The Development Of The Muslim Character Through The Five Pillars Part 1
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Channel: Bilal Philips
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AI Generated Summary ©
The importance of Islam is discussed, including the development of Islam's character, generation of Islam character, and the importance of sharing one'sity and values. Social and political issues are emphasized, including the need for individuals to establish good communication and develop generosity, as well as the importance of patient behavior and creating a physical community for Muslim individuals to avoid abuse and violence. The speakers stress the need for universal culture of peace and quiet, patient behavior, and a culture change. diversity in our workforce is emphasized, along with the importance of a culture change.AI Generated Transcript ©
When are the Billa human sorority and Athena women they
may end level within the woman good little
shadow and
watch the hula Sheree Kala shadow Mohammed Abu What
about in the top of the desert?
While hiral Eddie su Mohammed in la vida he was sending them. What's out was
that in Bella? What could lepidopteran Banana, banana in
all phases due to Allah we lost him and the features help. And in him we seek forgiveness. And we seek the refuge of a law from the massiveness of our souls and the wrongdoings of all of our actions. Were about law guys, no one can lead them astray. And we're wildly left the street, no one can guide him. And I have witnessed that there's nothing worthy of worship as a DC except the law is alone. You have no partners, and I've ever witnessed that Muhammad is His servant as messengers. Surely the best This is the feast of Allah, the Book of Allah Koran and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the worst of all affairs, the newly invented matters. But every newly
invented matters innovation, every religious innovation is a stray and every astray will lead you directly to the health phenomenon.
We are fortunate this evening, to have with us
a brother who is there and near to most of us,
either directly or indirectly through his writing and his speeches.
And before we begin, I just like to read a little bit about
this particular brother who is visiting us
whose name is Amina Bilbao Philip
brother was born in Jamaica,
and grew up in Canada, where he accepted Islam in 1970.
He completed a diploma course in the Arabic language in the city of Medina, Saudi Arabia, and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree
at Islamic University of Medina in 1979.
And then, a Master's of Arts degree and Islamic theology
from the University of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia, and they
thought Islamic education
and Arabic language on the junior high and high school level at the Monaro school and
he did this from the years of 1979 to 1987. Presently, he is enrolled in the Islamic Studies oil program at the University of Wales.
Among his books,
which are many, by the way, are translations of the devil deception of the Shia
Khomeini, a modern fanatics, yeah, the Mirage in Iran,
Arabic calligraphy and manuscripts.
And it notes a nice essay on the jinn.
He has also called co authors, plural marriage in Islam and author, the Koran, new miracle, miracle,
hope or heresy, or hope inherit the evolution of the madhhab which is now revised and called evolution of
the code and the fundamentals of telehealth. And many of us know now they have two additional books to his credit, which is Islamic Studies, book one, and also salvation through repentance.
So, without belaboring this lengthy
biographical sketch of the brother shala, who have just been out to comment on the subject, development of Islamic or Muslim character through the five pillars of Islam,
alanine Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah, Karim.
Allah Allah He was Sufi for many standards in the July Ahmed Deen operates due to a law and the law of 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 top
Big
Brother mentioned is the development of Muslim character through the five pillars. And this topic is of particular significance to us. In North America, because of the fact that most of us are many of us
are either
reversed or converted to Islam, or having been born in Muslim families have come to chose to have chosen Islam at a certain point in our life. And the process by which we have learned Islam tends to be one in which we are bombarded with a body of information facts,
we learn the methodology of certain rites and rituals.
And
following that, we feel that we have now understood what Islam is about. And we're left to live our lives as Muslims.
However,
the Islamic character, or the character of the Muslim is something which has not developed
in the way that it should.
And as such, we find in spite of the large numbers of people who have ventured into Islam, and the many communities just sprung up across the country, we find that these communities, for the most part, are not
seriously
having an impact on the society around them,
we find Muslims to be in a state of fragmentation.
They come together for Juma or for a lecture or two.
But in fact,
they are fragmented, they live separate lives. And they do not truly represent a community, which will display the Muslim character to the community at large, and thereby have a serious impact on the flow of history in the North American continent.
So what I'm suggesting is that we need to look at the foundation of Islam, once again,
this foundation, which is built on the five pillars, that we're all familiar with,
but which
had a particular
understanding with regard to
the characteristics that the Muslim or one was accepted those principles should display.
Islam has laid
great stress on the development of the Muslim characters.
In fact, when all the proper Salaam was quoted as saying in Labyrinth to minima muckety muck of lamp that is,
I was only sent
to complete the most noble of character traits. Of course, we know Batman's Salah was sent for more than that. But in order to emphasize the importance of the development of that Muslim character, he said, that this was all that he was sensible
because, in fact,
the Muslim character,
if it is properly developed,
all of the qualities necessary for the establishment of Islam, on an individual as well as on a community, a national level.
And as such, he said, this is all that he was sent for.
His also said,
that
good righteousness,
righteousness, which we understand to be an expression of the pillars of Islam, the pillars of Eman, you know, what Islam has told us to do, what not to do, avoiding these things and doing what we have what we're supposed to do this that we would classify as righteousness. The problems are Solomon said that this righteousness is essentially good character.
Again, he has taken it out of the realm of the rights and the ritual that we learn and have picked
Get it to a level, which has to do with the human psyche,
the psychology of the Muslim,
how he deals with himself, how he deals with the people around him, and his relationship with God.
Most of them can.
Now, when we say character,
we're talking about, according to the dictionary definition, a combination of qualities or traits, that distinguishes an individual or group.
A combination of qualities, or traits that distinguish an individual or a group.
In the case of Islam, we're talking about the qualities
and traits, which distinguish Muslims from non
these qualities
are supposed to be
permanent quality.
Not
rites and rituals that we do. Sometimes we don't do it other times.
But expression of an inner reality,
the characteristics of the Muslim
are internal,
they are not external. Fundamentally, of course, they must show up externally, but they are coming from an internal reality, they are not an external facade,
which will change from time,
or with time and from place to place.
If we look at the five pillars,
one at a time, we can see in them
guidance in the realm of the development of human Islamic characteristics, the Shahada, the declaration of faith,
and obedience to Allah and His messenger.
This,
we are recognized to mean
that we have committed ourselves
to following whatever Alon is companion, sorry, Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad, Allah has commanded
and avoiding whatever has been prohibited by them.
And this is what we refer to as good.
And whatever was previously referred to as evil.
And from the perspective of the Shahada time,
we look at all of the events in our lives, the world events, community, society, we view everything from this foundation.
However,
this foundation, this declaration of faith,
it has a purpose.
Because
Allah does not need for us to declare our faith
is not necessary for a law
to have a
say, in law.
Because whatever is an art a lot.
So we when we are making the declaration of faith, when we come into Islam, or whenever we make that declaration of faith,
publicly, we are not doing so for the benefit of Allah.
We're doing so for the benefit of ourselves.
And it is essential that we grasp
the benefits. That is in the declaration of the for ourselves.
When we make that declaration of faith, what we are in fact,
saying is to the community at large, that we are part of that brotherhood, of faith.
We are declaring to the community that we are believers like everyone else,
and we're doing so, so that we may help ourselves in times of weakness
We know that faith is not a continual
upsurge where our faith is growing gradually, every day we can see our faith increasing know, the faith goes up, it goes down, goes up, it goes down, we try to struggle to make it going up more than it's going down. But it's not a continual upward.
Flight.
So at the times when we had our lows,
when the satanic forces will try their best to cause us to stray from the past, this is a time when we need the brothers.
So that when the brother would see one of the brothers falling, they will call on them, they will visit them, they will ask them what is happening? What's happening, brother? You know, we don't see that the masjid. No, we don't see you in the community events. No, your family seems to be separating itself from the community. Now the concern is there, so that they can help that individual get back up on its feet.
And also saw that when individuals in the community are in need, that individual can help them. So the benefits in the Shahada is for the individual who make the declaration himself or herself.
This is why it is necessary, because one who accepts this man will need the help.
And one of the best ways is to be known as Muslims will be aware of the situation that we are in.
At the same time,
there is a message to the Muslim
who seeks to develop the character of the Muslim in the Shahada.
And that message is
in
an open expression and openness
in how the individual deals with Islam, deals with the various requirements, the rights, the duty, the sexual Islam, he is open about. Islam encourages an openness. He doesn't hide, he's not secretive.
This is what is there in that declaration. We're all made to openly make that declaration. So that this is how we should be in general.
This is how he's open. If you see something wrong with his brother. He doesn't keep it to himself. And he tells it to somebody else he's open. He deals with that. He doesn't hide it resolving problems.
He comes to his brother. And he speaks about it.
He discusses it with his family is not secretive.
We find there are statements in the pond when Allah has emphasized this quality. For example, in Surah Nisa, verse 114, we find
a lot of thing last Clara seek a few minutes Robin, Robin, in the mean, in them, and I'm already sort of putting our mouth in our slush in vain and that is in most of their secret talks. There is no good, but it was the deeds of charity, goodness or consideration between people.
It is in such cases that there is good. But the general approach is that this secret meetings where people get together and talk about this and talk about that this is disliked in Islam
as a general principle, because for the most part when people get together and they talk secretively shavon gets amongst them and they end up attacking other people, it becomes personal attacks and other people you know, wearing the what comes out of it is not a positive feeling. It comes what comes out of it is a negative feeling towards other members of the community. We also find the problem as I
had said, on one occasion, when there are three people present who should not speak privately to the seclusion of the third. This is again opposing that idea of secretiveness.
Why, because as secretiveness also breeds suspicion,
when people are speaking in your presence
simply amongst themselves, you start to wonder the Bond put the idea in your mind when they're talking about me or my family or you know, my friends or whatever. This is what comes to mind almost
automatical So, Islam prohibits such behavior and encourages an openness in dealing.
What it also points to in terms of the Muslim character is that
the individual Muslim is a die or a call it to Islam by nature.
That he, because he has the ultimate truth, he does not keep it to himself. He has a duty to express it to the world around him, to his family, the people of his work, you know, whatever opportunity presents itself, he is involved in dialogue.
There is that openness.
He spreads the truth.
This is also reinforced by a number of verses in crime.
wherein you find a lot by Bhalla either condemning those who hide knowledge. As in the verse woman, outlaw women men, katha Machado is an end a woman a law, there is nothing worse than one who is
a witness he has received from a law
or we find, you know, a law of praising those who are involved in Tao and spreading the word of a law woman afternoon, how will amendment die the law? Why Milla father had no, there's none better than he who falls to a law and does righteousness.
And we find a solid thing been the one you will know if we should convey to others around us, even if all we have is one verse from the Bible, whatever knowledge we have, it is a sin, for us to hide that knowledge.
When Muslims feel that, then the character of the Muslim in terms of openness, and in terms of
become something real. You know, it's it's not something that we get together on one day in the week, you know, we make plans for we work on beautiful schemes for Dawa. But we're not living it.
We're not living it in our day to day practices.
Whether spoken, or whether
the DAO as Islam, we talk about Islam being a way of life,
then
thou is a way of life.
It is a part and parcel of the Muslim caste.
and openness,
in dealings with people,
is also an integral part of the Muslim caste.
And,
as I go through the different pillars, I'm only mentioning some aspects of the Muslim character. I'm not attempting here to try to cover all of the aspects of the most impacted because
this is only to give some kind of thoughts or reflection, that when we look back on the various Pillars of Islam, we can try to look back at them with the correct perspective, the perspective which would
nourish in us the seeds of the Muslim character.
In the case of Salah
wherein we organize our day around the worship of Allah.
This is what we have chosen to do.
When we have chosen the philosophy and the day we've chosen to make our day and a reflection of our purpose.
We hold that to be a godly person is
an ideal.
As such, our lives should be a reflection of
and that should begin with the very organization of
non Muslim. Their lives are organized around their material needs. They get up in the morning, to prepare themselves,
to go to work, to feed themselves provide enough strength
to get out and work so they can earn the necessary money to provide for the material needs. They break at midday for the same purpose lunch. They break in the afternoon, you know the afternoon break
Towards the end of work, you go home to eat again. So you can get enough, you know, strength to get up in the morning, you're ready to go again. So, I mean, it's just oiling the machine. The days are organized around the material goals that they have set for themselves in life.
For one who has set his, or her goal, as the worship of Allah, then the day must reflect that. And so the day is organized around the worship of Allah.
And Allah said very clearly in the
academic philosophy pre
established the prayer,
for my remember.
So we know the prayer is there fundamentally, so that we may remember a lot.
So that bits between the periods of prayer, we will have a consciousness, which would lead us to righteous,
because it is in the remembrance of Allah, that we are righteous.
And it is in the
forgetfulness of a law, that we become evil.
That's the bottom line, when remember a law then we are righteous, when we forget a law, then we become evil. So, we try to organize our day around the worship of the law, the remembrance of Allah, so that we may live the righteous life for which we were created.
Now,
this Salah,
it also has in it
a principle, a principle for action, in our daily life, in that it is supposed to affect
how we conduct ourselves outside of the salon, Allah says in the
in the
shower Mancha.
Very Allah prevents evil speech, and he will be.
So we have here a gauge by which we can measure the effectiveness of our follow up to what degree are we in fact, making,
it is supposed to prevent us from evil speech, and he will be.
So if we find that we are praying, we leave this alone. And we are cursing using via language, in our dealings in the people with the people around us, etc. And we're still, you know, doing
in terms of stealing or cheating, etc, you know, actions which are file action, then this is a sign to us, that the salon that we're making is not the salon which allows or deems,
what we're doing is just going through the motions.
We've got
a ritual that we perform,
which is not much different
from the captain's that one may do in karate, or Judo or something like this. They're just physical rituals that we go through with stone, our bodies, you know, keep us relatively healthy. But in terms of what it is a law had designed in the salon, we've missed.
We've missed it.
This teaches us that the Muslim in his speech, he has to control his speech.
If he hasn't got good to speak about, then he is silent as
well.
Only if
I ever say good, speak good, or Be quiet.
general advice.
It also said that if you can guarantee me what between your two jobs and between your two legs, I will guarantee you paradise.
That's telling us that one of the major forces which takes us to Hell
is our tongue.
So
for the Muslim,
the truth
the characteristic of good speech is fundamental.
And especially in the society around this word, vital speech, you know is considered
admirable.
I was reading an article into one of the newspapers just
They are going, they were talking about Will Smith from
Fresh Prince of Bel Air, you know, he's a rapper, who is just put out a new album, they mentioned in it that, you know, will now in his new album is using swear words, you know, in his first album, it was clean.
And they were explaining the rationale, you know, this will grown up now, you know, and, you know,
some of these words, using a one word was particularly degrading to women. He said that, you know, he didn't intend any degradation in it, it was just felt good, you know.
So, I mean, it's, and of course, his album is selling more than the previous album.
And this is showing us the value that is placed in, in the society on file language. I mean, if we go back some years, I mean, you look, listen to the, the dialogue in the movies and television, in the songs, etc, we find that there's been a vast change, a tremendous change. Secondly,
I mean, people are saying, well, this is more real. Now, you know, these songs, movies are reflecting our day to day life. But what it's doing is reinforcing
a
file that's of speech, which naturally creates vile characters.
Because the words have meaning.
And the words affect people.
When you're saying it, when you hear it, it's affecting your cat.
So, it's not surprising, then when we hear, you know, sometimes sad in welcome, here in New York, or New Jersey or Philadelphia, elsewhere, I've sat in on certain discussions between
husbands and wives, you know, in family situations where housing is being given by any mom or, you know, one of the brothers in the community, you know, and in the course,
of these discussions, you know, I will see, you know, a sister who is, you know, full a job and, you know, really looking is, you know, as far as the outer aspects of Islam goes, you know, and the Bible says, Well, you know, she called me at this depth and the other one.
You said that, she said,
I just, it just seemed so inconceivable to put these two things together, you know, and then she, what she said, Well, guess what he called me.
And the brothers there, you know,
that's down and everything, you know,
by accident?
Well,
I mean,
this is
the foundation.
This is how, you know, the Muslim, male and female interact
there, what do we expect from our children? You know, what can we really expect of Islam in our lives.
This will also reflect how we deal with the other brothers and sisters in the community.
So you'll find in the course, when people get heated in arguments that these words will come out,
these guys of expressions will be hurt, even in
some, something as serious as
five years on the left is people raising their voices and using you know, words, which are totally unacceptable.
And these are expressions
of
honest love Islamic characters.
So these, these are the signs. These are the signs telling us that although we have accepted the Pillars of Islam,
we really don't know them.
We really don't know
what
their meaning their effect is supposed to be.
We are only going through the motions.
Bad speech also includes backbiting.
We have many words in the file, you know where Allah has said for example, liar.
Baba, Baba,
do not fight each other.
The problem is I tell them and explain to us what is backbiting and he said that he was speaking about your brother. What he was
likes it.
And one of the companions even asked me so what if what we're saying is true. He said that's backbiting.
And if it weren't true, it would be slander, and much graver sin.
But when we sit down to talk
to brothers get together, you find that 90% of the conversation is about sources.
This one and that one, what he's doing it.
Again,
this backbiting, whether we are directly involved in it, or we're listening to it. This is a destructive factor in the development of the Muslim character.
This is why Buckingham Palace Allah
had insisted that we choose good companions, he said that you will be raised on the Day of Judgment with your friends.
The good companion is like the first few merchants.
When you get up from sitting with him, either you're gonna smell a perfume, because he gave you a bottle of perfume, or at least your clothes will smell of it, just from sitting there was you open the bottle.
So he will sit, you try to be around the godly, those who remind you of a law so that this will help you help you to develop help you to remember a lot.
You sit around those who speak good, so that that will help you to speak.
This is what we need.
This is why it's very important that we are vigilant in not only correcting our own speech patterns, speech patterns within our home, as well as speech patterns with
other Muslims.
We have to establish in our foundation of good communication
in the Muslim community, for the Muslim character,
to develop to grow, and to develop.
In the case of Zika,
we find
that Muslims are enjoined
to share a portion of their wealth
with those who are less fortunate.
And this is a duty and joined by a law
who had decided
that some of mankind would be favored over others.
Because it is a lost destiny says some of us are better off than others.
He has commanded he has ordained that those of us who are better off must share some of that wealth with our
allies said in the client and sure enough
at one well low
risk, alive favorite some of you over others infovision
This is a reality.
We're not all created equal.
In that sense.
We're created equal in the sense that we're able to find the path of worship or law
but beyond that, in terms of the material
a lot David some of us
whether it is in wealth,
children in physical appearance, etc.
As such,
and said
to those above you
is better that you looked at those below you because that will help you to remember a lot save run
it's very easy for us to forget what a lot.
So, we are enjoined not to look to those above.
And it may happen. Although and join us to look to those above us. It can still happen.
So the problems are Solomon also said if any of you looked at a person made superior to him in property and appearance.
He should also look to one inferior to him when allies favorite him over.
Because in real life though, we're enjoying not to look to them.
Above us, it's gonna happen, it means I can generally try to avoid it. But when it does happen, what we do is we automatically reflect on one with below.
So that way, we find contentment in the favors of a law.
And we can possibly, then develop the quality of generosity, which fat which the zeca is
ordained for, it is for our benefit, to develop this quality of generosity, equality, which could not be developed, if there wasn't that difference, if all of us had the same amount of wealth,
then where would the incentive to give come from?
There would be enough no one to give. So Allah has deliberately made some over others, so that that difference will be there. So the tests will be there. Our desire will say, No, we don't want to share this. But our commitment to God helps us to overcome that desire and share it.
And as such, we strive to develop and grow with the spiritual characteristics of generosity, which is fundamental to the Muslim character.
I think that
we're on the verge of mothering.
So, I will stop at this point. And allow those of you who don't have to do to go ahead and make
and
allow for the event to take place and we prepare for Salah inshallah will continue after the salon.
Tomorrow.
Before we begin, continue, brothers and sisters, I just like to
mention the format of the several hours given his lecture. The comments is all love and questions and answers will be in two parts. The first part of the questions and answers will be about the topic that is you send up your papers. This is also from downstairs, you send up your papers with the questions written on them. And these questions will be only pertaining to the topic
of developing the Muslim character through the five pillars. After we exhaust those questions and answers, then the next part of the questions and answers will be revolving around the book that he has written.
That will be the second part of the questions
revolving around the book that he has written.
On the left, was Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah.
always used to Alon last Peace and blessings granted last messenger.
We were talking about the cat.
And what it was to develop
the Muslim character. He said, one it was to develop generosity
and the effects of generosity
on the society
from a point of view of promoting Islam
is something whose effects are really measurable.
I have personally witnessed
in Saudi Arabia,
in the mom,
I spent about two and a half months with the troops who are being processed out of the country.
And in the particular Center, where I was observed many people accepting Islam.
In fact, in that area, over 5000
American troops accepted Islam.
About 70% of them were what we call black Americans and about 30% white American
males and females. And in this particular sense of where I was at my 11 chaplains accepted Islam.
And
what I observed
from a number of the people in the course of discussions, you know, concerning because the center was under the title of the
Saudi Arabian cultural information,
but of course, this was right in the middle
Have the, you know, American
processing area, and it would never allow us to set up a template set, you know,
Islamic center or whatever, you know, although this desk became known as the conversion center, you know, once the numbers started to come through, but
in the course of discussion,
because part of the format of the the DAO, in the sense was open discussion where, you know, large groups of people at a time, maybe about 100 150 people at a time, will just be firing away questions, you know, discussing their experiences, etc. One of the things that a number of them mentioned, was
the impression of the people generosity on them. I mean, many of these guys were out in the desert.
You know, we didn't come into the cities, they just spent the time out on the desert. And they would see a camel herder come along with his camels or sheep
come out, it's what appeared to be from nowhere, set up this tent, when he spotted them, he would call them over,
they would come over and he would light a little fire and brew some tea or some coffee.
After them some days,
he couldn't speak a word of English, and they couldn't speak a word of Arabic, they would just sit there and smile at each other.
And it really amazed them how this person you know, could, could be that open that that generous to them, you know, just something that they had not experienced before in their lives. You know, one brother told me some and I've been in Japan, I've been in Addis. I've never met people. So, so generous. So
this, of course, not to say, I mean, I'm sure you've had dealings with many other Arabs who don't have these characteristics. But the people on the desert, you know, who tend not to be influenced by the
cultural changes which have happened in, in societies as in Saudi Arabia, you know, they still display some of that natural generosity, which has been inherited, you know, on which has its basis actually in Islam. And this is why we try to explain when they ask, you know, why did they do that, with explain to them what really Islam enjoys, that is what Islam teaches, you know,
so, and
those who are generous, are particularly attractive.
So even from a point of view of Dawa, it behooves Muslims to display the kind of generosity which Islam commands. But beyond that display, it is essential that that generosity Be a part and parcel of each individual's character. When people come to their home, if they're eating, they invite them to eat, they don't, you know, keep them in the outer room and finish their meal, and then come and sit down and talk with them. I mean, this is not the Muslim way is one thing you find, if you go into traditional Muslim societies, automatically, you come in whatever food they have, they're gonna invite you to come and sit.
Because the foreigners are Solomon said, what's good for two is good for three.
mean this is the Islamic attitude of sharing.
And what this also breeds
in the Muslim character, is contentment.
Because a person for him to share, he has to be contented with what he has.
If he's not, if he feels, I don't have enough, I need more, I got to have more, it's very difficult for him to share what he has.
So he has to have a certain level of contentment, which we said that Islam promotes through not looking all the time with those people above us. We're looking to those below us so we can understand the laws, blessings on us and be thankful. And in being sensible, then we will be also willing to share and that breeds peace.
Because we all say and we know that Islam means submission to the will of Allah. And it also means peace, we say that, you know, comes from the root word, you know, seen lamb mean, you know, which essentially means peace, salaam, Islam, all of these are interrelated.
But yet,
most of us don't have peace in our lives.
We're not at peace, though we're saying that Islam means peace. We're not
A piece.
And that lack of peace in the character of the individual will be evident in how that individual deals with the people around him, how he deals with his family, and lack of peace. And one big chunk of that piece comes out of contentment
doesn't mean you don't strive to improve your situation. But when you strive, you dependent on one.
So you don't become frustrated, when the things that you have striven for do not come.
Because Allah knows what's best.
You may seek something, and it's not good for you.
And you may hate something which is in fact good for you
a lot, so many places in the reminder.
so that we may find contentment, contentment,
and ultimate contentment
comes with the remembrance of Allah, Allah, Allah He topped mine,
which the salon was supposed to be developing in the remembrance of Allah, and through that remembrance of what alive given us, so we become generous, we become content and our hearts find rest.
And this is one of the characteristics which distinguishes the Muslims from the nuns,
if we are just as, as been some, you know, gathering as much as the material world as we can, you know, you know, doing everything with the desire to do their work really is the difference between us and the non Muslims.
We are displaying the characteristics of the month.
What is in fact, the Muslim pact,
which
is a foundation of
has not
developed.
So, again, we go through the ritual, of paying yearly and amount of money, but the meaning of that is lost on us. So we don't grow. We just feel grudgingly, Oh, we got to do this, because Islam says it's like people grudgingly makes a lie, you know, time for the Lord comes, you feel
you know, if the mom takes too long, any hurry up with this reading in the long store for you.
This is the kind of attitude that we tend to approach the salon, you know, get it out of the way as quickly as possible. You know, it's a burden on our back
is a guy's a burden. But in fact, these are releases.
These are methods by which we do ourselves into a law and find a relief from the burdens of our day to day life.
So we're supposed to be going into the salon with desire, a desire to pray, coming out feeling refreshed.
wondering, when is the next salon.
I mean, that's how we're supposed to be going in fortunately, you know, that's not what's happening. So it means in essence, that we are practicing rituals,
right?
But we are not benefiting from them.
And of course, such rites and rituals become a curse for us on the Day of Judgment. Instead of becoming a means of attaining righteous deeds and helping us to get into paradise, they become a curse for us, we will be cursed by them
on the Day of Judgment,
faxing,
so, we know, basically controls
the main two
drives that the human being has the most powerful to drive the drives for food. And connected with food is a material
well being and sex for Islam provides the means of putting that into harness,
to put it under control,
so that the individual can rise above the animal.
I mean, these desires we have we share with the animals.
I mean, this is not the desire for food and the desire for sex, the animals,
fishes, birds, everybody.
But what makes us different is that we also have a soul, the mind that can choose not to follow those desires.
can choose only to fulfill those desires in a mode which has been prescribed by a law. That's what makes the difference.
And it is the Muslim, the believer who
gets control of these desires get out of fasting, that sense of control, which will make him different now from the nuns.
So when you're in this society, especially when he's moving about
the mail, and he sees all the nakedness, etc, around him,
he's not tracking his head from left to right, you know, the way the non Muslims do, you know?
And people will notice that
people will be surprised, you know,
what's it about the sky, I mean, are you home or something that
you don't get even sex, you know, that you got this is an end for you, to introduce something of Islam to that individual.
This is probably the Muslim character, that He guides his eyes.
to guide his eyes, the idea of guarding his eyes, this is to protect himself, sexually, he tries to do different things in life, in his day to day life, which minimize the sexuality of his existence. he avoids magazines, you know, which have nakedness in them.
movies, television, I'm not saying that he never goes ever to a movie or he never watches television. But he would only do so if he could find something, which could be classified as halau.
Because for a Muslim,
to sit in front of the television, or in front of a movie screen, and watch people take off their clothes and
do the sexual act. This is despicable.
This is prohibited. This is how
without adults.
And if somebody were to tell you to go and peep in that keyhole, you know, to look at those people. I mean, he was
peeping Thomas's for everything, but yet you're gonna sit in front of the television, or sit in the movie house, and watch people do the same thing.
Law is an act. Really, this is no different. In essence,
it is haram.
And what that does is when it when people are involved in watching that type of thing, it maintains a high level of sexuality in their character, in their dealings with people. You know, when they talk to people, they'll be hearing nuances. There'll be seeing in people's eyes, and, you know, when they shake hands, or you know, it all, somebody accidentally brushes them, you know, everything, everything that will be happening around them, they'll be reading into it, sexuality, because that's what they're about, to see. And that's not the Muslim cat. And this is why, you know, for a number of us when we first went over to the east, for example, and, you know, we met
Muslims from the east who would want to hold our hands
full in our hands.
Because the act of holding hands, I mean, this is it's got sexual connotations. You know, I mean, this is this is part of, part of what is great in this society, you know, and this is why Islam you know, enjoins us when we standing in prayer that we are next to each other, we that contact is sex free.
You know, that's the way we should be able to function.
This is the Muslim character is not reading sex into everything.
And
a, an essential part of that character, insert on a very basic material level, is that the Muslim
he eats moderately.
He's in a society which promotes you know,
the full range of desires as far as food goes, but he controls himself. He avoid eating junk. You know, I cannot say to you, junk food is haram. But the Muslim character would not be involved in junk food.
Because he knows that his body is something given to him or
Her by a law. And as such, they have a responsibility to look after my body. So they know that this is junk.
Why are they going to put it in the system just because it tastes good. But the thing is that that's what fasting was about, helping to break down that kind of that kind of desire to have everything which tastes good.
Because eating is not about what tastes good, because there are some things which tastes good like pain, which is how
there are things that taste good, which are harmful to us.
So, eating is not fundamentally, you know, the the act of pleasure, for the pleasure of eating,
it is fundamentally for the nourishment of our bodies, The pleasure is a side effect,
not the primary.
So when we keep the primary factor in terms of eating in mind, and we would naturally avoid much of the junk that is around there. And in doing that, we'd also save money.
Because when we looking at daily budget, how much we spend on junk, and then we wonder at the end of the month, we don't have enough money to make ends meet, but if you add up all that junk food that people eat, you know,
they will provide them extra body of money there.
So, look him in his character, he is a moderate eater, and he chooses carefully watch he or she
and
the problem is our fellow had given us a sort of definition of the Muslim character with regards to eating which separates the believer from the non believer he said, in the movement, yeah, cool man man.
Without Wi Fi sub icmr
Valley the believer eats from one gut
and the disbeliever from seven.
This is a characteristic of a believer.
He as if he has one
stomach
with this believe he says if he had seven, he just goes out
with a believer his cookies choose he eats with only his right hand. You know, this is some of the benefits that come out of it, you know, cuz if you can eat with both hands, then you know, you can be coming from both sides, right? You're drinking eating at the same time, but now you only have one and you gotta flip down and you pick up the other one itself to slow you down. You know,
I mean, this is some of the wisdom behind I mean, there was other factors involved, you know, but this is some of the wisdom that is near and helps that individual, we are not allowed to blow on the food when it's too hot. You know, again, you know, when you you when you're just into food, man, you just go in there, it's
great, it's good use what I did anyway, the delivery waste until it cools down
are some of the characteristics
we eat, if you drink the 30 leaves a third for breathing.
This is part of that caster. And as such, the problem is that the limit is talking about the size of the last day he said, we have heard he was talking about the Muslims and they will appear amongst them, the Muslim
people.
I mean,
people who have get glandular problems, but it starts to become common amongst Muslims, you know, because of the wealth and you know, indulging in the pleasures of the world that they're characterized as being fat people.
This is one of the warnings from
men in spite of, you know, the societal attitudes towards skinny and fat etc. Islam does take a particular position.
And this is what you know, kept the early Muslims vigorous and able to deal with you know, the forces which surrounded them which were much greater than them because they were healthy people.
They were able to get up as one body and take on the nation's around them. They didn't have the arms the means they had the faith and they were physically ready to give their lives
for them and also send it the worst thing a man can fill in the stomach.
These are all
gems of guidance
which distinguishes the believer again as I say when you go sit, eating at lunch break with your with the other non Muslims around you. There should be a difference in the way that you eat from the way they eat.
And if there is it will become noticeable to them
and they will question why
And this is again an in for dollar.
However, even in the area of eating Islam also takes into account the need and necessity circumstances. Because no, we should take this modern attitude towards eating, you know, controlled yet at the same time the problems as Alan was reported to have said either what Dr. Nasha Timothy Sala
bill Asha, if supper is served, and the karma for prayer is made, beginners suffer first.
This is like the opposite thing if food comes and the prayer is saying hi, Ella, Salah halal fella come to Salah comes to success and you're, you're leaving that and eating the seems to be turning the principle around but no,
no, this is not the case. The case is that if food is put down in front of you,
and your karma is given, when you get up to try and pray, your mind is not going to be on that somehow Your mind is on the food still. So for your salad to be of benefit to you, Islam ordains, that is better you go eat first, then you go and pray. So you remove that from yourself. And then you can, you know, send before Allah and really benefits from your salon.
One of the things also that fasting develops in terms of the Muslim character is also patient.
Because in
gaining control of the desires for food and sex,
there is in it patience. Because when you break the fast
This is when now the lessons of the fast.
See, most people think that the fast is from the dawn to the sunset. But actually, the lessons of the fast come in before dawn and after sunset. Because if you break the fast with a three course meal, then you didn't get the lesson of the fast.
When you break the fast, you are supposed to come in to a light meal.
So you're gaining patience because your whole system is telling you feed me feed me. But you are coming out of that fast, gently
development of that patient, when you're going into the fast and so forth, it's supposed to be a light meal.
Again, if you eat the three course meal, so you don't feel hungry all the way through the five. And you really have benefited from this should be a light meal going in. So that you can experience hunger you can be involved in struggle, and a light meal coming up later on. No You can eat some more. But the point is that this is when the patients come,
you are now to put into practice the principles of
self control.
And of course, you know patience is something which we know is fundamental to success in this life. We have a whole surah
sort of offer, wherein patience is given as the essence.
After righteous deeds, it is to enjoy and each other to be patient.
When a loss talks into a buffer about the tests that will come to us
with the loss of life and wealth.
He closes the verse by saying well bestiaries poverty and give glad tidings to those who are patient
because this patient, ultimately which will get us through this life to paradise. Patients as a result also faith. Obviously we're not separating patients from faith. Because this life is a series of tough, it's drawing us to be impatient. And we are created in a state of impatience. We tend to be impatient, but we have to struggle against it and maintain an even keel control ourselves. As Bob Gosselin saved his life for a believer
is a prison. And it is paradise for the disbeliever. So this patient, that's what the prison is prison of patients
where we control ourselves, this delivery goes anything anything goes. It's your thing, you know,
but for the believer, it's a prison set by himself for his own protection and patience is what carries him through
has of course, an ombre
underlie the universality of Islam.
It teaches that the Muslim character
is not nationalistic.
He's not racialist.
He's not tribalistic.
This is the message for the Muslim character in hatch, because he's Muslim now is meeting Muslims from all over the world.
This shows him the universality of Islam in the sense that it's not limited to anyone, people.
But at the same time, it is teaching him that he should, in his day to day life, express that universality
that he deals with people, as people.
He doesn't judge people,
according to their nationality, their race, or their tribe.
He judges people according to their faith, or lack of it, and their dealings.
How we judge people,
he is an individual who is not an isolationist.
He mixes with people, proper mythos elements said, the believer who mixes with people, and there's their arm is better than the believer who does not mix with people
do this better. The Spider Man character, he's social, he doesn't isolate himself, he doesn't cut himself off from the rest of the community. Regardless of what is happening, he has a role to play as a part of that community.
But that community
has to be
a real community.
And this is one of the things that is today lacking in Islam in the West,
that Muslims are fragmented,
little islands in and unto themselves.
The Masjid is located one place, and Muslims are scattered. In many other places, maybe a school is over there.
Or maybe not.
Each individual is under constant attack
from the environment around him.
And in my estimation, from what I have observed, here in North American and Central American Muslim communities that are developing,
until they
come to a realization of the necessity
for hedra
within their communities, or within their region, within their locale, wherein they can create
real Muslim communities,
living Muslim communities,
according to the principles of Islam, then they will forever be plagued with the problems of that fragmentation.
Families are individual families, what goes on in one family nobody knows about. So women may be oppressed. Children may be abused, you know, and it is not the concern of anybody else. Whereas in the Islamic community, it should be the concern of the whole community. And if the Muslims were living as a body, then it would be very difficult for an individual, for example, to abuse his wife and to abuse his child. Because whilst he's by himself, in an apartment, you know, or in a house, if he beats his wife and child and they scream, the neighbors will hear it, no big deal. They're hearing screams all the time. Screams are coming out of their homes. Right?
Whereas if that individual was living now, that family existed within a Muslim community, a Muslim, they were neighbors, if you hear a scream, you're running through the front door banging on the door, what's happening? What's going on?
So that individual, though he may have the desire to beat on his wife or to abuse his children, he wouldn't just out of the embarrassment. I mean, it's not to say that that's the best. I mean, he should not do it because he should feel it's wrong. But for the protection of the family,
that physical community will provide
a protection for them in this manner, by embarrassing that individual to not commit such crimes.
And this all
So is essential for the children,
children now scattered all over the place. They don't have peer groups.
You don't if they get together in a massive the few children that come, you know, some kids are real big, some are real small. I mean, they can't develop real friendships.
Whereas in that physical community where the kids are interacting all the time, I mean, the friendships that are necessary, the new peer groups can be formed,
instead of the children being put on to the pressures that exist in the public school system.
And as a result, we see
with our own eyes,
a huge percentage of the Muslim children leaving Islam in droves, once they graduate, or even before they graduate, from the high school, junior high school system, this is what we're plagued with. I know 15 years ago,
when I, you know, around the time when I accepted Islam, myself and other Muslim Congress, we used to look at the immigrant Muslims and same people.
Look at a kid, you know, married non Muslims, and, you know, getting into marijuana and all these other things, you know, even Islam. But now, 15 years later, we turn around and see our own children doing the same thing.
And it isn't, it's up to us to to stop that process. It is up to us to make the kind of sacrifices necessary to make Islam real on a societal basis. We can't use the methods of the answer.
You know, because those are prohibited methods.
But what they have ended up with the end result in the terms of that community, we need something which is similar.
But because we don't have the kind of pressures that they have, then it requires more on the parts of the individual.
But the reality is that when people come together
as a body,
what you will find is that this will create in the individual, a willingness to strive and to sacrifice that he will you will not find for that individual when he's on his own.
Because when he's on his own with his wife, and children, he's concerned about what's going to happen to my wife and kids, if I go do this, what's gonna happen to my wife and kids, who's gonna look after my wife and kids. But when he is in that physical community where the bond is there, and he knows if he dies, something happens to him, that community is going to be there for his family, for himself and for his family, then that will give him the impetus to make the kind of sacrifices that we can't see today that we know we need to establish this club, but we can't find
people are not prepared to do it.
Because that universal view of Islam,
which requires the establishment of that Universal Community, is not a real part of the Muslim character.
You see, we will still hear in people's talk in their expressions, things which indicate nationalism, things which indicate racialism, and even tribalism, tribalism for us is like you come from New Jersey, and they come from New York. You know, that's the tribalism version, right? I mean, you hear these kind of things still in people's speech.
And the public sentiment says men die and that also vlsm in the world, because this racialism tribalism, nationalism is not.
It is not a part and parcel of the Muslim character.
He is international. He is not bound by any locality, or by any racial group that he happens to be born in.
He is a universal
Muslim, individual, the whole earth is his home. And wherever Islam can be established, wherever he can practice Islam, that's the place that he seeks.
This is the universal outlook, which Islam seeks to develop within the character of the believer.
What comes along with this universal outlook, because when you're looking at people as people,
and not judging them according to these
narrow characteristics,
it produces an individual who should be optimistic.
As the problems as Alan said that the believer is optimistic, he's not pessimistic.
When he deals with people, he gives them the benefit of the doubt.
He doesn't judge them criminals, before he has dealt with them.
And what this does, of course, is it removes from the height of the individual suspicion, not a suspicious person by nature. But of course, this is a principle, this is the capture of the Muslim, the true Muslim. But when you live in society in this fragmented form, we're all the people around you, you know, are not subscribing to these views. And you are you are obliged to become suspicious,
you're obliged to be pessimistic, you know. So this is why I'm saying that, until that community is really formed many of these characteristics, it will be very difficult for the individual to develop them very difficult.
Because it's in that physical community, where a person can can, can develop the kind of optimism, which comes from striving together with other people, you know, making the similar sacrifices, going through the difficulties, getting the help of others and helping others. This is what now produces in that individual, the kind of optimism, which gives him the impetus now to really take Islam to the nation.
So, in summary,
we said that
Islam goes beyond the rights and the ritual that we have learned.
We need the rites and rituals, because they are like the framework, the blueprints, but there is something which is supposed to come from those rites and rituals. And among those things, is the evolution of the Muslim character.
We've come into Islam, and we carry with us all of the characteristics that we had before Islam. And nobody expects a person to come into Islam and automatically, you know, change. It comes with struggle, striving. So it means it's something we have to work on. It's not something which is automatic, it's true problems. As Ellen says, Islam, the acceptance of Islam, wipes out what came before, it means that you know, you're clear on those things.
Those things that you did before Islam, you're clearable.
But it doesn't mean that they're clear of you.
They can become a part of you again, once you do that, deliberately attempt to change your character, to live the Pillars of Islam
in such a way that your character reflects the characteristics that Islam has enjoyed in us through these fundamental pillars, pillars.
So what I'm saying fundamentally, is,
we have to get back to basics. It's good to increase our knowledge, you know, we need to attend classes, to increase our knowledge of Islam in general to understand the workings of Islam in society on a, you know, international level, the problems that Muslims are facing and all these different things.
However, our success in this life
will depend fundamentally on how successful we are in internalizing the basics.
This is what our success depends on our ability to internalize to make a part of our life, the basic principles which Islam teaches, in the five pillars, and all the other aspects of the Islamic rites and rituals.
And I would hope, that inshallah we can
take a step from here, a new step, a step forward, in which we will reanalyze ourselves in the light of the pillars of Islam, so that we may become the Muslim
characters, we may display the Muslim characteristics that would have the kind of impact on the society. I would produce the kind of Muslim communities that could make a difference in the flow of history in this part of the world.
hold our cattle