Kamal El-Mekki – The Pursuit of Happiness

			lahmar
		

			shadow
		

			Namo
		

			Madonna rasuu
		

			I said one
		

			Madonna madonn Rasool Allah.
		

			Hi.
		

			Hi.
		

			Hi.
		

			Hi,
		

			Allah.
		

			Ma.
		

			lahmar
		

			hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salatu salam ala rasulillah. I mean, he was a Jemaine about the
title of our hotbar is the pursuit of happiness.
		

			No doubt. All of you have heard of the incident in Dallas, the murder suicide. And the notion is
that because it happened to a Muslim family that all the Habib's have to speak about it. It's as if
there is an epidemic of this happening in the community.
		

			I personally don't like to comment on the news, especially to simply regurgitate what has already
been reported.
		

			The other thing is that every time a hottie wants to comment on depression or comment on some issue
in society, he's accused of giving the Islam is the only solution or sila Islam is the solution.
hotbox. And we've even shamed our whole teams of giving the Islamic solutions in many cases. But the
truth is, you can alleviate depression with the dean, you can remove or control addiction with the
dean. But when you say that they say you don't understand the complexities, you don't understand
psychology.
		

			No, you don't understand Islam.
		

			The other thing is you'll be accused of blaming the victim. And we're aware that in America,
everyone is a victim. Every action is blamed on something, some chemical, or some drug or some
diagnosis, anger, or depression, or a drug addiction, even being addicted to drugs is blamed on
something else.
		

			So with that there are only really three things worth refuting. In the long note that the murderer
wrote, explaining why he did what he did. The first he says, quote, The only reason for existence is
happiness. Then he continues to say, if the only reason to live is for happiness, then logically you
shouldn't live life if you aren't happy. So he concluded, the only reason to exist is to be happy.
And if you're not happy, you shouldn't exist. And so not only that, based on that, he said, if my
brother and I commit suicide, our parents will be unhappy, and they shouldn't exist unhappy, so they
decided to murder their parents, the grandmother and their sibling sister first, and then they
		

			committed suicide. But the truth is Jani This is the basic thing we teach children from birth, Allah
Subhana Allah told us the reason behind our existence, Allah azza wa jal says we're Mahalo to Gen.
Ns, elderly Boone and I have not created the gym nor human beings except to worship me. The purpose
of our existence is to worship Allah subhanho wa Taala. We're not put on earth to be happy, but
being happy is a perk and it's a plus. But that's not what Allah has put us on Earth.
		

			contentment is required contentment, makes life better and makes life easier but happiness was never
put as a requirement the true
		

			we exaggerate the role of happiness in many things. So they tell you, you know, the pursuit of
happiness in life? Or that you have to do what makes you happy in life, do what you love. But the
truth is that's not realistic. Nor is it practical, nor would the world be able to operate if
everyone on earth did what they loved. And realistically, very few people can do that. So is that a
goal that in doing what you love, you have to be happy in every aspect in life? Is there a condition
that you have to be happy? Even in marriage? Do you have to be happy? And is that a condition? We're
told that? If you if you ask someone, what are the things that keep a marriage together, they will
		

			give you a long list of things. But they forget that list. If love is missing, meaning a man came to
America, blah, blah, blah. And when he says I want to divorce my wife, he asked him, is there
anything wrong with her anything bad about her? He said, No, I just don't love her and armadillo.
And when his wisdom tells him, that there's more that keeps him there is more that to keep a
marriage together than just love. in that list, you would have said loyalty, you would have said
respect, you would have said trust, you would have said all kinds of things, stability, and love was
just one of them. And why is it now if love is missing, the marriage should should, should be
		

			dissolved immediately. Meaning there are a lot of things besides happiness in life. It is, as we
said, a perk, and a plus, but not a condition. We always exaggerate this issue of happiness. Even as
believers we exaggerate it. We always tell people, if anyone leaves Islam, they will be unhappy.
		

			Is that really a condition if someone leaves Islam, they will be unhappy. Annie is every non Muslim
unhappy, and is every Muslim happy.
		

			We know of someone who was Muslim for a long number of years, he reverted to Islam. And then he left
Islam, when he left Islam his main concern and what he was checking for every morning, if he was
going to be unhappy or not, because the Muslims kept telling him when you leave Islam, you become
unhappy. So when he left Islam, he found his life was normal. And he made videos saying I am not
unhappy, which means in his mind, Islam is not the truth. Because I'm on I'm happy. There's not a
problem. But who told you that's a condition, who said once again, that every non Muslim is unhappy,
and who said that every Muslim is happy.
		

			Allah subhanaw taala gave almost everyone on earth the basic ingredients to have a happy life. And
that is having some kind of food, shelter, and water. And it doesn't really matter too much about
the condition of the food or the quality of the food. But as long as there's food, shelter, and
water. And most people on earth have that, except for some exceptions, some refugees and what have
you, but most people on earth have basic shelter, basic food, and water. Even when you study
Maslow's hierarchy of needs you find in the bottom food, shelter, and water.
		

			And many other studies the University of Illinois, they compared people in the in the Forbes 100
list, the very wealthy with people who were just able to afford the necessities of life. And they
concluded that when people can afford the necessities of life, and here the basic necessities of
life,
		

			increase in income doesn't result in a significant saving significantly happier life. Likewise, in
Northwestern University, they, they conducted a study that was very unique, they sought out poor
people who won the lottery.
		

			And they tested their level of happiness, and they had them compare their level of happiness before
winning the lottery when they were poor, and after when they became wealthy, or even millionaires.
And they found no significant increase in happiness. So we have the basic ingredients to be happy.
And the majority of people on earth have these basic ingredients. But then we make our own
conditions of happiness and their faults and they're made up and in their in our head. The sad part
is Allah Subhana Allah gives every one of us so many blessings, that we would not be able to count
them were interred do not Allah He let us and if you tried to count the blessings of Allah, you will
		

			not be able to enumerate them. So each one of us has so many blessings that we can't even count
them. And yet I ignore the basics that Allah gave me to have a happy life. And I say I will only be
happy if I achieve this distant goal or if I achieve this dream. And so I remain unhappy because I
think my happiness is related to something distant, while it's right in front of my face the basic
things that everyone needs to have a happy life.
		

			And that's why I need there are two psychologists who tried to come up with an exercise to get
people to appreciate what they have in life. And they concluded, write down things that you're
grateful for. Constantly write down things you are grateful for. And the scholars explained this way
before that, and allows we just told us this before and then the resource Allah made us appreciate
this before, to recognize the blessings of Allah to be constantly thankful to Allah azza wa jal to
look at those who have less than you in this world so that you appreciate what you have and you feel
that you have more and therefore you become more thankful to Allah azza wa jal. But one of the
		

			problems is that a lot of people expect Jenna on Earth. They expect that on Earth, you should always
be happy. Never be sad. They even asked you questions like why do bad things happen to good people?
What they're describing is Jenna, Jen is where everyone is always happy. Jenna is where no one is
ever sad, as Allah says in the Quran, wacol Hamdulillah, a lady at the harbor and hasn't they
praised Allah who sent sadness away from them. That's in a Jenna, Jenna is where nothing bad happens
to a good person. But it's not just about this life. It's about the next. And because we believe in
the next life, that decreases from any pain of loss or anything in this dunya knowing that there is
		

			another life where there is compensation, where there is retribution. And the believers were always
aware of the next world. If you only live this life, then a loss would be a disaster. But because
you know there's another everlasting life, a loss is not as painful amount of nicer the companion
but the Allahu anhu his ear has had been cut a long time ago, he'd always had one ear for many
years. One day a man made fun of him, he says you with the one ear. So I might have the answer tells
him he tells him You have made fun of the best body part of mine, the one that was caught off for
the sake of Allah zoologia. And he just simple example, but look at how it didn't matter to him.
		

			Because there is a next world because there's a reason behind it because it was cut off for the sake
of Allah azza wa jal, it didn't matter to him. But if all your life is here, and you don't believe
in the next one, then every loss becomes an utter disaster. And it's all about appearance and all
about these kinds of things.
		

			That's why we have a calamity we say in 90 lower in a layer on your own. Or we say that there are
Allahumma a Gemini female see Betty was lovely Hara minha. It's all a reminder that Allah Subhana
Allah will either get make it up to you in this world, or the next.
		

			The other point from the long explanation that he gave behind the murder and the Suicide
		

			is that he was his problem is that he was trying to figure life out.
		

			Who said you have to figure out life, whether you're 19 or older, who says our job is to unlock the
mystery of life. Or follow the examples of philosophers like Rene Descartes, who went into a dark
room and sat in for a while meditating, trying to figure out if he's really alive, what life is
about, or any other philosopher, they started from zero. They started from zero trying to understand
life, because they didn't have the Quran. We have the Quran, we can never start from zero.
		

			Many times, will run into youth. And they're trying to figure out what life is about. Figure out
what the purpose of life, they're trying to go through the path that these philosophers went through
trying to understand the world and life. You don't have to start from zero like they did. Because
you have the Quran and they don't why would someone who is up here, say I have to start like this
person who is down here you have the Quran. But one of the problems brothers and sisters in Islam is
we belittle the Quran. There was a young man who was being brought who is depressed and the told
them to come talk to me. And he said, I don't want to talk to the chef because the chef is going to
		

			tell me to read the Quran.
		

			So I made sure that when he came I told him to read the Quran lish because the solution is in the
Quran. The solution is in the Quran, and I'm not going to avoid that just because you don't want to
hear that Yan is like someone telling you what's one plus one? But don't say too No, I will say to
because it's the correct answer. I will tell you to read the Quran because the answers are in the
Quran. You're trying to figure out life and ignore the the
		

			instructions from the one who gave life subhanaw taala. It doesn't make any sense. But the real
issue is that we belittle the Quran, that it has solutions that it can fix our problems. That's the
real issue.
		

			So with that a Coppola was tough, Rola Lee, welcome. First of all, for fosun Stouffer in ask Allah
Subhana Allah for his forgiveness, indeed those who ask for his forgiveness shall prosper.
		

			hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salatu salam ala rasulillah. I mean, what an early he was a hobby of
mine, I'm about. The other thing in his long message is that there was really nothing about Islam,
and you can see that it had no influence on his life whatsoever. Yet he ends his note by saying the
teenage Muslim guy, so what was Muslim about you? Is it just your name? Is this a membership? That
just by having the name Abdullah or Mohammed or Hassan Halas you're part of this club and you can't
leave?
		

			He has no Muslim values and his contemplations of life, talked about having a girlfriend constantly
use profanity, no connection to the masjid whatsoever. But if there's anything for us to learn from
that is to make sure our children are connected to the masjid. And while they're young, they love
the masjid and they want to come and play and they want to attend all the activities. But as one
group conducted a study, once our Muslim youth reach the age of 13, they start to have little to no
connection with the masjid. They don't want to come for the events or anything like that. And they
stopped coming to the masjid for the most part. Why is it that if our children wake up tired on
		

			Saturday, they don't have to go to the weekend Islamic school. But if they wake up tired on
Wednesday, or on Tuesday, there is no such thing as a choice like that, they will be forced to go,
and the whole house will be collapsed upon their head, if they decide they don't want to go to
school. The truth is, we don't really value Islamic knowledge. We don't really value Islamic
knowledge, even Islamic learning. We don't give it much value. One of our friends, his wife was in
an Islamic University.
		

			And she was getting her degree in Islamic Studies. He said, my parents would always ask me, when is
your wife going to go to school? And I will tell them she is in school? And they will tell me No, I
mean, real education. Because we consider Islamic knowledge is not that important, even though the
scholars used to always say the greatest knowledge is Islamic knowledge, because that's the
knowledge with which you save souls for the forever. And then the second greatest knowledge is
medicine, because then you can save a life, but of course, for a limited time in this world. But
today, if we just pulled Muslims, which would they rank higher Islamic knowledge or medical
		

			knowledge?
		

			I had a friend who was studying medicine, and then he gave it up to go overseas and study Islam. And
everyone always treated him as if he left Islam, when he would tell them that it was like Kufa, how
do you leave medicine, and go and study Islam?
		

			And the point is not to say study Islam and leave medicine or architecture. The point is, do we
value Islamic knowledge? And when our children don't want to learn anything about the religion? Do
do we make a big deal as if they didn't want to go to school?
		

			As parents, if anything, we learn anything from this story or many others. There is nothing more
important, especially in America, Allah with all due respect, it seems as if the the older people in
the generation and this and in the community, or the people who didn't grow up in America, if they
don't really understand what their children are going through, because they went to high school
overseas. If you ever walked into high school in America, it's an incredible jungle. Allah you feel
pity for the Muslim youth that they're in these public high schools. It's an utter complete
disaster. And most parents have no idea. So they think they can keep sending them to this school,
		

			and then not countering any of that by bringing them to the masjid or Islamic classes.
		

			Allah, it's a disaster.
		

			Two weeks ago, one of our good youth from the community, one of the homophobe, he sent me a note.
And he's saying that basically saying, I don't think you understand what's going on with the Muslim
youth. And I quote, he says, You should talk to us as if we are borderline disbelievers.
		

			He said you have no idea what these youth are up to as far as the Haram. They said they don't know
Allah azza wa jal. They don't even want to know or love Allah subhanaw taala they don't even try to
pray. It was such an eye opener.
		

			But here we are, we think we can just send them to public schools, not count without with any
Islamic knowledge, not give the masjid any importance in their lives, and then everything will be
okay. And without note, I'd like to say, during the worst thing that happened during the year of
COVID was that the youth who had the masjid in their schedule somehow developed the new schedule
that didn't include the masjid because it was closed. And so even after reopening, are they going to
come back to the house of Allah is legit. And it's your job as parents to make sure you reconnect
them with the masjid. Even if it's just to come and sit in the lounge area in the back and just
		

			study for an hour or two. You have to make sure you reconnect them with the house of Allah without a
final note, about the month of Ramadan. And we all know that it will be in a few days in sha Allah.
		

			Just not to put a program for anyone or anything but just to remember what we've said on this member
before and that is Allah azza wa jal loves to see effort from his servants. Whether you succeed or
not, you succeed, it's better. But if you don't succeed, Allah still loves the fact that you put
effort and we always say, Why did Allah azza wa jal make fudger early in the morning before sunrise?
Why didn't Allah Subhana Allah make fudger at 11am?
		

			Because Allah azza wa jal wants to see effort. He wants to see the select few who will get up and
they will fight against sleepiness and fatigue and make their will do and perform their prayer.
Allah loves to see effort from his servants. And that's why are part of the wisdom behind why Allah
allowed a police to live an extended life so people can struggle against him and his soldiers
because Allah loves to see effort from your part. So make intention to put great effort into
worshipping Allah azza wa jal in the month of Ramadan, make intention to complete or to pray the
night prayers in full and to recite the Quran as much as possible to make a lot of Vicar of Allah
		

			azza wa jal to live off television and the internet and WhatsApp groups and things that are not of
much benefit from Madonna's just 8% of the year show Allah zildjian effort in that 8%
		

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