Bilal Philips – The Search For Inner Peace Uk
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of finding inner peace and identifying and removing obstacles to achieve it. They stress the need to accept and accept reality, as it is crucial to achieve spirituality. The importance of learning the language of Islam and control and control of anger is emphasized, along with the need for acceptance of justice and peace in society to achieve unity and peace.
AI: Summary ©
hamdulillah hirable alameen
wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Karim.
Allah Allah was hobbie who ministered in the vicinity down to Medina dean of Institute to align millas Peace and blessings in the last prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and all those who follow the path of righteousness until the last day.
The topic of this evening, search for inner peace
is a topic which addresses a universal need.
This is not something particular to any group of people, any religion, or any race or nation, etc. Human beings as a whole, have this need to find
inner peace, and they seek to fulfill it through a variety of different ways.
From the accumulation of material possessions, which is what modern society promotes is the way for inner peace. If you have enough money, you can have a nice life, you can go on a Caribbean tour or whatever, you know, whatever money will is going to bring it for you. Or people try to find it through music. You know, music changes your mood, when you're down, you have nice songs that put you up and make you feel calm and whatever. Or if some people try through drugs, and so on and so forth. You know, some people seek it through their careers. You know, as workaholics they're
fully into their careers trying to find peace through it, in our sense of contentment.
Others try to find it through their children when they can find it for themselves. They tried to seek it through the children that their children would fulfill the dreams that they had for themselves.
But
the reality is that the majority of people continue throughout their lives with this search and end up in the end of their lives without ever finding the answer.
Though Western society presents
technology, development modernization as being the solution, the reality is that 20 million adult Americans suffer from depression nearly 20 million
depression being the opposite of inner peace. And in the year 2000. In the US, the death rate from suicides is was twice that of Ace, it is always in the newspaper, we know people campaigning for AIDS, etc, etc. But people are committing suicide in America, double the number of those dying from AIDS and even those who are dying, from homicides, people being just shot down killed, the number of people who die from suicides is greater.
So this is telling us something that this society that society which is at the peak all the other countries are trying to follow it in one way or another.
Looking at it as being the ideal.
The technological ideal, the answer isn't there.
So if we are to identify really, what is the correct route? What is the real way to find that inner peace?
We need to know first and foremost, what is peace itself? How do we define peace? According to the Webster's new 20th century dictionary, peace is defined as freedom from war, or civil strife, freedom from war or civil strife? Well, freedom from war, the world is caught up in one war after another.
So that level of peace, we can say seems virtually unattainable.
The second definition, freedom from public disturbance or disorder, public security, law and order
public disturbance. This is what crime, people breaking into your homes, into your cars, etc. Well, I don't think we're going to find too much peace in
That direction, I think it's pretty well gone. There was a time in the past when life was simpler, it was a little more secure. But now that security is gone, peace seems elusive from that perspective.
The third definition was freedom from disagreements or quarrels, harmony, and Concord.
This relates to families, jobs, etc.
disagreements were always involved in disagreements here. They're everywhere. They're disagreements.
So, as we're looking through these definitions, it sort of seems like we can't get peace.
The fourth definition and undisturbed state of mind, an absence of mental conflict, serenity.
Sounds like something very attractive. But people try to do it through yoga, through meditation through a variety of other means, but an undisturbed state of mind, who experiences that? Probably, maybe when they go to sleep for a while, we find find a little bit of peace. But for the most part, there are so many disturbances in our lives, there seems to be no peace there. And the last definition given in the Webster's 20th century, dictionary was calm, quiet and tranquility.
This comes and goes the times of calm
times of quiet,
but a continual state.
I think nobody experiences that. So that raises the question is interpeace really attainable?
Maybe it's just a fiction,
something that
we search for, which is something we can't achieve. It's beyond our means.
It seems even if we were to reduce ourselves to the lowest possible level, the each one of us spend time in the womb. Before we came into this world, if we say this world is full of
no peace.
At least in the wall, maybe we found some peace there. Were we in a state of peace in the womb.
Always the baby kicking,
ticking and pushing and so it seems even in the womb.
We were not even at peace.
And a last month Allah had said, naka de la Canal in Santa Fe cupboard.
I have created human beings in toil and struggle.
But it seems we're doomed not to find any peace.
That our life is a series of struggles. From the time we were in the womb, we come out even coming out into this world is a struggle.
Some children die in the process.
And when you look at the baby, it seems to be struggling as it's growing, trying to walk falling crawling.
So this world seems to be a world of struggle.
There are some brief periods of peace, but to say, to find that period, or a state of continual peace, it doesn't seem to exist.
The world is a world of opposites,
struggles between
the cold we're experiencing now and the heat in the summer,
between good and evil,
between knowledge and ignorance,
there seems to be a series of struggles in our lives.
opposites struggling with each other.
So if we assume,
though, the situation seems to imply that there's no way to achieve that inner peace, if we assume theoretically, that there must be a way then it would mean that we would need to remove whatever obstacles that we are finding in life now. We need to remove those obstacles to find that state of peace.
So
we need to develop a strategy as to how to remove the obstacles and to find inner peace. The first step
is to identify the obstacles what are the obstacles in our lives to integrate
Peace. What is stopping us from achieving inner peace?
We need to identify and be aware of them, to identify them and to accept them as obstacles.
It's important, because if we don't accept them as obstacles, if we deny them, then there's no way to achieve it.
If one says, For example, anger, anger is an obstacle to inner peace. Because when you get angry,
your peace is gone. Whatever peace of mind you had peace of heart has gone with your anger. So anger is an enemy. It is an obstacle to inner peace.
But if you're saying, yes, it's an obstacle, but I don't get angry. But in fact, you get angry, and you're not going to be able to remove that obstacle. So one has to be willing to accept and one identifies what the obstacles are, they have to be willing to accept them as obstacles so that they can change them. The second step would be to remove the obstacles by some solutions, identify some solutions, and remove the obstacles. So that consists of two steps. First, we have to identify solutions after we identify the obstacles, then we identify solutions, then we have to take steps to apply those solutions to remove the obstacles. Now, when we look at the obstacles in our lives, I
just mentioned one anger.
But if we look in terms of our lives as a whole,
we can say that there are many obstacles.
The main ones tend to be personal problems. Anger is included in their
family issues,
financial dilemmas, work pressures,
and spiritual confusion. They seem to be a summary of the main areas of obstacles.
But as I said, there's so many they're like illnesses, we go through so many different illnesses in our lives, we get a cold get over that cold and other cold comes, we get flu, we get so many different things, to try to deal with each and every obstacle
is too tight, too many of them. So instead,
it would be better to the Turman a method, a standard method of dealing with obstacles
which we can apply now to any obstacle we find in our life.
The first rule in dealing with obstacles
is that those obstacles which we perceive, to be beyond our control,
we have to leave those aside. Because there's some obstacles that we can change, some issues that we can deal with, again, correct.
And then there are others which we can't, they're beyond our control.
As the prophet SAW, Solomon said,
if the jinn and the humans gathered together to benefit you, they could only benefit you with something which Allah had written for you.
If the jinn and humans gathered together to benefit you, they could only benefit you with something which Allah has written for you.
So there is a an element of our lives, which is beyond our control.
And this is not something as I said, unique to the Islamic point of view, there is a prayer, which is called the Serenity Prayer. non Muslims, Christians and others use it. It says, We seek the patience to surrender to the unchangeable
first line, we seek the patience to surrender to the unchangeable. That's the same principle.
If you can surrender to the unchangeable, then you're going to be in turmoil and conflict about things that are beyond your control. So you your chances of finding inner peace, lost completely.
So just the act of submission, surrendering to what is beyond your control, that gives you an element of inner peace. That is part of the contentment that is achievable by surrendering.
Since we can't change these issues, then surrender to them.
I'm born black. In a world where white people are considered better. Can I change being born black, I'm born poor. In a world where rich people
are treated better. I'm born short. In a world where tall people are favorite.
I'm born crippled, in a world where people who are whole have advantages that I don't have. I mean, these are among the things that we can change how we're born, how we're created, are beyond our control. So therefore, we have to just surrender to it, accept it. And that will give us an element of inner peace.
And a law, in the Quran addressing this, said, perhaps you may dislike something which is good for you. And you may love something which is harmful to you.
This is the reality of this life, what we complain about what we see as unchangeable, we can't do anything about it. And we think, Why me? Why is it this way, but there is good in it, that we cannot identify. If God if a law has made us in a particular way, has put us in a particular circumstance, then there is good in it.
This is part of the surrendering, knowing that God is just a law subhanaw taala is Africa monarchy mean? He is the most justice anyone who could be just so there is no reason for us to question God Why? Instead, we should say to ourselves, why not?
Rather than why we should tell ourselves? Why not?
Are we so good as to deserve?
You know, a wonderful, easy life with no problems, etc? Or how are we making all kinds of mistakes? Are we committing all kinds of sins? So when a calamity strikes us, rather than saying, why God why me
tell ourselves why not?
Whatever I deserved, what am I done to deserve other than this, in fact, God is merciful. It's only a small calamity. Really, I deserve a much bigger calamity.
Because of the way I've been living, so the idea of surrendering to the unchangeable, accepting the destiny, what has happened in our lives, this is the first step
to achieving
a measure of inner peace, true inner peace in the sense that, hey, no worries, life is going on beautiful, no issues. That is gender.
That is what we seek at the end of this life. Allah already told us in this life, we are created in combat, struggle, that's reality. That's the unchangeable struggle is inevitable.
We'll find struggle wherever we turn. But the point is, there is an element of inner peace, that we can find which we can weave in between the struggles, which will keep us on an even keel, it will balance the struggle,
struggle on one side, and the peace on the other side, to keep us on an even keel.
And this is why Prophet Muhammad SAW Solomon said, and another Hadith, do not look at those above you who are more fortunate. Instead, look to those below you who are less fortunate.
Look into those above you again, that will never bring any peace to you that in fact just drives you through your jealousy through your you know, desires for what other peoples have, you know, to never be satisfied.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
as it rolls on, Sam said if the child of Adam is given a value of gold, he would want another one.
never satisfied. I'll have Kamata castle,
driven
by the desire to accumulate of this world, whatever we can
and what drives us is looking at others. Somebody always has
More than we have. So we'll always be hustling running, trying to get more.
But instead, if we looked at those less fortunate
that can help to settle us down. Hey, it's not so bad after all. Terrible people, so many people are far worse off.
And no matter how bad our situation is,
no doubt, there are many people in this world far worse off than we.
So
accept, surrender to the unchangeable.
The second point of the Serenity Prayer is spiritual strength to change the changeable
spiritual strength, to change the changeable, where does that come from? That comes from turning to God, turning our fears over to God,
seeking a lot of guidance in our lives,
putting our trust in Him,
that we get the strength to deal with the issues that we can change. The third point in the Serenity Prayer is wisdom to realize the difference between the two, between the changeable and the unchangeable.
Because if we don't have the wisdom, then it's confusion. We'll be struggling with things that we can change. And we'll be accepting things that we can change
and of course, will not achieve
peace any measure of real peace in our lives. If we don't put them in the correct categories. So for the things that we can change, where we turn to Allah subhanaw taala asked him to help us
we have to focus on in the things that we can change first and foremost on
where where should we focus first?
Salah
Okay. What about zeca?
What about fasting, because when Ramadan, should we not focus on fasting?
In general, what we should focus on is ourselves.
Salah is a part of focusing on ourselves, but the general principle is, we should focus on ourselves when a lot of setting the bar on
the island in amanu.
Who and fusa come from narrow.
Or you will believe Save yourselves and your families from the Hellfire yourself first
is of no use to be worried about everybody else.
Put all of our energies in activities concerning others.
And we leave ourselves unsaved
This is a major error on our parts.
We cannot make real change that way. Meaning
we can
parade down the streets.
Make demonstrations for Iraq, what is happening in Iraq,
and Chechnya, and Kashmir and all over the Muslim world we can spend all year long marching for every cause out there.
But
here in Bradford,
our children are going to non Muslim schools
being destroyed by the society.
Drugs,
crime all this
is rampant amongst us.
In our jails, we have people who are happy with crime.
But we're parading down the street for Chechnya, Bosnia, for everybody.
But we are not taking care of ourselves.
Why? Why do we do that?
Because it's easy to parade down the street with black guards and make a lot of noise for Chechnya, and Kashmir. It's difficult to establish schools for our children. That takes real effort.
And our nature is to shy away from real effort. Take the path of least resistance, what's easy.
And of course, we can't make any real change that way.
We expend a lot of energy on things which are important, but not the most important.
Prioritize
putting First things first,
where do we begin? We have to begin with self.
Second,
we have to admit ultimately,
that we are powerless
without the help of Allah subhanho wa Taala
we cannot change anything.
We can identify it, we can desire to change it, but without the help of a law of God. We can't change it.
That is reality.
Now how La quwata illa Billah Binda
there is no change that hola
hola Pooja and no force no power in Binda, except by the permission of Allah.
This is reality.
These are the realities that we have to come to grips with, if we are serious about
achieving inner peace,
achieving the necessary changes to produce in our lives, inner peace. Thirdly,
we have to accept a loss of data in our lives
as being
the only power who can help us.
One is recognizing that we are powerless. The other one is accepting a law in our lives seriously.
To make that change,
accepting a law in our lives means we have to stop for a minute and really think,
do I really believe in Allah?
Or is it only a word that I say? Because everybody else around me says it?
La ilaha illAllah? There is no god worthy of worship. What?
Am I saying it as a parrot says it?
Or do I really believe it? In my heart?
Is it reflected in my actions? Or am I living as if really there is no God?
Because actions as they say, speak louder than words.
Actions speak louder than words. So if our actions are no different from those people who deny God's existence, then
where does that put us?
So for example, go back to the basic point,
Salah prayer,
what is the state of our salon?
When we turn to Allah, sincerely from arts?
Is it on a daily basis? In our five times daily prayers? Is it coming from our hearts?
Or are we praying
ritual prayers? Somebody asked you what swear Did you recite after Fatiha you so I'm not sure.
Five times daily prayer.
When does it come sincere from our heart when calamity strikes?
When the calamity strikes,
we're in trouble.
Problems are facing us. Then yes return to a loss sincerely. Oh Allah helped me.
But in reality, what kind of prayer is that?
The one who says there is no God. He denies allows existence.
But he finds himself in a circumstance.
You standing on top of the World Trade Center
when the planes hit
And he sees the Twin Towers falling.
He knows that's it. It's all over.
What does he say?
Tough luck? No. He turns out oh god, oh god, oh god.
He calls on God even more strongly than the believers around him. There are some Christian believers or who think they believe or whatever, and Muslims. He's screaming louder than everybody else
from the depths of his heart.
So we say in the end, what is the difference between him and us?
If the only sincere prayer that we make is at the time of trial, difficulty problems, then we have to question our belief.
If we can't make it real,
accepted that time,
then I'm suggesting that maybe it isn't real at all.
It isn't real.
That's what it implies.
And ask Allah to help us to make it real.
Because there is no salvation for us if it's not real.
Because yes, prophet SAW Selim did say,
whoever says law, law law will enter Paradise. But he also said Whoever said nylon law sincerely from his heart, will enter Paradise. He clarified.
The general situation, yes, wherever it says. But sincerity. And other narrations, he said, knowing?
Because, of course, a non Muslim a person who doesn't believe could say nyla and Allah.
Is that going to get him into paradise? No.
It has to be based on knowledge. And it has to be sincere.
So we have to question ourselves.
Are we sincere? And if we're not, then we have to get sincere.
We have to achieve
a level of sincerity which makes our Salah real
makes our Salah real.
Not just ritual and our fasting Ramadan is coming?
And what of this Ramadan?
What are the Ramadan which went before?
are we any different than we were before the Ramadan of last year?
Or are we in the same place? during Ramadan, we're in the masjid every evening taraweeh.
The end of Ramadan,
we don't see the masjid again for another 11 months.
Or maybe we'll catch a door.
And every year we just keep doing the same thing over and over again. Actually, from a medical perspective, this is called an obsession
where you keep doing the same thing.
Getting the same results. But you still keep doing it over and over and over again.
So this is something we have to address.
Self change can only happen if we make our belief in a law real.
And that's why I said I live in the karela he taught to my inner loop.
It is only when the remembrance of Allah that hides, find rest.
This is where the peace lies in the remembrance of Allah.
The true remembrance of Allah.
Prayer is remembrance of Allah Most primary
as Allah said,
How can the Salah mimicry established the prayer for my remembrance to remember me?
That is the goal of the prayer to remember a law and in remembering a law of the hearts find rest.
Remembering a law is not just saying so Bahama law and having dinner with the law
Akbar, these are forms of remembering a law,
liquor.
But
even in those acts of remembrance, it has to be done.
Real, it has to be done. Really. We say Su Han Omar
Alhamdulillah
wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar Allah Subhana Allah subhanaw taala mean, most of us don't even know what it means. We just say spawn La, la, la.
La from la, la.
Actually, this is not remembering a lot on Manila. That is, that is an insult. Hum LA. This is the curse number. This is an affront to Allah. This is what we're doing. After Salaam Alaikum bla bla bla bla bla bla bla.
What is this? We have to ask where to stop a minute here. You know, we have gotten into this routine, when we don't even think about it anymore. We're just going through these motions.
We have to stop ourselves. Better to say Suhana law one time
understanding what we're saying? Meaning it from our hearts than to say spatola 1000 times.
Believe me.
Spam law has no value.
It's an affront to God.
Allows name is Allah. So behind the law, not spam law.
So we really, I mean, though, we're laughing. It's actually something pathetic.
Really, it is something pathetic.
A number of times. people accept Islam.
I take them into the masjid. We sit down. They see the prayer, they do the prayer with us. And after the prayer, they're looking at Muslims.
And then they asked me, What do the Muslims doing? I see their hands are shaking.
Fingers are moving in their whole hand is shaking. During the prayer, they're fine. When the prayer is over, their hands are shaking like they have Alzheimers or
I explained to them actually they're remembering Allah
insha Allah,
we need to really be real about this. Be real about this. We need to address what we are doing.
actions which are purely ritual where we have no effort at sincerity.
Because I'm saying Of course, we may have an effort to not achieve it. But there is no effort on our part to be sincere. And those actions are useless. In fact, in the Day of Judgment, they become a Java against us. Those same hands that we were saying spawn live with is going to speak against us or Allah. He cursed you with my fingers with these fingers.
Our body parts will speak out against us. So we should use it as it was prescribed. We should remember our law, as the profits are seldom taught us. He taught us to remember him to remember lots of animal data
in a real way, in a way which would touch us would go into our hearts, it would affect us.
He told us to say is the farm 100 times more in a day. Do it regularly seek Allah's forgiveness, he would do it himself.
He was our guide.
So
we need to
be real.
We need to put our trust in the last month Allah
as he is the only one who can help us ultimately
we need to turn to him. make a change, make a commitment.
There has to come a point and we don't want to wait until the last minute. We don't want to put it off. You know next week after I make aamra or after I make
Next year, no,
we have to make a commitment now.
Because none of us knows when we walk out of this hall, what is ahead of us?
That's reality. We don't know what's ahead of us.
So we have to make that commitment. Now. We walk out of this hall we walk out,
committing ourselves to remembering Allah, remembering him in each and everything that we do,
or trying to, of course, maybe initially, we can't achieve it, because it's not something, you know, you go from zero remembrance to 100% remembrance, you know, like with the flip of a switch, no, we're not like that. It does take time we do have to work on it. And it takes effort. It's not easy.
So, this is what we need to commit ourselves to. And it is only through this as allows ready told us that we will ultimately find
inner peace,
that which we are seeking is here.
It doesn't mean that having found that element of inner peace, that we are free from any struggle, toil, difficulties, etc. But we just said
there is a balance
that we can make in our lives. Without that inner peace, then the struggle, the confusion, the problems, etc. are without and
it's extreme. Our problems have reached a level of extremity, it's extremities, it's extreme, it's difficult. It's too much because we don't have that balance. Because ultimately, what has happened to us is that this life, this world, the materials has become our goal.
This is what is most important to us. It has become the goal of life for us, and prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He said in a hadith narrated by Isaiah nefab it they did miss Abbott who wrote the wave revelation, collected the Quran in the time of Abu Bakar
made the copies in the time of man he narrated that the prophet SAW Selim said, Men can dunya hammer
for a long while a camera
watching Jalla fakra who by nine a while amiya t Mina dunya in Makati, Bella,
whoever makes this world his main concern.
Allah will scatter his affairs
and place poverty between his eyes.
And he will not acquire anything of this world except what was already written for him.
Whoever makes this world his main concern.
A law will scatter his affairs and place poverty between his eyes and he will not acquire anything of this world except what was already written for him.
Woman Canada tilaka Nita Jama Allahu Allahu Allah,
wa Jalla Hina who will be attacked hood dunya we're here are Hema
but whoever makes the hereafter his main goal.
Allah will gather his affairs,
place richness in his art
and the world will come to him conquered and submissive.
But whoever makes the hereafter his main goal,
a law will gather his affairs, place richness in his art
and the world will come to him conquered and submissive.
This is the promise of the Prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
It's clear
that peace, that richness alive the richness which Allah will put in that person's heart. This is the true richness as the promises seldom said less than Hina min Castro.
richness wealth is not from having many
possessions like in an arena, arena knifes.
A true wealth is wealth of the soul,
contentment,
finding peace with the remembrance of Allah.
So my brothers and sisters,
we asked last month Allah
to help us
to be patient
with the things in our lives which we cannot change,
to know that they are for the best
to be patient with them.
And the law will reward us for our patients and our patients, our sins will be erased
and our patients our Eman will be increased.
In our patients, we will succeed even in the times of what appears to be failure
might have appeared to fail. We might appear to be defeated.
But with patience, we have won. We have not been defeated. As the prophet SAW Salam had said
in a principle, which
Stephen Covey, coined as a win win, think, win, win, not win lose. When you're going into a situation rather than thinking win, lose, think, win win win 1400 years ago, the prophet SAW Selim enunciated that.
That way when is the case for the believer alone
for the true believer.
His case her case is a win win situation. There is no loss, he said.
The Umbrella Movement
in the umbra hula hoop.
While a sadaqa Leah had been in the lean movement, the affair of the believer is amazing. The whole of his life is beneficial.
And that is only in the case of the believer.
In a format whose or raw Shakira can affair en la vida sobre todo la sobre el en la
when good times come to him.
He is thankful and it is good for him.
And when bad times befall him, he is patient, and it is good for him.
That is the state of the believer
is contentment lies in being patient. In times of difficulty, being thankful in times of ease.
and patience in times of difficulty
is much easier
than thankfulness in times of ease.
Let's not fool ourselves.
Know that if things are going good to remember to thank a law is more difficult. It's easier to get so wrapped up in the good things that are happening and joy. You forget everything else forget the responsibilities to a loss about
remembering, being patient in times of difficulty. Even the disbeliever can do that. The disbeliever it looks at the situation.
It says no point beating my head against the wall. That's how it is. I just have to grin and bear it by the bullet
you can do that too.
But remembering a line the time of ease. That's the difficult one.
But if we're able to do that, then it is the promise of the province Our solemn that we remain in the win win situation. And in that state, we have found the balance the balance between struggle to turmoil, chaos and
serenity, peace, tranquility.
And this is what we all need. I asked last month Allah to help us to achieve it. To give us the courage to commit ourselves tonight to not walk out of here without making
That commitment to ourselves, between ourselves and Allah subhanaw taala. Because ultimately, that's where the commitment is, isn't it? It's not between you and me.
I can ask you Yes. Will you make a commitment tonight? You can say yes, but then you don't. So at the end, it's really between you and me and Allah, each and every one of us has to make that commitment between ourselves and the law, to be real. Be real about our faith.
turn our prayers, our fasting, our zakka our ombre our hands Hajj into real acts of worship,
and not traditional, customary rituals done by those.
First question, what is the cure for depression?
Depends on the cause.
People go into states of depression for a variety of different reasons.
So we can't say there's one cure all for everything.
You take it like a pill and everything goes, No one needs to look at the cause of that depression. And then find the solution within the teachings of Islam. Because it's there. In the Quran, which Allah describes as being Shiva on the math is sudo, or a cure for what is in the hearts. Depression, which affects our hearts. Its cure lies in the Quran.
read the Quran. We read regularly, and Ramadan and outside of Ramadan, read it and reflect not just reading the Arabic texts. But understanding what that Arabic Arabic text is saying to us. The cure is there.
The treatment for our illnesses or illnesses and ailments, their
situation of Muslims around the globe is a bad sad situation.
How does one How can one be satisfied and have inner peace?
If one word worries should we accept? In other words, should we accept what is happening Of course we don't accept what is happening.
We oppose it. We hate it in our hearts. But
we have to focus on those things that we can change.
Inner peace, if we focus on the things we can change, then we can achieve an element or a segment or portion of inner peace. As I said, in its totality, that is in the next life, that is paradise, without worry, without trial. without difficulty. That's the next slide.
But if it's beyond our control and our ability, then we need to focus our greater energies or our abilities in trying to change ourselves, change the things about ourselves, which are harmful to ourselves and harmful to others.
To get ourselves in line with the true teachings of Islam,
the teaching teachings which are based on belief, real belief in God,
not just lip service
to tradition, and culture,
but true belief in God.
Does spirituality or Sufism our basis in Islam? Well, I wouldn't say spirituality Sufism. spirituality, of course, is essential, and Islam to have a spiritual basis for our belief that it's not just the physical mouthing of words, yes. The spirit must be involved. The Spirit is the most important aspect of our beings. So of course, spirituality is
an essential part of Islam. If we take the spirituality out of Islam, then we end up
With blind rituals, going through the motions, Sufism, something else, where Sufism or what people may call Sufism,
I focuses on spiritual aspects of Islam, as taught by the prophet, as mentioned in the Quran, as understood by the companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, then that has a basis in Islam. But where Sufism introduces practices, ideas, concepts, which have nothing to do with Islam, which come from Hinduism, Greek philosophy, and a variety of other sources, then we say that has no basis in Islam.
Can you please suggest some methods of acquiring peace and worshiping with sincerity?
Well, we can say if we talk about worshiping with sincerity,
which would help us to remember a law.
I would say that knowing what you're saying, if we know what we're saying and Salah that's a big step forward. If we don't know what we're saying, if we have learned Fatiha, we've learned some sources. We know semi Allah, holy man, Hamada. We know what Allah can ham. But we don't know what these things mean.
Then, of course, we're in an uphill battle, struggling, how to be conscious how to reflect on a law when we're saying things that we don't even know what they mean.
So that is a starting point. No, solla no arcilla established the salon based on understanding what we say.
And then when we say it, say it with reflection, say it, reflecting on what we're saying.
That way it has meaning.
Without that, then we just run through it very quickly. And it has no impact. When the last month Allah says nuprime in the Salatin hanifa shower.
Indeed, prayer prevents evil speech and evil deeds. What kind of prayer is a lot of talking about here, the one that we are doing,
where we pray five times a day and we go out and cheat people.
Lie,
steal.
Obviously, that's not the prayer that a law prescribes. We're doing something else. Another prayer.
When a man came into the masjid with the prophet SAW some love, and his companions, and he prayed in a corner of the master. Then he came over to sit down, the brother saw send them said to him, go back and pray because you didn't pray. He went through the motions of prayer,
completed them, made his test limbs came over and above them said, Go back and pray because you didn't pray.
And
he went back and did it again. And the prophet SAW Selim told him the same thing when it came to sit down, go back and pray, because you didn't pray. He went back and did it again. Came back Sunday, Monday is when the processor was gonna tell him go back and pray, said this is the only prayer no messenger of Allah
is only one. So please tell me what I'm supposed to do. So he told us,
when you stand, you stand, and you pause, and you're standing.
When you bow, you pause, and you're bowing.
When you come out of the bowing, again, you pause in your standing, when you go down to sujood. you pause your surgery.
Now, if we look at the average prayer
of Muslims today,
you see them standing. And by the time they stood up, they're bowing. As soon as they hit the bowing, they're coming back out again. Soon as they come back home, they're going down. So it's like, you know, they're just going through a ballet, you know, they're just movements back out again. What kind of prayer is this? This is the one that the prophet SAW send them said, Go back and pray because you didn't pray. There's no pausing.
Trying to get through it as quickly as possible. I've even seen people make to seduce without even sitting up in between just lifted their head touch the ground twice.
This is the state of solid today.
So I would say that
we need to start with the law. That is the beginning.
Point, having made that commitment, accepted a law made a commitment to make a change. To remember a law sincerely, then we need to start with the most important pillar of Islam, which is Salah. That's where we need to start.
Is it wrong for Muslims
to do certain exercises to attain peace? Well, this is kind of vague. What is the certain exercise? yoga?
We have to be clear what you're talking about here. Because exercise is not going to give you inner peace. And unless you go into yoga and yoga philosophy, or you start to focus on some point focus on Omar, you know,
the theology of Hinduism. And of course, if you're going there, and that is for you, as a Muslim Hold on.
So the person who wrote this wanted to clarify what they meant by certain exercise, because included in exercises,
aerobics, you find inner peace with aerobics or karate exercise, so many different kinds of exercise, which exercise Did you mean? Who wrote this? What what exercise? Did you mean?
chemistry that comes from the brain of you do certain physical exercises, running,
climbing the mountain, it could be
any exercise in a certain moment.
Well, the point is, if you're talking about exercise in general, profit mamasan, I'm used to exercise used to wrestle used to run races with his wife used to ride in races with his companions.
So we know that Islam encourages it.
It's healthy, it's good, to be healthy, to walk to exercise, etc. So whatever physical benefits come out of it,
then that has already been endorsed.
But that is from a physical plane
that affects our body chemistry, but the spiritual element, this is only going to come through the remembrance of God.
To pray this, along with our hearts requires us to understand what you were saying, is it obligatory to learn Arabic? Yes.
It is obligatory for every Muslim to learn Arabic. This is one of the unifying elements of Islam. So that wherever you go in the world,
you go to China.
They make the Iran and China, Masters in China don't look like masters. That, you know, they make the event in China. If they made it in Chinese, you would know. But they say Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. So you know, it's the masjid, if you went in there, and the mom was leading the salaria, citing Storify in Chinese
problems.
So the Arabic unifies the Muslim world so that Muslims can pray with Muslims anywhere, regardless of their language, we can pray together and understand that prayer. So yes, that is an obligation on each and every one of us. And that is for our formal prayer. But now if you're making informal prayer supplications does not have to be an Arabic. No. It can be in your own language that you can supplications or make any time. It's not a requirement that it be an Arabic.
So it is only the form of prayer,
which is
which establish it establishes a system,
a system for life
and unifies the Muslim world.
in prayer.
If one is tried by many afflictions, is there a sign? Is this a sign that he's a true believer?
Not necessarily. He couldn't be a wretched individual and allies giving him a set of punishments. Okay.
So, trials, though Yes, the prophet SAW Selim said the prophets received the most trials.
And those most liked them received the next most.
And a lot of tries the individual based on his or her he man.
But at the same time, a lot does punish some people in this world to the major punishment is in the next life, but some people get it in this life too. So it doesn't mean necessarily if you receive a lot of trials that you are a true believer. But
if you think about it from the perspective, if you are in fact a believer,
and you are receiving the trials, and you think about it, from the perspective that this is from Allah, a test for me, that I need to be patient with, etc, then for you, it could be a sign that you are true believers.
But it's how you respond to the trials. This is what determines ultimately, is it the trial of a true believer? Or is it the punishment of a wretch?
How do you deal with anger?
You control it.
That's how you deal with it. You have to control it.
Don't get angry? Hold it. Yes. Western medicine used to say, if you feel angry, let it out. Better, rather than keeping it in your chest better to just let it out. Get it off your chest. You know, you'll feel better afterwards. But the prophet SAW Selim said don't let it out.
Keep it inside.
It's better for you. Recently, modern medicine says no, it's not good to let it out. Because when you scream at the top of your lungs, you do these things. You pop blood vessels in your brain and you can arm yourself. No, it's not better. Yeah, it is not better.
control it, struggle with it. Fight it.
Know that it is something displeasing to Allah, Allah know that it is a sign of weakness, and not one of strength
as a Bravo sauce, and I'm saying this tool, strong man is not the one who is the champion wrestler. But the one able to control his anger when he gets angry.
And the bandsaw sentiment also said if you're angry when you're standing, sit down.
And if you're angry still, when you're sitting down, lie down.
That's a difficult one in certain circumstances. But that's what he said, you know, you think about it, hey, I'm gonna have to lie down here is not good. Okay, let me control myself, Well, that's good. If it works like that, then it's good for you.
Is there any specific law linked to peace, or summer, etc.
On the profit side, sanlam gave us many
applications, he taught us as applications for all of the various circumstances in our lives.
And all of them
involve an element of peace and patience. This is something across the board. So I would just say, rather than trying to find this specific da, and sometimes we get caught up in this, you know, I find sometimes students when exam time come around, they come to me in the Islamic Center, they asked me, is there a do after pass exams?
We are supposed to make efforts on our own part, and then make supplication asking God to help us.
Right, as they say, tie your camel. You do what you're supposed to do.
You study through the year you prepare yourself. And when the time for the exam comes. You ask Allah to help you.
That's legitimate because you made the effort. But now you who's done no work. All year long. You didn't do your assignments. You didn't do all these things. Then you come to David's night before the exam. And you look at all the stuff you have to study and no, it's impossible. So you look in Oklahoma, I need a miracle here now. I need a miracle to get through this one.
doesn't work like that.
That's not what do is for to create miracles for us.
We are supposed to make the effort, we have been given the guidance, we should follow that guide apply to our lives.
And then we turn our selves to Amman, we turn our affairs over to him.
Because ultimately his help, in spite of all of the efforts we made, without his help, we still won't succeed.
in difficult times, like today, what is the best method to unite the Muslim Ummah and society, and so much division and hatred exists, even among Muslims? Well,
as I said, we start with ourselves,
start on whatever scale we can start on.
When you have a gathering,
whether it's a wedding appeal, or whatever gathering that you have,
invite some people from the other groups, the tendency here is
people from certain groups, they come together,
you know, depending on what your languages you speak or do or Bengali or whatever language you gather together. So, you know, what does that do? Does that increase the chances of unity of the oma or decreases, it decreases. So we need to invite others from some of the other groups and we know they're from different backgrounds as an Arab boys, Egyptian is a
Bengali is an African, whatever, West Indian, inviting other people into our gatherings because that's what Islam is. Islam is a multicultural
representation of humanity submitting its will to Allah, the creator of human, that's who we are. So that should be reflected in our gatherings. It's just on a social level. If we can't do that on a social level, in our little community here, then can we talk about the oma
uniting the oma
whose problems far exceed the problems that we have here?
Begin with ourselves
is the state of ourselves and the general oma so bad? Because of deficiency in tauheed?
Yes,
it is related.
Because what is tauheed?
It is accepting Allah subhanho wa Taala.
In his unique oneness,
the same thing I was just talking about, without that acceptance of a law in his unique oneness, we don't find the peace. We don't we cannot achieve
the Unity we cannot
achieve the establishment or implementation of Islam on a community level on a societal level. Yes. So heat is the key
to heat the law
and from
establishing tawheed.
We can
established our heat with the oma bring that oma together, but we need to establish first step thou heed within ourselves, accepting along
truly,
in his unique oneness, that he knows what are we doing?
We are accountable for what we do, we will have to answer.
If we sincerely believe that then we can change.
Is there any truth in the saying if there is no justice, there will be no peace?
Can there be peace without justice?
Well, this is philosophy here now.
I would say that the two are intertwined.
A lie is most just an E is the source of peace.
That true justice brings about peace.
And real peace is based on justice justice with regards to human beings with regards to the law
and the world.
Some 111 when they go shadow law, land and stop Furukawa