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In the name of Allah, we praise Him,
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we ask for His help, we ask for
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00:00:08
His forgiveness, and we believe in Him, we
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put our trust in Him, and we seek
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00:00:11
refuge in Allah from the evil of our
00:00:11 -->
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souls and from the evil of our deeds.
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00:00:15
May Allah guide him to the right path
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00:00:17
and protect him from the evil of what
00:00:17 -->
00:00:17
is to come.
00:00:18 -->
00:00:20
Our Lord, grant us good in this world
00:00:20 -->
00:00:22
and good in the Hereafter, and protect us
00:00:22 -->
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from the punishment of the Fire.
00:00:25 -->
00:00:28
Last week, we discussed some of the principles
00:00:28 -->
00:00:31
from the book, Adab al-Dunya wal-Din,
00:00:31 -->
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by Imam al-Mawarri.
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And I want to continue the discussion today.
00:00:38 -->
00:00:39
Last week, we looked at the first four
00:00:39 -->
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chapters of this book, in which Imam al
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00:00:44
-Mawarri, who lived a thousand years ago in
00:00:44 -->
00:00:47
the golden age of the Abbasid Empire, he
00:00:47 -->
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highlights that for success in this world and
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in the next world, we need a strong
00:00:52 -->
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mind, we need control over our desires, we
00:00:56 -->
00:00:59
need to seek out beneficial knowledge, and we
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need to prioritize the worship of Allah subhanahu
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wa ta'ala.
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00:01:06
Today, I want to focus on the fourth
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chapter of this book.
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The fourth chapter of this book is called
00:01:10 -->
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Adab al-Dunya, the ethics of worldly life.
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And in this chapter, which is actually the
00:01:16 -->
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longest chapter in this book, Imam al-Mawarri
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highlights what is success, what is worldly success,
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and what are the principles you need to
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achieve worldly success.
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It's quite interesting, he wrote this book a
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thousand years ago, and the principles he mentioned
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may be more applicable today than even back
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then.
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We are in need of these principles today,
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even more than when he wrote them.
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Now what's interesting here is that Imam al
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00:01:51
-Mawarri, in this chapter, he discusses two levels
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of success.
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The success of the community or the society
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as a whole, and for that he lists
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00:02:00
out six principles, and the success of the
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00:02:02
individual, and for this he lists out three
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or four principles as well.
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00:02:07
He begins this chapter by saying that human
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beings are social creatures.
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You cannot make it in this world on
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00:02:12
your own.
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You cannot thrive in this world on your
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own.
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We need each other.
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00:02:19
And he then said that Allah created different
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people with different skills and different ideas and
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different areas that they specialize in.
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And this is meant to balance out the
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00:02:27
earth.
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One person will be a doctor, one person
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will be a scholar, one person will be
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00:02:32
a warrior.
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Each person has their own inclinations.
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00:02:39
And he said you should have good thoughts
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about Allah, that Allah created you for this
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00:02:42
specific purpose.
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00:02:45
He may have given somebody else more intellect
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00:02:46
than you or more physical strength than you
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00:02:49
or better mathematical skills than you because they
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00:02:50
need that and you don't.
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00:02:52
So you need to have good thoughts that
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the skills Allah gave you are what you
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00:02:55
need for success.
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So he lays the framework here in the
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00:03:01
opening chapters that we are a community.
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We are a society.
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We need each other.
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00:03:06
We all have different strengths, we all have
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00:03:09
different skills, and we all have social needs.
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00:03:11
We are not meant to live in isolation,
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00:03:12
we are not meant to be by ourselves.
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00:03:15
And immediately you see a clash here between
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00:03:17
what our morality teaches us a thousand years
00:03:17 -->
00:03:19
ago and what modernity teaches us.
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00:03:23
Because modernity is built around hyper-individualism.
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00:03:26
It's all about me, it's all about myself,
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00:03:28
don't care what anybody else thinks, cut out
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00:03:30
my family, cut out the society, I do
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00:03:30
what I want.
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00:03:32
People think that's the path to happiness, they
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00:03:34
think that's the path to success.
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00:03:37
But here we thought that no, society.
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00:03:39
We're meant to be together, we're meant to
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00:03:42
support each other, we're meant to build society
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00:03:44
together, be there for each other.
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00:03:48
So he says for a community, for a
00:03:48 -->
00:03:51
society to be successful, he says there are
00:03:51 -->
00:03:52
six principles.
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00:03:56
There are six things any community or civilization
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00:04:00
needs to be considered a successful civilization according
00:04:00 -->
00:04:02
to his understanding of Islam.
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00:04:04
What are these six things?
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00:04:06
Number one of course is Islam.
00:04:07 -->
00:04:09
Allah revealed Islam to solve the problems of
00:04:09 -->
00:04:10
society.
00:04:11 -->
00:04:14
A civilization that is built upon Islam will
00:04:14 -->
00:04:17
have built into it all of the necessary
00:04:17 -->
00:04:20
tools to fix the problems of society.
00:04:20 -->
00:04:23
And so he says a civilization that will
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00:04:25
thrive, a civilization that will do well must
00:04:25 -->
00:04:26
be built on the sharia.
00:04:27 -->
00:04:28
That must be its foundation.
00:04:30 -->
00:04:31
And what supports the sharia?
00:04:31 -->
00:04:33
What makes sure that the sharia is the
00:04:33 -->
00:04:34
foundation of civilization?
00:04:35 -->
00:04:36
That's point number two.
00:04:36 -->
00:04:38
A strong khalifa, a strong sultan.
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00:04:42
Al-Mawardi, he speaks a lot about the
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00:04:45
khilafat and the sultanate and the importance of
00:04:45 -->
00:04:46
strong leadership.
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00:04:49
In fact, Adab al-Dunya wal-Deen is
00:04:49 -->
00:04:51
not even anywhere near his most famous work.
00:04:52 -->
00:04:54
His most famous work is Al-Ahkam al
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00:04:56
-Sultaniyah, the laws of leadership.
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00:04:58
How to be a king, how to be
00:04:58 -->
00:04:58
a khalifa.
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00:05:00
That's his specialty.
00:05:01 -->
00:05:04
He specialized back in the Abbasid era on
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00:05:06
advising the khalifas on how to be the
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00:05:07
best khalifa.
00:05:07 -->
00:05:09
Advising the kings on how to be the
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00:05:09
best king.
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00:05:12
And so he says that you need a
00:05:12 -->
00:05:14
strong leader to ensure the sharia is the
00:05:14 -->
00:05:15
law of the land.
00:05:16 -->
00:05:18
If you don't have strong leadership who can
00:05:18 -->
00:05:20
ensure that the sharia is the law of
00:05:20 -->
00:05:22
the land, then other kind of laws will
00:05:22 -->
00:05:23
take over.
00:05:23 -->
00:05:25
And any law besides the law of Allah
00:05:25 -->
00:05:26
is going to have flaws and it's going
00:05:26 -->
00:05:27
to lead to problems.
00:05:29 -->
00:05:31
The other four principles he mentioned are very
00:05:31 -->
00:05:32
interesting.
00:05:33 -->
00:05:35
He says there are four things.
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00:05:38
If you have a civilization built upon the
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00:05:40
sharia and the khilafat, there are four things
00:05:40 -->
00:05:42
it needs to be successful.
00:05:42 -->
00:05:44
In terms of four worldly things it needs
00:05:44 -->
00:05:45
to be successful.
00:05:45 -->
00:05:46
What are these four things?
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00:05:53
Justice, safety, a good economy, and a culture
00:05:53 -->
00:05:54
of hope.
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00:05:56
Very interesting, right?
00:05:56 -->
00:05:59
He says for a civilization to be successful,
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00:06:01
you don't just need a sharia and a
00:06:01 -->
00:06:01
khilafat.
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00:06:03
It needs to be just.
00:06:04 -->
00:06:06
He said if a society is just, that
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00:06:07
solves half of societal problems.
00:06:07 -->
00:06:10
Justice fixes most of our problems in the
00:06:10 -->
00:06:11
community.
00:06:12 -->
00:06:14
What fixes the other half of the problems?
00:06:14 -->
00:06:15
Safety.
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00:06:17
You're not scared of getting robbed.
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00:06:18
You're not scared of getting stabbed and shot
00:06:18 -->
00:06:19
and murdered.
00:06:20 -->
00:06:22
Safety is necessary for success.
00:06:22 -->
00:06:25
So you need to have mechanisms in place
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00:06:26
to make sure people are safe.
00:06:27 -->
00:06:29
And then interestingly he mentions the importance of
00:06:29 -->
00:06:29
the economy.
00:06:30 -->
00:06:33
He says that you need a strong economy.
00:06:33 -->
00:06:35
People need to be able to access jobs,
00:06:35 -->
00:06:37
to provide for their families, to be able
00:06:37 -->
00:06:38
to live a good quality life.
00:06:41 -->
00:06:43
This is something that every society needs to
00:06:43 -->
00:06:45
be successful.
00:06:46 -->
00:06:48
And then finally, he says the last quality
00:06:48 -->
00:06:52
that a society needs to be successful is
00:06:52 -->
00:06:53
a culture of hope.
00:06:54 -->
00:06:55
A culture of optimism.
00:06:56 -->
00:06:58
People need to look forward to the future.
00:06:59 -->
00:07:01
People need to know that the future is
00:07:01 -->
00:07:01
bright.
00:07:01 -->
00:07:04
People need to know that things are going
00:07:04 -->
00:07:05
to get better.
00:07:07 -->
00:07:11
Secondly, when you look at modern society, as
00:07:11 -->
00:07:12
if none of these are there.
00:07:13 -->
00:07:14
Look at the six things he mentioned.
00:07:15 -->
00:07:16
Society built upon Islam.
00:07:17 -->
00:07:17
Not there.
00:07:18 -->
00:07:18
A Khilafat.
00:07:19 -->
00:07:20
100 years now, no Khilafat.
00:07:21 -->
00:07:21
Justice.
00:07:22 -->
00:07:24
How many places in the world do they
00:07:24 -->
00:07:24
have justice?
00:07:25 -->
00:07:26
We live in a very unjust era.
00:07:27 -->
00:07:27
Right?
00:07:28 -->
00:07:28
Safety.
00:07:29 -->
00:07:30
We live in South Africa.
00:07:30 -->
00:07:33
We know what level of safety we have
00:07:33 -->
00:07:34
in South Africa.
00:07:34 -->
00:07:38
We know the level of crime and violence
00:07:38 -->
00:07:38
in this community.
00:07:39 -->
00:07:41
Linked to that, a strong economy where people
00:07:41 -->
00:07:43
can easily get jobs, and provide for their
00:07:43 -->
00:07:45
families, and the cost of living is decent,
00:07:46 -->
00:07:47
doesn't exist today.
00:07:47 -->
00:07:49
Majority of the world is dealing with a
00:07:49 -->
00:07:51
cost of living crisis, economical crisis.
00:07:52 -->
00:07:53
And then he says a culture of hope
00:07:53 -->
00:07:54
and optimism.
00:07:55 -->
00:07:58
This current generation is dealing with a culture
00:07:58 -->
00:08:00
of doom and gloom.
00:08:01 -->
00:08:02
They don't have hope for the future.
00:08:03 -->
00:08:04
They feel like the whole world has just
00:08:04 -->
00:08:06
been darkness for the past five years, and
00:08:06 -->
00:08:07
they feel it's going to keep getting worse.
00:08:08 -->
00:08:09
It's really sad that when you look at
00:08:09 -->
00:08:13
the six elements of a successful society, according
00:08:13 -->
00:08:17
to Imam al-Mawarri rahimahullah, none of them
00:08:17 -->
00:08:19
can be found in most of modern society.
00:08:20 -->
00:08:22
And I wonder why the world is the
00:08:22 -->
00:08:22
way it is.
00:08:24 -->
00:08:26
You know, people today, they prop up modern
00:08:26 -->
00:08:28
society as the standard.
00:08:28 -->
00:08:30
Oh, look at those backward civilizations, they need
00:08:30 -->
00:08:31
to be more like us.
00:08:32 -->
00:08:35
But hold on, those backward civilizations had justice.
00:08:35 -->
00:08:37
Those backward civilizations had peace and safety.
00:08:38 -->
00:08:41
Those backward civilizations had a decent cost of
00:08:41 -->
00:08:43
living, and a strong economy, and people were
00:08:43 -->
00:08:44
hopeful, and people had a good culture, and
00:08:44 -->
00:08:46
good families, and strong family ties.
00:08:47 -->
00:08:48
Why should they give that up to be
00:08:48 -->
00:08:49
like you?
00:08:49 -->
00:08:52
Modern society is built upon depression, and loneliness,
00:08:53 -->
00:08:55
and high suicide rates, and doom and gloom,
00:08:55 -->
00:08:57
and debt that is out of control, and
00:08:57 -->
00:08:59
interest rates that are out of control.
00:09:00 -->
00:09:02
How is that better than what came before?
00:09:03 -->
00:09:06
We shouldn't buy into this narrative that the
00:09:06 -->
00:09:08
modern world is better than what came before.
00:09:08 -->
00:09:11
If you really think that, go back and
00:09:11 -->
00:09:13
study what life was like under the Abbasid
00:09:13 -->
00:09:15
or the Ottoman Empires, you would be amazed
00:09:15 -->
00:09:18
at how much goodness they had in this
00:09:18 -->
00:09:21
world that we don't have today, because of
00:09:21 -->
00:09:23
the modern standards that we have adopted.
00:09:24 -->
00:09:26
So that's on a societal level, and yes,
00:09:27 -->
00:09:29
there's not much we, the average person, can
00:09:29 -->
00:09:30
do to fix society.
00:09:31 -->
00:09:33
In South Africa, we can't really think about
00:09:33 -->
00:09:34
establishing a Khilafat or things like that, but
00:09:34 -->
00:09:37
we can find ways to strengthen the economy,
00:09:37 -->
00:09:39
we can find ways to rebuild a culture
00:09:39 -->
00:09:41
of hope, we can find ways to bring
00:09:41 -->
00:09:43
some safety and justice to our communities.
00:09:43 -->
00:09:48
What we can focus on is individual success,
00:09:49 -->
00:09:49
right?
00:09:49 -->
00:09:51
And that is the second half of this
00:09:51 -->
00:09:51
chapter.
00:09:52 -->
00:09:54
So Imam Al Mawadi then says that if
00:09:54 -->
00:09:57
you have a successful society, it is easier
00:09:57 -->
00:09:58
for the individual to live a good life.
00:09:59 -->
00:10:01
But what is a good life?
00:10:01 -->
00:10:02
What is success?
00:10:04 -->
00:10:08
Modern society defines success in terms of wealth
00:10:08 -->
00:10:08
and fame.
00:10:10 -->
00:10:11
Imam Al Mawadi takes us in a very
00:10:11 -->
00:10:12
different direction.
00:10:13 -->
00:10:16
He says, wealth is Qadarullah.
00:10:17 -->
00:10:18
Allah decides who gets rich and who does
00:10:18 -->
00:10:19
not.
00:10:20 -->
00:10:24
Furthermore, excessive seeking of wealth leads to greed
00:10:24 -->
00:10:25
and greed leads to problems.
00:10:25 -->
00:10:27
For some people, wealth is a blessing, for
00:10:27 -->
00:10:29
other people, wealth is a source of temptation.
00:10:30 -->
00:10:32
So wealth is not the measure of success.
00:10:33 -->
00:10:36
So then he mentions, what is success on
00:10:36 -->
00:10:37
the individual level?
00:10:37 -->
00:10:38
He says three things.
00:10:39 -->
00:10:41
Three things are success on the individual level.
00:10:42 -->
00:10:45
Number one is what he mentioned in the
00:10:45 -->
00:10:47
first chapter which we spoke about last week.
00:10:48 -->
00:10:50
Nurturing your mind and controlling your desires.
00:10:51 -->
00:10:53
Nurturing your mind and controlling your desires.
00:10:53 -->
00:10:56
Are you controlled by your brain or by
00:10:56 -->
00:10:56
your desires?
00:10:57 -->
00:10:59
If you are controlled by your mind and
00:10:59 -->
00:11:01
not your desires, then you can find success
00:11:01 -->
00:11:02
in this world.
00:11:02 -->
00:11:04
If you are someone who just chases after
00:11:04 -->
00:11:07
every desire, you will ruin this world and
00:11:07 -->
00:11:07
the afterlife.
00:11:08 -->
00:11:11
So number one is controlling your desires and
00:11:11 -->
00:11:11
nurturing your intellect.
00:11:12 -->
00:11:15
Number two, he says having good character and
00:11:15 -->
00:11:16
good relationships.
00:11:17 -->
00:11:19
Good character and good relationships.
00:11:19 -->
00:11:21
In the bulk of this chapter, he focuses
00:11:21 -->
00:11:23
on what is a good relationship and what
00:11:23 -->
00:11:25
are the types of relationships you should have.
00:11:25 -->
00:11:26
We will come to that in a bit.
00:11:26 -->
00:11:30
And then number three, interestingly he says, number
00:11:30 -->
00:11:33
three, for success in this world, you need
00:11:33 -->
00:11:35
enough wealth to be independent.
00:11:36 -->
00:11:38
You need enough wealth that you are not
00:11:38 -->
00:11:39
reliant on others.
00:11:40 -->
00:11:41
And then he addresses, he says some of
00:11:41 -->
00:11:43
you may think this is a contradiction to
00:11:43 -->
00:11:44
what I said earlier in the book.
00:11:44 -->
00:11:46
He says there is no contradiction here.
00:11:46 -->
00:11:49
In Islam, you are obligated to seek a
00:11:49 -->
00:11:49
living.
00:11:49 -->
00:11:52
You are obligated to earn enough that you
00:11:52 -->
00:11:55
can be independent, that you are not, you
00:11:55 -->
00:11:57
know, at the mercy of others.
00:11:58 -->
00:11:59
But you shouldn't be greedy.
00:12:00 -->
00:12:01
So he calls on us to balance.
00:12:02 -->
00:12:04
Don't abandon the dunya, but don't be greedy
00:12:04 -->
00:12:05
for the dunya.
00:12:06 -->
00:12:07
Seek enough that you are not reliant on
00:12:07 -->
00:12:07
others.
00:12:08 -->
00:12:10
That nobody can bully you, nobody can force
00:12:10 -->
00:12:12
you, you know, to do things or to
00:12:12 -->
00:12:13
say things or to believe things because you
00:12:13 -->
00:12:16
have enough to sustain yourself in your family.
00:12:16 -->
00:12:20
So he mentions the importance of a moderate
00:12:20 -->
00:12:21
level of wealth.
00:12:22 -->
00:12:23
A level of wealth that creates a level
00:12:23 -->
00:12:26
of independence, not so much that it becomes
00:12:26 -->
00:12:28
a source of temptation for you.
00:12:29 -->
00:12:30
But the main thing he focuses on in
00:12:30 -->
00:12:32
this chapter, for worldly success, and this is
00:12:32 -->
00:12:36
what is missing today in our societies, good,
00:12:36 -->
00:12:37
strong relationships.
00:12:38 -->
00:12:41
We have become very atomized and individualized.
00:12:42 -->
00:12:44
Our lives have become all about ourselves.
00:12:44 -->
00:12:46
And he says to live a truly happy
00:12:46 -->
00:12:48
life, you need strong relationships.
00:12:49 -->
00:12:50
Again, what's the first thing he mentions in
00:12:50 -->
00:12:51
this chapter?
00:12:51 -->
00:12:53
Humans are social creatures.
00:12:54 -->
00:12:55
We need each other.
00:12:55 -->
00:12:57
And so to be successful, you need good
00:12:57 -->
00:12:58
relationships.
00:12:58 -->
00:13:00
And he mentions four types of relationships.
00:13:01 -->
00:13:02
Four types of relationships that if they are
00:13:02 -->
00:13:04
strong, you will have a happy life.
00:13:05 -->
00:13:06
What are these four relationships?
00:13:06 -->
00:13:08
Number one, your connection to the deen.
00:13:08 -->
00:13:10
Who is your shaykh, who is your spiritual
00:13:10 -->
00:13:12
guide, who is your Islamic teacher?
00:13:12 -->
00:13:14
This is very important that you have someone
00:13:14 -->
00:13:15
that connects you to Allah.
00:13:16 -->
00:13:17
Someone who teaches you the religion.
00:13:18 -->
00:13:20
Someone who, if you are experiencing any, you
00:13:20 -->
00:13:23
know, questions or any doubts or you need
00:13:23 -->
00:13:25
to learn something, you have someone to connect
00:13:25 -->
00:13:25
you to the answers.
00:13:26 -->
00:13:27
So that's the first type of relationship.
00:13:28 -->
00:13:32
And historically, every Muslim community was built around
00:13:32 -->
00:13:32
a scholar.
00:13:33 -->
00:13:36
Every Muslim society had their shaykh of Islam.
00:13:36 -->
00:13:38
They had their head scholar who everybody would
00:13:38 -->
00:13:38
consult.
00:13:38 -->
00:13:39
And he would be the main person in
00:13:39 -->
00:13:42
the community with more soft power than the
00:13:42 -->
00:13:43
actual king or governor.
00:13:44 -->
00:13:45
Because he's the one who shapes the minds
00:13:45 -->
00:13:46
and the hearts of the people.
00:13:47 -->
00:13:49
Historically, scholars played a very important role in
00:13:49 -->
00:13:50
society.
00:13:51 -->
00:13:54
The second type of relationship that Al-Mawaradi
00:13:54 -->
00:13:57
says is necessary for success and a happy
00:13:57 -->
00:14:00
life is strong family ties.
00:14:01 -->
00:14:03
You must have strong family ties.
00:14:04 -->
00:14:06
He talks about the husband and wife relationship.
00:14:06 -->
00:14:08
He talks about relationship with your parents, with
00:14:08 -->
00:14:12
your siblings, with your children, with your extended
00:14:12 -->
00:14:12
family.
00:14:13 -->
00:14:15
And he talks again about families as tribes.
00:14:15 -->
00:14:16
This is very interesting.
00:14:16 -->
00:14:19
A few weeks ago, I spoke about Mustafa
00:14:19 -->
00:14:21
Sabri, right?
00:14:21 -->
00:14:23
Who a hundred years ago wrote about the
00:14:23 -->
00:14:25
importance of families and how families should function
00:14:25 -->
00:14:27
as tribes and protect each other.
00:14:27 -->
00:14:29
Al-Mawaradi says the same thing a thousand
00:14:29 -->
00:14:29
years ago.
00:14:30 -->
00:14:31
And he gives a good example.
00:14:31 -->
00:14:34
He said in Medina, anybody who didn't have
00:14:34 -->
00:14:36
a family or a tribe, what did Rasulullah
00:14:36 -->
00:14:38
ﷺ do for that person?
00:14:38 -->
00:14:40
He attached him to some family or tribe.
00:14:40 -->
00:14:43
He made him part of somebody's family, right?
00:14:43 -->
00:14:45
And whether it was through the Muhajirun and
00:14:45 -->
00:14:48
Ansar system or through the Mawla system, he
00:14:48 -->
00:14:49
made sure they had a tribe.
00:14:49 -->
00:14:51
Because your tribe has your back.
00:14:51 -->
00:14:52
Your tribe has your protection.
00:14:52 -->
00:14:54
Today, we don't have this.
00:14:54 -->
00:14:55
Today, everyone's on their own.
00:14:56 -->
00:14:58
Today, everybody just takes care of themselves.
00:14:58 -->
00:15:00
They only care about themselves, right?
00:15:00 -->
00:15:02
This is something that's happened over the past
00:15:02 -->
00:15:02
hundred years.
00:15:02 -->
00:15:05
Our families went from tribes to smaller and
00:15:05 -->
00:15:06
smaller and smaller and now we just have
00:15:06 -->
00:15:07
people living on their own.
00:15:08 -->
00:15:10
And this makes you vulnerable.
00:15:10 -->
00:15:11
This makes you weak.
00:15:11 -->
00:15:13
This makes you easy to exploit or to
00:15:13 -->
00:15:15
kill off or to imprison or to do
00:15:15 -->
00:15:15
anything to.
00:15:16 -->
00:15:17
Because you don't have the support of a
00:15:17 -->
00:15:18
strong family.
00:15:19 -->
00:15:21
Interestingly, the third thing he mentions, right?
00:15:22 -->
00:15:23
Strong family ties is number two.
00:15:24 -->
00:15:25
What do you think is number three?
00:15:26 -->
00:15:28
Strong and good relationship with your in-laws.
00:15:29 -->
00:15:31
Marrying into a good family, right?
00:15:32 -->
00:15:34
He says this doubles up the power.
00:15:35 -->
00:15:36
If you are from a good family and
00:15:36 -->
00:15:38
you marry into a good family, these two
00:15:38 -->
00:15:40
families now become one big and powerful family.
00:15:41 -->
00:15:43
He says this is a way of ensuring
00:15:43 -->
00:15:45
that people have each other's backs in society.
00:15:46 -->
00:15:47
That you marry into a good family and
00:15:47 -->
00:15:50
that you have strong family ties with your
00:15:50 -->
00:15:50
in-laws.
00:15:51 -->
00:15:54
And then four, number four, he says to
00:15:54 -->
00:15:55
have success in this world, to have a
00:15:55 -->
00:15:58
happy life in this world, you need strong,
00:15:59 -->
00:16:00
loving friendships.
00:16:01 -->
00:16:03
Good quality friends.
00:16:03 -->
00:16:06
Surround yourself with good quality friends.
00:16:07 -->
00:16:09
And he says, if you look at this
00:16:09 -->
00:16:11
list he gives us, happiness in this world
00:16:11 -->
00:16:12
is actually not that difficult.
00:16:13 -->
00:16:15
We're just looking for it in the wrong
00:16:15 -->
00:16:15
places.
00:16:16 -->
00:16:18
If you follow the principles laid out by
00:16:18 -->
00:16:21
Al-Mawardi, if you prioritize Allah subhanahu wa
00:16:21 -->
00:16:23
ta'ala, if you take care of your
00:16:23 -->
00:16:25
mind, if you control your nafs, you seek
00:16:25 -->
00:16:29
knowledge, you earn enough to be independent, you
00:16:29 -->
00:16:31
have strong family ties, you have a connection
00:16:31 -->
00:16:33
to the religion, you have peace and justice,
00:16:34 -->
00:16:38
you have good relationships, you should be happy.
00:16:39 -->
00:16:41
That is enough to live a happy life.
00:16:41 -->
00:16:42
That is enough to live a good life.
00:16:43 -->
00:16:46
And so what this book teaches us is
00:16:46 -->
00:16:47
how to live a good life.
00:16:48 -->
00:16:50
That living a good life and a happy
00:16:50 -->
00:16:52
life, it's not about being a millionaire, it's
00:16:52 -->
00:16:54
not about being famous, it's not about being
00:16:54 -->
00:16:55
all-powerful.
00:16:56 -->
00:17:01
It's about strong relationships, it's about who you
00:17:01 -->
00:17:03
are as a person, and it's about your
00:17:03 -->
00:17:04
relationship with God.
00:17:05 -->
00:17:07
And so this reframe the way we think
00:17:07 -->
00:17:09
about success.
00:17:09 -->
00:17:13
So we can prioritize what is important and
00:17:13 -->
00:17:15
not fall into the traps of modernity.
00:17:15 -->
00:17:26
وَأَكْرِ دَعْوَانًا لِلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَبِالْعَالَمِينَ الْحَمْدُ
00:17:26 -->
00:17:28
لِلَّهِ وَهْدَىٰ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَىٰ مَنْ لَا نَبِيَ
00:17:28 -->
00:17:34
بَعْدَ أَمْوَا بَعْدَ If you take these principles
00:17:34 -->
00:17:37
that were listed a thousand years ago, they're
00:17:37 -->
00:17:39
extremely, extremely relevant to our times.
00:17:40 -->
00:17:42
We live in a time where people are
00:17:42 -->
00:17:47
lonely, people are depressed, people are suicidal, families
00:17:47 -->
00:17:50
are diminishing, people don't really have real friendships
00:17:50 -->
00:17:52
in many parts and people feel they can't
00:17:52 -->
00:17:52
trust anybody.
00:17:54 -->
00:17:57
Security is low, justice is low, safety is
00:17:57 -->
00:18:02
low, economies are in trouble, and in Islam
00:18:02 -->
00:18:04
we have solutions for all these things.
00:18:05 -->
00:18:07
That's the beauty and the timelessness of Islam.
00:18:08 -->
00:18:11
The revelation that came down 1,400 years
00:18:11 -->
00:18:13
ago is just as relevant today as it
00:18:13 -->
00:18:15
was 1,400 years ago, and all of
00:18:15 -->
00:18:17
these problems of modern society, you will find
00:18:17 -->
00:18:19
solutions in these early works.
00:18:21 -->
00:18:23
We live in a time of capitalism.
00:18:24 -->
00:18:28
This whole modern culture and worldview stems from
00:18:28 -->
00:18:28
capitalism.
00:18:29 -->
00:18:32
And capitalism has shaped for many of us
00:18:32 -->
00:18:34
our definitions of success.
00:18:36 -->
00:18:39
The success today is measured by how hard
00:18:39 -->
00:18:43
you work, how much money you earn, how
00:18:43 -->
00:18:45
much you consume, how much you pile up,
00:18:45 -->
00:18:48
how extravagant your life is, how famous you
00:18:48 -->
00:18:50
are, what's your job title.
00:18:50 -->
00:18:52
This is what people consider success today.
00:18:53 -->
00:18:56
In Islam, none of that is a criteria
00:18:56 -->
00:18:56
for success.
00:18:57 -->
00:18:59
Money and jobs are a means.
00:18:59 -->
00:19:01
They are a means towards halal income.
00:19:01 -->
00:19:03
They're not a criteria for success.
00:19:05 -->
00:19:08
You can have a successful life even with
00:19:08 -->
00:19:11
a moderate means of income, as long as
00:19:11 -->
00:19:12
it is halal and there is barakah in
00:19:12 -->
00:19:12
it.
00:19:13 -->
00:19:16
We need to move away from secular definitions
00:19:16 -->
00:19:19
of success and from the secular worldview.
00:19:20 -->
00:19:21
And for that, I just want to mention
00:19:21 -->
00:19:22
something for us to think about.
00:19:23 -->
00:19:26
We really need to rethink our education system.
00:19:27 -->
00:19:30
From the ground up, the entire education system
00:19:30 -->
00:19:34
we have today, it was popularized 100 years
00:19:34 -->
00:19:35
ago by who?
00:19:36 -->
00:19:39
Who made this the global education system?
00:19:40 -->
00:19:41
Did you ever think about that?
00:19:42 -->
00:19:43
We're so caught up in this world.
00:19:43 -->
00:19:45
Did you ever think about who laid the
00:19:45 -->
00:19:46
foundation for this world that we're living in?
00:19:47 -->
00:19:49
The education system we have today is only
00:19:49 -->
00:19:51
100 years old as a global system.
00:19:51 -->
00:19:53
200 years old as a German system.
00:19:53 -->
00:19:54
It started in Germany.
00:19:56 -->
00:19:59
100 years ago, the Rockefellers popularized this system
00:19:59 -->
00:20:02
and made it global to train good workers
00:20:02 -->
00:20:03
for capitalism.
00:20:04 -->
00:20:07
This system was designed to fuel capitalism.
00:20:07 -->
00:20:10
You go through 13 years minimum of schooling
00:20:10 -->
00:20:12
being trained to be a good worker for
00:20:12 -->
00:20:13
the capitalists.
00:20:14 -->
00:20:17
Your whole education is just about listening, doing
00:20:17 -->
00:20:21
your job, earning your salary, not asking any
00:20:21 -->
00:20:21
questions.
00:20:22 -->
00:20:25
This is very different from the Islamic education
00:20:25 -->
00:20:27
system that existed pre-modernity.
00:20:28 -->
00:20:30
The Islamic education system that existed during the
00:20:30 -->
00:20:33
golden ages of Islam, what was its focus?
00:20:34 -->
00:20:37
Primarily, the focus was on the purification of
00:20:37 -->
00:20:39
the soul and shaping your manners and your
00:20:39 -->
00:20:39
character.
00:20:40 -->
00:20:42
And then whatever skills you needed to earn
00:20:42 -->
00:20:44
a living were built upon that.
00:20:45 -->
00:20:47
This is why they had the saying, learn
00:20:47 -->
00:20:48
from their manners before their knowledge.
00:20:49 -->
00:20:50
Because that was the foundation.
00:20:51 -->
00:20:54
And Islamic education means in the younger years,
00:20:54 -->
00:20:56
in the early years, you focus on shaping
00:20:56 -->
00:20:59
someone's akhlaq and adab and the relationship with
00:20:59 -->
00:21:01
Allah and the importance of family ties and
00:21:01 -->
00:21:02
all of this.
00:21:02 -->
00:21:04
And then upon that you build worldly skills.
00:21:04 -->
00:21:06
Upon that you build the skills to earn
00:21:06 -->
00:21:07
an income.
00:21:08 -->
00:21:11
The modern education system is only about the
00:21:11 -->
00:21:11
income part.
00:21:12 -->
00:21:14
And so we wonder why someone comes out
00:21:14 -->
00:21:16
of that system and they don't care about
00:21:16 -->
00:21:19
family, they don't care about society, all they
00:21:19 -->
00:21:21
care about is my career, my career, my
00:21:21 -->
00:21:23
career, my money, my money, my money.
00:21:23 -->
00:21:25
It's all about me, it's all about money.
00:21:26 -->
00:21:26
Why?
00:21:26 -->
00:21:28
Because you are going through a system that
00:21:28 -->
00:21:30
is designed to produce just that.
00:21:30 -->
00:21:32
You see, one of the problems that we
00:21:32 -->
00:21:34
have is we just take the systems that
00:21:34 -->
00:21:37
are there and we try to Islamize them.
00:21:37 -->
00:21:39
And by Islamizing them, we maybe just gave
00:21:39 -->
00:21:41
them an Arabic name, made hijab, the school
00:21:41 -->
00:21:43
uniform, and made Islamic studies the subject.
00:21:44 -->
00:21:45
That's not Islamization.
00:21:46 -->
00:21:49
We have to rethink education at its root.
00:21:49 -->
00:21:51
And I'm saying this because a lot of
00:21:51 -->
00:21:53
the problems we have today with young Muslims
00:21:53 -->
00:21:55
comes simply from the fact that we are
00:21:55 -->
00:21:57
not educating them the Islamic way.
00:21:58 -->
00:22:00
We are simply copying other people's systems and
00:22:00 -->
00:22:02
adding a little bit of Islam to it.
00:22:03 -->
00:22:04
We need to rethink this.
00:22:04 -->
00:22:06
And if you can't change the system, at
00:22:06 -->
00:22:06
least start at home.
00:22:07 -->
00:22:08
At least with your own children and your
00:22:08 -->
00:22:12
own grandchildren, in your parenting methods, teach them
00:22:12 -->
00:22:12
the correct world view.
00:22:13 -->
00:22:14
Teach them to see through these things.
00:22:15 -->
00:22:17
Teach them to see through secularism, and to
00:22:17 -->
00:22:19
see through liberalism, and to see through capitalism,
00:22:20 -->
00:22:21
and to see the world from an Islamic
00:22:21 -->
00:22:22
perspective.
00:22:22 -->
00:22:24
And teach them adab, and teach them akhlaq,
00:22:25 -->
00:22:26
and teach them these skills, and teach them
00:22:26 -->
00:22:28
the correct understanding of success.
00:22:28 -->
00:22:31
Because yes, maybe you can't change the system
00:22:31 -->
00:22:31
you are living in.
00:22:32 -->
00:22:34
But you still have control in your family
00:22:34 -->
00:22:35
on what you teach your children.
00:22:36 -->
00:22:38
And this is why parents should not take
00:22:38 -->
00:22:40
a back seat when it comes to education.
00:22:40 -->
00:22:42
You are the first teacher.
00:22:43 -->
00:22:45
And what you teach your children is going
00:22:45 -->
00:22:47
to be the foundation from which everything else
00:22:47 -->
00:22:48
is built.
00:22:49 -->
00:22:51
So I spoke a little bit about the
00:22:51 -->
00:22:53
education system there because it is directly a
00:22:53 -->
00:22:55
root cause of the way people are thinking
00:22:55 -->
00:22:55
today.
00:22:55 -->
00:22:58
But going back to our primary topic, the
00:22:58 -->
00:23:00
world today has a lot of problems.
00:23:01 -->
00:23:02
And one of the big problems is people
00:23:02 -->
00:23:03
are feeling hopeless.
00:23:03 -->
00:23:06
People feel like there is no path to
00:23:06 -->
00:23:06
happiness.
00:23:07 -->
00:23:09
Everything is just bad.
00:23:10 -->
00:23:12
This is actually a good opportunity for us
00:23:12 -->
00:23:12
to do dawah.
00:23:13 -->
00:23:15
Because Islam solves all of these problems.
00:23:15 -->
00:23:16
It solved it a long time ago.
00:23:17 -->
00:23:20
We just need to figure out how to
00:23:20 -->
00:23:23
apply and embody these principles of Islam in
00:23:23 -->
00:23:25
the modern world, and then showcase it to
00:23:25 -->
00:23:25
others.
00:23:25 -->
00:23:27
Show others, here is the solution.
00:23:28 -->
00:23:30
You only look at the Islamic family system.
00:23:31 -->
00:23:31
You feel hopeless.
00:23:32 -->
00:23:34
Look at the Islamic system of optimism.
00:23:35 -->
00:23:37
You feel like there is no solution to
00:23:37 -->
00:23:37
the world problems.
00:23:37 -->
00:23:39
Look at the solutions Islam proposes.
00:23:40 -->
00:23:42
But we need to start thinking like this.
00:23:42 -->
00:23:45
We need to start looking into our tradition
00:23:45 -->
00:23:48
and pulling out solutions and applying them in
00:23:48 -->
00:23:49
the modern world.
00:23:49 -->
00:23:51
And this means having some very difficult conversations.
00:23:52 -->
00:23:54
This means really looking at the roots of
00:23:54 -->
00:23:56
our society and fixing things on a very
00:23:56 -->
00:23:57
foundational level.
00:23:58 -->
00:24:00
This means really going into details.
00:24:01 -->
00:24:04
Into trying to figure out what went wrong
00:24:04 -->
00:24:05
with our society.
00:24:06 -->
00:24:08
And not fixing the small things at the
00:24:08 -->
00:24:08
top.
00:24:09 -->
00:24:10
Fixing the foundations.
00:24:12 -->
00:24:14
So I highly recommend that we all take
00:24:14 -->
00:24:16
time to reflect on these principles.
00:24:17 -->
00:24:20
Reflect on the definition of success as per
00:24:20 -->
00:24:21
the early Muslims.
00:24:22 -->
00:24:23
Are we working towards it in our own
00:24:23 -->
00:24:24
lives?
00:24:24 -->
00:24:26
Are we raising a generation to work towards
00:24:26 -->
00:24:26
it?
00:24:27 -->
00:24:30
Are we making a difference in this world?
00:24:31 -->
00:24:32
Are we truly living a good life?
00:24:32 -->
00:24:36
In Islam, a successful life is not about
00:24:36 -->
00:24:37
being rich and famous.
00:24:38 -->
00:24:39
It's about living a goodly life.
00:24:40 -->
00:24:42
Living a life that is pleasing to Allah,
00:24:42 -->
00:24:43
beneficial to society.
00:24:44 -->
00:24:45
A life where when you leave this world,
00:24:45 -->
00:24:46
people will miss you.
00:24:47 -->
00:24:48
People will miss you.
00:24:49 -->
00:24:50
That means you lived a good life.
00:24:51 -->
00:24:52
Doesn't matter how famous you were.
00:24:52 -->
00:24:53
Doesn't matter how rich you were.
00:24:53 -->
00:24:54
But if you leave this world in a
00:24:54 -->
00:24:56
state where the righteous miss you and they
00:24:56 -->
00:24:58
make dua for you, you had a successful
00:24:58 -->
00:24:58
life.
00:24:59 -->
00:25:01
And we ask Allah to bless us with
00:25:01 -->
00:25:02
the best of this world and afterlife.
00:25:23 -->
00:25:23
Al Fatiha.
