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

Ingrid Mattson
AI: Summary ©
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.
AI: Transcript ©
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20

Every night of Ramadan is special, but each

00:00:20 --> 00:00:21

night brings its own,

00:00:21 --> 00:00:22

specialness.

00:00:23 --> 00:00:25

So I know so many of you were

00:00:25 --> 00:00:27

with us last night as we marked and

00:00:27 --> 00:00:30

celebrated the 27th night of Ramadan.

00:00:30 --> 00:00:32

For all of those of you who are

00:00:32 --> 00:00:33

able to come,

00:00:33 --> 00:00:35

jazakAllah khayr, and it was such an honor

00:00:35 --> 00:00:38

and privilege to spend the, to spend the

00:00:38 --> 00:00:39

evening with you.

00:00:39 --> 00:00:42

Our apologies for any of our shortcomings,

00:00:43 --> 00:00:44

but

00:00:44 --> 00:00:46

at least from from my point of view,

00:00:46 --> 00:00:48

it was a it was a it was

00:00:48 --> 00:00:48

a really,

00:00:49 --> 00:00:51

it was, it was a beautiful night,

00:00:52 --> 00:00:54

and, it was, it was a it was

00:00:54 --> 00:00:56

a night of, I think, poignancy

00:00:57 --> 00:00:59

and community. And I think, both of those

00:00:59 --> 00:01:01

things were were really, really important.

00:01:02 --> 00:01:02

Tonight,

00:01:03 --> 00:01:05

we have our community of Thar.

00:01:05 --> 00:01:07

So we have our volunteers,

00:01:08 --> 00:01:09

setting up. So,

00:01:10 --> 00:01:13

one of our beloved brothers in the in

00:01:13 --> 00:01:14

the hub community

00:01:15 --> 00:01:17

has, has sponsored tonight's tonight's of thar. May

00:01:17 --> 00:01:19

Allah bless him, and,

00:01:19 --> 00:01:22

grant him every every goodness and the blessing

00:01:22 --> 00:01:23

of breaking so many

00:01:24 --> 00:01:25

so many people's fasts.

00:01:27 --> 00:01:28

And then,

00:01:28 --> 00:01:30

tonight is also special because it's this the

00:01:30 --> 00:01:33

second and final night that doctor Ingrid Madsen

00:01:33 --> 00:01:35

is gonna be is gonna be with us.

00:01:35 --> 00:01:37

And as I mentioned, la last night's event,

00:01:39 --> 00:01:39

we were,

00:01:40 --> 00:01:42

to use an to use an English phrase,

00:01:43 --> 00:01:44

decidedly chuffed

00:01:45 --> 00:01:45

when,

00:01:46 --> 00:01:48

when doctor Mattson agreed

00:01:48 --> 00:01:49

to,

00:01:49 --> 00:01:52

to our invitation to come and join us

00:01:52 --> 00:01:54

here at the hub and to join us

00:01:54 --> 00:01:55

for the 27th night program.

00:01:56 --> 00:01:58

And, tonight, we have the privilege again of

00:01:58 --> 00:02:01

of benefiting from her reflections and and from

00:02:01 --> 00:02:02

her from her teaching.

00:02:05 --> 00:02:06

So tonight,

00:02:07 --> 00:02:09

we we we kind of revert back to

00:02:09 --> 00:02:11

our to our usual order of things, which

00:02:11 --> 00:02:14

is that in the next 35 minutes that

00:02:14 --> 00:02:17

we have or so before, the breaking of

00:02:17 --> 00:02:17

the fast,

00:02:18 --> 00:02:20

we come back to the good deeds,

00:02:21 --> 00:02:23

the 30 days, 30 deeds theme that we've

00:02:23 --> 00:02:26

been looking at the entire month of Ramadan.

00:02:27 --> 00:02:27

And,

00:02:28 --> 00:02:30

encouraging ourselves to take on

00:02:30 --> 00:02:32

or to make these deeds a part of

00:02:32 --> 00:02:34

our life. Not only because they have value

00:02:35 --> 00:02:37

and have impact for other people, but they're

00:02:37 --> 00:02:38

transformative for us.

00:02:38 --> 00:02:40

That by doing these things, we ourselves will

00:02:40 --> 00:02:41

be transformed,

00:02:42 --> 00:02:44

by them, and our hearts will be transformed

00:02:44 --> 00:02:46

by them. And then before Isha Salah tonight,

00:02:47 --> 00:02:48

we're gonna have a very special

00:02:50 --> 00:02:51

discourse by doctor Matson,

00:02:52 --> 00:02:55

reflecting on the Quran and drawing from her

00:02:55 --> 00:02:57

from her published work and her reflections

00:02:58 --> 00:03:01

on studying the Quran. And we'll we'll introduce

00:03:01 --> 00:03:03

that a little bit later. But to move

00:03:03 --> 00:03:04

on to today's deed,

00:03:05 --> 00:03:07

today's deed, we've entitled expansive

00:03:08 --> 00:03:09

thankfulness.

00:03:10 --> 00:03:11

Expansive thankfulness.

00:03:11 --> 00:03:13

And the the the call to us tonight,

00:03:13 --> 00:03:15

the call to action to us tonight

00:03:16 --> 00:03:16

is to

00:03:17 --> 00:03:17

recognize,

00:03:19 --> 00:03:20

our blessings

00:03:22 --> 00:03:23

and, stop complaining.

00:03:25 --> 00:03:27

So without any further ado, I'm gonna I'm

00:03:27 --> 00:03:29

gonna hand it over to to doctor Mattson.

00:03:29 --> 00:03:31

Doctor Mattson, we usually take right up until

00:03:31 --> 00:03:33

about about 9 o'clock, and then we make

00:03:33 --> 00:03:34

we make blah.

00:03:34 --> 00:03:35

And then, around 903

00:03:36 --> 00:03:38

is is, is the is the breaking of

00:03:38 --> 00:03:39

the fast. Sounds good. Thank you. So I'll

00:03:39 --> 00:03:41

I'll I'll I'll leave us in in doctor

00:03:41 --> 00:03:43

Matson's very, very good hands.

00:03:44 --> 00:03:46

I realized I put this in my book

00:03:46 --> 00:03:47

to give to you

00:03:47 --> 00:03:48

for when you check

00:03:48 --> 00:03:50

out. Okay. Alright. Okay.

00:03:51 --> 00:03:52

Assalamu alaikum.

00:03:53 --> 00:03:55

Assalamu alaikum. Am I on? Yeah. I think

00:03:55 --> 00:03:55

you're on. Okay.

00:04:08 --> 00:04:10

Such a pleasure to be here at Seeker's

00:04:10 --> 00:04:12

Hub for the first time. Beautiful

00:04:14 --> 00:04:15

space.

00:04:17 --> 00:04:18

So well done

00:04:18 --> 00:04:21

and filled with things made by hand by

00:04:21 --> 00:04:23

Muslim artisans. And,

00:04:24 --> 00:04:27

it's just lovely, SubhanAllah, and it reflects

00:04:27 --> 00:04:29

the the inner beauty that I find in

00:04:29 --> 00:04:30

this community.

00:04:32 --> 00:04:34

Had just such a nice time with you

00:04:34 --> 00:04:35

last night.

00:04:36 --> 00:04:38

Love the kids. The fact that

00:04:39 --> 00:04:39

our

00:04:40 --> 00:04:41

hyper

00:04:42 --> 00:04:43

energetic Muslim kids,

00:04:45 --> 00:04:45

outlasted

00:04:45 --> 00:04:46

the,

00:04:47 --> 00:04:49

the people having the party next door in

00:04:49 --> 00:04:52

the banquet hall. So, 4 year olds having

00:04:52 --> 00:04:53

pillow fights at 3 in the morning while

00:04:53 --> 00:04:56

everyone else had gone home. That was excellent.

00:04:57 --> 00:05:00

It's beautiful to see young families coming together

00:05:00 --> 00:05:01

for knowledge.

00:05:02 --> 00:05:03

So important.

00:05:04 --> 00:05:04

And,

00:05:05 --> 00:05:07

I I I really commend all of you.

00:05:07 --> 00:05:08

I know that when you have a young

00:05:08 --> 00:05:09

family, when you have

00:05:10 --> 00:05:11

children and teenagers,

00:05:12 --> 00:05:14

life is very busy. There's never enough time,

00:05:15 --> 00:05:17

but it's so important to take this time

00:05:17 --> 00:05:19

for you to learn so that you can

00:05:19 --> 00:05:22

be the one to whom your kids turn

00:05:22 --> 00:05:24

to to understand what's going on in the

00:05:24 --> 00:05:26

world and what to make of the news

00:05:26 --> 00:05:29

and how they're supposed to live in this

00:05:29 --> 00:05:30

world because otherwise,

00:05:31 --> 00:05:33

and I know this because I get the

00:05:33 --> 00:05:34

kids when they get to university.

00:05:36 --> 00:05:37

They've been doing a lot of research on

00:05:37 --> 00:05:40

their own in places where their the answers

00:05:40 --> 00:05:41

aren't the correct answers.

00:05:42 --> 00:05:42

So,

00:05:43 --> 00:05:45

may Allah bless you and continue

00:05:45 --> 00:05:46

to expand this,

00:05:47 --> 00:05:49

the circle of knowledge and learning

00:05:49 --> 00:05:51

and and bless all of these families.

00:05:54 --> 00:05:57

I was so happy to hear that the

00:05:57 --> 00:05:58

topic tonight is gratitude,

00:06:00 --> 00:06:00

because

00:06:01 --> 00:06:03

I would say that gratitude

00:06:03 --> 00:06:05

is one of the most important themes of

00:06:05 --> 00:06:06

the Quran.

00:06:06 --> 00:06:09

In fact, there was a great scholar of

00:06:09 --> 00:06:10

the Quran,

00:06:10 --> 00:06:13

a Japanese scholar of the Quran named,

00:06:13 --> 00:06:14

Toshihiko

00:06:14 --> 00:06:15

Isutsu

00:06:15 --> 00:06:16

who wrote a,

00:06:17 --> 00:06:18

very influential

00:06:19 --> 00:06:23

book called, that was translated as Ethical religious

00:06:23 --> 00:06:24

concepts in the Quran.

00:06:25 --> 00:06:26

And he,

00:06:27 --> 00:06:30

what he does is a semantic analysis of

00:06:30 --> 00:06:31

major,

00:06:32 --> 00:06:34

ethical and moral principles in the Quran.

00:06:34 --> 00:06:37

And he shows quite clearly, I believe, that

00:06:37 --> 00:06:38

that shukr

00:06:39 --> 00:06:42

is so intimately tied with faith in the

00:06:42 --> 00:06:43

Quran

00:06:43 --> 00:06:45

that it really is another word for faith.

00:06:46 --> 00:06:47

True gratitude

00:06:47 --> 00:06:49

is another word for faith.

00:06:51 --> 00:06:54

And and shukur, the opposite of shukur,

00:06:55 --> 00:06:56

in fact, is kufr.

00:06:58 --> 00:07:03

Because kufr is, in its semantic meaning, is

00:07:03 --> 00:07:03

ingratitude.

00:07:04 --> 00:07:06

I think probably many of you know the

00:07:06 --> 00:07:07

literal meaning of

00:07:08 --> 00:07:11

means to to hide or conceal something good.

00:07:11 --> 00:07:13

And so the example that's given,

00:07:14 --> 00:07:15

by the linguist

00:07:16 --> 00:07:18

is like an like a small animal, like

00:07:18 --> 00:07:20

a a chipmunk, for example, that would dig

00:07:20 --> 00:07:23

a hole and hide a a seed in

00:07:23 --> 00:07:24

the ground, right, and then cover it up.

00:07:25 --> 00:07:27

So this is something good that it's covering

00:07:27 --> 00:07:29

up. Now, of course, the the animal's doing

00:07:29 --> 00:07:31

it to get it later, although they've got

00:07:31 --> 00:07:33

very short memories, so they never remember where

00:07:33 --> 00:07:35

where they've hidden them. They run away. Maybe

00:07:35 --> 00:07:38

that's why is important. Right? You've got you've

00:07:38 --> 00:07:40

got to remember. The squirrels need more to

00:07:40 --> 00:07:40

remember

00:07:41 --> 00:07:43

where they hid those, those nuts.

00:07:43 --> 00:07:44

But for us,

00:07:45 --> 00:07:46

when Allah

00:07:47 --> 00:07:49

is talking to us about about kufr and

00:07:49 --> 00:07:49

shukr,

00:07:50 --> 00:07:51

Kufr is

00:07:51 --> 00:07:52

is ingratitude

00:07:53 --> 00:07:55

in that we are denying

00:07:56 --> 00:07:57

all of the goodness

00:07:58 --> 00:08:00

that Allah has created and given us.

00:08:01 --> 00:08:04

To start with, the goodness of being itself,

00:08:05 --> 00:08:08

the fact that we have come into being

00:08:09 --> 00:08:12

because that's not necessary. We are not necessary

00:08:12 --> 00:08:13

beings. Only Allah

00:08:14 --> 00:08:16

is the necessary being.

00:08:17 --> 00:08:19

So to be created,

00:08:20 --> 00:08:21

to have that

00:08:22 --> 00:08:23

chance, that opportunity to

00:08:24 --> 00:08:27

come into being and to experience all of

00:08:27 --> 00:08:28

what comes after

00:08:28 --> 00:08:30

is the first act of

00:08:31 --> 00:08:33

of and the most ultimate act of of

00:08:33 --> 00:08:34

ingratitude,

00:08:35 --> 00:08:37

which is kufr. So these two things

00:08:38 --> 00:08:40

are are are on opposite sides of the

00:08:40 --> 00:08:42

spectrum. So if kufa is

00:08:42 --> 00:08:44

concealing something that is good,

00:08:46 --> 00:08:47

then shukkot is demonstrating

00:08:49 --> 00:08:50

something that is good,

00:08:50 --> 00:08:53

is presenting something that is good.

00:08:54 --> 00:08:56

So when we say, oh,

00:08:57 --> 00:08:58

my life's horrible.

00:08:58 --> 00:09:00

Nothing's good. Everything's bad.

00:09:01 --> 00:09:02

I remember,

00:09:03 --> 00:09:04

something that,

00:09:05 --> 00:09:07

with a young person I I know that

00:09:07 --> 00:09:09

really set him off and turned him off

00:09:09 --> 00:09:11

from from the masjid in,

00:09:11 --> 00:09:14

you know, until now, pretty much a permanent

00:09:14 --> 00:09:16

way was listening to a Khutba that

00:09:18 --> 00:09:22

the theme was that Muslims are horrible,

00:09:22 --> 00:09:24

We're not doing anything good in the world.

00:09:25 --> 00:09:26

And here are all the bad things that

00:09:26 --> 00:09:28

are going on in the world,

00:09:28 --> 00:09:31

all the bad things, and and what's anyone

00:09:31 --> 00:09:33

doing about it? No one's doing anything about

00:09:34 --> 00:09:36

it. Muslims are suffering here. Muslims are suffering

00:09:36 --> 00:09:36

there.

00:09:37 --> 00:09:40

They're being oppressed here and there. No. Literally,

00:09:40 --> 00:09:42

this is what the Khatib was saying. No

00:09:42 --> 00:09:43

one's doing everything about it.

00:09:44 --> 00:09:46

And this boy came out and he said

00:09:48 --> 00:09:49

he said,

00:09:50 --> 00:09:51

he lied.

00:09:51 --> 00:09:54

That's not true that no one's doing

00:09:54 --> 00:09:55

anything.

00:09:55 --> 00:09:57

I know people that are doing things, but

00:09:57 --> 00:10:01

the the the mood, everyone left that place

00:10:01 --> 00:10:03

feeling completely dispirited.

00:10:04 --> 00:10:06

It was as if the Khatib was projecting

00:10:06 --> 00:10:07

his own depression

00:10:08 --> 00:10:09

and frustration

00:10:09 --> 00:10:10

on the jamaah.

00:10:11 --> 00:10:12

And

00:10:12 --> 00:10:15

that is that is a a pattern that

00:10:15 --> 00:10:18

we find in our community quite frequently,

00:10:18 --> 00:10:20

and we have to make sure that we

00:10:20 --> 00:10:20

stop

00:10:21 --> 00:10:21

that

00:10:22 --> 00:10:22

pattern.

00:10:23 --> 00:10:26

It is I hear it again and again

00:10:26 --> 00:10:28

and again in the Masajid, and the problem

00:10:28 --> 00:10:30

is that we have, you know, many people

00:10:30 --> 00:10:32

who are trying to do their best, but

00:10:32 --> 00:10:34

a lot of, people who are given chutbas

00:10:34 --> 00:10:37

who haven't been trained or there's no feedback,

00:10:38 --> 00:10:40

there's no correction so that people don't even

00:10:40 --> 00:10:42

see what they're doing. They think they're they

00:10:42 --> 00:10:45

think that by expressing concern for the community,

00:10:46 --> 00:10:46

right,

00:10:47 --> 00:10:49

by showing how upset they are, by seeing

00:10:49 --> 00:10:50

injustice,

00:10:50 --> 00:10:52

that they're showing Rahma, that they're showing mercy,

00:10:52 --> 00:10:54

that they're showing compassion. But in fact,

00:10:55 --> 00:10:58

what is happening is it's it's a projection

00:10:58 --> 00:11:01

of their own emotional state of their sadness,

00:11:01 --> 00:11:03

and they're concealing everything

00:11:03 --> 00:11:05

good that's going on at the same time

00:11:05 --> 00:11:07

and making everyone feel unmotivated.

00:11:08 --> 00:11:11

So complaining, there's nothing like complaining to bring

00:11:11 --> 00:11:12

people down.

00:11:13 --> 00:11:14

And certainly, I mean, if any of you

00:11:14 --> 00:11:17

have been in an organization or a group

00:11:17 --> 00:11:19

or it's very common in the workplace

00:11:19 --> 00:11:21

where there's one coworker

00:11:21 --> 00:11:23

who will just be the complainer all the

00:11:23 --> 00:11:24

time and

00:11:24 --> 00:11:27

it just sucks the energy out of any

00:11:27 --> 00:11:30

project, any initiative, anything that you are going

00:11:30 --> 00:11:31

to do.

00:11:31 --> 00:11:32

So

00:11:32 --> 00:11:34

we have to be careful and

00:11:34 --> 00:11:35

excessively

00:11:35 --> 00:11:38

complaining can be a sign of depression.

00:11:39 --> 00:11:40

It can be a sign I mean, if

00:11:40 --> 00:11:43

you find yourself constantly only seeing things negatively,

00:11:44 --> 00:11:46

it can be a sign of a of

00:11:47 --> 00:11:49

a actual mental health problem.

00:11:49 --> 00:11:52

And, I mean, we're human beings. Our our

00:11:52 --> 00:11:52

our,

00:11:53 --> 00:11:56

our mental health is is part of our

00:11:56 --> 00:11:58

overall all health and it's not to be

00:11:58 --> 00:12:00

ashamed of that. If you find, you know,

00:12:00 --> 00:12:02

if one finds themself in that situation where

00:12:02 --> 00:12:04

they can only think negatively,

00:12:05 --> 00:12:06

where what predominantly

00:12:06 --> 00:12:07

comes out

00:12:07 --> 00:12:09

of, you know,

00:12:09 --> 00:12:11

in our statements are negative

00:12:12 --> 00:12:15

and really saying about only how bad this

00:12:15 --> 00:12:18

or that is, the Muslim Ummah or this

00:12:18 --> 00:12:20

mosque or this community or the Muslim world

00:12:20 --> 00:12:22

or people or this or that, if that's

00:12:22 --> 00:12:25

it, it is time to really think,

00:12:26 --> 00:12:28

why have I gotten into this pattern? Can

00:12:28 --> 00:12:29

I get out of this?

00:12:31 --> 00:12:32

Is this the world

00:12:33 --> 00:12:35

or is this how I feel? That's what

00:12:35 --> 00:12:36

projection is, right? It's like

00:12:37 --> 00:12:39

your inner state you're projecting

00:12:39 --> 00:12:40

out onto the world.

00:12:42 --> 00:12:45

So what is shukar? Gratitude. Gratitude is the

00:12:45 --> 00:12:46

opposite where

00:12:47 --> 00:12:48

you come to realize

00:12:48 --> 00:12:49

the

00:12:49 --> 00:12:50

the reality,

00:12:51 --> 00:12:52

which is that

00:12:52 --> 00:12:55

it is all good in Allah's creation,

00:12:55 --> 00:12:56

that

00:12:56 --> 00:12:59

the believer is the one who is

00:13:00 --> 00:13:00

happy.

00:13:01 --> 00:13:02

This is why,

00:13:02 --> 00:13:02

Allah

00:13:03 --> 00:13:05

in the Quran talks so much about,

00:13:06 --> 00:13:06

almuflihon,

00:13:07 --> 00:13:09

those who are happy, who are joyous.

00:13:11 --> 00:13:14

The joy that comes from the believer then

00:13:14 --> 00:13:16

can be projected out in the world,

00:13:16 --> 00:13:19

and that's where we see all of and

00:13:19 --> 00:13:21

recognize and acknowledge all of the good things

00:13:21 --> 00:13:23

that are around us. Now you may say

00:13:23 --> 00:13:25

isn't this just Pollyannaish?

00:13:26 --> 00:13:28

Isn't this just some people see the world

00:13:28 --> 00:13:30

the glass half empty

00:13:30 --> 00:13:31

and some people see the world

00:13:32 --> 00:13:34

the glass half full

00:13:34 --> 00:13:36

and, you know, I'm just the half empty

00:13:36 --> 00:13:38

kind of person or I'm the realist, I'm

00:13:38 --> 00:13:40

the one who sees the problems and the

00:13:40 --> 00:13:43

other people are just walking around in a

00:13:43 --> 00:13:43

daze.

00:13:44 --> 00:13:46

The reality is that

00:13:47 --> 00:13:49

we should be able to maintain both states

00:13:49 --> 00:13:50

at the same time.

00:13:51 --> 00:13:53

At the same time, we should be able

00:13:53 --> 00:13:54

to see very clearly,

00:13:57 --> 00:13:58

the the places where

00:14:00 --> 00:14:01

people are in need.

00:14:02 --> 00:14:04

We should be able to deeply feel

00:14:05 --> 00:14:07

the, suffering of others.

00:14:07 --> 00:14:09

We should be deeply motivated

00:14:09 --> 00:14:12

to act towards that and at the same

00:14:12 --> 00:14:12

time

00:14:13 --> 00:14:14

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

00:14:19 --> 00:14:21

article of faith, which is I think the

00:14:21 --> 00:14:24

most neglected article of faith in Islam which

00:14:24 --> 00:14:26

is called it is to accept

00:14:27 --> 00:14:29

is to accept what will come, what is

00:14:29 --> 00:14:30

happening,

00:14:30 --> 00:14:32

the good of it and the bad of

00:14:32 --> 00:14:34

it. Right? So there is I mean,

00:14:35 --> 00:14:37

there there's a there's a clear assessment that

00:14:37 --> 00:14:39

some things in the world are evil, are

00:14:39 --> 00:14:42

unjust, are bad. But accepting

00:14:42 --> 00:14:44

the of Allah means we also accept the

00:14:44 --> 00:14:46

hikmah of Allah, that we know that that

00:14:46 --> 00:14:48

in the end, this is this is all

00:14:48 --> 00:14:49

of Allah's creation.

00:14:50 --> 00:14:52

It's it's his wisdom

00:14:52 --> 00:14:54

that underlies all things

00:14:54 --> 00:14:57

and that we trust that,

00:14:58 --> 00:15:00

everything in the end will come out right.

00:15:01 --> 00:15:04

And that even in hardship for us, there's

00:15:04 --> 00:15:05

an opportunity

00:15:05 --> 00:15:06

for us to learn.

00:15:07 --> 00:15:07

And learning

00:15:08 --> 00:15:09

learning

00:15:09 --> 00:15:12

means that we're coming closer to Allah because

00:15:12 --> 00:15:13

when we learn,

00:15:14 --> 00:15:17

we are knowing something more about Allah's creation.

00:15:18 --> 00:15:20

And as we know more, then we become,

00:15:21 --> 00:15:22

more joyful

00:15:22 --> 00:15:24

because we understand the

00:15:30 --> 00:15:34

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.

00:15:41 --> 00:15:41

And

00:15:43 --> 00:15:43

the,

00:15:45 --> 00:15:46

let me just pull it up. It was

00:15:46 --> 00:15:48

there. There we go.

00:15:52 --> 00:15:52

And,

00:15:53 --> 00:15:53

this author,

00:15:55 --> 00:15:57

whose name is Oliver Burkeman,

00:15:58 --> 00:16:00

wrote an article called how to stay happy

00:16:00 --> 00:16:02

when the sky is falling in. And I

00:16:02 --> 00:16:03

think he does very well in the first

00:16:03 --> 00:16:04

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,

00:16:13 --> 00:16:15

seen from a certain perspective

00:16:15 --> 00:16:17

the last few months on planet Earth have

00:16:17 --> 00:16:19

been pretty unreservedly

00:16:20 --> 00:16:20

amazing.

00:16:22 --> 00:16:23

No one died from smallpox,

00:16:24 --> 00:16:26

almost nobody contracted polio,

00:16:27 --> 00:16:31

hospital operating theatres were not generally filled with

00:16:31 --> 00:16:33

the screams of patients undergoing

00:16:35 --> 00:16:36

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

00:16:43 --> 00:16:45

Battle of the Somme a 100 years ago

00:16:45 --> 00:16:45

this week.

00:16:46 --> 00:16:48

Britain decided the question of European

00:16:49 --> 00:16:50

Union membership

00:16:50 --> 00:16:53

via a democratic vote not armed conflict

00:16:54 --> 00:16:56

and women were entitled to participate in that

00:16:56 --> 00:16:57

vote.

00:17:00 --> 00:17:02

Oh, and working people on both sides of

00:17:02 --> 00:17:04

the Atlantic enjoyed unprecedented

00:17:05 --> 00:17:06

quantities of leisure.

00:17:07 --> 00:17:09

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,

00:17:30 --> 00:17:32

we become used to,

00:17:33 --> 00:17:35

something, a change for the good

00:17:35 --> 00:17:37

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,

00:17:42 --> 00:17:44

for example, when I was a graduate student,

00:17:44 --> 00:17:46

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

00:17:54 --> 00:17:55

over to the library.

00:17:55 --> 00:17:57

I had to go and had to find

00:17:57 --> 00:17:59

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,

00:18:05 --> 00:18:07

look through there, try to find the topic,

00:18:08 --> 00:18:10

then when I did that try to figure

00:18:10 --> 00:18:12

out where in the library the journal was,

00:18:12 --> 00:18:13

then when I found it I had to

00:18:13 --> 00:18:15

go find a copy

00:18:16 --> 00:18:18

machine, see if I had any change. I

00:18:18 --> 00:18:19

probably didn't,

00:18:19 --> 00:18:21

which meant another

00:18:21 --> 00:18:25

an hour trip getting changed, going photo standing

00:18:25 --> 00:18:27

there at the photocopy machine copying my 20

00:18:27 --> 00:18:28

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

00:18:35 --> 00:18:37

whole day in the library was a whole

00:18:37 --> 00:18:39

day in the library. Now I can do

00:18:39 --> 00:18:40

all of that

00:18:40 --> 00:18:43

within 15 minutes at my computer without leaving

00:18:43 --> 00:18:44

my office.

00:18:46 --> 00:18:48

Is that and then, you know, is that

00:18:48 --> 00:18:50

progress or not progress? So when I then

00:18:50 --> 00:18:52

get frustrated because the copy machine is not

00:18:52 --> 00:18:55

working, it's like, oh, so frustrating. I can't

00:18:55 --> 00:18:57

get my my work done because the copy

00:18:57 --> 00:18:59

machine is not working to print out these

00:18:59 --> 00:19:01

articles that I've downloaded.

00:19:01 --> 00:19:03

Really, I mean, can I compare it with

00:19:03 --> 00:19:05

what I we used to have to do

00:19:05 --> 00:19:06

to get that level of knowledge?

00:19:07 --> 00:19:08

But we become

00:19:09 --> 00:19:09

so

00:19:10 --> 00:19:12

accustomed. As soon as something gets good, we

00:19:12 --> 00:19:14

get accustomed to it, and we expect that.

00:19:14 --> 00:19:16

We expect to stay at that level all

00:19:16 --> 00:19:18

the time now. And if something inter

00:19:19 --> 00:19:22

impeded with that, then we become so frustrated.

00:19:24 --> 00:19:25

I mean,

00:19:25 --> 00:19:28

you know probably many of you have relatives

00:19:29 --> 00:19:31

even if you're if you're young. You probably

00:19:31 --> 00:19:34

have some relatives or friends or maybe you've

00:19:34 --> 00:19:35

visited countries

00:19:35 --> 00:19:37

where some people still

00:19:37 --> 00:19:40

find it very difficult to access knowledge,

00:19:41 --> 00:19:44

where they still have to wash their clothes

00:19:44 --> 00:19:45

in the river,

00:19:45 --> 00:19:47

like we did in the summertime at our

00:19:47 --> 00:19:49

cottage in Northern Ontario

00:19:50 --> 00:19:52

because my mother believed that the summertime was

00:19:52 --> 00:19:54

the time to get back to the old

00:19:54 --> 00:19:55

days, so we would be grateful

00:19:56 --> 00:19:59

when we would come back to our home

00:19:59 --> 00:20:01

and, have all of the benefits of technology.

00:20:01 --> 00:20:04

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,

00:20:09 --> 00:20:10

washing machine.

00:20:11 --> 00:20:13

We had to do everything manually,

00:20:13 --> 00:20:15

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

00:20:20 --> 00:20:24

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

00:20:47 --> 00:20:47

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

00:36:56 --> 00:36:58

we feel people have more

00:36:58 --> 00:37:00

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

00:38:56 --> 00:38:58

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.

Share Page