Fatima Barkatulla – Holding onto Hot Coals

Fatima Barkatulla

CARDIFF 2016, This lecture took place online in the aftermath of some terrorist attacks in Paris. It was broadcast live to a mosque in Cardiff, UK, to an audience of Muslim women.

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The speakers discuss the impact of Islam on men and women, particularly on their appearance and culture. They emphasize the importance of women in creating culture and society, and the discomfort of people not knowing who they are. The speakers also stress the importance of not giving up on one's fear and not giving up on others, and stress the need to plant seeds every year to achieve social goals and establish a habit. They also emphasize the importance of avoiding being a " Bueller" and not being a " Bueller" in the face of challenges and struggles, and stress the need to plant seeds every year to achieve goals and create a culture of helping others.

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			Billahi min ash shaytani r rajim Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem
		
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			in Al hamdu Lillah Allahu Allah subhanho wa Taala sofiero to be loving in Sri Lanka fusina amin
Surya Tia Malina, Manya, the villa Villa Villa, Villa hajela, or shadow Allah, Allah, Allah Allahu
la sharika lah wa shadow, Muhammad and Abu rasuluh. Indeed, All praise is due to Allah, we praise
Him, we seek his help, and we seek His forgiveness. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can miss guide,
and whomsoever Allah leaves astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of
worship except Allah alone without any partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam is His Servant and Messenger.
		
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			dear sisters, Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
		
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			I hope everything is fine, where you are alive things fine here in London.
		
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			So
		
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			I wanted to share something with you
		
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			on this topic, but holding on to hot coals.
		
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			It was the day after the Paris attacks.
		
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			And my children were, they were only kind of half aware of what had happened, you know, the night
before. And the habit that had been wreaked upon the European psyche. My Three Sons were getting
ready to get go to their kids class, as they do on a week, day after school. And you know, I went
through the usual check with them, you know, they got their oyster cards. I don't know if you have
oyster cards in Cardiff. But
		
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			an Oyster card is like one of these cars that you you top up and then you can use them on on a bus
or a train here in London? And they said yes. And I said, I've got your phone. Yes. Have you got
your keys? Yes. And then
		
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			as I looked at them getting ready
		
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			to go out and you know, get onto the bus. Suddenly, this kind of feeling this feeling of terror
actually entered my heart. Because
		
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			I just imagined the three boys who really look very who look very young, who look vulnerable.
		
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			Although they don't really feel feel it themselves, they don't realize how vulnerable they look. I
just imagined them walking on the dark streets of Northwest London in their white phobes. And, you
know, their hats. They're skullcaps because that's the health class uniform.
		
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			And looking so visibly Muslim. And, you know, as a mother, I just started thinking to Pamela, some
nutcase or some hateful person or, or even some ordinary Londoner who has been fed a diet of
Islamophobia, you know, through the media
		
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			could easily look at these three little boys and see them as a target.
		
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			So actually, for a moment considered the idea of asking them
		
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			not to wear their Islamic garb on the way home from the hip class, right? actually consider telling
them, take your clothes off, put them in your bag, and when you get to the mosque, you can put that
put it back on.
		
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			And I know that actually, I wasn't alone in that many sisters, especially from what I know,
		
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			have felt the same way. You know, because when you read all the WhatsApp messages that sisters are
sending each other, about, you know, people being attacked, or when you hear that, certain people
have even stopped wearing hijab, or when even just listening to the kind of the radio or the news or
looking at the fact that the newspapers every single morning have got some terrible negative story
with the word Muslim on that.
		
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			You know, it's not surprising that we are starting to feel this way or we have been feeling this
way, especially as mothers and especially as women because unfortunately, you know, some of the acts
that have taken place against
		
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			Muslims have been against women, because the people who have obviously, perpetrated them are
cowards.
		
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			And so that affects us. Definitely. But then
		
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			I actually thought about it for a while before I said anything and humbly lie bit my tongue. And it
dawned on me how powerful I was as a Muslim woman. How powerful each one of us is. Because I don't
know about you. But I've always noticed that Muslim women, the mother, the sister, the daughter, the
Auntie, the grandmother, we as women, we are the ones who create culture. We're the ones who, you
know, motivate men, we actually motivate men, you know, there's this, there's this funny saying,
which, you know, obviously, we don't, it's not an Islamic thing. But
		
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			there's a saying that civilization was built by men to impress their girlfriends, right. And,
		
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			obviously, we don't believe in girlfriends. If we look at it in another way, civilization was built
by men to impress the women in their lives. And there's a lot of truth in that, because, you know,
women really motivate men and women are the ones who create culture.
		
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			And I think, you know, we can see that in our own lives. You know, when it comes to Eve, if it
wasn't for us, women, and you know, being bothered about making eat nice, and doing certain things,
and, you know, having certain standards when it comes to clothes, and culture and food and meeting
people and keep in contact with our relatives, etc. I don't think generally men would be as
motivated, you know, if it wasn't for us. So, it just dawned on me how powerful we as women are in
creating culture. And I realized that, as the mother of these boys and girls, you know, we are
raising the future members of the Muslim community we are raising, we are surrounded by, you know,
		
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			the future brothers, the future fathers, the future husbands, heads of households, teachers,
leaders, ie moms of the Muslim community,
		
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			and the future mothers of the Muslim community,
		
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			the next generation of men and women, the next generation of believers.
		
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			And I realized then that Allah Subhana, Allah has given us
		
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			so much influence and responsibility, and we don't even realize it.
		
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			Because in one moment, I could, for example, in that situation have,
		
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			have started something, have instilled a certain attitude in my children, right. And I could be
responsible for, you know, affecting them affecting the way they see themselves as Muslims, and for
quite frankly, raising a generation of cowards,
		
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			of men and women who fear people more than they fear Allah, or of, of, you know,
		
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			a godless generation, who cares away from standing for truth, or from being different, or leading
their families and our community, from strength to strength, a generation who can't withstand any
discomfort for the sake of a lot, because that's what we're experiencing, isn't it? We're
experiencing discomfort for the sake of Allah. We're being tested, you know, sisters, in our times,
we're being tested in the fact that there are people who we don't even know who they are, right,
this group of people 1000s of miles away, who, whenever they do something, we get talked about, we
get targeted, we get
		
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			smeared, you know, negatively.
		
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			And also, we're being tested by in the environment that we're living in Alhamdulillah we are living
in a comfortable environment. However, you know, the the community around us, or looking at us, you
know, with eagle eyes, they really scrutinizing us. And so a lot of times on is testing us,
		
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			you know, how are we going to react? And so Alhamdulillah I remember the Hadith of the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
		
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			and instead, I realized this is what we need to be instilling in
		
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			our youth and in ourselves.
		
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			Abdullah bin abus the lion who the son or the cousin right, this the cousin of the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He
		
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			Just a little boy, probably under the age of puberty around nine to 10 years old, maybe as the
Prophet sallallahu Sallam in this Hadith, he refers to him as Golem. And Willem is a boy under the
age of puberty. And so say he was around nine to 10 and look at the attitude that the Prophet
sallallahu wasallam instilled in Abdullah bin Arbus
		
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			so in this Hadith of the loving Abbas or the Lamb who says,
		
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			Come to help and Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Yeoman for call Yahoo Lam in the limo kalimat in a
favela her first
		
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			Avila her doodle to jakk USA ultra fast alila with a standard the first time Billa wylam metalogix
demo at Allah and young firewall cabbie shade lamium for oka Illa BA in Kolkata bajo la hulak What
image demo Allah ruka b shade la mia de Rocha in the shade in the ketubah who la who I like roofie
until a column where Jeff is sort of
		
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			okay. And in another iteration he said if Avila hurt the dude who AMAC the hour off in a lie if
you're a high risk official. While I'm an MA lamb yakun Lucy Becca, what am I also Rebecca lahmacun
Leo, aka well I'm Anna nostrum, a sub faraja Malka.
		
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			So our beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam gave us this little boy advice. That sort of
Hamlet feels like it's just meant for us in our times. He said, Oh, young man. I shall teach you
some words of advice.
		
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			Okay, and this is while I believe I believe in a bus was sitting behind him. Yes, he's sitting
behind the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, perhaps on a horse, or some some animal.
		
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			So he was very close to him.
		
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			He said, I'll teach you some words of advice. He said, Be mindful of Allah. And Allah will protect
you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find him in front of you. If you need to ask, ask of Allah.
And if you need to seek help, seek help from Allah.
		
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			Know that even if the nation or the whole community were to gather together to benefit you with
something, if they wanted to bring you some benefit, they would not be able to benefit you with
anything except something that was already written for you. And that if they were to gather together
to harm you with anything, they would not be able to harm you with anything except that which Allah
has already written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.
		
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			in the oven, eration he said, Be mindful of Allah and you'll find him in front of you.
		
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			Get to know Allah in times of ease, and he'll know you in times of hardship. Know that anything that
passes you by it was never meant to come to you. And anything that happens to you was never going to
miss you.
		
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			And know that victory comes through patience. Relief comes with suffering, and with hardship, comes
ease. SubhanAllah so this is what the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was instilling in the next
generation of Muslims, right, the younger generation of Muslims. Of course, we take normal
precautions, you know, we teach our kids the normal precautions that anyone should take when they're
going out. You know, don't go down quiet alleyways you know, walk where there's light, whether there
are people,
		
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			you know, walk confidently, don't walk as if you're, you know, a victim.
		
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			Maybe we would, we would make sure that they know some self defense, etc. But to tell them to hide
the fact that they're Muslim, you know, Subhanallah that would be a really sad day, the day that we
started doing that would be a very sad day. Look at the advice that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam was giving even abus he was really giving him what will protect him and the attitude that a
Muslim needs to have, you know, nobody can harm you. If Allah subhanaw taala is on your side. So
instead of focusing on all the precautions, all the you know the the material proportions
		
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			focus instead on a lost fan of the island, and an asking him to help you.
		
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			So, the second thing that came to my mind was the idea of the Quran. You know, because this is how
it sometimes feels it feels as though people have gathered against us, you know? And Allah Subhana
Allah talks about this very phenomenon in the Quran, Allah says, I will let him in the shape honor
regime and levena Paul Allah humanness who in and NASA for the Gemma woolacombe showhome facade whom
Eman And we'll call who has been a law, sorry has been a law when they were killed.
		
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			So Allah describes the believers and he says those to whom the people said
		
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			that people have gathered against you so fear them, but it only increased their faith. And they said
		
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			Allah is enough for us and He is the best Disposer of affairs. And then Allah subhanaw taala says
fun color will be near Mati min Allahi wa fadli lamium says home soon whatever worried when Allah
Allahu fuddling of him, Allah says and then so they returned with grace and bounty from Allah, no
harm ever touch them. For they followed the good pleasure of Allah and Allah is the Lord of bounties
unbounded.
		
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			So Allah says they said, These people when when, when they were being told to be scared when they
were being told to be afraid, they said,
		
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			they strengthen themselves. It's not that they did not feel any fear.
		
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			Human beings as us as human beings, we feel fear. But but the believers strengthens themselves with
the words of Allah. And so what they did was they said to themselves, hustlin Allah whenever lucky,
we have a lot on our side, and he's enough for us.
		
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			And so Allah says, He protected them and no harm touched them. And instead they were, they were
given a lot of blessings. Then almost 400 Allah says, In Nana Valley, como shavon Will you hold
before Alia fala Tohoku home waha, Fulani, incontinent, meaning he says this, this is only shared on
who is scaring you of his supporters. He's trying to scare you
		
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			through his supporters, so fear them not. And fear me if you are indeed believers.
		
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			So this is the time the sisters for us to be really renewing our Eman, renewing our focus on a lot.
And really looking at our lives and thinking, you know, where, where am I falling short. One of the
really wonderful habits that I noticed that my parents
		
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			may Allah protect them had is
		
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			that whenever something bad happened, whenever there was some bad news, or some very difficult
situation, like I don't know, my dad was held at an airport or, you know, some really difficult
situation where it felt like there was no way out,
		
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			you know, whether it was at home or abroad. I noticed that instead of ranting and raving and getting
angry and frustrated and which is what most of us would usually do.
		
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			They would actually sit down and start doing this before they would sit down and start asking Allah
for forgiveness. You know, just in case, Allah Subhana Allah is, is you know, testing them or is not
happy with something that we're doing. You know, they just wanted to reconnect with Allah Subhana
Allah in that difficult time. And this is what a lie is telling us in this ayah that shavon is
trying to make us scared of his supporters.
		
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			So don't fear them, fear me. If you are indeed believers. And then Allah says, Allah has okay Lavina
levina you Sorry, una filco for in nahoon, linear, linear to Rue la Shia, you read Allahu Allah,
Allah, Allah him, have them fill our fellow Allah whom have him
		
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			and he says to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Do not be grieved by those who hasten into
disbelief. Indeed, they will never harm a lot at all. Allah intends that he should give them no
share in the hereafter. And for them is a great punishment.
		
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			Subhana Allah so when we see
		
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			you know the Islamophobia industry, if you want to call it that, this massive industry, these people
who are making money from
		
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			spreading hatred of Islam
		
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			Spreading hatred of Muslims, right? who seem to be, you know, millionaires, billionaires who seem to
have unlimited resources to let their voices be heard so that, you know, the negative image of Islam
is spread. When you see these people, sometimes as believers it can make you feel overwhelmed, you
know, you can start thinking so popular, these people have got so much so many resources, how can we
ever counteract the negative image that they're trying to portray of us, but Allah is telling us
Look, don't worry about them, don't worry about them, a lot, they can't harm a lot at all, they
can't harm the dean at all.
		
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			And Allah says that the reason why he's allowing them to have so much freedom and wealth, and you
know, giving them respect in this world, is because he wants them to have nothing in the next world.
Those people out there being given everything in this world, and Allah subhanaw taala when he
wishes, when when he, when he is angry with somebody, he will often give them whatever they want in
this world, so that they will have nothing in the next world. So we should not be deluded you know
this, this the time that we have on this earth is so short
		
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			and these people are wasting their lives and being enemies of their own creator.
		
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			So we shouldn't be worried about them we should rather be worried about ourselves and making this
life as as good as possible. Only using this time as well as possible so that the real life which is
the afterlife
		
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			will be the life in which we will be we will enjoy we will be the ones who are relaxing we will be
the ones who on ease. And then alas has in the levina Shara will co frabill Imani laniado la Shia
wala whom available early. Those who purchase kufr disbelief at the price of faith. Not the least
harm will they do to Allah, but they will have a grievous punishment. So let's find a Bally's is
telling us you know, don't worry about these people, they shouldn't be your focus. instead focus on
your relationship with Allah.
		
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			So yes, sisters, if we listen to the news all day, we will feel paranoid. But it's not really real,
you know, the news is a form of in our times as a form of distraction and entertainment.
		
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			Right? It's just there to keep people in a state of fear, keep them glued to the television.
		
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			So stop watching the news, really like, you know, obviously you might want to listen to it once in a
while. But don't be one of these people who listens to it day and night. Because it will affect you.
		
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			Ask yourself before passing on the messages, you know, whether it's WhatsApp or Facebook or wherever
this is social media that has lots of benefits, but also has lots of harms. Ask yourself what
exactly am I passing on? How will this benefit us? How will this benefit the Muslim community?
Because I think sometimes there are people out there who do basically infiltrating Muslim, you know,
groups, and just trying to spread all sorts of fear and stuff like that, that because we don't even
check whether what we're passing on is true or not anymore, right. And that's terrible. Because
we're basically creating and putting ourselves in a state of fear by constantly forwarding these
		
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			messages,
		
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			without really thinking, what what is actually the benefit of me sending this message? And do I
really know that this message is true.
		
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			If we think about our parents generation, they didn't face the racism of the 80s, or whatever
generation Your parents are from, with the dignity that they did for us to just break the first sign
of pressure. Right. They had their struggles to, in fact, in many ways, their struggles were harder,
because they, you know, often, many of our parents, they didn't know the language when they came to
this country. They were the only brown face in a in the whole community or the only one who was
wearing Hijab in the old community or the only bearded person in the community. And they would be
sworn at the who would literally be sworn out in the streets, right as they walked past people.
		
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			And they didn't know the language. So they had huge struggles which they went through.
		
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			This is the struggle of our generation, so we mustn't break at the first sign of pressure. A lot of
Annabella told us that he would test us with with fear. And the Prophet sallallahu Sallam told us
that one day hold
		
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			On to Islam would be like holding on to hot coals.
		
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			But don't have any doubt sisters that those of us who are staying patient and persevering in our
Islam, who are visibly Muslim walk, obeying the commands of Allah, inwardly and outwardly
		
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			in this society don't have any doubt that for for us in sha Allah, if Allah accepts it from us, is
more reward than somebody who is living in a country or a place where it's easy, or it's normal for
people to be Muslim, right? Definitely the Olimar have always said that when a Muslim is is firm on
their Islam, in a land where Islam is not the norm, then
		
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			they have more reward for that. A lot of how to Allah, you know, it's not missing Allah Subhana
Allah the struggles that some of us are going through.
		
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			These tests are actually opportunities for us to live up to the example of the people of the past.
Look, look at these verses in which Allah subhanaw taala is praising these people, you know, that
they didn't break? They said, hospital Ah, what am I lucky, this is our chance to be in that. In a
similar situation, though, it's not similar, you know, their situation was much more dire in that
they were in a in a battle.
		
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			But it's our chance to say we can be like those people in our response. When we feel fear, we say
husband alone in my work here. So our chance to do that. And never think that a time like this is
all bad. You know, sometimes we look at our times and we think,
		
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			Wow, things can't get worse. You know, for Muslims in the world. Things look really bad.
		
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			However, you know, even at the time of the Prophet sallallahu sallam, there were certain times there
were certain situations that the Muslims would look at and think this situation is just all bad. How
can we benefit from this situation? For example, at the time of day, BIA, and the Muslims felt that
this treaty was, you know, it was just all bad for the Muslims that if anyone became a Muslim from
Makkah, and came to Medina, they had to be returned,
		
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			returned to Makkah,
		
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			if anyone became a Muslim, decided to leave Islam, they would have to be returned to Makkah. It
looked like a very negative, or a very one sided treaty.
		
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			But during that time, so many people embraced Islam without any coercion without any difficulty,
without, without any struggle on the part of the Muslims, because, for the first time, they got a
chance to ask about Islam to meet the Muslims to mix with the Muslims. Until I will soufiane and
his, you know, the leaders of courage sitting in Makkah, realize that everyone around them had
converted, right.
		
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			So never think that any time even if it looks negative, looks bad for the Muslims, is actually bad.
You know, this could be an opportunity for us, for more and more people to actually learn about
Islam, if we seize this opportunity and realize, the unique position Allah has put us in by putting
us here in the West.
		
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			You know, this is our home, this is the these are all countries, for us to actually have that
connection and contact and ease of communication with the non Muslims around us. This is a huge
opportunity that last Allah has given us. So I have three, three responses, three things that we
need to do in our times in response to the heightened sense of pressure that we feel in this in this
society.
		
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			Number one,
		
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			we need to increase in our obedience to Allah subhanaw taala.
		
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			And now is the fall in seeking forgiveness. If times have gotten tougher for us, we also have to
redouble our efforts in obeying Allah Subhana Allah and being on the right path. Okay, don't get
thrown off track. Don't get thrown off track and continue building what you are building.
		
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			Look at what the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that even if the day of judgment comes, if
the day of judgment comes and you are planting a seed,
		
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			continue to plant that seed.
		
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			If you see of a day of judgment is coming all around you and you are doing something
		
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			continue doing it. So the efforts the world
		
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			that we're doing in, in our communities, you know, the dowel work, or the outreach work, the
positive things that we're trying to do, and even our Salah, our cat, all the things that we're
doing in obedience to Allah don't allow the, the the stuff that's going on around the world and the
stuff that's going on around us to throw you off track.
		
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			That's exactly what Chopin wants. And that's exactly what we mustn't do. So it means analyzing
ourselves analyzing our lives, and really, you know, looking up looking at ourselves in the face and
and asking ourselves, you know, where am I falling short?
		
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			And the fact that it's the beginning of a new year, I think it is a time when we really start
thinking to ourselves, you know, what am I going to do this year, one of the ways that I help myself
to achieve certain things, and to progress, because that's, that's ultimately what we want to do
want to keep growing. As a Muslim, you can't stay static. If you're static, then you're probably
dead, right? Because you're either growing or you're going backwards. If you're static, that means,
you know, only a dead person is static.
		
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			So if you want to be somebody who's not going backwards, and you want to be someone who's growing,
		
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			this is a good time, I guess, to put down some goals put down some, and not just goals and
decisions, but actually a strategy to reach those goals, you know, a monthly strategy consistency in
in trying to reach those goals. So every one of us should have an eyebrow the goal for this year,
right? In our worship, what is our What are we gonna in December 2016?
		
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			What are you going to be able to say that you achieved
		
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			that's what you need to write down from now. Right? So it could be that you that you need to start
incorporating or, you know, Salah in your life could be something as simple as that. You haven't
established short Salah properly yet, need to establish the salah in your life, it could be that you
want to start doing, you know, more seminars, Sunday prayers. So you might say, Okay, I will always
do this, I'm not a father and the son of Margaret, right, and you make that your must for this year,
by the end of the year, you'll be able to say that you've established that habit could be that you
want to start fasting twice a week or once a week to start with, right? Make that a habit. It could
		
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			be that you want to start wearing the hijab, and observing the hijab. And so you're going to take
steps to doing that. Whatever it is,
		
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			you know, this is a great opportunity for us to set that goal. To set that one, even if it's just
one goal, in a bada every single year, imagine how far we would get if every single year we just
established one, we grew in one step further.
		
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			So that's the first thing increasing in obedience to Allah. And it's the thought. The second thing
that we need to do is to double our efforts
		
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			in really doing what we should have been doing all along, when it comes to the society around us, in
reaching out to the society around us. So whether that's our neighbors, whether it's the elderly,
the vulnerable people in society, you know, the homeless, whether it's just something as simple as
teaching our our children, our boys, especially to get up, you know, when they're on the train or on
the bus for women, which is something that nobody does anymore, right? Well, nobody London does
anybody
		
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			being the kindest, most generous, most helpful person that people know.
		
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			That's the that's the person that we need to become because that's what Rasulullah sallallahu
wasallam was,
		
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			he had the credibility when he went to people and said to them, you know, if I told you that there
was an army behind this mountain, would you believe me? They all said, Yes. And why did they say
yes, because for 14 years before he had become a prophet, he had established credibility in that
community. And he didn't even establish it because he knew he was gonna become a prophet. He didn't
know that he was going to be a prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he did it out of his good
character and Allah Subhana Allah has guidance. Right. He was the kindest person they knew he was
the most generous person they knew. He was the most helpful. He had no ego. So Pamela, just the
		
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			other day, I just, it really dawned on me how things have changed so much in society that even a
simple
		
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			Act can be, can really stand out. So I was just with sitting in a cafe, and there was some elderly
ladies, two elderly ladies, they were looking for a place to sit. And, you know, there were a lot of
young people around, in sitting all over the place, and, but they were looking for a space where
they could be comfortable, you know, one of them was a bit disabled, and they had a big sort of
trolley with them.
		
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			And, you know, they just looked really frustrated looking around. And obviously, they would never
dare to ask anyone to get up for them, right? Because nobody does that anymore. You know, everyone's
just out for themselves. Everyone's just making themselves comfortable. And it's all about, you
know, I got here first. So why should I get up for anyone else? Right? So something as simple as
that, you know, they I saw them looking frustrated. And one of them asked me, you know,
		
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			excuse me, are you? Are you going to be here long, right. And I was actually doing some work, which
would have taken me about half an hour or so. I said to them, Well, yeah, I'm just going to be here
for another half an hour. And I said, What, what's the issue, what's the problem, and they said,
we're looking for a seat, and it's just that the other seats are not really suitable for us for
extra x y reason. This, the seats here are much better for us. And, and then I just got up and I
said to them, it's okay, I can move, I can move my work, and I can work on another table, because it
really doesn't, you know, they need this seat more than me. And you should have seen their faces, it
		
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			was like, you know, swallow that they never expected that from a young person, or, you know, from
from anyone really, they didn't, they never expected anyone to get up for them. And the lady was so
kind of thankful. And she was saying, Wow, you, I really appreciate that, you know,
		
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			you're a very good girl, she said to me, and she, she was just so thankful. And I just think I'm so
Pamela, that's, that's just normal, you know, in our cultures back home, when when an elderly person
or not even an elderly person, just your elders, when they come into the room, you don't let them be
standing and you you're sitting down, that's just normal, you know, Islamic or Asian culture, right.
		
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			And yet, it's something that is so kind of revolutionary, you know, to our community here, because
people have lost that sense of respect, and, you know, care for the elderly. So, we need to be the
ones who people think of when they think of
		
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			kindness, when they think of us, you know, they should be able to remember and an amazing incident
that they had with a Muslim who went out of their way for them.
		
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			So that's the second thing we all need to do really redouble our efforts in outreach, not being a
ghetto, and we don't want to be a get to get away as Muslims, we just live in our own little ghetto,
when the rest of the rest of the people are just, you know,
		
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			suffering or going through all sorts of tests. We have many of the solutions for the tests of this,
and the problems for the society. It's time that we reached out and really allowed Islam to shine
allowed ourselves to exude you know, peacefulness and goodness and kindness.
		
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			The third thing that we The third thing that we all need to do.
		
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			The third thing is
		
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			we all need to really memorize the hours that last Canada has taught us or that the Prophet
sallallahu Sallam has taught us when it comes to going out when it comes to you know, increasing
your strength and your your response to fear. So a lot of what Allah tells us in the Quran has been
allowed me to kill this, this is one thing we can say right? In times of difficulty and make this
something normal for you for yourself by writing it somewhere in your house somewhere where people
will read it often, right? Also the drought for going out of the home. Right? Everyone is talking
about taking all these physical precautions, don't go out sisters, be careful. You know, don't
		
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			people are thinking of taking the job off or whatever. But nobody is really talking about the
protection that a lot of Allah has already given us through bla
		
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			bla bla all the profits of us and taught us to say Bismillah to Allah, Allah Hola, La quwata illa
Allah every time we go out, In the name of Allah, I have put my trust in Allah. And there is no you
know, nothing, no movement, no change and no power except through Allah.
		
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			Also the beautiful dog and you can find all these bars in on a web
		
00:40:00 --> 00:40:06
			cyclebar.org I believe if you type in fear or you know golf or going out
		
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			this guy is amazing. Yeah so it goes along my India will be coming and I will obey Allah. O Allah O
Allah O of Lim overland o RG Hello eugenol Allah, O Allah, I seek your protection. Now my name is
Becca, Milan Avila Bala, from being
		
00:40:27 --> 00:40:48
			from getting lost, or being led, leading others astray, right. From from, from being a stray myself
or leading others astray, low, many of them are below or below zillah zillah. Or from tripping, or
from tripping somebody else up a lot
		
00:40:51 --> 00:40:54
			of limb Oh, Islam, I seek your protection from
		
00:40:55 --> 00:41:00
			oppressing anyone, or from anyone oppressing me.
		
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			Oh, I shall Oh, you shall I yeah. And I seek protection from you in showing ignorance towards anyone
or from anyone showing ignorance towards me. So Obama, this is exactly it for our situation, right?
That we don't want anyone to trip us up. We don't want to trip anyone up. We don't want anyone to
show ignorance towards us. We don't want to show ignorance. We don't want anyone to oppress us and
we don't want to oppress anyone. So this is another beautiful art from the sun net. And other two
eyes, just to say it has been has been alone and we're lucky as Allah Subhana. Allah told us in the
Quran, and there are other dogs you can find on that website. But you know, this is a time to start
		
00:41:45 --> 00:42:03
			making these bars normal in our lives. Right? Why do we think of them as something that we, you
know, just have to look up and read? No, this has to be normal. Every single morning when your
children go out, they need to say Bismillah or go to Allah, Allah Hola, La quwata illa Billah.
		
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			So
		
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			my, my last kind of message to you sisters. And really the message of my talk to you today is that,
		
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			that me and you, we have a huge influence you and I, we have a huge amount of influence
		
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			and power when it comes to our community. And we affect the attitudes and the culture of our
community. And that affects the generations to come. Right? We forgotten that had ijarah Dylan who
was our ancestor that
		
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			was our grandmother, that our Isha without was our mother. And these women, you know, who had so
much strength in times of difficulty are our ancestors, they are our examples. When you forget your
power and influence, you become small minded, and you allow fear to overtake you and become a
victim. But when you realize how influential you are, and if you can look beyond your own life, and
can see you know, that you are actually affecting the attitudes of future generations. It helps you
to be to think beyond yourself, you know, to be a thought leader, to lead people rather than be
reactive and a victim
		
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			of other people.
		
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			So it's time that we all stepped up to the plate and, and showed our courage and resolve. Because
gender is not for angels, gender wasn't built for angels who never feel fear or who never, you know,
falter.
		
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			It was built for people like us, in sha Allah, who do feel fear, who do falter, who do have moments
of weakness, but then they muster up the courage and they muster up their strength through their
faith, and that you might in Allah. And so Jenna really is for the courageous and those who are
resolute, in sha Allah, may Allah make us from them. And with that, I will finish my talk to you
today. So Hannukah lahoma will be handy the shadow