Hamza Tzortzis – Standing Firm On Our Principles

			firm on our principles and that we're going to be tested brothers and sisters. Now, before I get to
discuss that we are going to be tested in our lives and it is a guarantee from Allah subhanho wa
Taala. This life is a life of a patella is a life of test, I want us to understand our context.
Because if we really think about it, we should be so grateful for everything that we have
Alhamdulillah honestly, we are in the top two and a half percent of the world. Just being in the
West, when the top two and a half percent of the world. The minute we have two or three meals a day
is the minute that we should be thinking we're a kings. In actual fact, the definition of a king at
		

			the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was that they had access to running water and
honey on the table. Not only do we have access to water and honey, but we have everything else that
we have access to. So from that point of view, brothers and sisters, we should be so grateful,
living in the 21st century, living in this particular time, in this particular place of the world,
because we have food, shelter, clothing, and everything else. So from that point of view, we have a
lot to be grateful for.
		

			In this context, we also have to understand that we're going to be tested, we're going to be tested
brothers and sisters with hardship. And we're going to be tested with the good times. Because
sometimes when we think about tests, we think, Oh, I have to be in pain, I have to lose something.
That's not necessarily true. The concept of a test in Islam is that we're going to be tested with
the good life and with the bad life, we're going to be tested with the pain and with the pleasure.
And there are so many irons in the fire and so many hobbies from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam that clearly indicate that we're going to be tested, very famous I in the Quran in Surah Al
		

			Baqarah, verse 214, when Allah subhanho wa Taala big basically says to us that do you think you're
going to go to Geneva without being tested.
		

			And I love refers to the people before the messengers, and the companions that were tested so much
that they said, Where is the help of Allah, and Allah subhanho wa Taala says, indeed, the help of
Allah is corrib is close. So from this point of view, we're going to be tested. And the interesting
spiritual wisdom behind tests
		

			is that Allah subhanho wa Taala uses it as a means as a spiritual mechanism for us to come closer to
him, and for us to go into paradise agenda.
		

			And this is why the Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam The head is in tirmidhi, when
he said that when Allah loves somebody, he's going to test them. When Allah loves somebody, he's
going to test them. And from this point of view tests are a spiritual mechanism and a means in order
to come closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala. Similarly, from this point of view, being in a state of
test is also purifying, and testing our character. It cultivates the Islamic virtues, it cultivates
the Islamic virtues, in order for us to be purified and elevated spiritually. So you come closer to
Allah subhana wa Tada. And this is why it's so significant to understand that there is a lot of
		

			blessing in trials and tests, because it shows us who we are. And this is very significant. It's so
easy to be a good Muslim. When you have your food, your shelter, your clothing, your happiness, your
work, your job, your money. If everything is fine, it's easy to be a good Muslim, right? It's easy.
And that's why in marriage advice I speak to some brothers when they asked me for the right advice.
And I say to them, don't judge somebody by what they do when everything is fine, but rather look
into the character on how they react when they are tested with trials. That's when you know, the
person is someone of taqwa or someone who needs some work. And it's very, very significant for us to
		

			internalize this concept and not to use it to judge others.
		

			But to see where we are on the spiritual spectrum, how close are we to allow us a panel to Allah?
Because the concept of trials and tests really shows to us, am I inclining towards Allah or running
away from him? When things become difficult and hard when my dignity has been affected? When I lose
a bit of money, I lose my job. Something is taken away from me. When I have slander, backbiting
going on, something's happening in the community. People are pointing fingers, where do I go? Do I
hurry towards Allah? subhanho wa Taala? Or do I give my morals up? And do I give up my struggle
towards Allah? And do I now struggle towards my own? How are my ego and my enough's and that's very
		

			important, the contest and trials really bring up our true character. So in this context, brothers
and sisters, I want to give you some principles that we have to stand firm on, have our ground,
really dig our heels. So we could basically inshallah be successful as a community, not only in the
United States, known in the West, but generally as an oma. So Principle number one. Principle number
one brothers and sisters, is the worship of Allah subhanho wa Taala. This is where it begins, and
this is where it ends. This is our raison d'etre. It's our reason for existence, worshiping Allah,
what is worship really mean? It means to love Allah subhanho wa Taala, to know Allah subhanho wa
		

			Taala, to obey Allah subhana wa to Anna, and to single out all acts of worship to Allah alone. This
is what we mean by worship in and of itself. And for us to be true worshipers. We have to understand
worship is not like a business transaction. Like you have one business partner, he's equal to
another business partner, and they make a transaction. This is not worship, but unfortunately
amongst our community. You know, I hear some brothers come up to me and say, bro, Hamza, I prayed
for whole month. I did tahajjud for whole month. And you know what, I still failed my exams, so I'm
not praying anymore. All right, hold on a second. Who do you think you are?
		

			You know, on the same level playing field here.
		

			You know, on the same level, painful You are the slave Allah is the master, unloved deserves
worship, even if he gave you the crumbs of the world. And we really have to significantly understand
this. Because we worship Allah because of who Allah is. Allah is Allah, Allah. He is the one
deserving of worship, regardless if we receive anything from his bounty, but we do receive lots of
things from his bounty. But that's not the point. The point is we worship Allah because of who he
is. How many times we watch the television, we watch great people have great sporting achievement,
or singers or artists and we praise them. We give them a standing ovation, we say Bravo, we give
		

			them some kind of
		

			honor, from the point of view of saying that they're such a great sports person, they've got such a
great voice. They have attributes that we praise, although they don't benefit us directly, yet we
praise people because of some praiseworthy attributes. Now, Allah subhanho wa Taala, Lisa committed
he she, there is nothing like onto him, and his names and attributes we affirm and we also
understand they are totally transcendent and they are boundless. So when we say Allah is Allah Whoo,
dude, he is the loving coming from the word would which means a loving that is giving. We mean here,
it's the purest form of love is the maximal type of love a laser maximally perfect, his names and
		

			attributes have no deficiency or flaw. So from this point of view, something should be happening
happening inside us, we would want to praise Allah because he has praised with the realities, his
names and attributes. Because if we could do for a singer or pop star, or some guy who knows how to
play a flute, or some guy who could run 200 meters very fast, then surely, we should be wanting to
show our perfect gratitude and praise to Allah subhanho wa Taala. So it's very important brothers
and sisters, that we worship Allah worshiping Allah subhanho wa Taala is where our success lies.
Allah says in Surah, noon, indeed, successful other believers.
		

			That's the first principle worshiping Allah, and everything now in our lives is a derivative of our
purpose, which is to worship Allah. And if we don't understand it from this point of view, it's like
committing spiritual suicide because our main objective is to win
		

			Worship Allah. And if we don't see our whole life through those lenses, then it's no different from
committing spiritual suicide. second principle, love for others what you love for yourself. love for
others what you love for yourself. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in a Hadith, let me
know that you have enough See, you won't truly believe unless you love for your brother what you
love for yourself. Are he your brother, Mr. Raja, but humbly in his compendium of wisdom and
knowledge, he said, this doesn't just mean Muslim. This means insomnia and NASS humanity. You love
for others what you love for yourself. There's another Hadith in Allah Buhari narrated by Al Bukhari
		

			interest al Kabir is authentic hadith. And it says, to love for Linnaeus for people, humanity, what
you love for yourself. So defining feature who we are and who we want to be, is to love for others
what we love for yourselves, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, there you know, you
won't truly believe unless you love for others, what you love for yourself. And if we love Allah
subhanho wa Taala. If we love the messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we should be giving this
love to other people, right? According to this spiritual principle of these ahaadeeth if we love a
love the messenger, and for us to be true believers, we have to give what we love to others. Then if
		

			we love a line is messenger, we should be giving that love to other people. Right?
		

			Are you with me? So how would you give that love to other people? How would you give the love of
Allah and the love of the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to other people would you have to
do?
		

			Give dour? Did he want the brother said, pay attention. Give Tao Exactly. And this is why we were
responding to the call of Allah subhanho wa Taala. to that which gives us life. This is very
significant. It's a key part of defining who we are. It's a key part of loving for others. What we
love for ourselves is giving our showing why I love Allah subhanho wa Taala showing why I love the
messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and especially in our times of a post Trump era. We must be
showing people what Islam is about now, we can't be blaming designers and Fox News anymore.
Islamophobia. I really believe a lot of sama phobia is actually dour phobia, right? It's devil
		

			phobia, we'll just get to talk about who we are. Don't get me wrong, there are haters, they're going
to exist. But the point is, don't be a victim. Don't be a victimhood person that suffers from the
pathology and disease of being a victim. This is not of the Sunnah. If you study the Sierra, you
will see that every calamity and trial the Prophet sallallahu idealism would use us in order to
create a new realm of possibility in order for him to call people to lay the law. And this is very
significant for us to understand brothers and sisters, so love for others for what you love for
yourself. third principle, tolerance and forbearance, tolerance and forbearance to forgive and to
		

			overlook as Allah subhanho wa Taala says, Don't you want Allah subhana wa Taala to forgive you so
you should forgive others to this is a key principle in the Quran is a key principle in our
tradition. When we study the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he was so forgiving,
and he had tolerance concerning negativity and hardship. We know the famous story of the man who
pulled him by the neck and left a mark. And one of the Sahaba wanted to actually you know, saw him
out and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam with with with him, with him with forbearance, and
humility and compassion, gave them both advice.
		

			We needed something better from both of you.
		

			That you tell him to ask for his debt properly, and you advise me to pay for my debt. This sense of
forbearance was a key feature of the character of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam to forgiven
overlook, so we don't become petty people anymore. We look at the prize. We don't look at the small
things. So what they said something about you forgive them. Forgive them, it will free will from
such a burden. With all these things that you're holding on your neck, the stuff that you're holding
with that within you, just forgive let it go. You and everybody got to go to Jenna. You want
everyone to be happy? You would have free yourself from the burden of why did they do this? Why did
		

			they do that pointing fingers? Keep your eye on the prize brothers and sisters paradise. Just
forgive people. Everyone's gonna end in their grave
		

			Everyone's gonna have to account for the deeds and speak to Allah subhanho wa Taala. So from this
point of view, understand that everyone's weak, everyone is on a journey, forgive an overlook and
have forbearance.
		

			The next principle brothers and sisters, is falling align His Messenger. And this is very
significant. It links to worshiping alive, I want to bring it out as a key principle here is to obey
align His Messenger. Now, the first point I want to add is, as a principle, this is the most
irrational principle in the world. But we're brought up in the West, to obey is very negative, to
obey is like, you know, you have blind faith, I really hate this attitude. Honestly, obedience to
Allah is the summit of intellectual spiritual activity, obeying Allah subhanho wa Taala is the peak
of what it means to be a rational, spiritual human being. This is I'm being so honest here. Why am I
		

			saying this? Because if you look at general life, when you see the atheists or agnostics or the
other people wherever they are, they will be something all the time. When you go to the doctor, you
give them your symptoms, what does the doctor say? Take this medicine, what do you do? You take the
medicine, you don't question. You don't say Where are your qualifications? You don't say show me the
science behind this. Because you admit that they are an authority, there is a certain authority or
wisdom that you submit to I came here on a plane, I'm on a plane quite often these days, what do I
usually hear? Ladies and gentlemen, please sit down and fasten your seat belt, there will be some
		

			moderate to high turbulence. What do I do? I sit down, I buckle up, do I right? Why should be making
anyway? I don't basically say who does the pilot think he is the silly man. He doesn't know nothing
about the plane or turbulence and I'm going to start moonwalking on the plane. That's not going to
happen, is it? Right, because I obey His authority because I know he has a particular knowledge that
I don't have, right. So whether on the plane or school, university, medicine, teachers, whatever the
case may be, we submit our own limited wisdom and authority to a greater higher wisdom and
authority. Just like the famous will she's not famous. But before we made her famous, I spoke about
		

			her quite well. Dr. Elizabeth fricker. She's an epistemologists as a big word, don't worry about
that. Basically says she says that given my limitations as parametric that I have limitations, I
have to submit myself to an authority. So the point here is this. Who is the greater authority? The
pilot, the teacher, the doctor, Allah subhanho, wa Taala?
		

			Who is the greater authority?
		

			Exactly. So is it more rational to submit to a teacher doctor or pilot or to Allah?
		

			Allah Exactly, so it's the most rational thing to do. So let's not fall for the so called satanic
intellectualism, right? The pseudo intellect of shape on when Allah told you to bow down to Adam,
what is shaytan say, hold on a second, I made a fly. I've made a flyer, he's made a clay, you need
fire for clay, right. So he didn't obey because of his arrogance. He was the first pseudo
rationalist he denied the ultimate authority. From this perspective, we have to understand Allah is
Al Hakim, he has the totality of wisdom and knowledge, Allah has the picture, we just have one
pixel.
		

			And that's a very key principle. And when we follow this principle, we don't adopt the methodology
of our enemies. Let me repeat what I'm saying here. We do not adopt the methodology of our enemies.
What do our enemies do? And I'm not giving any labels here, but our enemies they other eyes, us,
whereas other organization mean, other organizations actually the basis for genocide? If you look a
lot of social theorists, they say to other eyes, the group is the basis for hatred and genocide.
Now, other organization, brothers and sisters, not to say, here are Muslims here, Christians here,
Jews, that's fine. It's natural to categorize groups within a society. But other ionization is not
		

			only you categorize another people as a group, but you categorize them negatively. And you see,
they're a monolith. They're all the same. That is other realization. And unfortunately, we adopt the
same methodology, right? We say all Republicans, they just all right wing nuts. That's not true.
This is not true. Right? in any shape. My publishers are Republicans, and they're really decent
people. So what you need to understand is this, that we shouldn't adopt the methodology just because
social media is saying something Google is saying something. Our groupies are saying something
		

			A must be right. We have to adopt a Quranic ethical approach to understanding human people,
different peoples. Allah subhanho wa Taala says in Surah Allah Maran verse woman three, Lisa
Sawalha, they're not the same. They're not all alike. People are not all alike. If you look at the
Mufasa, in a tambourine, even kefir and others, they discuss that even amongst the Jews and the
Christians, you have people that are different, and they're just an upright.
		

			So from this point of view, Allah subhanho wa Taala is teaching us that, yes, there are groups of
people.
		

			But not everybody is the same. And this creates a more of a nuanced approach to understanding
different peoples, and actually prevents extremism. Because violent extremism especially is when you
have in your own mind, and in your own heart, that there is a group of people, they're all enemies,
they're all negative, and they're all the same. This is no a Quranic approach.
		

			Finally,
		

			the seventh or eighth principle I lost count, is to follow our principles. Allah subhanho wa Taala
says, Oh, you who have believed? Why do you say that? which you do not do? And this is very
significant. You know,
		

			the Muslim community is very good at jumping on the civil rights bandwagon. Right? social justice,
right? Everybody loves social justice. Everybody loves civil rights. Yes, right. Am I wrong? No.
		

			But what's very interesting is that we need to start now,
		

			following that, which we preach, becoming that which we say, doing that which we claim to be, and
being that which we know,
		

			we have to be that which we know and what which we preach. If there's a disconnect, there's no
Baraka and I'm giving this a sincere advice. We have an amazing movement called Black Lives Matter.
Okay.
		

			This is an amazing movement agreed, put your hand up who agrees with black lives matter? Excellent.
Now, let me just give you some advice, though, do Black Lives Matter in our community, especially
amongst some of the DC community, and from a subconscious, psychodynamic point of view, and it's
very significant, we dig deep, and we approve some of these things. So we have Baraka in our
political social discourse. Because brothers and sisters, there could be many black brothers in this
room who converted to Islam and some of the best brothers. I know in Islam, my black brothers, very
principled.
		

			And they became a Muslim in the DC community. 10 years ago, for example, and you hear Allahu Akbar,
new Muslim uncle's crying, right? uncle's crying, here's some money, but Ah, right.
		

			And then teach them how to pray take care of them. And they see the man growing in Islam over 10
years. And when his mature spiritually, when he's mature socially, he goes to the same uncle, DC
uncle, this black brother and says, Uncle g even speaks about what to do for him throws in the
towel, poetry, whatever the case may be. It says uncle G. I know your daughter's not made. I'm
humbly asking for your daughter's hand. What is he gonna say? Generally speaking, his pacemaker is
gonna jump out of his chest, he'll have a heart attack would have to do CPR If I were you talking
about.
		

			And but this is significant. If we're talking about this in our communities, we're going to be
finished. It's going to be a shallow community. And this is true. And I see this all the time I
travel the whole world, I get the same complaints. And what happens is very interesting
		

			is that we take this as something very light. But you know, there's a hadith intermedia, which is an
authentic hadith and there are two versions. One is not authentic, the other one's authentic, and
listen to this very carefully and it will shock you. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
If a man comes to your daughter with good morals, and you reject him for no good reason, there will
be tribulation and corruption in the world.
		

			I repeat, if a man comes to your daughter with good morals, and you reject him for no Islamic
reason, right?
		

			There'll be corruption and tribulation in the world and the Sahaba asked him why he has some kind of
deficiency. Do you know how he replied sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. If a man comes to your door with
good morals, and you reject him for no reason to be tribulation and corruption in the world, maybe
brothers and sisters, uncles
		

			anti for rejecting that nice black brother, or white brother or green brother or blue brother,
whoever they are. Maybe that's part of the reason why we have calamity and tribulation in the world.
And this gets us to realize that our moral actions, our spiritual state of being is affecting the
whole unmask its effect affecting the whole world. And we really have to internalize this point,
Allah says in the Quran, that there'll be facade on the earth and the sea, because what their hands
have earned, we may be the weakest link, you know, we could be protest, protesting, for the anger,
and for the Syrian brothers and sisters and people all around the world. But if we don't adopt and
		

			internalize our own principles, there'll be no Baraka and maybe is by not internalizing those
principles, that we're creating the facade, and the tribulation, and calamity around the world is
trying to wake up to this reality.
		

			So brothers and sisters,
		

			we memorize the law. Some of us know more per annum Sahaba, some of you know more Hadith and some
Sahaba. But what made them different is that they internalized what they knew. And that's part of
really following that key principle. So just to end, brothers and sisters, to give you some hope,
now not to depress you all. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in an authentic hadith,
it's an abode and tyranny, the he said ahead of you, there lie days of patience, during which being
patient would be like the grasping of a cold, the one who does good deeds, then we'll have a reward
like that, or 50 men who don't do such good deeds, and someone else added. They said, O Messenger of
		

			Allah, the reward of 50 of them, he said, the reward of 50 of you. So maybe,
		

			depending what Trump does, we may be living in those times. And any good dg do, it'd be like 50, of
the reward of the Sahaba. So that gives you hope, that gives you glad tidings as well. But don't be
under any superficial self delusion. there's work to do. And just finally, just to end on this, I do
apologize. I've slightly run over time.
		

			Be Muslims have real life. Allah says in the Quran, all you who have believed respond to the call of
Allah and His messenger to that which gives you a life yikun that which gives you a sense of life.
Some of the earlier MSA if you don't respond to this call, you're dead Muslim walking, and I want to
reflect upon your lives. Many of us Our lives are no different from a life of an animal. Just like
God Allah was already said in his alchemy of happiness in the first few pages of that book.
		

			Because we just respond to our instincts. You may get a PhD brothers and sisters, but that's still
an instinct, survival and a good job. You may get a pretty wife but what is that procreation and
instinct? no different from a camera or a goat or a bacteria? You took it to Mexico for a honeymoon.
Same thing based on your instinct procreation. You bought big house survival, bought a big car
survival, right? Get those a kid's survival procreation. Most of the things that we do as a human
species is reduced to the cool biological instincts. we're no different from a bacterium on the
posterior of a dead rotting rats.
		

			What makes you different though, what gives you your life? Allah is giving you the solution. respond
to his call, Mr. Buhari said this morning to all that is good, be good people. May Allah bless you
Solomonic. Rahmatullah