Ebrahim Bham – The positives of the Material world

Ebrahim Bham
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The speaker discusses the challenges faced by the material world and the importance of avoiding denying the reality and not giving priority to important aspects of life. They emphasize the need for people to consider their past and the success of Islam in bringing peace and building a culture. The wealth and success of Islam is also highlighted, with emphasis on the importance of technology in benefiting the community and bringing peace and building a culture.

AI: Summary ©

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			Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillahi wahdah, wassalatu wassalamu ala man la
		
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			nabiyya ba'dah.
		
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			Amma ba'du khawmu billahi minash shaitanir rajim, bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
		
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			I'lamu annamal hayatu dunya la'ibu walah.
		
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			Wa qala ta'ala fa idha qudiatil salatu
		
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			fama tasharufil ardi wa abtaguhu mina fadlillah.
		
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			Wa dhukur Allaha kathiran la'allakum tuflihoon.
		
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			Sadaqallahul Azeem.
		
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			My dear respected elders and brothers, you and
		
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			I, we live in this material world.
		
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			And this material world that you and I
		
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			live in presents us with some dilemmas, some
		
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			challenges.
		
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			And what are the challenges, I will relate
		
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			them and perhaps look at the solution with
		
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			regard to those challenges and those dilemmas.
		
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			The first challenge, let me explain, that we
		
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			live in this world, we have heard our
		
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			ulema, we have also heard the Quranic verses,
		
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			which tells us about this material world being
		
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			amusement and play.
		
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			Anyone who reads the Quran will come upon
		
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			verses of the Quran which tells us, I
		
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			'lamu annamal hayatu dunya la'ibu walah.
		
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			This material world is amusement and play.
		
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			Fala taghurrannakum walhayatu dunya.
		
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			Says Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in surah
		
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			Luqman, don't let this material world deceive you.
		
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			So many times we have heard ulema, we
		
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			have heard religious scholars warning us about the
		
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			deceitful nature of this material world.
		
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			Yet at the same time, let us all
		
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			admit, we all enjoy the ni'mats of this
		
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			material world.
		
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			We enjoy the pleasures of this material world.
		
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			And no one can say he doesn't enjoy
		
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			the beautiful aspects and attractions of this material
		
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			world.
		
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			And to a certain extent, Allah has kept
		
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			it within us that we love certain things
		
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			of this material world.
		
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			Allah ta'ala in surah Ali Imran says,
		
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			Allah has adorned certain of these beautiful things
		
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			of this material world that you love.
		
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			We love the wealth.
		
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			There are other things that we in this
		
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			world, Allah ta'ala has said, He has
		
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			made it appealing.
		
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			So Allah has mentioned with regard to this.
		
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			Allah has also told us, The material world
		
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			and the attractions which are halal, don't make
		
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			it haram.
		
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			Don't make haram, tayyibat, the wholesome attractions and
		
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			the wholesome beauties of the material world.
		
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			So now, how do we find the balance
		
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			between the two?
		
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			One is, we are living in this world.
		
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			We cannot live in this world and deny
		
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			the reality of us being in this world.
		
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			And Allah ta'ala has also kept within
		
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			us the love of certain things of this
		
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			material world.
		
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			Allah ta'ala in the holy Quran for
		
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			example tells us, Allah has made the world,
		
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			the material world, amal.
		
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			Amal of course means the material world, the
		
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			wealth.
		
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			Allah has made it a means of existence
		
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			for you.
		
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			Without which it becomes difficult for you to
		
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			live in this world.
		
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			So we cannot deny the reality, we are
		
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			in this world.
		
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			And Allah ta'ala has not mentioned that
		
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			we are supposed to stay away from this
		
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			world, the attractions of this world, the responsibilities
		
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			of this material world.
		
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			Allah has not told us to stay away
		
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			from it.
		
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			What Allah ta'ala has told us is
		
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			that we must not deny the reality, but
		
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			we must not give it primacy, and we
		
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			must not give it priority over more important
		
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			aspects of life.
		
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			Now look at this beautiful verse in the
		
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			holy Quran.
		
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			Tell unto the people of Prophet of Almighty
		
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			Allah.
		
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			All these particular attractions and things that we
		
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			find appealing in this world, to children, to
		
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			parents, to extended family.
		
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			The wealth that you accumulate.
		
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			The businesses.
		
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			Now what is the greatest fear with regard
		
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			to any businessman?
		
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			That there must not be a loss and
		
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			there must not be a downscale in my
		
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			profits.
		
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			So Allah ta'ala says the businesses that
		
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			you fear loss in.
		
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			The homes that you live in.
		
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			And sometimes we spend great amount of time
		
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			in our homes to be able to make
		
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			it beautiful for us to live.
		
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			Now look at the words and I ask
		
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			you to think about these words.
		
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			Is it more beloved to you than Allah
		
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			and his Rasul and striving in the path
		
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			of Allah?
		
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			Now why did Allah ta'ala use the
		
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			word ahabba, more beloved?
		
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			That means it is beloved.
		
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			No one can tell you the house that
		
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			you are living in is not beloved to
		
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			you.
		
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			No one can tell you the wealth that
		
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			you have is not...
		
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			If you don't have love for it, you
		
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			are not going to preserve it.
		
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			You are not going to look after it.
		
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			So Allah didn't say it is not beloved.
		
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			Allah ta'ala says it must not be
		
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			more beloved to you than Allah and his
		
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			Rasul.
		
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			And not more beloved to you than striving
		
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			in the path of Almighty Allah and striving
		
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			for deen.
		
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			Now that gives us some form of balance
		
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			with regard to this particular aspect.
		
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			Now let me give you the two aspects.
		
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			The apprehension and the opportunities.
		
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			And in every particular aspect, even in deen,
		
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			Allah ta'ala has told us...
		
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			For example, there is a hadith of Nabiya
		
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			Karim s.a.w. Iman is between fear
		
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			and hope.
		
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			So one is you fear Allah ta'ala
		
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			with regard to your sins and your shortcomings,
		
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			but you also have hope in the mercy
		
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			of Allah.
		
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			In a similar manner with regard to this
		
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			material world, there are apprehensions and there are
		
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			potentials.
		
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			There is apprehension.
		
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			Now what do you do with any particular...
		
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			You know, you always look at any business
		
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			in leadership courses, they always tell you with
		
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			regard to...
		
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			You know, fulfill your potentials and keep away
		
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			from the apprehensions.
		
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			All the things that are of danger, you
		
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			keep away from it and you try to
		
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			fulfill the potentials.
		
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			Now the first thing is, let us look
		
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			at the apprehension.
		
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			In every book of hadith, and the books
		
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			of hadith is the one that we preserve,
		
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			the teachings of our beloved Nabi s.a
		
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			.w., the sayings of Prophet s.a.w.
		
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			In every book of hadith, there is a
		
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			chapter known as Kitab ul-Riqaq.
		
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			Riqaq means soft-heartedness.
		
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			And in this chapter, you only find a
		
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			hadith in which Nabiya Karim s.a.w.
		
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			sayings are there with regard to the temporary
		
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			nature of this world, to not make this
		
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			material world the be-all and end-all
		
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			of your existence, to not make it the
		
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			sole reason for your living, to not make
		
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			all your happiness and sadness only surround this
		
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			material world, and also tells you that there
		
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			is a world after this world, which is
		
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			more just, more evolved, more permanent than the
		
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			world that you are living in.
		
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			And success is not what you do in
		
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			this 50, 60, 70, 80 years of your
		
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			life, but real success is where a person
		
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			gains success in the everlasting world of the
		
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			hereafter.
		
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			So Allah Ta'ala in the Holy Quran,
		
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			in Surah Ali Imran, Allah Ta'ala has
		
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			made mention of a verse, which Allah has
		
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			given a very unique definition of success.
		
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			فَمَنْ زُحْزِهَا عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازْ
		
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			He who saves himself through the means of
		
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			his a'mal from Jahannam, and gain entry into
		
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			Jannah by his a'mal and the grace of
		
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			Allah Ta'ala, and the grace of Allah
		
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			Ta'ala is earned by your a'mal, your
		
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			good deeds, فَقَدْ فَازْ He is successful.
		
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			Today you and I, what is our definition
		
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			of success?
		
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			Our definition of success, a person has got
		
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			a beautiful car, a beautiful home, he's got
		
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			a good standard of living, that is success.
		
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			But look at this definition of success.
		
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			He who has made himself worthy of entry
		
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			into Jannah, and saved himself from Jahannam, فَقَدْ
		
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			فَازْ He is successful.
		
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			So this is what Allah Ta'ala in
		
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			the world, the apprehension.
		
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			The first thing that we learn from the
		
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			Quran and Hadith is, the material world in
		
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			itself, and I'm using this word very deliberately,
		
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			the material world in itself does not have
		
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			any value in the eyes of Allah Ta
		
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			'ala.
		
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			It only becomes valuable if you use the
		
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			material world, the talent that you've got in
		
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			this world, your health, your wealth, for the
		
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			sake of higher objectives.
		
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			But in itself, it has got no value
		
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			in the eyes of Allah Ta'ala.
		
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			Therefore Nabi-e-Karim SAW had said, if
		
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			this material world had any value in the
		
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			eyes of Allah Ta'ala, then Allah Ta
		
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			'ala would not have given a glass of
		
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			water to a disbeliever to drink.
		
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			But it doesn't have value in the eyes
		
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			of Allah.
		
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			Now look at this verse in the Holy
		
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			Quran.
		
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			Once again, I appeal to you for your
		
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			consideration and your understanding.
		
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			How Allah puts things forward for us to
		
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			understand.
		
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			وَلَوْ لَأَن يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَحِدًا Had it
		
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			not been for this fear, that everyone would
		
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			have been on one path, on one ummah,
		
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			one teachings, رَجْعَلْنَا I would have made, says
		
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			Allah, لِمَن يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَانِ For the one who
		
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			denies Allah, لِبُيُوتِهِمْ I would have given him
		
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			such a home.
		
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			سُقُفٌ مِّن فِدَّة The staircase of that home
		
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			would have been made of silver.
		
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			وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَزْهَرُونَ وَزُخْرُفَةً The staircases would have
		
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			been made of silver.
		
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			Alhamdulillah, you've got beautiful homes in the surroundings,
		
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			but I don't think anyone's staircase is made
		
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			of silver.
		
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			But all the beautiful homes, Allah says, I
		
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			would have given it freely.
		
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			To whom would I have given it to?
		
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			To those who deny Allah Ta'ala.
		
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			Why didn't I give it?
		
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			You know why I didn't give it?
		
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			For the sake of their palatial homes, people
		
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			would have sold and compromised their religion.
		
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			They would have queued up to deny Allah
		
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			Ta'ala to get this wealth.
		
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			Now that is the value of wealth.
		
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			Had it not been for the fear that
		
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			people would have lost their deed, I would
		
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			have given them wealth freely.
		
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			Allah Ta'ala makes mention of it in
		
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			Holy Quran.
		
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			Allah Ta'ala says, وَإِن كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَّا
		
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			مَتَّاءُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا At the end of this
		
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			world is only commodities of this material world.
		
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			It is not the criteria for success and
		
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			it is not the criteria that you have
		
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			earned much or you have become very great
		
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			by having some of these palatial homes or
		
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			anything.
		
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			So understand how Allah Ta'ala had put
		
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			it.
		
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			The material world in itself, it is worthless
		
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			in the eyes of Almighty Allah subhanahu wa
		
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			ta'ala.
		
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			Therefore Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used
		
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			to make this dua, اللهم لا تجعل الدنيا
		
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			أكبر أحمنا Oh Allah, do not make this
		
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			material world the highest of our aspirations.
		
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			And this is something said, we have reached
		
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			and everyone has to actually examine ourselves.
		
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			Is that what we are making?
		
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			But that is something that Nabiye Karim sallallahu
		
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			alayhi wa sallam sought Allah's protection from.
		
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			ولا غاية رغبتنا To be all in the
		
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			end all of our desires.
		
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			ولا مبلغ علمنا The reason why we gain
		
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			knowledge.
		
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			Ask today a person when he goes into
		
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			the university, why are you choosing this course?
		
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			Why are you choosing this career?
		
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			It gives me a lot of money.
		
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			There is great potential of earning money.
		
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			I mean, is that why you earn knowledge?
		
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			To gain wealth?
		
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			Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi wa sallam sought Allah's
		
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			protection from earning knowledge for the sake of
		
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00
			material wealth.
		
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05
			We learn to serve, we don't learn to
		
00:12:05 --> 00:12:05
			earn.
		
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08
			Allah Ta'ala can give risk whether you
		
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09
			have a degree or not.
		
00:12:09 --> 00:12:13
			So Allah Ta'ala doesn't depend upon your
		
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14
			degree to give you risk.
		
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16
			There are certain people who have not got
		
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17
			any degree but Allah Ta'ala has given
		
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18
			a great amount of wealth.
		
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21
			So Allah Ta'ala, Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi
		
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22
			wa sallam sought Allah's protection.
		
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24
			And not only did he do so in
		
00:12:24 --> 00:12:29
			terms of his dua, he demonstrated it.
		
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30
			You all know the famous incident.
		
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33
			Umar r.a one day came to our
		
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35
			beloved Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's room
		
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37
			and when he saw Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi
		
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40
			wa sallam's past furniture and possession, he started
		
00:12:40 --> 00:12:40
			crying.
		
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42
			And Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was
		
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43
			resting.
		
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44
			And Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
		
00:12:45 --> 00:12:45
			Umar, why are you crying?
		
00:12:46 --> 00:12:46
			Why are you weeping?
		
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48
			Ya Rasulullah, why shouldn't I cry?
		
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50
			When I look at the Roman and Persian
		
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52
			Empire, they have such great amount of wealth,
		
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54
			palatial homes.
		
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55
			Here is my Nabi.
		
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57
			I see there is nothing in this room.
		
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58
			He's only got one mat.
		
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01
			The imprint of that mat is embodied on
		
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03
			the body of Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi wa
		
00:13:03 --> 00:13:03
			sallam.
		
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05
			Ya Rasulullah, why shouldn't I cry?
		
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07
			Nabiye Karim sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, he
		
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08
			was sitting down.
		
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10
			He got up and he hit Umar in
		
00:13:10 --> 00:13:10
			the chest.
		
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12
			And he said, Umar, are you in doubt
		
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13
			with regard to this?
		
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16
			For this, for them, is this material world.
		
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17
			For us, it's in the yard.
		
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19
			Does anyone think like that?
		
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21
			That, listen, this is not the criteria for
		
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22
			success.
		
00:13:22 --> 00:13:25
			That is why Umar r.a cried when
		
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27
			he saw great amount of wealth coming in
		
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30
			after the conquest the Muslims gained in his
		
00:13:30 --> 00:13:30
			time.
		
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34
			So someone, Abdurrahman ibn Umar said, Oh Umar,
		
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35
			the people of Medina are happy.
		
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38
			And you are crying.
		
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40
			He said, Abdurrahman, I know.
		
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41
			Look at what a reply he gave.
		
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43
			He said, I know Allah has made these
		
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44
			things appealing.
		
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46
			I'm not saying that it is not appealing.
		
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48
			I'm not saying that it is not attractive.
		
00:13:49 --> 00:13:49
			I'm just crying.
		
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52
			Because whenever this wealth comes, it brings in
		
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53
			its way fitna.
		
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56
			Whenever this wealth comes, it brings in its
		
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57
			way fitna and corruption.
		
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00
			And there are more sins that are committed
		
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03
			because of wealth than what is committed because
		
00:14:03 --> 00:14:03
			of poverty.
		
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06
			Therefore, nabiya karim s.a.w. said in
		
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08
			a hadith, I don't fear poverty from my
		
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09
			ummah.
		
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11
			I fear that Allah ta'ala will make
		
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12
			this ummah wealthy.
		
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14
			And they will be destroyed because of the
		
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15
			wealth.
		
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16
			The way they were destroyed by the people,
		
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18
			the way the people of the path were
		
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19
			destroyed.
		
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22
			So look at the beautiful way that nabiya
		
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24
			karim s.a.w. warned us with regard
		
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25
			to it.
		
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26
			Umar r.a cried.
		
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28
			Now I can go on making mention with
		
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29
			regard to those particular aspects.
		
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31
			The apprehension.
		
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32
			And we have to be careful that we
		
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34
			don't make this material world the be-all
		
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36
			and the end-all of all our, you
		
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37
			know, desires, objectives.
		
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40
			You know, sitaro se aage aur jahan bhi
		
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41
			hai.
		
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42
			There's another dimension.
		
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44
			There's another world that we have to worry
		
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45
			about.
		
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46
			Today we have made everything about this world.
		
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48
			They said one day a person was sitting,
		
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49
			you know, in a masjid.
		
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52
			Now today they say that the imams must
		
00:14:52 --> 00:14:56
			look after the mental condition of the musallis.
		
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58
			You know, I did a presentation recently on
		
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00
			the evolving role of an imam.
		
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02
			Right now I'm 40 years as an imam,
		
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04
			so I had some modem of authority to
		
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04
			speak.
		
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06
			So I said today, the imam is not
		
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08
			only to read salat, he's supposed to look
		
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10
			after the mental condition, he's supposed to give
		
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11
			counselling to the youth.
		
00:15:12 --> 00:15:12
			You know, look at the people.
		
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15
			So one day the imams saw a musalli
		
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16
			very, very, you know, despondent.
		
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18
			Why are you despondent?
		
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19
			What's happening to you?
		
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21
			He said, you know what actually happened was
		
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24
			that many, about 5-10 years back, you
		
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26
			know, nowadays everyone is selling their property, their
		
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27
			zameen and their property in India.
		
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31
			So my grandfather passed away and because of
		
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33
			his passing away he had some land in
		
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36
			India, that land was sold and my family
		
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38
			got a whole big amount and we got
		
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40
			couple of millions from that particular land.
		
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42
			So then why are you despondent?
		
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44
			He said that 5 years ago, 5 years
		
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47
			ago or 6 years ago, my maternal grandfather,
		
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50
			his family, they sold their land and I
		
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51
			got couple of millions from there.
		
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52
			So he said, why are you despondent?
		
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54
			He said, the last 2 years no one
		
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55
			passed away.
		
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58
			So no, we everything, we just made it
		
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59
			around that particular thing.
		
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01
			So that is the one aspect, the apprehension
		
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03
			with regard to this material world.
		
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05
			And they have a proper perspective with regard
		
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05
			to it.
		
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07
			Now let us look at the positive.
		
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09
			And many times people don't talk about the
		
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09
			positive.
		
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12
			Brothers, there is so many, there is so
		
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15
			much potential in this material world for us
		
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16
			to do good.
		
00:16:17 --> 00:16:22
			Every good that comes, every positive will come
		
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23
			from this material world.
		
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			نعم المال الصالح لرجل الصالح نعم المال الصالح
		
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28
			لرجل الصالح Very good is wealth in the
		
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29
			hands of a pious person.
		
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31
			Nabiya Kareem Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam had said, He
		
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			said, الدنيا مزرعة الآخرة This dunya is a
		
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36
			sowing ground for the year after.
		
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38
			Now many a times people feel we will
		
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41
			gain Jannah after we pass away.
		
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43
			You don't gain Jannah after you pass away.
		
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47
			You gain Jannah by how you are leading
		
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48
			your life in this material world.
		
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51
			This material world becomes the means of your
		
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51
			Jannah.
		
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54
			After you pass away you can't even make
		
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55
			one good deed.
		
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58
			After you pass away your good deeds are
		
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59
			closed.
		
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00
			You can't do any good deed.
		
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03
			Unless you did something that the benefit will
		
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04
			still accrue after you have passed on.
		
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07
			But you can only do good deeds while
		
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08
			you are alive.
		
00:17:09 --> 00:17:12
			This dunya is the sowing ground for the
		
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12
			year after.
		
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14
			Many a times people go and travel.
		
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15
			You go to India, Pakistan.
		
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17
			So sometimes you take a taxi and you
		
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19
			tell the taxi, listen, I need to go
		
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20
			to the airport but on the way I
		
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21
			have to collect this, this and this and
		
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22
			this.
		
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24
			So sometimes they tell you, the meter is
		
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24
			on.
		
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27
			The meter of the taxi is running.
		
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28
			You can go and stop there, the meter
		
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29
			will continue running.
		
00:17:30 --> 00:17:33
			Since the time we are Bali and we
		
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36
			are responsible for our deeds the meter of
		
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38
			Jannah and Jahannam is running.
		
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40
			It's up to you now what you want
		
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42
			to do with this particular meter.
		
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44
			Jannah is not going to be earned after
		
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45
			you passed away.
		
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47
			Jannah is going to be earned from this
		
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49
			particular material world.
		
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51
			How you use it positively, that is how
		
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53
			you are going to use this material world.
		
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56
			That is why Allah ta'ala speaks so
		
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58
			highly about giving wealth in the path of
		
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58
			almighty Allah.
		
00:18:05 --> 00:18:09
			He who gives one cent in charity, Allah
		
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11
			multiplies it at least 700 times.
		
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14
			If Allah ta'ala wants, He could have
		
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15
			given even more than that.
		
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18
			How did Abdul Rahman Ibn Auf come amongst
		
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19
			Ashra'i Mubashara?
		
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22
			When he had so much wealth, that more
		
00:18:22 --> 00:18:25
			wealth than anyone even today presently, Muslim or
		
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25
			non-Muslim.
		
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27
			There was a survey done with regard to
		
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28
			the wealth of Abdul Rahman Ibn Auf.
		
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30
			It was found that he was seven times
		
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33
			more wealthier than the wealthiest person today on
		
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33
			earth.
		
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36
			He had seven times more wealth than Bulgates.
		
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37
			Just to give you a perspective.
		
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40
			But he was Abdul Rahman fil Jannah.
		
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42
			So what he used his wealth to do
		
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43
			what?
		
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44
			To gain Jannah.
		
00:18:45 --> 00:18:48
			Now that becomes a positive aspect with regard
		
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48
			to this material world.
		
00:18:49 --> 00:18:52
			We all heard throughout history that traders went
		
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53
			to Indonesia.
		
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56
			Now today many a times people say Islam
		
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57
			was spread by the sword.
		
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58
			I ask you the question, how can it
		
00:18:58 --> 00:19:02
			be possible that Indonesia is the greatest amount
		
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04
			of Muslims in one single country.
		
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06
			Of course now we have countries.
		
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07
			Previously we didn't have countries.
		
00:19:08 --> 00:19:11
			The single greatest amount and population of Muslims
		
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12
			in any country is Indonesia.
		
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14
			Indonesia was not conquered by the sword.
		
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18
			There is no recorded history where a Muslim
		
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19
			army went to Indonesia.
		
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22
			How do they have over 200, 300 million
		
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22
			Muslims?
		
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25
			They went there because traders went there.
		
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27
			They traded with integrity.
		
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28
			They traded with honesty.
		
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30
			The people came so beloved.
		
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32
			They loved them so much because of their
		
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34
			honesty and integrity the way they traded.
		
00:19:34 --> 00:19:37
			And they became Muslims because of the honesty
		
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38
			of a Muslim trader.
		
00:19:38 --> 00:19:41
			Does a Muslim trader ever think that I
		
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43
			can use my trade, I can use my
		
00:19:43 --> 00:19:47
			wealth to make people Muslims by my positivity,
		
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49
			by my honesty, by my integrity.
		
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51
			Does anyone think like that?
		
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53
			Or does he only look at the end
		
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55
			of the day to see what is the
		
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56
			profit that I have made from my business.
		
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58
			Look at our history.
		
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59
			I believe that there are many people who
		
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01
			are here who are professionals.
		
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02
			Might be accountants, might be lawyers.
		
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04
			Look at our history.
		
00:20:04 --> 00:20:08
			You will find that Muslim professionals they were
		
00:20:08 --> 00:20:11
			in the forefront with regard to profession, with
		
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12
			regard to all of academic excellence.
		
00:20:13 --> 00:20:16
			Imam Razi Rahmatullahi was the first person in
		
00:20:16 --> 00:20:19
			the human history to make an experiment where
		
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21
			is the best place to make a hospital.
		
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23
			He made an experiment and he said this
		
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24
			is the place where we are supposed to
		
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25
			make a hospital.
		
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28
			Ibn Khaldun Rahmatullahi was one of the first
		
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29
			sociologists.
		
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33
			He wrote 17 volumes on human society and
		
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34
			civilizations.
		
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37
			The rise and fall and decline of nations.
		
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40
			He wrote Kitabul Ibr 17 volumes on the
		
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42
			rise and fall of nations.
		
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44
			Sociologist by excellence.
		
00:20:45 --> 00:20:50
			Arnold Toynbee, the British historian said Ibn Khaldun
		
00:20:50 --> 00:20:53
			Rahmatullahi his works and his Kitabul Ibr is
		
00:20:53 --> 00:20:57
			the best work of its kind by any
		
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58
			human being in any era.
		
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01
			Just to give an example what Ibn Khaldun
		
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03
			Rahmatullahi, how he studied society.
		
00:21:03 --> 00:21:06
			So Ibn Khaldun Rahmatullahi has written that any
		
00:21:06 --> 00:21:10
			person any nation that gets freedom it has
		
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12
			to contend and it has to fight two
		
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12
			challenges.
		
00:21:13 --> 00:21:18
			One is its inherent inferiority complex which has
		
00:21:18 --> 00:21:21
			come because of oppression over the years because
		
00:21:21 --> 00:21:24
			of slavery or because of oppression and one
		
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26
			it is new found opulence and wealth.
		
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28
			Look at what is happening in South Africa.
		
00:21:29 --> 00:21:32
			The ANC have been a failure with regard
		
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34
			to these two type of challenges with regard
		
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35
			to coming out of oppression.
		
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39
			Which Ibn Khaldun Rahmatullahi identified many years ago
		
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41
			as a sociologist understanding society.
		
00:21:42 --> 00:21:45
			Ibn Khaldun Rahmatullahi has been mentioned and I
		
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47
			can go on and making mention with regard
		
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47
			to it.
		
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49
			I can just go on and give an
		
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49
			example.
		
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52
			Haythami in Optics, the first person to do
		
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53
			a cataract operation.
		
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55
			You know Masoudi in Geography.
		
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59
			Idrisi in Geography, Masoudi in Environment.
		
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01
			Today people talk about environmental affairs.
		
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04
			The first person to write a detailed explanation
		
00:22:04 --> 00:22:08
			with regard to the environment was Masoudi.
		
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11
			Idrisi was the first person he was commissioned
		
00:22:11 --> 00:22:14
			by the ruler of Sicily in Italy to
		
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16
			do a world map and Idrisi made the
		
00:22:16 --> 00:22:19
			first world map and even today it is
		
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21
			preserved and we can go on making mention.
		
00:22:21 --> 00:22:24
			Now they didn't do all of this only
		
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25
			for the sake of worldly gain.
		
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27
			They did it with an intention.
		
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30
			They did it with an intention to benefit
		
00:22:30 --> 00:22:35
			the community, benefit humanity and benefit the Ummah.
		
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			The Ummah benefited because of this.
		
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			The Ummah benefited because of this.
		
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			The Muslims were in the forefront of everything.
		
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			Today for the past 2-3 centuries we
		
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			are we are in the, we have been
		
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			you know, we have not progressed.
		
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			We have declined and no one can tell
		
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			me that let the other people go and
		
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			do the technology, we will benefit from it.
		
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			You become prejudiced.
		
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			The Ummah becomes prejudiced.
		
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			Look at what happened in Lebanon.
		
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			The technology that we take for granted that
		
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			each and every one of us got in
		
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			his pocket, it is by who?
		
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			It is done by someone else.
		
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			The day they want to pull the plug
		
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			against it, what do they do?
		
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			It actually blew up in your own pockets.
		
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			So where is your technology?
		
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			Why can't you do it as a Muslim
		
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			Ummah?
		
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			We got 2 billion people in this world.
		
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			Why can't we do it?
		
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			We are dependent upon someone else and look
		
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			at the results with regard to what has
		
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			happened.
		
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			This is just a small example.
		
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			Even worse can follow because we have not
		
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			been able to keep up with the progress.
		
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			We have not been able to keep up
		
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			with technology.
		
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			When Muslims were in the first part, we
		
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			talked about many other aspects.
		
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			So all I can say is this world
		
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			has got its apprehension.
		
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			But together with this apprehension it got its
		
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			potential.
		
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			It is for us to stay away from
		
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			the apprehension and for us to fulfill its
		
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			potential.
		
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			May Allah give us a topic of understanding.
		
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			Wa Akhiru Ja'awwana.
		
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			Alhumdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.