Bilal Philips – Developing A Muslim Community Part 1
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of developing a Muslim community and addressing evil behavior. They emphasize the need for individuals to participate in community activities and encourage others to join. The speakers also touch on the importance of protecting people's spirituality and setting laws and regulations to prevent evil behavior. The speakers stress the need for education institutions and creating environments that encourage people to practice Islam and communicate with others.
AI: Summary ©
Now the Villa haematuria fusina
Maria de la, la la la la la, la la, la la
la la ilaha illAllah
Muhammadan rasul Allah,
all praises due to a law and as such we should praise Him, seek His help
and seek refuge in Him.
We should turn to him for protection from the evil which is within ourselves, as well as the evil which results from our deeds. For whomsoever Allah is allowed to go astray nun can guide and whosoever Allah has guided, none can lead astray.
Nada witness that there is no god worthy of worship Allah. Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the last messenger of Allah.
This evening's presentation is on the importance of developing a Muslim community.
If we look at the human being,
we find that essentially,
the human being is,
as it's called, by social anthropologist,
a social animal
because of a cloud perspective, when I'm referring to human beings and animals,
but
humankind is essentially social in nature.
Their existence depends upon the existence of other human beings. Human beings don't survive by themselves, in a vacuum,
all of their institutions, all of their needs,
are fulfilled through community, community endeavor, community activities,
and allies addresses the issue of
communal
existence to the profit from wireless alum. In a well known statement of his in which he said, quantum eluding, you will not do
that every child
is born in a natural state of submission to Allah
wa who you are with Danny Danny Irani, and it is his parents that
cause him to become a Jew,
a
Nigerian
worshipper of fire
or a Christian,
the environment
shapes the character of the individual
to such a degree, that it can cause
a person
who is born in a state
of faith
to become one who disbelieve
this believes in a lot of existence altogether,
or one who believes in other gods besides the law.
This is the power of the community of the environment, the human being, or the individual is brought up in
Islam
is the religion of all mankind
is a law of religion for mankind.
It naturally addresses this reality.
What you find, when you look at the fundamental pillars, of what defines a Muslim
is a series of principles which reinforce the concept of community.
to such a degree that it demands it, it makes it compulsory on the individual to strive to achieve.
For example,
the first pillar, the Shahada, the declaration of faith.
This pillar cannot be fulfilled,
alone.
Unless one happens to be in a circumstance, an unusual circumstance where one finds oneself totally cut off from others, but a part of it, it's a
reality or a necessary condition for it to be fulfilled.
That there are witnesses.
When one declares one faith, one declares it before witnesses
in order for the community, to be aware that this individual has now
joined, the community has become a part of that community. And that declaration of faith
is not to inform a law of something which is not already known to him, because he knows what is in our heart.
A legend in Hungary, he describes himself in terms of his knowledge, with regard to human beings that is closest to that individual even than the jugular vein in his neck. Nothing escapes his knowledge.
So the declaration of faith is an institution for the individual, to commit himself to being a part of the larger community, in order to avail himself or herself, of the health of the community. Because human beings, their face, goes up and down, that is a constant.
And it is when the human face is at a low that he or she becomes susceptible to the traps and the tricks and shape
and the whisperings which may lead that individual to a life of corruption and sin.
Now, if that individual has not announced himself or herself to the community, then the community is unaware of that person's
entrance into the community. And as such, there is no one to reach out to that person. But now if the community is aware,
and we see Brother Mohammed, going down to the bar,
we will stop Mohammed and ask you what is going on? Why are you going there? Brother? There is no answer in the bar. If you have a problem, let us sit down. Let me hear your problem. Let the community hear your problem, see how we can help you. So that
community is there to reach out for the weaker members or the members in their times of weakness that is there to support strengthen them.
The Salah, the Salah, is ordained in JAMA compulsory for men. As long as they're in a position where they can form a congregational prayer, they are obliged to do so for women, if they're in a group, that men should also pray in July, but it's not compulsory for them to come to the masjid. Allah has given them this concession taking into account the fundamental nature of their role, which is different from that of the men in terms of maintaining the household. So, the Dhamma is established.
For daily prayer for men, the congregation again and in establishing the congregation, there is a need to establish one who would lead a congregation. So the basic structure of community is there, a leader and followers.
Muslims are trained on a regular basis to establish this basic structure within the community. When a person dies,
the whole process of
a burial etc involves the community activity, the washing of the body, the starting of the body, the salaah Salatu janazah is formed by done by the community for that individual. And so much so much is that the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam announced to his companions in Medina that their brother had died.
Another senior in Ethiopia,
Lena joshy, Lagos, ruler of the senior who has supported and protected Muslims. When they first immigrated there. He had died because he was on his own. Not none. No one had believed he was only deliver their Prophet Mohammed Salam instructed the believers to pray for law to live. Salam janazah for the absent
individual who dies in a circumstance where no Salah can be established for him.
This is how much the community and the concern of the community is stressed in Islam.
Fasting no fasting is an individual act. It is between the individual and Allah
Still, the community takes part in identifying when to begin to find
the community defines for your
individual when the fast should end.
And the breaking of the fast
recommended that community be involved, as he told us that the blessed most blessed meals is the one in which most hands are partaken more people partake of the meal, the more blessing there is in a law from a law fight. And he emphasized also
that whoever feeds a person to break the fire, when he gets the reward, not that person was fasted.
This is all encouragement to include the community in the process of daily breaking the fast. But then at the end of the fast Of course, before the end, we also have
the nightmares, which are done in congregation
brought them into focus as a congregational prayer, though it may be done individually, it's not compulsory that we do it as a congregation. It is the recommended format, which Solomon himself followed. Even when he prayed it at home, he woke up his family, and they prayed it along with him. So the congregation was there.
And in closing, the month of Ramadan month of fasting, we end this with the catheter,
the catheter, which is our means of sharing with others,
who are unable to feed themselves properly, we share with the needy on the community, so that they can break the fast along with us in the past, in the feast of a festival of aid.
If we look at Dhaka in general, the compulsory charity, on wealth, within CNF, obvious evidence of the need for the community. It was the practice of the province, that is a cow was collected by particular individuals, it was not left up to the individual law today. It is a common practice in the Muslim world today. But individuals you think about it, you pay prayers when you want to pray. And this was not the way it was done in the time of problems. You know, we don't have an institution gathering it then of course, the individual is, is obliged to figure it out for himself and do it himself or herself. But in the time of problems asylum, he sent out particular individuals to
collect. In fact, among those who have the right to receive from the front of the car, or the car collectors themselves.
Individuals went out calculated and collected,
collected into one place, it was in a town with a felon in the masjid.
And from their department, distributed, distributed to the needy of the community.
We zaca. further beyond this,
we find
edges the obvious
communal gathering in Islam, where all of the pillars are combined into one major act, taking place over five days during the month of
Muslims worldwide are invited to take part in
reinforcing the concept of community community of believers. And there are
no end of other practices, which are established within the Islamic community, from the time of a person's birth, to the time that they die. We're in the concept of community is reinforced at the time of birth. We know we have the article on the seventh day where the community again is encouraged to be involved in the process of thanking Allah for the birth of his child, a slaughter is done when the animal is slaughtered. But what happens to it again, now that the individual slaughtered the animal and then cooks up a big meal for himself and eats it up in over the next week, but that he invites members the community they share in the meal, he gives some of the meat to
the needy before his neighbors or her neighbors etc. in the community. So the concept of community is there from the time of birth and the time of marriage. Again, one of the principles of marriage is witnesses.
There should be witnesses there to witness the marriage people cannot you know, the man and woman cannot get together and say we will marry each other in the sides.
Have a law
and then say their marriage is not acceptable islamically there must be witnesses there to witness that marriage guardian to ensure the rights of a woman is protected.
Furthermore, the marriage is supposed to be announced to the community further, by way of the walima what is the one EMA The walima is the announcement to the community, the walima may take place after constellation or before calculation, both were practiced by proper masala, the point is for
a district instructed us that we should have a lemma for the marriage to announce the marriage to the community.
So,
in all phases of the Muslim life within
the framework of his birth and his death, we find a series of principles and pillars, which invite
him or her to functioning along with as a part of a larger community.
We also find
that the profit
and loss of Allah
have expressed to the believers
the importance of
the community from a spiritual point of view, because the things we're talking about before were more of a socio economic point of view, social economic kind of relationships that are necessary to for the Muslim community for the Muslim to function in this world. They are community things that he has to deal with or she has to deal with on a socio economic plane, but also on his spiritual brain from
movement ality you have to know
that the believer who mixes with the people, and is patient with the harm that comes from them, is better than the believer who doesn't look to the people, and is not patient, to the harm that comes
with this principle of maximum stress to us, the importance of interaction with people, because there is a tendency in the human
psyche that you know, as he or she strives to be more religious, and they find around them people who are irreligious that they conclude it's best to get away from people just to get away. And this is what led feeling and desire lead to the monasticism of the Christians, the Hindus, the Buddhists and others, you know, as a strive in an effort to try to purify oneself, one's own spirituality to come closer to God, etc. You know, people found it was easier when you don't have to deal with people around grounds who are distracting you, etc. So better you go off into a mountain, or in a cave someplace, and just, you know, worship God. But
Allah informed us that one who gains a Buddhist faith that way is inferior to the one who builds his faith, or her faith in the midst of the community.
That it is in the struggle, the problems that come with the community, that true faith is built. Because a person who goes off by himself or herself, and worships builds a false sense of faith.
And when they come back into the midst of the community, you find that they cannot function effectively.
Because it is part of the test of faith that we have around us, a community, the community which begins with the individual family, wife and children, goes to neighbors goes to
area goes to country goes to the world.
But a series of communities are there and the believers are instructed and encouraged to interact with other believers as a strive with them together.
We find a lot smarter Allah saying the believers in Mineola
very believers are one brotherhood family
so we should
make peace between our brothers or allow differences to split up the
split up the Brotherhood should always work against those factors which would split up the Brotherhood.
We find a lot of Allah also telling us inshallah we are in a hurry to come home and wash
this nation or this community of yours is a single community wide or a boo boo. And I'm your Lord. So worship.
We have one Lord
We have one community,
Allah makes an equation between the two. As we are one, there is one Lord, we should worship together, that one Lord. So, when we look at the various
principles, which have been ordained in Islam, for spiritual development, we find that they focus in one way or another, on the importance of the community,
the community, in developing the individual and in the individuals, helping that community to develop itself.
lightstreamer Allah test me Almighty Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah O Allah, for narrations, that my nation will not come together on what is
the concept again of the community, where the communities together, they will not due to the presence of knowledge amongst them, they will not unite on what is wrong, but where people splinter off into splinter groups, small sects, etc, etc, then shaytan has free opportunity to misguide them. So they as individuals will agree on things which are in fact wrong, they'll be misguided. The classical example was that
the first group is split off from the main oma a in their individual interpretation of the Koran, which was not in keeping with the methodology of interpreting and understanding the Quran, which was established by the prophet Monica Solomon his companion, whereby we understand the Quran from the context in which the client is revealed first and foremost, and in accordance with the explanation given by the prophet Mohammed bin Salman, in his words and his actions, and within the context in which it was revealed how the Sahaba related to the particular verses, they didn't follow this particular methodology. They went straight to the concept of truffle, or decision belongs to Allah.
So they went off on the issue that the decision belongs only to Allah. So when Omar sorry, Malia and Ali, Abdullah and Kumar decided to resolve their conflict, the problem was to develop amongst them by way of arbitration, these people felt that they are no longer leaving the arbitration to a loss. They're letting human beings arbitrary.
So they split off and in their splitting off, they declared Ali and Mahalia both to be disbelievers.
Furthermore, anyone who did not agree with them, and also declared them to be disbelievers, they also declared those to be disbelief. So it meant that they declared the mass of the Muslim Ummah to be disbelievers. And they unleashed on the Muslim Ummah, a slaughter, which was not recorded in history again, after until the time of the Mongols gained his hand, and his people when they came into the Muslim state, they slaughtered in a similar fashion. But these people who consider themselves to be believers,
so much so that they were known for their massive frustration in their hearts.
The vast majority of them when you met them, they had darkened skin on the fire, it's from extra frustration staying up every night, and
this was their practice, their personal practice. But because they are split off from the main body of the Muslim, when shavon was able to put this concept in their mind, where they would declare the mass of Muslims to be disbelievers, and they slaughtered Muslims. I mean, what you read about in Bosnia, about the Serbs cutting open the stomachs of Muslim women and taking out the babies of slaughter, and then they did the same.
They did the same
1300 years ago,
they split off.
This is the danger. The danger of splitting off from the oma was good stuff, one leaves oneself opens the shade.
So it is essential for Muslims to come together. And
to reinforce this particular principle, we find from the time of Africa salam, a stress on the Hydra,
the Hydra
behavior to protect the face
as a community to save the believers. kamanga salam Institute is the first hedra to Ethiopia, a community of the believers left those who are in particular positions of weakness, who had you know, there was a situation where they could easily be destroyed. Those who have the means to escape.
were given the okay to leave as a community to try to establish the community elsewhere.
And
In the 13 years of problems I've
taught believers in Makkah
the fundamentals of the faith, we find that only 113 proximately 113 people in the meccan period accepted Islam
about 300 plus
what 13 years some 300 plus visits.
The point is that when a community
accepted Islam from Medina,
Mohammed Salah al Salam says Musab to them, to teach them. And when they became solidified, they invited the Prophet Muhammad wa sallam to make Hendra. Then this became the focal point for Muslims. And Hindus to Medina, became wajib became compulsory, for all were able to go to that focal point.
And it was there. And from there, that Islam eventually came back and took Mecca, rest of the Arabian Peninsula and out to the rest of the world. It is from there during the next 10 years that you had people coming in and accepting Islam 300 times.
And the meccan period on Saturday slammed Oh fishy weird in the Medina and period you had, in moments, people giving back to Allah on behalf of themselves and their whole tribes, younger people one time, because
this is part of the blessing that is there with the Brotherhood. And God Moses, Allah had instructed us that the Hydra
has not ended.
Allah says look on God's promises,
to deny
that there is in the Messenger of Allah for you the best of examples. So the principle of Israel is not one limited to his time. And he underscored that by saying
nothing hotter and hotter and hotter Toba Latin hottie October.
shampoo, Maria. Asia will not end until Toba and
Toba being repentance. When repentance will no longer be accepted as long as repentance will be accepted. The headdress stands as a principle applicable to the Muslim
world right?
Not to say that Toba or repentance will not stop being accepted by law or not will no longer be accepted by law, except when the sun rises from its place of setting when the sun rises in the West
is an ongoing responsibility which
Muslims are responsible for.
And we have the statements i thought was also
that
he had dogs himself
and a very old
someone who died in the midst of the disbelievers.
And then maca Bane rally.
As a warning,
it is time it was obligatory
when the hedgerow was established, that Muslims wherever they were living at to give up their places, and come and focus in that building that community the nuclear
law requirements remain. Of course, the requirement is fundamentally a spiritual requirement because the heads will begin in the heart.
Low as what we see as the hedra it is an external movement of Muslims to an area where they focus, establish a center and from there now they reach out to the ultra community and spread the word of Allah. But as
I do live in nama, quoted as saying, I'm Muslim and Solomon Muslims bisaya de Muslim is one from whom other Muslims are safe from his hands and his tongue
romaji Roman Hazara mana Hello. And the Maharaja is the one who makes Phaedra is the one who abandons emigrate from what Allah has forbidden.
And in leaving those things
on a spiritual level, he or she is driven to leave those things.
On a material level,
to leave that disbelieving environment, which is destroying the faith
which if a person dies
in a state
wherein they're incapable of practicing Islam, due to being in a position of weakness in the midst of the disbelievers when there is an opportunity for them to make hedra then a law says that the end will be held
in Surah Nisa
verse 97. Allah says the inland Medina toa found Malacca to Ronnie and Hussain, hollow phila.
Verily those
who, whose souls are taken by the angels in a state of self oppression, the angels ask them, in what state were you
allowed refers to the state of self oppression, which is the divine way of expressing the state of sin. Because when we commit sins, when we disobey a law, we are in fact,
not suppressing a lot. We are expressing ourselves, because we are bringing onto ourselves punishment.
This is what we are bringing on to ourselves. So whenever we come into sin, this is accumulated against us and comes back to harmony. So a law refers to it as being in a state of self or pleasure.
So those believers who die in a state of sin, where they're not establishing a laws, Mark, in their personal lives in the environment around them, they are submitting to the the rule of the disbelievers. The angels, when they take their souls ask them
what was your state what caused you to be in this circumstance? And they will respond. How do
we were weak in the land, we just weren't in a position of authority to establish the source for real estate that weakness. No forces were stronger than the angels will say to them. I like to call Obama he was and he wasn't allowed to Earth expansive and wide that you could make hedra you could immigrate in it, leave.
And then Allah goes on to say, la while home Jehan, nama, wasa atmosfera,
those will find their abode in *. What an evil refuge. Those who find their abode in *, but an evil refuge, those people who die in that state, that state of self oppression, where they're not applying a lot of laws in their life, when they were capable of making his rock.
A lot says runs that there and will be held that they will receive punishment in * for it.
This is telling us that to determine that faith is a major sin.
Because the punishment for it is *. And of course, this is something Haram. But this is the principle the principle of Islamic law is that no things are Haram. One of the ways that we know things are Haram is that Allah has assigned for it a punishment in *
may not be a punishment in this life. Like a person takes Riba
right. There is no punishment specified in the Sharia for a person who takes interest who pays interest to sign his contract and
there's no obvious punishment. But Prophet Muhammad wa sallam
described
when Allah showed him how
a person's swimming in a river of blood.
And each time he would approach the shore, another person would pick up a rock and throw it, he would open his mouth, he would go into his mouth and he would swim away, and he would come back and then another rock would be thrown, his mouth continued.
And when someone asked was this person, he said, it was the one who dealt in remand. The punishment in *. * was proper Salah would be shown, the fact that there is the punishment is held, it means this is a major sin.
So when allies warned us in this way, about the history for those who don't make it to a capable that their punishment is * this should be a clear warning for, of course, allies most merciful. He does take into account the circumstances of others who have no opportunity to make a drop in the reverses which follow verses 9899 Allah goes on to say except those who are really weak and oppressed
men, women and children who are
No means in their power, nor can they find a way to escape. So then there is hope that Allah will forgive, for Allah blocks out sins and is forgiven.
First of all, those who really have no other attitude,
then a lot goes on, on the other hand, to speak back to those people who make the hinge because making the hedra, you might think, you know, there's this chance of loss of your property. And you know, it's a big sacrifice to make it, there's dangers in it and all this kind of thing, maybe you lose your life in the process. A lot goes on to say in verse 100, he who forsakes his home by way of hedra, in the cause of a law, finds in the earth, many places of refuge and abundance,
should he die during the hedra for Allah and His Messenger, his reward becomes jus unsure with a law and allies are forgiving, Most Merciful.
No matter what, either we find success,
establishment of the faith, abundance of, of our needs, being fulfilled, etc, or we die in the process. And if we die in that process, our reward for that intention of Israel for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, will be nothing but paradise.
This is the promise of Allah. So, when we put that into our context,
here, in the Bahamas,
we find ourselves
a small group of Muslims, in the midst of a disbelieving community.
According to Islam, we have to try.
We have either hedra
without
because each and every one of us
knows that we are disobeying a law daily, because of this particular environment.
We have the choice of either Israel, or we stay and struggle
to establish Islam here.
Establish Islam here as a viable entity, which can impact on the community and convey the word of Allah to these people.
Because this is the justification for Muslims to live in the midst of the disbelievers. If they're about establishing community, conveying the word of Allah to that community, that greater community of this believers, then that becomes justification for their presence there. And they're not about if they're just living a comfortable life, business going well, profession doing well, you know, food on the table, nice car in the garage, you know,
30 inch television, you know,
if life is just the comfort, the solid we're about, then we're in a state of sin. It is haram for us to exist in that state. So
taking into account
that we stay and struggle, because the other option of Hydra is one,
which has many complications in front of
people will ask, Where is Darryl Islam? And we can make the hedgerow to the question
who is out there opening their arms and say come Muslims come and see
if any,
the problems that exists, you know, appear insurmountable to the majority. Therefore, we only have one option.
The option of internal his
because he dropped off mom's Isola
was as a hitter outside of Arabia,
from Mecca to Medina was up outside of Arabia.
It was an internal hindrance within the Arabian Peninsula.
So, there is in that example, for us the example of the internal address
that it is necessary for us to choose a particular point in the Bahamas as our focal point and to build the communities in that particular environment. Because the community
is not just gatherings for talks, gatherings for Juma gadget gatherings for one or two prayers for the community is an entity where we are actually physically together.
I have the love
allies made it possible
that land has been brought here.
A Masjid efforts are being made to establish a Masjid. And the concept of the school is there etc. And the land has
the capability of development of housing units, etc.
so that the community can come closer to it. Of course, some may say, Well, you know, it is limited how many people can move there, but you actually allow opens away, there may be people around the neighborhood who are properties, who now they don't want to sell. But when Muslims do come, you know, more and more, and Islam is being established around there and they want corruption. They don't want a life of purity and peace and, and worship of God, they will leave, they will gladly give up those lands. Those areas allow us to open up the place the place for the believers, but they have to realize that needs eternity in their hearts, the need for coming together as a community to
establish what is necessary for their survival. As adults, we function in this society.
And we seem to survive.
No, we have a number of members who came in and out they can be counted is the list of people who became Muslim here in Bahamas and are no longer practicing Muslims.
That list is not short.
So we know that the effects of living in this community even as adults, has its negative major negative
impact.
So
even those of us who manage to survive, we know
how we were when we first came into Islam, how enthusiastic we were to try to practice everything. When we look at ourselves today. You know, laissez faire, they say, you know, take things easy,
don't get ruffled, you know, take it easy, don't worry about it.
The attitude, where we now are willing to compromise, you know, fundamental things, things which in the beginning would never accept when are willing to accept. And it has this effect in time on our on our own faith. And then Worst of all, it has its effect on our families,
the women and the children.
It has that has a major negative impact.
Of course, over the years, because Islam is new here, only a few have
grown up graduated from high school. And the effects are them under law, you know, the community was able to preserve most.
But there are numbers only few.
One can hardly judge really what is the effect when you only have a small handful to to look at to analyze. But there is a wave coming. A wave of young people who are now in primary school, they're not five and six, like we are five or six who graduated from high school, we now have five or six in high school, we now have a wave
coming from the primary schools now into the junior high into the high school system, a wave of children. And now when we are going to see
the effects of the system on them.
Many of us are aware of the impact. Some have chosen just to the children out to escape that impact.
The fact of the matter is when we look at places our neighbors, places like America, Canada, where you have a generation that has grown up there.
Islam has been amongst the contract Muslims there who have accepted Islam in large numbers for
a generation. But like here, it's very, very short space of time there has been a whole generation and you can see what has happened
in the early 70s, mid 70s. Many of those who converted to Islam with their enthusiasm used to turn and look at the Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Egyptian and Syrian etc. Palestinian brethren
and look at them with scorn. Look at this.
Look at
becoming
large them because they are come professional. They come to North America and they put the kids in the schools with no
kind of system to protect them. And so many of the children who've been destroyed, some families have decided to start to pack up and get out. Once the kid got bigger, they got up, went back to Pakistan went back to Egypt, whatever.
And the children going into the high school system, college system wide,
huge numbers.
So 100, Muslims then used to look and see people
with their face, and not looking after the children properly. They thought it was because those people themselves were not practicing Islam from too many of them.
But many of them were, many of them were very sincere about putting Islam in their children, you know, trying to have programs in their homes in the mornings, weekend, schools, all these kind of things to protect the child. But the effects of the system, so great, that it just wiped out
all of the efforts that they made. So it wasn't until the mid to the late 80s. Now, when
people know and convert Muslims now saw their own children growing up in the system, their own children are graduating now from high school in 1985. And, you know, the 8687. And they started to see the same thing happened to their own children, in spite of all the efforts that they made their children, girls getting pregnant boys and drugs, reading crimes in the newspaper, that big crime of the Wilding group that, you know, raped a woman in Central Park in New York, in one of the names was Muhammad Yusuf,
of a young boy, genius, oh,
what's the name,
you start to see more and more of that. So
now, realize that it's not an issue of people being neglectful of the children are, what it is the environment, the environment is so powerful that if Muslims don't come together, to establish community, with the necessary components in the community, to provide the kind of education that is necessary for the children, because we're not saying, we want to set up, you know, madressa looms, and this is our solution. We just teach the children Deen, and then they get out and, you know, they become like trees. Because really, we don't have any, you know, seminaries in Islam. We don't never had a traditional seminaries, we know it's now become a part of the Muslim world is the fact that
for a variety of different reasons, such as the proper attitude, the scholars of the past, there were scholars in all of the fields. And scholars in the sciences are scholars in the, in the, in the religious sciences, the academic sciences.
And that's the way it should be, we need the kind of institutions that produce children with strong academic backgrounds that can compete in that system, but at the same time, have an Islamic overview. They graduate with a sense of mission and responsibility, responsibility to the community, they just go out and now this particular profession will get me you know, maximum money, you know, maximum profits from the dunya. That's what I'm going for now, in this profession, I can benefit from it for myself, my family, but at the same time, I have a responsibility to share this back with the community. So it is necessary for the community to come together and focus on establishing the
necessary components for their survival into the next century.
So that Islam was not always depend on hundreds. So our children are gone. We have to wait like 1520 years for a new batch of people to come into Islam
and their children gold and another. This isn't the way it should be. It should be established here and handed down. So the vast majority of our children who are raised here are raised as Muslims, and they help us in the process of raising further generations of Muslims. We need
first and foremost, we need education institutions. And truly
some people have said we need the institution more than we need them to
really
anticipate spend millions of dollars to build them up
and be without a school is in fact
it is in fact
I know people tend to focus in especially those who are donating money. They focus on the Hadees proposal and said man by Nan de la he must didn't ban Allahu Allahu beighton Susanna, whoever builds for Allah, Masha. Allah builds for that person at home in Paradise, but he was at home and
so they tend to be willing to spend for mastery they don't want to hear school
is unfortunate because it is not understood within a context
that in fact
Masjid is a school.
The Masjid itself is a school in which the fundamentals of Islam are taught and established. Furthermore, further education comes from it, education for the needs of survival in the society. So a school can be built
with a big hall,
which is the master
used for prayers.
But the school director, the structure is functioning with our 24 hour a day needs, fulfilling the needs of the community.
And if you look at the early, you know, madrasahs, for building Baghdad etc, you will see that this is a pattern that they follow. The Masjid was, in fact, the central area of a structure of learning.
Even with shops involved, etc, to earn income to keep and protect the masjid and to help the students who are studying etc. It was a whole community in and of itself,
we need to go back to this kind of a view is to have a concept because without living, you know, scattered all over the island and the islands.
The pressures, the that involve taking children to school and you know, the nearby school is easier, and all these other factors tend to make us lazy, about fulfilling this responsibility for our children.
When in fact,
we must establish it as an institution education.
The best way is to have Muslims in a given area and the school be in the middle of that area. It is readily accessible, along with the masjid, there we can easily establish the regular prayer.
You know, the philosophy established where the majority of the members of the community as they're praying.
They're not they're praying, when a visitor comes from the outside,
then we see line two lines in the matches
for fudger, and Asia, for the visitor goes back to business as usual.
This is this is the reality that we're living.
Let us not fool ourselves,
we are weak. And that's
the value of the community, it helps to strengthen,
strengthen the strength and to build our weaknesses.
So we need to establish educational institutions.
But we need to establish along with it, or even before it knowledge within ourselves, in our community in our homes,
that our homes, our homes of many.
They're not just homes of enjoyment, you know, entertainment, where the main thing going on in the home is just various things of entertainment, whether it's video games, or television or this or that, you know, is just a entertainment, a place of entertainment, we come back and relax by being entertained,
should be fundamentally a
means of education.
The parents have a responsibility to their children, to provide them with the proper education, first and foremost, Islamic education. Education which will benefit them in this life, as well as
the academic education is important.
It will benefit them in this life. But in the next, maybe, depending on whether they have used this according to the principles of Islam, then, of course, they're also rewarded for it. But first and foremost, that education, which is surely for this life on the neck must be established within the home itself. We cannot depend on teachers law, there's a tendency to do so. First and foremost, the mother and the father have to take that as a primary role of ensuring that the basic principles of Islam are passed on to the children. So there has to be an atmosphere of education, they should be in the home, books, etc, the things that can help to keep an environment of education in the home.
And as I said, it goes on to the level of the institution. We have a foundation already established, it's going to require sacrifice to complete it. And we can't wait
until people come from overseas and see the plight of the Muslims here and then donate
because truly
when people from the outside do it for us. We won't have
vitiate is like when we do it for ourselves,
you know, a human nature to take things for granted.
They built them up, or they give it to him and give him and then they'll come and give money for this money for nothing.
So people are complacent. They're lazy, with the Islam with the need to sacrifice but the reality is that this religion, this community can only be built by sacrifice. So the example of Solomon, his companion,
was an example of personal sacrifice, and community sacrifice.
Furthermore,
we need economic institutions
to provide for those fundamental institutions.
So we're not depending always
on external fulfilment of our needs.
We, even on a social plane should have institutions where socially we can gather
and not have to depend on the non Muslim avenues for social gatherings.
Young people get up they like to have places of entertainment that they go to. But these non Muslim places there is no there are no controls that are constantly bombarded with
sin. We need to have environments for them where we have people who can guide them, yes, enjoy yourself, but enjoy yourself in a healthy way, according to the principles that Islam has outlined for us.
Furthermore, it is through that community,
that we would be able to establish that justification for our presence here.
That our
giving now as individuals, is what we have to do it.
As Alan said,
he and every one of us should convey from whatever we've learned from him of the Quran, or the Sunnah. Even if it's only a verse of the Quran, we should convey it to others.
So no matter what position we are in the society, whether we're doctors, lawyers, dentists, taxi drivers, mechanics, whatever, we are, first and foremost, Muslim, taxi drivers, Muslim lawyers, Muslim mechanic. So we are constantly conveying the word of Allah, to the environment to the people who work with those who come in contact with either by speaking to them directly, or giving them pamphlets or tapes or whatever we are involved in that. Now, that process of Dawa is much more effective when it is done as a community. When there's a community together. When people talk about Islam, and the first thing that comes to mind, they say, Well, what about Iraq? and Kuwait? You
know, what about Somalia? What about Bosnia, what about, you know, always they would give us examples of tragic examples of Muslims killing Muslims or Muslims being slaughtered by non Muslims in the outer world, Islam as a community doesn't appear to be successful.
But if we establish the physical community,
when we can say, Come with us, come and be amongst us, come to our community.
Be with us for a day be with us for half a day, spend some time with us, and see Islam in practice.
Ultimately, those who want good and the mass of people want good, they will be convinced by that example.
Because the truth will win out, you have to believe that ultimately the truth will win out over false.
So our fulfillment of this responsibility of Dawa will become that much more effective, if we can practically demonstrate it. For the people of this society, not only talk about what it's
like living,
living.
And furthermore,
the limits of compromise
can be set by the community to minimize the necessary compromises.
for survival here, as individuals, we have to compromise greatly to function