Ingrid Mattson – 30 Days, 30 Deeds Day 27 Shukr Not Kufr

Ingrid Mattson
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The speakers discuss the importance of learning and learning for young families, particularly in achieving joyful and rewarding life. They stress the importance of gratitude and the need to act positively, as well as the importance of fasting, respecting guidance from the Bible, and marketing to create a sense of purpose and joy. They also discuss the negative impact of technology on people's lives and the importance of gratitude and the desire to be in a state of joy.

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			Every night of Ramadan is special, but each
		
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			night brings its own,
		
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			specialness.
		
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			So I know so many of you were
		
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			with us last night as we marked and
		
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			celebrated the 27th night of Ramadan.
		
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			For all of those of you who are
		
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			able to come,
		
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			jazakAllah khayr, and it was such an honor
		
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			and privilege to spend the, to spend the
		
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			evening with you.
		
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			Our apologies for any of our shortcomings,
		
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			but
		
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			at least from from my point of view,
		
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			it was a it was a it was
		
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			a really,
		
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			it was, it was a beautiful night,
		
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			and, it was, it was a it was
		
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			a night of, I think, poignancy
		
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			and community. And I think, both of those
		
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			things were were really, really important.
		
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			Tonight,
		
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			we have our community of Thar.
		
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			So we have our volunteers,
		
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			setting up. So,
		
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			one of our beloved brothers in the in
		
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			the hub community
		
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			has, has sponsored tonight's tonight's of thar. May
		
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			Allah bless him, and,
		
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			grant him every every goodness and the blessing
		
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			of breaking so many
		
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			so many people's fasts.
		
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			And then,
		
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			tonight is also special because it's this the
		
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			second and final night that doctor Ingrid Madsen
		
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			is gonna be is gonna be with us.
		
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			And as I mentioned, la last night's event,
		
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			we were,
		
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			to use an to use an English phrase,
		
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			decidedly chuffed
		
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			when,
		
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			when doctor Mattson agreed
		
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			to,
		
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			to our invitation to come and join us
		
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			here at the hub and to join us
		
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			for the 27th night program.
		
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			And, tonight, we have the privilege again of
		
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			of benefiting from her reflections and and from
		
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			her from her teaching.
		
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			So tonight,
		
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			we we we kind of revert back to
		
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			our to our usual order of things, which
		
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			is that in the next 35 minutes that
		
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			we have or so before, the breaking of
		
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			the fast,
		
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			we come back to the good deeds,
		
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			the 30 days, 30 deeds theme that we've
		
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			been looking at the entire month of Ramadan.
		
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			And,
		
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			encouraging ourselves to take on
		
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			or to make these deeds a part of
		
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			our life. Not only because they have value
		
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			and have impact for other people, but they're
		
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			transformative for us.
		
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			That by doing these things, we ourselves will
		
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			be transformed,
		
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			by them, and our hearts will be transformed
		
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			by them. And then before Isha Salah tonight,
		
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			we're gonna have a very special
		
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			discourse by doctor Matson,
		
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			reflecting on the Quran and drawing from her
		
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			from her published work and her reflections
		
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			on studying the Quran. And we'll we'll introduce
		
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			that a little bit later. But to move
		
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			on to today's deed,
		
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			today's deed, we've entitled expansive
		
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			thankfulness.
		
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			Expansive thankfulness.
		
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			And the the the call to us tonight,
		
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			the call to action to us tonight
		
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			is to
		
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			recognize,
		
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			our blessings
		
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			and, stop complaining.
		
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			So without any further ado, I'm gonna I'm
		
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			gonna hand it over to to doctor Mattson.
		
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			Doctor Mattson, we usually take right up until
		
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			about about 9 o'clock, and then we make
		
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			we make blah.
		
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			And then, around 903
		
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			is is, is the is the breaking of
		
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			the fast. Sounds good. Thank you. So I'll
		
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			I'll I'll I'll leave us in in doctor
		
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			Matson's very, very good hands.
		
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			I realized I put this in my book
		
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			to give to you
		
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			for when you check
		
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			out. Okay. Alright. Okay.
		
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			Assalamu alaikum.
		
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			Assalamu alaikum. Am I on? Yeah. I think
		
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			you're on. Okay.
		
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			Such a pleasure to be here at Seeker's
		
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			Hub for the first time. Beautiful
		
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			space.
		
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			So well done
		
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			and filled with things made by hand by
		
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			Muslim artisans. And,
		
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			it's just lovely, SubhanAllah, and it reflects
		
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			the the inner beauty that I find in
		
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			this community.
		
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			Had just such a nice time with you
		
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			last night.
		
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			Love the kids. The fact that
		
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			our
		
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			hyper
		
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			energetic Muslim kids,
		
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			outlasted
		
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			the,
		
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			the people having the party next door in
		
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			the banquet hall. So, 4 year olds having
		
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			pillow fights at 3 in the morning while
		
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			everyone else had gone home. That was excellent.
		
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			It's beautiful to see young families coming together
		
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			for knowledge.
		
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			So important.
		
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			And,
		
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			I I I really commend all of you.
		
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			I know that when you have a young
		
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			family, when you have
		
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			children and teenagers,
		
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			life is very busy. There's never enough time,
		
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			but it's so important to take this time
		
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			for you to learn so that you can
		
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			be the one to whom your kids turn
		
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			to to understand what's going on in the
		
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			world and what to make of the news
		
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			and how they're supposed to live in this
		
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			world because otherwise,
		
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			and I know this because I get the
		
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			kids when they get to university.
		
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			They've been doing a lot of research on
		
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			their own in places where their the answers
		
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			aren't the correct answers.
		
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			So,
		
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			may Allah bless you and continue
		
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			to expand this,
		
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			the circle of knowledge and learning
		
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			and and bless all of these families.
		
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			I was so happy to hear that the
		
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			topic tonight is gratitude,
		
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			because
		
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			I would say that gratitude
		
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			is one of the most important themes of
		
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			the Quran.
		
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			In fact, there was a great scholar of
		
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			the Quran,
		
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			a Japanese scholar of the Quran named,
		
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			Toshihiko
		
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			Isutsu
		
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			who wrote a,
		
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			very influential
		
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			book called, that was translated as Ethical religious
		
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			concepts in the Quran.
		
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			And he,
		
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			what he does is a semantic analysis of
		
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			major,
		
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			ethical and moral principles in the Quran.
		
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			And he shows quite clearly, I believe, that
		
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			that shukr
		
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			is so intimately tied with faith in the
		
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			Quran
		
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			that it really is another word for faith.
		
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			True gratitude
		
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			is another word for faith.
		
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			And and shukur, the opposite of shukur,
		
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			in fact, is kufr.
		
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			Because kufr is, in its semantic meaning, is
		
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			ingratitude.
		
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			I think probably many of you know the
		
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			literal meaning of
		
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			means to to hide or conceal something good.
		
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			And so the example that's given,
		
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			by the linguist
		
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			is like an like a small animal, like
		
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			a a chipmunk, for example, that would dig
		
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			a hole and hide a a seed in
		
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			the ground, right, and then cover it up.
		
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			So this is something good that it's covering
		
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			up. Now, of course, the the animal's doing
		
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			it to get it later, although they've got
		
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			very short memories, so they never remember where
		
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			where they've hidden them. They run away. Maybe
		
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			that's why is important. Right? You've got you've
		
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			got to remember. The squirrels need more to
		
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			remember
		
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			where they hid those, those nuts.
		
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			But for us,
		
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			when Allah
		
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			is talking to us about about kufr and
		
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			shukr,
		
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			Kufr is
		
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			is ingratitude
		
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			in that we are denying
		
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			all of the goodness
		
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			that Allah has created and given us.
		
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			To start with, the goodness of being itself,
		
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			the fact that we have come into being
		
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			because that's not necessary. We are not necessary
		
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			beings. Only Allah
		
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			is the necessary being.
		
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			So to be created,
		
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			to have that
		
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			chance, that opportunity to
		
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			come into being and to experience all of
		
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			what comes after
		
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			is the first act of
		
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			of and the most ultimate act of of
		
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			ingratitude,
		
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			which is kufr. So these two things
		
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			are are are on opposite sides of the
		
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			spectrum. So if kufa is
		
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			concealing something that is good,
		
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			then shukkot is demonstrating
		
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			something that is good,
		
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			is presenting something that is good.
		
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			So when we say, oh,
		
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			my life's horrible.
		
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			Nothing's good. Everything's bad.
		
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			I remember,
		
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			something that,
		
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			with a young person I I know that
		
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			really set him off and turned him off
		
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			from from the masjid in,
		
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			you know, until now, pretty much a permanent
		
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			way was listening to a Khutba that
		
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			the theme was that Muslims are horrible,
		
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			We're not doing anything good in the world.
		
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			And here are all the bad things that
		
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			are going on in the world,
		
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			all the bad things, and and what's anyone
		
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			doing about it? No one's doing anything about
		
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			it. Muslims are suffering here. Muslims are suffering
		
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			there.
		
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			They're being oppressed here and there. No. Literally,
		
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			this is what the Khatib was saying. No
		
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			one's doing everything about it.
		
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			And this boy came out and he said
		
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			he said,
		
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			he lied.
		
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			That's not true that no one's doing
		
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			anything.
		
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			I know people that are doing things, but
		
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			the the the mood, everyone left that place
		
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			feeling completely dispirited.
		
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			It was as if the Khatib was projecting
		
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			his own depression
		
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			and frustration
		
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			on the jamaah.
		
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			And
		
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			that is that is a a pattern that
		
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			we find in our community quite frequently,
		
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			and we have to make sure that we
		
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			stop
		
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			that
		
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			pattern.
		
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			It is I hear it again and again
		
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			and again in the Masajid, and the problem
		
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			is that we have, you know, many people
		
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			who are trying to do their best, but
		
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			a lot of, people who are given chutbas
		
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			who haven't been trained or there's no feedback,
		
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			there's no correction so that people don't even
		
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			see what they're doing. They think they're they
		
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			think that by expressing concern for the community,
		
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			right,
		
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			by showing how upset they are, by seeing
		
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			injustice,
		
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			that they're showing Rahma, that they're showing mercy,
		
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			that they're showing compassion. But in fact,
		
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			what is happening is it's it's a projection
		
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			of their own emotional state of their sadness,
		
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			and they're concealing everything
		
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			good that's going on at the same time
		
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			and making everyone feel unmotivated.
		
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			So complaining, there's nothing like complaining to bring
		
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			people down.
		
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			And certainly, I mean, if any of you
		
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			have been in an organization or a group
		
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			or it's very common in the workplace
		
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			where there's one coworker
		
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			who will just be the complainer all the
		
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			time and
		
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			it just sucks the energy out of any
		
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			project, any initiative, anything that you are going
		
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			to do.
		
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			So
		
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			we have to be careful and
		
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			excessively
		
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			complaining can be a sign of depression.
		
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			It can be a sign I mean, if
		
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			you find yourself constantly only seeing things negatively,
		
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			it can be a sign of a of
		
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			a actual mental health problem.
		
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			And, I mean, we're human beings. Our our
		
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			our,
		
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			our mental health is is part of our
		
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			overall all health and it's not to be
		
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			ashamed of that. If you find, you know,
		
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			if one finds themself in that situation where
		
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			they can only think negatively,
		
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			where what predominantly
		
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			comes out
		
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			of, you know,
		
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			in our statements are negative
		
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			and really saying about only how bad this
		
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			or that is, the Muslim Ummah or this
		
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			mosque or this community or the Muslim world
		
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			or people or this or that, if that's
		
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			it, it is time to really think,
		
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			why have I gotten into this pattern? Can
		
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			I get out of this?
		
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			Is this the world
		
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			or is this how I feel? That's what
		
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			projection is, right? It's like
		
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			your inner state you're projecting
		
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			out onto the world.
		
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			So what is shukar? Gratitude. Gratitude is the
		
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			opposite where
		
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			you come to realize
		
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			the
		
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			the reality,
		
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			which is that
		
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			it is all good in Allah's creation,
		
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			that
		
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			the believer is the one who is
		
00:13:00 --> 00:13:00
			happy.
		
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			This is why,
		
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			Allah
		
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05
			in the Quran talks so much about,
		
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			almuflihon,
		
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			those who are happy, who are joyous.
		
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			The joy that comes from the believer then
		
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			can be projected out in the world,
		
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			and that's where we see all of and
		
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			recognize and acknowledge all of the good things
		
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			that are around us. Now you may say
		
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25
			isn't this just Pollyannaish?
		
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			Isn't this just some people see the world
		
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			the glass half empty
		
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			and some people see the world
		
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			the glass half full
		
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			and, you know, I'm just the half empty
		
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			kind of person or I'm the realist, I'm
		
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			the one who sees the problems and the
		
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			other people are just walking around in a
		
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			daze.
		
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			The reality is that
		
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			we should be able to maintain both states
		
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			at the same time.
		
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			At the same time, we should be able
		
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			to see very clearly,
		
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			the the places where
		
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			people are in need.
		
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			We should be able to deeply feel
		
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			the, suffering of others.
		
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			We should be deeply motivated
		
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			to act towards that and at the same
		
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			time
		
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			be absolutely joyful
		
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16
			with the Qaldir of Allah,
		
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19
			with our creation. And after all, the 6th
		
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			article of faith, which is I think the
		
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			most neglected article of faith in Islam which
		
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			is called it is to accept
		
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			is to accept what will come, what is
		
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			happening,
		
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			the good of it and the bad of
		
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			it. Right? So there is I mean,
		
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37
			there there's a there's a clear assessment that
		
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			some things in the world are evil, are
		
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			unjust, are bad. But accepting
		
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			the of Allah means we also accept the
		
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			hikmah of Allah, that we know that that
		
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			in the end, this is this is all
		
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49
			of Allah's creation.
		
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			It's it's his wisdom
		
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			that underlies all things
		
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			and that we trust that,
		
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			everything in the end will come out right.
		
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			And that even in hardship for us, there's
		
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			an opportunity
		
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06
			for us to learn.
		
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			And learning
		
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			learning
		
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			means that we're coming closer to Allah because
		
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			when we learn,
		
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			we are knowing something more about Allah's creation.
		
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			And as we know more, then we become,
		
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			more joyful
		
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24
			because we understand the
		
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			a, article published in The Guardian newspaper of
		
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36
			the UK last night. I just wanna read
		
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37
			you the first paragraph because I think it
		
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40
			goes very well with our topic today.
		
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			And
		
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			the,
		
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			let me just pull it up. It was
		
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48
			there. There we go.
		
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			And,
		
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			this author,
		
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			whose name is Oliver Burkeman,
		
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			wrote an article called how to stay happy
		
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			when the sky is falling in. And I
		
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			think he does very well in the first
		
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			paragraph,
		
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07
			kind of giving us some perspective
		
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10
			on all of the troubles that we see
		
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12
			around ourselves today. So he says this,
		
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			seen from a certain perspective
		
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17
			the last few months on planet Earth have
		
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			been pretty unreservedly
		
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			amazing.
		
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23
			No one died from smallpox,
		
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26
			almost nobody contracted polio,
		
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			hospital operating theatres were not generally filled with
		
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33
			the screams of patients undergoing
		
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			surgery without anesthetic.
		
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41
			No war claimed anything like the single day
		
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43
			death toll on the first hours of the
		
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			Battle of the Somme a 100 years ago
		
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			this week.
		
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48
			Britain decided the question of European
		
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			Union membership
		
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53
			via a democratic vote not armed conflict
		
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			and women were entitled to participate in that
		
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			vote.
		
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			Oh, and working people on both sides of
		
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			the Atlantic enjoyed unprecedented
		
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			quantities of leisure.
		
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			Even if you don't believe in the inevitability
		
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12
			of human progress, maybe things really will get
		
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14
			worse again in the future. It's hard to
		
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16
			deny that we're having a really good run.
		
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19
			And then he goes on and shows perspective.
		
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20
			So
		
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22
			things are bad compared to what?
		
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23
			Right?
		
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26
			Things are bad compared to what?
		
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28
			Human beings become,
		
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			we become used to,
		
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			something, a change for the good
		
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			very quickly. That's why we call it the
		
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38
			new normal. Right?
		
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40
			So things used to be,
		
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			for example, when I was a graduate student,
		
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			if I wanted to look up a journal,
		
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47
			I had to
		
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52
			first go and find out where the journal's
		
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54
			in the library. I had to actually walk
		
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			over to the library.
		
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			I had to go and had to find
		
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			where the journals were. I had to find
		
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00
			where
		
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03
			with the journal there was some manual index
		
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05
			for the last few volumes,
		
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			look through there, try to find the topic,
		
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			then when I did that try to figure
		
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			out where in the library the journal was,
		
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			then when I found it I had to
		
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			go find a copy
		
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			machine, see if I had any change. I
		
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			probably didn't,
		
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			which meant another
		
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			an hour trip getting changed, going photo standing
		
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			there at the photocopy machine copying my 20
		
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			page,
		
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30
			journal. Right? So
		
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33
			to to just,
		
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35
			look up a few journal articles was a
		
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			whole day in the library was a whole
		
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			day in the library. Now I can do
		
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			all of that
		
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			within 15 minutes at my computer without leaving
		
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			my office.
		
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			Is that and then, you know, is that
		
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			progress or not progress? So when I then
		
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			get frustrated because the copy machine is not
		
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			working, it's like, oh, so frustrating. I can't
		
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			get my my work done because the copy
		
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			machine is not working to print out these
		
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			articles that I've downloaded.
		
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			Really, I mean, can I compare it with
		
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05
			what I we used to have to do
		
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			to get that level of knowledge?
		
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08
			But we become
		
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			so
		
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			accustomed. As soon as something gets good, we
		
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			get accustomed to it, and we expect that.
		
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			We expect to stay at that level all
		
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			the time now. And if something inter
		
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			impeded with that, then we become so frustrated.
		
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			I mean,
		
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			you know probably many of you have relatives
		
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			even if you're if you're young. You probably
		
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			have some relatives or friends or maybe you've
		
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			visited countries
		
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			where some people still
		
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			find it very difficult to access knowledge,
		
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			where they still have to wash their clothes
		
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			in the river,
		
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			like we did in the summertime at our
		
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			cottage in Northern Ontario
		
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			because my mother believed that the summertime was
		
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			the time to get back to the old
		
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			days, so we would be grateful
		
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			when we would come back to our home
		
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			and, have all of the benefits of technology.
		
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			So in the summers, we didn't have indoor
		
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05
			plumbing,
		
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07
			We didn't have running water.
		
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08
			We didn't have a,
		
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			washing machine.
		
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13
			We had to do everything manually,
		
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			for 2 months. And my father was a
		
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16
			very successful,
		
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17
			lawyer,
		
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20
			so should they could have, you know, purchased
		
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			these technologies if they wanted. But her philosophy
		
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24
			was
		
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27
			don't give the kids everything.
		
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28
			Let them
		
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30
			experience
		
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30
			hardship
		
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33
			for a time so that they will be
		
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35
			grateful for what they don't have.
		
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37
			And
		
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40
			with with us, with our children, it is
		
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42
			so easy for us to feel that if
		
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44
			we just give them things, then they'll be
		
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44
			happy.
		
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47
			We see them sad because
		
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			they
		
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50
			someone was mean at school,
		
00:20:50 --> 00:20:53
			or we're afraid that they're gonna feel overwhelmed
		
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54
			by all of the
		
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57
			the news that they hear. As they get
		
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59
			older, they start to hear more news
		
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01
			about what's going on in the world and
		
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03
			we're afraid that they're gonna feel overwhelmed.
		
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05
			And we think the solution to that
		
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06
			is
		
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09
			to make their lives really easy, to make
		
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10
			them
		
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11
			happy
		
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12
			with things.
		
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15
			I was speaking with Sheikh Faraz about that
		
00:21:15 --> 00:21:19
			to actually distract them from the hardship.
		
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21
			And that is not
		
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24
			the key. That is not a solution.
		
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26
			That's just that's just distraction.
		
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29
			Distraction from a problem does not solve the
		
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31
			problem, and it doesn't make you happy.
		
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33
			You know, having a little fun
		
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35
			for a while,
		
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39
			does is not the same as having true
		
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39
			happiness.
		
00:21:40 --> 00:21:43
			True happiness that comes out of a deep
		
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44
			feeling of gratitude.
		
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47
			So we need to separate,
		
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48
			these things.
		
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56
			It is a really good time for us
		
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58
			to talk about gratitude because
		
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01
			Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in the Quran in
		
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01
			fact
		
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02
			talks about
		
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04
			the fasting of Ramadan
		
00:22:05 --> 00:22:08
			really as being a means towards being grateful,
		
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11
			towards being grateful. So Allah
		
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13
			says,
		
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16
			at the beginning of of the ayah Sur
		
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18
			Al Baqarah, it was a month of Ramadan
		
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20
			when the Quran was revealed to guide people
		
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22
			as a proof of guidance and as the
		
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23
			moral standard.
		
00:22:24 --> 00:22:27
			So whoever of you witnesses this month should
		
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28
			fast
		
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30
			while those who are sick
		
00:22:30 --> 00:22:33
			or traveling should fast on other days. Right?
		
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35
			So we know this is this is this
		
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35
			is the
		
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37
			fast and that we know Allah
		
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40
			says we fast for the sake of Allah
		
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42
			in order to have taqwa, to be close
		
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43
			to Allah.
		
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45
			But then Allah
		
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46
			says
		
00:22:46 --> 00:22:50
			Allah wants ease for you. Right? Ease does
		
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51
			not want hardship
		
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53
			which shows that
		
00:22:54 --> 00:22:57
			we shouldn't be in a state of
		
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59
			feeling so constricted
		
00:22:59 --> 00:23:02
			and that things are so tough, that Islam
		
00:23:02 --> 00:23:05
			is so tough, that religion is so tough,
		
00:23:05 --> 00:23:07
			that being merciful and compassionate is so tough
		
00:23:07 --> 00:23:10
			because we're feeling so bad from these things.
		
00:23:10 --> 00:23:13
			And this is why we're we have this
		
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15
			bad mood that then comes out in complaining.
		
00:23:16 --> 00:23:19
			So it's it's this question of perspective. So
		
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21
			then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, but Allah
		
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23
			wants us to complete the days,
		
00:23:23 --> 00:23:26
			these days of fasting and to glorify God
		
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28
			for having guided you and perhaps
		
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30
			you will be grateful.
		
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35
			Teshquran.
		
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37
			And so you will be grateful.
		
00:23:38 --> 00:23:41
			So think about this. Is there any time
		
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43
			I mean, I know for my self, there's
		
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45
			no time when I feel more grateful than
		
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46
			during Ramadan.
		
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50
			There's no time when I feel more grateful.
		
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52
			Why does this denial
		
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54
			lead to gratitude?
		
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56
			Because when we are hungry,
		
00:23:56 --> 00:23:58
			when we become hungry,
		
00:23:58 --> 00:24:01
			we say, oh, I'm hungry. I'm starving. Then
		
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02
			we say stuff for Allah.
		
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03
			I'm not starving.
		
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07
			I'm not starving, but there are people are
		
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08
			starving. A few facts,
		
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10
			795,000,000
		
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12
			people
		
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16
			in the world do not have enough food
		
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17
			to live a healthy lifestyle,
		
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20
			healthy active lifestyle, meaning that some of them
		
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21
			may have enough food,
		
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24
			many of those may have enough food to
		
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26
			sustain them, to keep them alive,
		
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27
			but they have no energy.
		
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29
			They can't
		
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32
			go and do what needs to be done
		
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33
			to get ahead.
		
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36
			Those are kids who are sitting there who
		
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37
			may be sent to school if they have
		
00:24:37 --> 00:24:40
			a school, but they're sitting there falling asleep
		
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40
			because
		
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42
			they haven't eaten
		
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44
			and they can't focus.
		
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47
			I mean, I had great ambitions to finish
		
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49
			a research article this
		
00:24:49 --> 00:24:52
			month. I have not finished that research article
		
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54
			because every time I sit down to write,
		
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56
			I either fall asleep
		
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57
			or
		
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59
			my mind is just so
		
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02
			foggy that I'm not able to focus on
		
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03
			my topic.
		
00:25:03 --> 00:25:06
			So how can you imagine how many millions
		
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08
			of people because they're not nourished,
		
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11
			have the same thing? We want the poor
		
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13
			to lift up themselves up by their bootstraps,
		
00:25:14 --> 00:25:17
			but they they don't have the energy to
		
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18
			do that, subhanallah,
		
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20
			when we're so thirsty.
		
00:25:21 --> 00:25:23
			And that thirst makes us not have the
		
00:25:23 --> 00:25:25
			physical strength to be able to climb those
		
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27
			stairs so we take the elevator
		
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29
			or whatever it is.
		
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30
			750,000,000
		
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31
			people
		
00:25:32 --> 00:25:34
			in the world do not have access to
		
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34
			clean water.
		
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36
			750,000,000.
		
00:25:37 --> 00:25:40
			That's over 20 times the population of Canada.
		
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42
			So think of all of the people in
		
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42
			Canada
		
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44
			times 20,
		
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46
			and that many people don't have access to
		
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47
			clean water.
		
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49
			And what does it mean when you don't
		
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50
			have access to clean water?
		
00:25:52 --> 00:25:54
			It means you have a lot of problems.
		
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56
			You have a lot of stomach problems.
		
00:25:56 --> 00:25:59
			In Ramadan, some people have stomach problems because
		
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01
			of the way they're eating and fasting.
		
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02
			2,500,000,000
		
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04
			people
		
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06
			don't have adequate
		
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07
			sanitation.
		
00:26:07 --> 00:26:09
			I mean, when we have our stomach problem,
		
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11
			we're so grateful. We have a nice, you
		
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12
			know, clean,
		
00:26:13 --> 00:26:16
			bathroom at home and privacy and everything.
		
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17
			2,500,000,000
		
00:26:17 --> 00:26:20
			people don't even have access to that. They
		
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22
			have to find some there's there's go behind
		
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24
			a building or there's lots of people. What
		
00:26:24 --> 00:26:27
			how does this impact your life? How does
		
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28
			it impact your capacity,
		
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30
			to do anything?
		
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33
			So I certainly feel during Ramadan, and I
		
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34
			know so many other people,
		
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37
			just feel during this month is such a
		
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39
			month of absolute gratitude.
		
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42
			And we hope that that sense of gratitude
		
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45
			will continue during the year where we will
		
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46
			always
		
00:26:46 --> 00:26:48
			you know, whenever we get into that position
		
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49
			where we start to grumble,
		
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51
			we're able to say,
		
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53
			what do I have?
		
00:26:53 --> 00:26:57
			Not only in adequate food, not just adequate,
		
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58
			but we have delicious,
		
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59
			savory,
		
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00
			sweet,
		
00:27:01 --> 00:27:04
			all of the flavors. I love sushi, umami.
		
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06
			We have all of the flavors and palates
		
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08
			that you can possibly want,
		
00:27:08 --> 00:27:11
			you know, food that you could possibly have.
		
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13
			Not just clean water,
		
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16
			but, you know, guaranteed, easily accessible,
		
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18
			sanitation,
		
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20
			safety, security,
		
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21
			education,
		
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22
			health care,
		
00:27:23 --> 00:27:25
			labor laws. Do you know how many people
		
00:27:25 --> 00:27:28
			fall off how many Bengali and Filipino workers
		
00:27:36 --> 00:27:39
			I mean I mean, people can work here
		
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39
			and
		
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43
			you have a right to be safe
		
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44
			in this country. So
		
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45
			subhanAllah.
		
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48
			I mean, there's so many things to be
		
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49
			grateful for, but as Allah says,
		
00:27:51 --> 00:27:54
			very few among my servants are grateful.
		
00:27:57 --> 00:27:59
			So few of my servants
		
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01
			of us are grateful.
		
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03
			And, really, it is such a habit to
		
00:28:03 --> 00:28:06
			fall into grumbling, to grumble about our children,
		
00:28:06 --> 00:28:08
			about our families, about our spouses,
		
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11
			how quickly we grumble about our spouses.
		
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13
			We'll talk a little bit,
		
00:28:13 --> 00:28:16
			later tonight before, Tara, we have prayer about
		
00:28:16 --> 00:28:19
			about marriage and gratitude, and that's gonna be
		
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19
			part of our
		
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22
			the the story that we'll,
		
00:28:22 --> 00:28:24
			talk about the Qur'anic stories,
		
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26
			when we talk about the Quran tonight.
		
00:28:27 --> 00:28:30
			But the question is, alright. Here you are,
		
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31
			you know,
		
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32
			telling
		
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34
			I'm telling you about
		
00:28:34 --> 00:28:36
			how difficult it is for so many people
		
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38
			in the world. Why shouldn't we
		
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40
			just feel sad about that? Why shouldn't we
		
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42
			complain? Why shouldn't we just say,
		
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43
			look at what's
		
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45
			how horrible it is?
		
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48
			There's a few things
		
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51
			that we need to think of.
		
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53
			First of all,
		
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55
			we
		
00:28:55 --> 00:28:58
			if we focus completely on the external, we
		
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59
			will never
		
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02
			have take that opportunity to be grateful and
		
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04
			thankful for what we have,
		
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05
			and all of this is by the cauldron
		
00:29:05 --> 00:29:08
			of the law. We do not deserve it.
		
00:29:08 --> 00:29:11
			It's not that we deserve to eat and
		
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12
			other people in the world do not deserve
		
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14
			to eat. It's not that we deserve to
		
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16
			be safe and other people do not deserve
		
00:29:16 --> 00:29:19
			it. We're not better than other people. That's
		
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20
			not why we have this.
		
00:29:22 --> 00:29:25
			Poverty is a test. Wealth is a test.
		
00:29:27 --> 00:29:30
			War is a test. Peace is a test.
		
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32
			Abundance
		
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34
			is a test as lack,
		
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35
			of
		
00:29:36 --> 00:29:39
			what you have for sufficiency is a test.
		
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40
			Each of those,
		
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42
			deficiency,
		
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44
			not having enough, is a test of patience.
		
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47
			Having a lot is a test of gratitude.
		
00:29:48 --> 00:29:52
			So we have to be grateful, 1st and
		
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54
			foremost, to be grateful for what we have.
		
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57
			When we are grateful to for what we
		
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59
			have then, at the same time, we hold
		
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00
			in our heart
		
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03
			that we love for our brother what we
		
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05
			love for our for ourselves.
		
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07
			If we feel
		
00:30:08 --> 00:30:10
			grateful for these things, if we enjoy the
		
00:30:10 --> 00:30:12
			benefits, then we want it for other people.
		
00:30:13 --> 00:30:15
			That is true faith, that is true belief,
		
00:30:16 --> 00:30:19
			our beloved messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
		
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20
			taught us that.
		
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22
			So
		
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25
			now we want it for others and here
		
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26
			is the motivation
		
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27
			factor
		
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29
			that we are motivated
		
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30
			to do something
		
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31
			about
		
00:30:32 --> 00:30:35
			those who don't have so that
		
00:30:36 --> 00:30:38
			so that now because we are grateful for
		
00:30:38 --> 00:30:41
			what we have and we want for others
		
00:30:41 --> 00:30:43
			to have those things, now we will be
		
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44
			motivated to act.
		
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47
			We can't solve all those problems as individuals.
		
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50
			Even a community together can't solve all of
		
00:30:50 --> 00:30:53
			them, but we all have both individual
		
00:30:53 --> 00:30:55
			and collective obligations
		
00:30:55 --> 00:30:57
			to work towards alleviating suffering.
		
00:30:58 --> 00:31:01
			And as we so that rather than putting
		
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02
			energy into complaining,
		
00:31:02 --> 00:31:05
			which allows us to and brings us
		
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08
			an a state of dismotivation
		
00:31:08 --> 00:31:12
			and and and demotivates the people around us,
		
00:31:12 --> 00:31:15
			makes them feel feel demoralized and lacking in
		
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15
			energy.
		
00:31:16 --> 00:31:19
			Instead, we will be energized to do something,
		
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20
			to
		
00:31:21 --> 00:31:23
			try to feed the poor, to try to
		
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24
			improve,
		
00:31:24 --> 00:31:26
			the laws so that,
		
00:31:26 --> 00:31:28
			other people will have what all of the
		
00:31:28 --> 00:31:30
			things that we have.
		
00:31:30 --> 00:31:32
			The and this in itself
		
00:31:33 --> 00:31:35
			creates motivation. Anyone who does this work knows
		
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36
			that
		
00:31:37 --> 00:31:39
			it it provides as you work towards this,
		
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41
			it also provides you with energy. It's like
		
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42
			exercise.
		
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44
			You know, when you don't exercise for a
		
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45
			while, you feel so lazy, you have no
		
00:31:45 --> 00:31:48
			physical energy, you're all like I can't do
		
00:31:48 --> 00:31:50
			that. And then you start enter you start
		
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51
			exercising
		
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51
			and
		
00:31:52 --> 00:31:54
			even though you've you're using energy to exercise,
		
00:31:55 --> 00:31:58
			now you're in a a better more fit
		
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00
			state so you have physical energy to get
		
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02
			up and do other things. Right? So this
		
00:32:02 --> 00:32:04
			is spiritual energy. Gratitude
		
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06
			creates spiritual energy.
		
00:32:07 --> 00:32:09
			It creates that spiritual energy that will then
		
00:32:09 --> 00:32:12
			motivate us to go on and do other
		
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12
			things.
		
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14
			And SubhanAllah,
		
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16
			one of the things that you find is
		
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17
			that, you know,
		
00:32:18 --> 00:32:21
			it's very interesting because the biggest complainers really
		
00:32:21 --> 00:32:23
			are the people who have the most.
		
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25
			If you go
		
00:32:26 --> 00:32:28
			and spend time with people who have very
		
00:32:28 --> 00:32:30
			little, you will find them to be the
		
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31
			most grateful.
		
00:32:31 --> 00:32:33
			What a bizarre paradox.
		
00:32:34 --> 00:32:36
			But any of you who have spent time
		
00:32:36 --> 00:32:39
			with people who are really in need will
		
00:32:39 --> 00:32:42
			find them constantly in a state of gratitude
		
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44
			for what the little they have. When they
		
00:32:44 --> 00:32:46
			get something, they are so grateful. They are
		
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47
			so thankful.
		
00:32:47 --> 00:32:49
			This is why I feel so blessed that
		
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49
			Allah
		
00:32:50 --> 00:32:52
			allowed me to spend some time,
		
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53
			with refugees because
		
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57
			what I saw there every day were people
		
00:32:57 --> 00:33:00
			who were kicked out of their country, homeless,
		
00:33:01 --> 00:33:03
			not having enough to eat, in in places
		
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04
			of severe hardship,
		
00:33:05 --> 00:33:08
			in a constant state of saying Alhamdulillah
		
00:33:09 --> 00:33:12
			and gratitude for every small thing they had
		
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13
			because relatively
		
00:33:14 --> 00:33:16
			if they got something that improved their situation,
		
00:33:16 --> 00:33:19
			it was it was so enormous. And so
		
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20
			they were in such a state of shukar.
		
00:33:21 --> 00:33:24
			Whereas for us, we're so blase. We have
		
00:33:24 --> 00:33:26
			so much. We get another, oh, another present,
		
00:33:26 --> 00:33:29
			another gift, another meal. I'm bored of this
		
00:33:29 --> 00:33:31
			food. We become bored of it, subhanAllah, like
		
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32
			Benny Israel.
		
00:33:34 --> 00:33:36
			You know, we we we we think that's
		
00:33:36 --> 00:33:38
			only for Bani Israel, but we are in
		
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39
			the we
		
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41
			every people in the Quran
		
00:33:41 --> 00:33:43
			reflects a state that we can be in
		
00:33:43 --> 00:33:45
			at some point in our life,
		
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46
			and we certainly
		
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48
			and I will be the first one
		
00:33:49 --> 00:33:51
			to, you know, to confess that I'm I'm
		
00:33:52 --> 00:33:54
			like those people that we who live in
		
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55
			affluent societies
		
00:33:56 --> 00:33:58
			reflect that state of Banu Israel who even
		
00:33:58 --> 00:34:00
			though they're given manna and salwa
		
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01
			from heaven
		
00:34:01 --> 00:34:04
			still are complaining, well, you know, we'd like
		
00:34:04 --> 00:34:06
			we want it to taste better so we'd
		
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08
			like some onions or this or that.
		
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10
			We we say that.
		
00:34:11 --> 00:34:13
			So let's try to use this opportunity in
		
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14
			Ramadan,
		
00:34:14 --> 00:34:16
			this time when we feel
		
00:34:16 --> 00:34:18
			deeply the sense of,
		
00:34:19 --> 00:34:21
			you know, we get a little taste of
		
00:34:21 --> 00:34:23
			what it what it feels like to not
		
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24
			have something that we want.
		
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26
			Let's
		
00:34:26 --> 00:34:28
			use that to create the spiritual energy of
		
00:34:28 --> 00:34:31
			shukr that when we say, Alhamdulillah, I don't
		
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31
			like Alhamdulillah.
		
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33
			Alhamdulillah.
		
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34
			Alhamdulillah.
		
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36
			Alhamdulillah.
		
00:34:36 --> 00:34:39
			We should be people who are in this,
		
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41
			this state of joy.
		
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43
			And the the
		
00:34:43 --> 00:34:45
			in to the to end because then we're
		
00:34:45 --> 00:34:48
			gonna break our fast soon, I would say
		
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48
			that
		
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49
			the
		
00:34:50 --> 00:34:52
			for me in my life, the
		
00:34:52 --> 00:34:54
			the most powerful reminder
		
00:34:55 --> 00:34:57
			is the statement of the prophet Muhammad sallallahu
		
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58
			alaihi wasallam
		
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00
			when he said,
		
00:35:00 --> 00:35:03
			when you see someone who has more, look
		
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04
			to someone who has less
		
00:35:05 --> 00:35:07
			because this really is the the kind of
		
00:35:07 --> 00:35:09
			double movement that needs to happen.
		
00:35:10 --> 00:35:12
			We live in this society, and there's lots
		
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13
			of, you know, studies,
		
00:35:14 --> 00:35:16
			and and and you could read about the
		
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16
			marketing techniques that are all about creating a
		
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17
			sense of need, that we techniques that are
		
00:35:17 --> 00:35:20
			all about creating a sense of need, that
		
00:35:20 --> 00:35:22
			we need something. Right?
		
00:35:22 --> 00:35:24
			Marketing is all about
		
00:35:25 --> 00:35:27
			make convincing you that you are not going
		
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28
			to
		
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30
			be healthy, beautiful,
		
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31
			successful,
		
00:35:32 --> 00:35:34
			whatever without this product.
		
00:35:34 --> 00:35:36
			So we live in the society
		
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37
			that that
		
00:35:38 --> 00:35:41
			is a a capitalist consumer society that's constantly
		
00:35:41 --> 00:35:43
			creating within us the sense
		
00:35:44 --> 00:35:46
			of want, of lacking,
		
00:35:46 --> 00:35:49
			that other people have more than we have.
		
00:35:49 --> 00:35:51
			This is the one of the biggest fitness
		
00:35:51 --> 00:35:53
			of our of our time and has leads
		
00:35:53 --> 00:35:56
			to consumerism that's destroying the whole world
		
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57
			and greed and,
		
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59
			a a complete
		
00:36:00 --> 00:36:02
			lack of disregard for the needs of any,
		
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04
			of other people's,
		
00:36:04 --> 00:36:07
			needs other than our own our own wants.
		
00:36:07 --> 00:36:09
			So prophet Muhammad says Sam said when you
		
00:36:09 --> 00:36:11
			see someone who has more,
		
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13
			look to someone who has less,
		
00:36:14 --> 00:36:16
			and that really is the key. Whenever you
		
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17
			see in yourself, oh
		
00:36:18 --> 00:36:20
			oh, this person, they have a nicer car.
		
00:36:21 --> 00:36:23
			Oh, this person, they have a nicer house.
		
00:36:24 --> 00:36:26
			They have more money. Oh, I really like
		
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27
			their kitchen.
		
00:36:27 --> 00:36:30
			It also can be, look at this person.
		
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31
			They're so healthy.
		
00:36:32 --> 00:36:34
			Look at this person. Why do I have
		
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34
			sickness?
		
00:36:35 --> 00:36:37
			Look at this person. Oh, there there's a
		
00:36:37 --> 00:36:37
			beautiful,
		
00:36:38 --> 00:36:41
			their husband's beautiful or their wife's beautiful.
		
00:36:41 --> 00:36:43
			Or look at that family. They're so happy.
		
00:36:43 --> 00:36:45
			Why haven't I been able to find someone
		
00:36:45 --> 00:36:46
			to marry?
		
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47
			Or this couple,
		
00:36:49 --> 00:36:51
			and they have so many beautiful children. Why
		
00:36:51 --> 00:36:53
			haven't I been able to have children?
		
00:36:54 --> 00:36:56
			Right? So there are so many things where
		
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			we feel people have more
		
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			or they have night they have children that
		
00:37:00 --> 00:37:02
			respect them. My children don't respect me.
		
00:37:03 --> 00:37:06
			That so it's not just about things. It's
		
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07
			also about human relationships
		
00:37:08 --> 00:37:11
			and the things that we truly deeply want
		
00:37:11 --> 00:37:13
			within ourselves and we we turn away from
		
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14
			them. But sometimes,
		
00:37:15 --> 00:37:17
			you know, sometimes these
		
00:37:18 --> 00:37:20
			states of where we feel deprived, this is
		
00:37:20 --> 00:37:22
			where we have to say because
		
00:37:22 --> 00:37:25
			every deprivation is an opportunity from Allah
		
00:37:26 --> 00:37:28
			And the one who may not have children,
		
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29
			for example,
		
00:37:29 --> 00:37:31
			is like, you know, when I when a
		
00:37:31 --> 00:37:33
			woman comes to me and says, well, we
		
00:37:33 --> 00:37:35
			can't have children, I say, Masha'Allah,
		
00:37:35 --> 00:37:37
			you are in the station of Aisha
		
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40
			SubhanAllah,
		
00:37:40 --> 00:37:42
			Allah chose that state for her of childlessness
		
00:37:44 --> 00:37:46
			so that she could provide
		
00:37:47 --> 00:37:49
			so much to the whole world that we
		
00:37:49 --> 00:37:51
			benefit from till today.
		
00:37:51 --> 00:37:53
			So this is what Shukr is. We thank
		
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54
			Allah
		
00:37:54 --> 00:37:56
			for our state. Whatever it is, even if
		
00:37:56 --> 00:37:59
			we assess it to be negative, even we
		
00:37:59 --> 00:38:01
			assess it to be less than others
		
00:38:01 --> 00:38:03
			because then it is an opportunity.
		
00:38:03 --> 00:38:06
			And when we have this, this, state of
		
00:38:06 --> 00:38:06
			shukr,
		
00:38:07 --> 00:38:09
			then we will see that opportunity
		
00:38:10 --> 00:38:12
			and be among the moflihon, the the people
		
00:38:12 --> 00:38:14
			who are happy and joyful. And I ask
		
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15
			Allah
		
00:38:15 --> 00:38:17
			to give you that that joy, to to
		
00:38:17 --> 00:38:19
			open our eyes to see all of
		
00:38:20 --> 00:38:22
			all of the blessings that he has, to
		
00:38:22 --> 00:38:24
			make us reminders for each other and good
		
00:38:24 --> 00:38:26
			role models for each other, and to allow
		
00:38:26 --> 00:38:28
			us to to be those people who have
		
00:38:28 --> 00:38:31
			spiritual energy to lift up all of those
		
00:38:31 --> 00:38:33
			who are in need in the world.
		
00:38:44 --> 00:38:45
			Doctor Matson.
		
00:38:48 --> 00:38:50
			We're just on the cusp of, opening our
		
00:38:50 --> 00:38:52
			opening our fast, and
		
00:38:53 --> 00:38:55
			we wanna express our gratitude to you
		
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56
			for
		
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			sharing gratitude with us.
		
00:39:00 --> 00:39:02
			I'm gonna ask, though, one of our brothers
		
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03
			to, call the, Adhanu Mohan.