah the most? Is this my priority right now. And if it is not my priority, then I learned to say no, my concern becomes acceptance for my actions. And if my goal is always for ALLAH SubhanA data to accept my actions, then I will always do that which I believe to be more pleasing to Allah. I once went to an MSA, who they had.
They had a big event, and they invited me to their events. And when I got there, I was surprised to see like guys and girls playing volleyball together. It was a big event that they had guys and girls playing volleyball together. And so the President, I'm talking to the president, I was like, So what's going on here? He's like, Well, Allah, you know, people said that it would bring a lot of people together. And you know, we couldn't really control it. We didn't want this to happen like this, but we couldn't control it. So I said, so now you learned the lesson that if you can't control something, don't do it. But I have a bigger question for you, which is when you said it will bring
people why was that your objective?
You should care more about Allah accepting your action than people accepting your invitation.
My goal is for Allah to accept my actions. It is not for people to accept my invitation. If people accept my invitation, then that's wonderful.
But there were prophets will come on the Day of Judgment with one follower, two followers, no followers, and it's not because they couldn't have lowered a standard here or lowered the standard there and have people come and accept.
But the standard needs to be set. Because my goal is for Allah to accept when you read in Surah Al Baqarah, and other Emraan two people from the same family saying the exact same thing. Ebrahim I, they said I'm gonna smile at their building the Kaaba
And he's building the guy, but they're both and what are they saying could have been a couple minutes in the gun to simulate it. And then who knows how long later, the mother of Medea in either Enron is offering what she's offering to Allah and she said, Oh my lord to compel me, me, except for me.
And so while I am doing all of the work that I'm doing, and inshallah Tada, you'll all do a lot. The goal is to constantly ask Allah to accept from me and at the same time to make sure that I put myself in a position for Allah subhanho data to accept it by doing it right doing it in a way that Allah subhanaw taala pleases and always asking Allah to accept even Ahmadi Allah and he says something beautiful, he said, If Allah if I knew that Allah subhanaw taala accepted one bead from me, it would make me more happy than anything else. Because Allah Subhana Allah data says in Amaya Taco Bell, Allahu wa, Washington Subhana data only accept from the people of Taqwa and ALLAH SubhanA
data except for messages, I can look at someone like this and I'm humbled. I want to open up a lot of his time for the q&a inshallah.
Hold on, I got a shout out the one person who decided to start going. And then everybody else did.
Oh, yeah. Cool.
So we're gonna jump into the q&a for everyone that came in a little bit later for using the mass app, the mass con app. And if you go to this session is titled pouring from an empty cup, you can click there and submit your questions there. And we'll try to get through as many as we can. So our first question, how do you prioritize you describe yourself to should you focus on your family before your community?
Should you focus on your family before your community? I don't know if if,
if it's either or, but Allah subhana data says yeah, even though the nominal coup and fusuma he could not have occurred to him, NASA, ALLAH SubhanA data says, Oh, you who believe protect yourself and your family from a fire
from a fire that's fueled as men and stones? And so I have absolutely a responsibility to give Dawa to my family. But
if it is, either or that it is your family, but I don't see it necessarily being either or for most people. But if it is, either, or then yes, inshallah. Tada spend that time, and that energy on your family.
Our next question, how can we?
How can we work on bringing in Muslims that may not be as practicing or as involved in the Muslim communities? How do you work on bringing Muslims who may not be involved as involved in the Muslim community, there's a couple of things. Number one is, you have to make sure that you're a strong enough swimmer. So what I mean by that is you have somebody who is drowning, and I can't swim, and I jump into the pool with them, we both die. So what was good was that some people, they don't have the personality or the strength to be able to draw anybody. If I go with my friends who are doing haram things, I go, and I end up doing haram things with them, then you don't be in their company,
you stay away, you protect yourself, because your priority is to protect yourself, I I'm not strong enough to attract anybody or to bring anybody like that. But if I am, then yes, I try my best to bring them to the Muslim community. And how do I do that by making sure that they're welcomed, by finding interests that they have, and try to involve them in those interest by introducing them to people when you can to who will be inspiring for them if you can. And then I think number three is to just to care about them. Truly, if you care about them, Truly, then you will always be thinking of them. If you're always thinking of them, you will figure out ways eventually, you know, there's a
lesson that I learned from this book called Rich Dad, Poor Dad. And he talks about how he talks about how his rich dad didn't let him say, I can't afford something.
Because if you say that, then your mind shuts off. But he would say, How can I afford it? That's how his anything sees a Ferrari. You say, How can I afford that season? A nice house? How could I afford that? And he said, just that exercise over time, the fact that you're always looking for opportunities is different than a person who shuts their mind off, and so is no longer looking for opportunities. And so that was the same thing. I'm thinking how can I benefit this person? How could I introduce this person? Now you're always your mind is always working. And if your mind is always working with data when the opportunity presents itself, you'll be able to see my last panel data, no
specimen.
Okay, our next question, I think, is something a lot of us struggle with. You talked about being sincere in your action. So what advice would you give to youth leaders who are struggling with their sincerity?
So you don't stop doing something good because of fear of sincerity. Especially if Allah subhanaw taala gave you a position Allah Subhana Allah gave you a talent that was Panadol to give you an ability, but you try to do a number of things to to to make sure that
that your sincere of it is that you increase in your private worship with ALLAH SubhanA data is of it is that you have a daily devotional of the Quran, that you make sure that your best face is not your public face that your best face is that which is private between you and Allah Subhana. Allah, He tried to make sure that you have deeds that nobody knows about other than Allah subhana data, you try to make sure that you also engage in efforts where you are not at the forefront where you're not known where you are, where you where you are playing, you know, behind the camera, so to speak. You try to invest in these types of things as well, you diversify your portfolio, in that sense, so that
you make sure that you have something of sincerity, show that that's more sincere, rather presented to a large panel that
our next question, any tips on how to turn casual conversations into meaningful into meaningful ones that can contribute to a segment growth? That is a great talent? So how do you contribute? How do you convert casual conversations into meaningful conversations? Now, I would say at Afia digests, like, you don't necessarily have to turn everything into a discussion about the Day of Judgment. I mean, like you're eating a burger with the front of your left panel law, this cheese reminds me of the fun. So what are you talking about right now.
But it's something that you will eventually develop, it's something that you will eventually develop the promise of a life cinema is walking with his companions, and they see a dead carcass.
And the province of allied is and then grabs it by the IRS, and he says, Who would buy this for this amount. And remember, I was like I was told a lot. Like, even when it was alive, it was it was defective. And he said, this is more insignificant, the dunya is more insignificant to Allah subhanaw taala, then this is to you guys right now. But the point here is that when I mean an afterthought, meaning it's like step by step, not everybody's conversations has to be something about something can be meaningful, even if I'm just giving them beneficial advice with regards to the dunya. But let it just not be superficial, let it not be something that's wasteful. It no fan,
he has a four category list, right for four quadrants. And he's one of the most prolific authors in the history of Islam, one of the greatest scholars, he says, a person should be invested in four things their time, number one, something that benefits them in the hereafter. Number two, something that benefits them in the dunya. Number three, how to protect themselves from harm. And thereafter, number four, how to protect themselves from harm in the dunya. So as long as I'm in any of these four worlds, I'm talking to somebody about benefit in the Hereafter, or I'm talking to them about benefit in this world. I'm talking to them about how to get better grades, I'm talking to them about
how to get great. It depends on that person's level. I bring them in accordingly.
All right, next question. So you mentioned learning how to contemplate the vote on how can we do so you provide flexibility as possible? Yeah, so the course that I mentioned,
is on faith essential. So go to faith essentials, the online that's the websites got an app, we have
an entire course on that, where we mentioned at least 10 steps on how to contemplate the Quran. That's the course I don't know of any videos. I don't know of any books. I just have this course that's my only shot that I can give you. But it's a lot of beautiful things. Like one of them, for example, is reflecting on the names of Allah that are mentioned in the Quran. A lot of times the names of Allah we don't pay attention to. It's just well, how would I do it? I'll think, Okay, why does I have to proceed with an idea? Why does Allah subhana died, I mentioned the sloth of the Buddha, which will who will have the food will do it and he is the forgiving, and he is the loving?
Why forgiving and loving. I mean, that's very powerful, very, very powerful. Because every single one of us we have people who if they injure us severely, we might be able to forgive them after therapy. But will we ever love them again, like we did before? That's very, very hard. And in fact, even the province of Allah they said have had limitations when it came to his love when why she came and accepted Islam and the prophets of Allah and said have accepted the Islam and loved almost everybody who came to Islam no matter how much they had injured him, but who actually had killed his uncle Hamza.
And so the province of Allah Islam said to him, and why do you second, just stay away from me? I accept your Islam, you're forgiven, the forgiveness is there, but the love So when Allah subhana data says, Well, whoever the formula dude he is the forgiving and the loving, that shows us that there is nobody on this earth who is not only beyond being forgiven by Allah but being loved by Allah. There's nobody who is beyond being loved by Allah. So when you open up the door of reflecting on the names of Allah, just paying attention to the names of Allah and the verses, that is a beautiful arena of contemplation.
Next question. So how do you find ways to stay humble and have humility when people are like complimenting you and call you a good Muslim calling you chef or chef? How do you stay humble when people are contemplating you? Number one, when people do that, just tell your family and they'll humble you very quickly to share it. Share it in the group chat. You know, I have I have an uncle of mine who
Every time somebody does that, like if I'm not mistaken, I'm gonna FaceTime and then I'm gonna be like, Well, I just had this session, and he's gonna get up at all of these people to come and listen to you. I'm like, No, I didn't. But people family does a great job but seriously, just what you know of yourself like you should remember your faults, remembering your faults, his salvation. You know, there's a hobbit of the lion whom they remember their false God being the medical the lion who he doesn't tell us the story of him being at the Battle of boyhood, he was there he doesn't tell us about him being at the Battle of of height, but he was there. He doesn't tell us about Fatima. But
he was there. He was in all these campaigns with the province the lightest and etc, to better and
to book and he tells this long story of how he wasn't there at the book, because the Companions paid attention to their mistakes. If you're always my good deeds are with a lot. When I do a good deed check with Allah subhanaw taala I don't need to worry about it anymore. I don't need to show it off. I don't need to, but my sins. I need to remember those because every time I remember my sins, I keep it on my forefront. It humbles me. Every time I remember my sins, it keeps me at the forefront. I seek ALLAH subhanho data's forgiveness for it. And if I seek ALLAH SubhanA wa diatas forgiven me for it, Inshallah, eventually it will be purified. But that'll keep you humble.
Next question, how do you deal with sorry, there's just a beautiful quote from the stuff that I remember. Sorry.
He says, if people are amazed by you, then they are simply amazed by how beautifully Allah has concealed your false.
Yes, go ahead.
Next question everyone has that I'm not in sha Allah. There is a request for poetry. There's a request for poetry. So is that mean here?
I mean, are you still here?
No. Munna these guys disappeared on me. I had one of Muhammad here I was gonna have them the goat Mashallah.
We're gonna have them tomorrow. So we're gonna have winner tomorrow. I mean tomorrow. So I mean, I'm gonna you should attend their session for sure. Because I mean, as a Hollywood actor, mashallah who just accepted Islam 10 months ago, and I was just with him outside and I told him to come to the session, but they flaked Hollywood directing Hollywood on me already.
But he's going to be at the session tomorrow and all of that
upon
Okay, so
this is going to be a simple one, it's going to be a classic on Gen not ready. So I just need you to close your eyes. At the end of the day, we're doing all of this agenda.
So it goes close your eyes and imagine this eternal bliss. your every wish at your fingertips and more. Perched on a throne near a stream so serene and exquisite. A scene you've never seen, yet you still dream of more. Gone is fear. Gone is grief gone, our tears idle speech shall never hear and the prophets make up your social sphere. And more. The martyrs truthful and the righteous to you are from them, they from you, they held tightly to what they knew was true. And to join them. You did too. There's more maidens chase to restrain their gaze last than a glance for days and days Fun and frolic as a child plays with a breath that leaves your lips is praise of the one who gave you more.
Imagine you and your father with ages the same imagine showing off your book with no shame. Imagine nitrile to Sahaba their stories to entertain. Now imagine Mohamed Salah is imagine him knowing your name.
What could be there more Gardens underneath which rivers flow a goal so far and yet so close? A journey were taking for those who know telling me do not wish to go for more for all of the bounties and all of the grace and all of the sights and the smells and the taste will be forgotten without a trace as they're frozen in time and space when you see his face.
What an excellent master of a miserable slave. You forgot and He forgave he gave you guidance and you still straight you asked for mercy
that he gave and more and more
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