Islam in the 21st Century
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Channel: Khalid Yasin
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AI Generated Summary ©
The history and impact of Islam in the 20th century, including its use in political and cultural settings, have been discussed. The importance of social responsibility and the need for individuals to act as leaders is emphasized. The use of technology and tools to optimize use of space and time management is also discussed. The conversation touches on the challenges and obstacles faced by Muslims in society, including the lack of political support and trust in leaders. The natural causes of hate and workplace discrimination are also discussed, including the need for young people to act outside buildings and to be respectful and focused.AI Generated Transcript ©
hamdulillah who will care for our Salah to Salam o Allah I shall mbf
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, what are the early he was happy, he was worthy he
was worthy he will the reality as mine, without
for in Astrakhan
Kitab Kitab Allah
well as to call it
solos of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was salam Wa alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
First of all, I'm
extremely grateful
to have an opportunity
to sit in the shade seeds
that we participated in planting in this area
40 years ago
in fact, close to 50 years ago, in this life, to sit in the shade of a tree,
that you planted a seed from which a tree came
in, we have to be grateful to Allah subhanaw taala. And it's, it is He who gave us this attachment to faith.
And it is He who gave us something when it appeared that there was nothing.
And it is
all praises for Allah who guided us.
And without his guidance, we could never have been guided.
It is fitting, I think,
not so much well planned. In terms of a program.
It just came out of an invitation. But I think it's quite fitting
that based upon the humble beginnings
of Islamic activism,
religious involvement, engagement, giving Dawa and looking for properties and setting up the subjects and things of this nature in the city of New York in particular.
I can remember 1968 Very well.
Like visiting the apartment where I was born.
And I can recall
just for the history,
meeting with
Dr. Ahmed tungee.
And Dr. Ahmed soccer.
And they're helping me
to make a decision about accepting some kind of leadership.
So this is like
so many years ago,
and it was in this area. In fact, the meeting took place at the library,
which was in back of the bus station. Do you remember that library?
Yes.
So it is quite fitting to just have this discussion today.
Islam in the 21st century
because nobody can doubt
that some people had vision.
Maybe they didn't have all the tools, the right look. Maybe they will not even mature even in their religious development. They will graduate from the university. Some of them some of them will still in the university. And you everybody here should know the history. Anyone who's 40 years or more should know the history.
Well
it's because Allah He blessed, the best of that Nia
as he mentioned in one of the places in Quran, I want to be live with you but did Allah say he asked him he said what kind of law who
loves water?
So
I have been discussing this topic.
It's time in the 21st century as a sometimes when I'm talking to non Muslims, I'm doing it as a doorway to giving Dawa. I'm not even given them any doubt, I'm just first using Islam in the 21st century, to let them know that there's a bridge, there's a relevance. So in the course of five, seven minutes, there's no doubt in their mind that Islam is relevant to the 21st century. This is not a religion based upon the past. No, there's a premise of it that's in the past. But this is the religion of the future. Who ever forgets that this is the religion of the future, because it's been determined by Allah subhanaw taala. Allah He said, In the Deena and Allah in
Islam slept was finished, it was complete statement.
As one of our great Muslim writers.
He mentioned in one of his books,
which was titled Elmo stack beetle, and mostakbal
they have the deal.
And not dealing with the person who wrote it, but dealing with the subject itself.
That the future
of the hope of the future,
the higher of the future, and the future beyond this life, the hereafter
belongs to this D.
This the mindset
at that point, at that time, as I can recall,
the marriage of
the marriage
that was formed, called Isner
was to
plant
the tree that was already in the form of the MSA branches.
And so here we are,
in the 21st century,
50 years later,
when that Niall was made, and I was there, I saw it, we discussed it.
Here we are now 7 million Muslims in the United States of America, approximately somebody's guesstimate, estimate.
Some say eight.
They're a bit ambitious.
And so say five,
because they don't want it to appear.
that Islam is moving at the rate that Muslims are moving at the rate that they are moving in the United States of America.
So this phenomena needs to be put within context.
So I don't want to put it within cultural context, or dialectical context. I don't want to put it within the context of Islamic rhetoric, and things of that nature. I just want to put it within the context of
if we have a set of issues or challenges,
the tools, the tools that you really have, will decide the efficiency of your being able to resolve that problem. Allah has given us the Quran and the Sunnah. And it is our responsibility to make the Quran and the Sunnah relevant. Now I want to use this word over and over relevant
to the people in society.
You know, one day
a man asked the messenger of allah sallallahu sambil question you will have so much knowledge from the Prophet some came from the questions of others.
So let's let's say yellow Sula, salsa.
Which person
is the best?
Because simple that is.
One person who is the best
messenger of Allah says and he answered the question as it was answered and asked for simple.
He said hi to NAS.
My young fitness
the rest of the people
those who are the most beneficial
to the people, what people
of course your family first day the first recipients of your sadaqa your charity,
your your responsibility. And after that it is the up Robin there's the people whose extended even from them. There is your general people of your your
your area, there is the people of
The area and people of the area it includes
neighbors, colleagues, co workers who are of different religions and persuasions. Yet it is still considered the drummer.
The drummer of the inside drummer who have made the commitment to the Quran and the Sunnah and obligation of that the Lissa extended Jamaah. And that is the Jamaat of the people of the community, and everybody he has rights. That's how we knew from the Messenger of Allah lost him that everyone had rights. You know, the old lady, you know, somebody who she had rights to be buried, to put them to wait for the process to come or to be told that old lady that used to clean the marsh, she had rights and the process and he protected her right, that when he entered he didn't see her and they told her she died. What did he do? He gave her her rights. You know, the woman who said in the back
when Amara was questioning the issue of giving his opinion about the issue of rhodiola, who was giving his opinion about the issue of the Mahara. A woman in the back. not accustomed to speaking out. What did she say to ombre red yellow on that day? She advised him and then what did I'm gonna say? Today Ahmed, he had been advised by a woman so there's the people of the extended community, they have rights.
So
Allah subhanaw taala he mentioned in the Quran.
In SUTA net
you have bursts that it's like almost every Masjid on Juma
it's not it is not the Sunnah of the Prophet saw Sam to recite this idea in his football on Friday. It's not his sunnah, but it's the command. So who can argue with that? It's the Quran.
And it started to be recited among the Muslims at a certain period in the Islamic history. It started becoming part of the wilds of the gym, I put this this this this is what
most listens when they hear this in the gym, our football, this is
they start shifting because they know that in another minute or two,
the man will be standing up to lead the prayer. So they just start shifting and they losing the meaning
because they hear it every Juma
and I'm not saying I will give any new meaning to it. I'm not saying I will be any more impressive. I've been the person who recited the prayer for us. Not just I want to just
us reflect for a minute, because this is the core
of the discussion for Islam in the 21st century.
Allah subhanaw taala he mentioned how to build a similar idea Ministry of tongues regimes for labor handling in the Lucha Yamamoto, Bill Adam, well said
what Eater is a little quarterback or a young high fat che? Well monka
you eat the comb, Lala calm to the curb, and the doing of good sign
to your kith and kin.
And forbids everything that is shameful. I just want to shift one moment.
So we'll go from the Syrah of the Prophet SAW certainly bring it to the 21st century to make what we're saying relative when Mohammed Salah Sam was about 18 years old, the people of the Sierra, the writers of the Sierra, the scholars of the Sierra, some of them they disagree, they say no, he was more closer to 21 will not argue that issue
is clearly before the word he came.
And he was a young man mature.
And it mentioned that he was invited
to join
a pact,
a social pact, a treaty, to keep peace,
to give benevolence, to facilitate to protect, to serve, to feed to provide water,
to give protection to the young to the to the old and to inspire the young people. They had Bella they had duties in a society
and it was not based upon
a religion.
It was part of the culture.
It was a part of the culture of the people of Mecca.
The people who themselves was the best people who
factor. It was part of that that tradition.
And the name of this pack was called Health
and Food all
those of you who have read the Syrah, do you remember the terminology, health and food?
This is a very prominent, powerful
sign are Ebro from Allah subhanho wa taala. That's showing us
the McCarthy,
the mocassin, the objective of Islam.
Muhammad Slauson, no doubt he was the vessel. The Quran came, and he was the light walking corral.
No doubt.
But it was not just the issue of reciting
managing that recital
preserving, teaching, distributing,
ruling, judging.
Now, these are issues that came about as a result of social responsibility that led towards governance. Can you recite say that with me? It came as a result of what
social responsibility
Hmm. That developed into governance.
So the first object was social responsibility. Allah subhanho wa taala. He mentioned about Muhammad Salah said well, my eldest son of NACA, it Allah
Rasool, Allah me,
he said, Salah soon in Hebrew is to Burley I have been sent to do what
to Perfect,
good behavior.
Allah He said, well as you know, in Allah, you have been more sinning. Here what that means.
Here is not just to have Taqwa is a sign applies here, to be benevolent,
to have the capacity
to give to have influence to have leverage, to address a dire situation, to make things happen in the course of faith, and on the basis of faith.
And this country, United States of America, it has part of its constitutional component framework, something called
the categorization of faith based communities, faith based organizations who deliver services to the public, and the government shares with them and that responsibility, the federal and the state, and municipality, and the private corporations, why because they are people doing what
service. So now
let's go back to the idea
because in my estimation,
the builders of the builders have mega mosques, and nowadays this is not a mega mosque.
Sorry.
I mean, according to you to
the phenomena of mega mosque is like, you gotta have a couple of million square feet
of space that's going to be empty, just like those who have 2000 square feet.
Those who have 2000 square feet mosque
and those who have 2 million square foot mosque have a different level scope of responsibility.
On the average, and I'll come back to this, this area, on an average in North America, in particular, the Masjid is only used the the mega mosque or the mini mosque.
The mosque, reformed Alaba house or apartment or the house now this covering half of a football field.
They both have
responsibility
of maintenance and maintenance doesn't mean the shampoo in the cleaning and the parking in the data
is the maintenance of the time.
We think about this brothers and sisters
168 hours a week. The average miles and this is by a estimate guesstimate that was made by
different agencies. The average mosque is only used four hours a day
four hours a day and you know on weekends, according to if they have a school or they got some classes. It may be used eight hours to 10 hours a day. So just do the math.
out for yourself and then deduct that from 68 hours to see what the problem is in terms of time management, then multiply that in North America 6000 times.
We haven't a problem with time management when it comes to buildings.
So one of the things is that we could put more activity into the masjid in the 21st century, because now we have technology. We have fiber optics,
we have, we have fiber optics, we have technology, we have a very well designed science and, and and tools that we can use to optimize the use of all space that's designated by our faith.
And the federal government,
the state,
the municipality, the county, the private corporations, they recognize that and they will respond to us. And through doing that we can gain social influence.
Now,
I'm so I'm trying to catch up.
Now, why is social influence important?
I want to go back to
the discussion I had when I first started talking, and I said that
sometimes
we have to use a different methodology to prepare somebody to listen
to our message.
Because Dow is a message. But you have to get people to listen to your message. Somehow they got to, they got to feel your message.
They have to sense your message. They have to, they have to, they have to anticipate your message, they have to want to listen. And today, very few people, if they have a phone,
very few people have three minutes to talk to you.
Very few people today, including your children.
They have three minutes just to talk to you.
So what about to sit down and talk about something that people already disagree about? What makes them motivated to do that?
Is that there should be some connection between those who want to do Dawa, or those who are engaged in Dawa Debbie should some be some motivation, some bridge, some relevance, some connection. So let's go back to the Syrah of the Prophet. So
how was he able to do that work this health and voodoo? How was he able to do that work?
We were doing service. They were being sponsored by people, wealthy people, people who believed in them and support them and others just join them. Why? Because they were doing something good for the people.
They were the leaders and representatives of the people, not elected, but leaders and representatives because they were socially active. And that's the point
that our messenger SallAllahu wasallam, Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, he was a social activist.
He was designated by Allah subhanaw taala, to be a social activist, and to be a shepherd,
not just to lead the sheep, but to lead people.
And
because that was already ingrained in his prophetic nature, it matured when the revelation came. But Muhammad SAW Sam was already
a person of benevolence.
He was always smiling.
He always had a good disposition.
And when he was asked something very important.
He always came up with a
viable
suggestion.
This is how we gain influence and the United States of America during social service, as the last panelist Ali said, Remember the he says in the law? Yeah. What? Bill Adam first, right. So Muslims should be advocates of social justice and not not like a buffet.
No, you can't be social advocates for Palestine and social advocates for Syria, but you're not a social advocate.
For the people who are sleeping in the streets
200 meters or 500 meters from this building or from your home? No,
no, no.
Social justice is not
a basis of base have is not based on ethnicity or proximity or geography. Now,
there's certain things in Islam that we have to do we are commanded to do to make Hajj in Mecca, we can't make another Mecca. We can't make another Kaaba, we audit go there. And we fall into order Villa bake Allahu Allah bake.
But other things
can be chosen. Select it.
And one beautiful thing about Islam is that wherever Muslims went in the history in studying the Sierra and after the Sierra until presently one of the things you see is that Muslims went out with doing Dawa and they were not asking for anything.
They were sponsored.
They will not ask you for anything they were sponsored. So that means that Dawa was already taken upon. It was all as an obligation.
Some Muslims sponsored the messenger of allah sallallahu sallam, some human beings Allah He sent them just to sponsor Rasul Allah
because the Dow has to be sponsored.
Because what comes out of the Dow is not just words
that comes out of the Dow it can be felt directly into people in the street. What about this?
Imagine
when I talked about
what do you call that? When people come from the neighborhood and visit the mosque? What do they call that?
Oh, the open house that we call it.
We have like an open house. We opened the house of Allah subhanaw taala we we opened that once a year. And we do something in the courtyard and we put up some discovered Islam and we Vic some coffee and bring some people in and after that day gone, and after that the house is closed. I mean literally, there's no real interaction. No,
the door to the house or the curtain to the house of Rasul Allah says most open
the door to the mosque was open. It's not an organization, it was a responsibility.
And if we go back to the Sunnah of the Prophet slough, Sam, we're sitting in a situation where people are in need and when they are in need, they will listen.
When they are in need, they are hungry, they will.
When they are thirsty, they will when they are hurting, they will when they have problems, they will they will listen
and on the smallest level of motive, if you only want to support
those who do Dawa, to make sure that there's something there that people will listen.
We almost didn't
we can afford to purchase a pallet of water every month.
Me
you
we can afford easily. Most of us living in New York, we can afford easily to buy a pallet of water, which I think a Walmart or Sam's Club or something like that may cost like $62 or something like that. A pallet of water
with 1000 bottles like that each of us could easily do that every month but we don't do that. Even though the process since said one of the best things that can be distributed is what
what do you say?
Water.
Secondly, if every mosque according to the square footage of that mosque, according to the square footage of that mosque, if every mosque put out five tables or 10 tables, just before Juma a hot just hot meals that are warm and right after the tests leave of the gym I prayer that
that tool is given out within 30 minutes to your neighbors and that is done every Friday.
And everybody that meets a Muslim knows that Muslims carry water all the time. Muslims always ask the people you want a bottle of water to take those bottle for your family. How are you feeling? How's everything how you doing? And they say, Oh, those guys that feed after the after they pray on Friday? Oh yeah, yep in there. Oh, yeah. I saw him in the neighborhood. Oh, yeah, those guys that got the water
What is better?
What can be better? Allah He asked in the Quran
and who is better than one who calls people towards Allah.
And giving water and giving food is a problem that was a doorway. This is something that we can do easily.
But it has to be encouraged.
It has to be embraced.
It has to be managed.
And it has to be executed.
Let's see it I'm planting
the seed I'm planting for Master mosque.
This is not a message to the minister Shura, or members thereof. It's not a message to a particular group of people or the Magister sure of the Masjid. There's a message I'm giving to every group of Muslims, I come in contact with, that we have a special responsibility in the 21st century that perhaps you don't understand, or we don't understand the impact of it.
Brothers and sisters keep this in mind.
I've now I came from Thailand around three weeks ago.
So I will visit some Muslims in Thailand, and two or three different places. And so that was like country 119 For me
to visit countries and see their culture and visit Muslims and pray and their messages and
and expand my personal experience.
Well
that's when I realized
how blessed we are as Muslims
living in the 21st century
in the Western Hemisphere,
where, of course,
of course, we can preach our religion,
from coast to coast.
Because it's in the Constitution, that if a man or a woman wanted to run from New York to California with no clothes on, they have the constitutional right to do that.
So certainly, if they have the, the
if they have the motivation to do that, and they also have the consent of the government to do that, or at least have protection,
then there's no doubt that we mussels also have a great blessing that we can give Dawa coast to coast. But we need to understand the Dow is that talking.
Dow is not meaning together and having conferences that's not Dawa. That's preparing the soup. That's chopping the wood that's setting up the camp. But the Dow itself is the resources that were using the water, the food, the technology, the services, to mediate to administrate to give service to the people whom you know, in whom you don't know.
So what the process said?
To whom you know, and whom you don't know.
He said
whom you know, and who you don't know. So when we don't know. We don't know just everybody that we see walking from here. Did you make avenues to getting in on the highways that go into our places, we don't really know everybody, but we see them and we become familiar to them. And they become familiar to us. And there is a social connection and there is a responsibility and there is a eventual accountability.
So
I'm advising myself and Muslims. Now that you have comfortable places.
You have virtually just new nuisances.
A young lady from Stockholm said to me
earlier this morning, she says chef, can you come to Stockholm?
Some people will want you to talk about the Quran burning and how this is like he like they are destroying our honor. And they shouldn't I tell the Sister, listen.
Your problem is that there's not enough men.
There's not enough Muslim men in Stockholm
who have common sense
that a woman has to call me and asked me to fly there.
To talk about the Quran, Bernie. I told Listen, sister,
one of the people guys want to
weren't some could
do this. We just did that two months ago. I told him you want to burn the colon? dutiful? I'm gonna burn some two I got more than you
I'm burning for my reason you burn into your reason. I'm going to provide the call answer you
let the Quran but Moussaieff
see?
So they were confused. And Muslims want to bomb and turn over cars and fight the police and marches shout and everything. And still they want to burn the Koran. So what's going to happen
because of your Muslim fervor
you will burn down the streets, people will go to jail, somebody can die. And it's all about what you call honor. No, it is dishonorable doesn't make any sense to do that.
We have to come up with a different technique.
And so in actuality, what did the Prophet has to say to us to do? If there is some Messiah have power over in the closet? So some place? They will they were damaged by water? Some pages is missing? What we're supposed to do with those? Do we throw them in the trash?
No, what do we do with them?
Once Carla said is thrown and he said throw them in the ocean. That's one option.
To Mother versus said Tatom is scattered him across the Okay, that's another option. But we know the problem sells him recommended burying them or burning them.
Because why it's just paper with defects. Because there's people with defects, which we're supposed to do with that, at least have an honorable way to dispose of it. So I said, Okay, good to go. I want to burn the Quran. We're going to start out right here, here's my can right there. Here's my torch right there. Okay, and how many you guys bring all your people 500 people and everything, just be orderly. And each one of you pay $10. For the Quran we given you, you're gonna plan it, that's your contribution to whatever you're doing. That's you. You come in all this way to burn the Quran here, pay $10
for every $10 day, pay those 500 people.
We produce 100 More Commands and distribute them in places where we took them from
the sea. And so the cycle is that we frustrate them because why we don't react? Nobody responded.
So there's nothing for them to do. If we're going to burn more plants and they will. What are they doing? So what do we want to do all you got to change that tactic? They don't just want to burn the Quran. Now. They want to burn the mosque, okay, then the police, they will take care of that part of it. But we have to use our sets and not feed into issues that will take our energy
take the subject off of the focus itself and paint us in a bad light in the society because at the end of the day, this is the whole aim isn't
it is to do what
to dishonor us to dehumanize us, to insult us. So people will not listen to us. Because at the end of the day, they don't want people to listen to us. But the people will listen to us.
Even the youngest of us can provide them with some insight and some beautiful words, to impress them or convince them or at least to make them allies. Along the way. We didn't do anything much. But we started out with water the process of SimCity two mo time.
What Tetra was salam? O min
tallish
water and food.
The first words of doubt were the first order of Dawa the first imperative of Dawa in Medina, the Messenger of Allah Sosa said to me
more tacroz Hello, precede your words. With what giving food
establish a relationship with food and drink. Conversation, appreciation, familiarity, just to food and drink. And then through that you got other things you doing technology, business, medicine, other things, and the most of them become very reliable. What's the word?
They become reliable,
influential.
The doctors and their lawyers and their craftsmen and they're doing good and honor in the society and people begin to listen to them. And guess what? The federal government
Give us more even than you asked for, because you relieving the federal government, the state government, the municipal government, the county government, the private corporation, you relieving them of having to deliver direct services, which they don't want to do. Did you understand that part?
Did you understand that part?
Because in the last 30 years, brothers and sisters, another group came in. And they saw the opportunity here in the United States of America, and has nothing to do with their religion, just a group of businessmen.
They just happen to be Hindus.
They're the ones who have networks all over United States of America.
networks do what their their temple is built into it, you see how smart they are. Their temple is built into the place where they do the survey, and the cooking, and the distribution,
the serving, the cooking, the distribution, and the storage,
is in the same place. And these are people who are saying that they're worshipping 1000s of gods.
So it's not the issue of religion here.
It's a perspective, it's a mindset. And some people, they saw
that there was an opportunity to serve disadvantaged people, who many of our neighbors, they are disadvantage, even some of our family members are classified as socially disadvantage, and they serve them. So brothers, I
want to say to you that the Jamaica, Muslim Center
is a prime
location, a prime organization,
to foster this kind of work.
And I don't mind
to have a working
a meeting, specifically for a working relationship, not a meeting to have another meeting to have another meeting to make another organization, but a meeting that's built upon working to resolve the issue of Muslims, servicing their societies, in the Western Hemisphere in particular, and therefore becoming more efficient, more effective, and developing empowerment, and trust. And whoever has trust and empowerment in a, in a relatively free and open society, we will have no excuse in front of Allah subhanaw taala because there is no direct opposition to Islam, or its delivery of its services in the United States of America.
Now, there are different forms of challenges and obstacles that come in the form of doing the Dawa.
But if you compare our ability to do Dawa, to speak about Islam, to speak to people to have access to any level of society and to, to travel and to implement our ideas.
I haven't found
as a revert Muslim,
I haven't found a country in the world
that has the constitutional liberties that Muslims have in the United States of America.
Now, if that wasn't true, our numbers would be diminishing or returning back to where Muslims came from. It is not
and we should be honest, it is a matter of social responsibility.
Social Responsibility,
which we call it, Islamic presence, Islamic organization, some communities, Islamic congregations,
in service to Islam in the 21st century. That means
we can't make our buildings aesthetic for us.
And nice to see on the outside.
But we need to make the same investment
in the surrounding community, and infrastructure so that the presence of Islam
would be known to everybody. Whether someone is wearing a
hat
So, a coffee, or Kumar, or hijab, or niqab or none of the above
that Islam would be felt and tasted,
and and reasonably understood.
Because if people don't understand our words,
or the words of ALLAH, or they don't understand who is Mohamed Salah Sam, or his sublime character in case, they don't understand those words, they don't read, they don't have the time, they will feel
the presence of Muslims to their service.
The brothers and sisters, I thank you so very much for listening to me.
I have a book that I recently published this called Islam, America and the world, I'm not giving a pitch for the book. Because I'm not, it's not a prime concern of mine, who reads it or doesn't read it, I wrote it from my own research of my own therapy. And when I finished it, someone suggested that we publish it.
So part of what I spoke about tonight, is from the chapter called Islam in the 21st century, and that book, and to summarize, I'm just encouraging Muslims
to take the best of what we have invested in the last 50 years here, the United States of America
and make brotherhood
our our bond
and make and bring the Quran to life
with the least amount of words, and to demonstrate the Sunnah of Muhammad SAW Sam, in our daily lives, not just coming back and forth to the masjid, or what we do inside of our homes, or what we do among other Muslims. So that Islam and Muslim becomes fairly well known.
You know, and people have done not they don't know the religion they have respect. Like,
if I asked 10 People arbitrarily in this room, who are four years old or more, please, can you stand up and tell me one minute, just 30 seconds about the Mormon Church? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that's the other name. Can you tell me something about them? Who are they? How many of their, what's their beliefs when they came? What was their history? This is that probably not 10 of us could do that. But it's not important. But we do know that the moments is the only religious organization in this country
that has a sovereign state.
In case you don't know that,
a sovereign state
based on their religion.
And as a result of that 60 or 70% of all the choices that's made in that state is based upon what the influence of the
the Mormon church.
Now, I'm not mentioning this, because we are in competition with anybody. I mentioned this because this constitution, this country that we're living in, permits that and they have a very friendly, productive, contemporary, powerful relationship. Why should we be
we have a different history.
We got to change that mindset.
Again, I'm gonna take the measures to shorter
on my difference, many of them have passed, like many of my own colleagues, they have passed.
But I asked Allah subhanaw taala that the work that we have done, it passes down into the young people who are now 1015 20 years old, undergrads, Grads, postgrads.
People who are people in industry and business and technology, and they will through what Allah gave them and the prayers and the guidance that was given by their grandfathers and grandmothers and mothers and fathers and all of that. We will bring a
new image
for Islam and Muslims in the United States of America through service
as his political and what behind the coalition when he learned to want to stop through porn or to break
I don't know what provisions there are for q&a.
It can be after certain issue or it doesn't have to be a q&a.
So maybe my host they can tell me what is it's 547 758
So, brothers and sisters, I
just make one request or
about a q&a, it has to be
relevant
to the topic that was discussed.
Second thing
I don't answer 50
questions why? Because you have your own alma and fuqaha people who know your issues and problems and your perspectives and history and language and all kinds of things. And they have more responsibility to me than I do to be answering questions. And I don't answer tricky questions.
You know, things that like a very controversial and can lead you into something that you didn't even want to go into. I don't do that. It has to be about what I spoke about.
And you have to ask the question and 30 seconds or less? That's it.
So if they are brothers or sisters who have a question, and you heard the discussion,
the presentation,
I will accept that. Just
you can just raise your hand, I'll recognize you, you can ask the question and I will answer it to the best of my ability in the same 30 seconds.
Yes, chatting about the topic that you mentioned. Is there somebody there outside with the books or something? No. So on Amazon?
Yeah.
Amazon helps that you don't have to buy the books, you don't have to store the books. Everything is done. Very digital, and very clean. And you don't have to submit it to the government either.
Yes.
Why do you think
massages are not service service oriented towards its neighbors?
Usually neighborhoods are natural.
They're natural. People know each other in neighborhoods, 3040 50 years, sometimes even two, three generations? Can you still hear me?
So in naturally developed neighborhoods, they usually based upon either ethnicity.
Or sometimes religion.
Or sometimes social dynamic dynamics, like immigration. So neighborhoods in countries like America come together in different ways. And I'm trying to answer this question, right. And so,
this is an area that became
permeated
populated, more intensely in the last
50 years than the previous 50 years.
So now, this means that and and diverse, immigrations, this not just immigration of people from one place diverse, so that all these people were building their own lives and trying to be respectful, and be decent, and not commit crimes and had to deal with their own families in their own dynamics in their own lives and practice their own religion. It's not easy.
So there's no blame here. This is what happens naturally. According to Ibn Khaldoun Khaldoon said this happens naturally, it's not because of prejudice. It's not because of conspiracy. It's just negligence. Sometimes
the house that you live in, is often not to clean his house.
And so I'm speaking not from a point of anyone's fault, because some people built an infrastructure that facilitated
like the growth
the growth of Muslims in the United States of America.
Let's be a little more particular. In case you don't know this, this statistic came from Mr. Adams office.
That America that New York City is home
to over 1 million Muslims
Close to 400 massages.
So what are we talking about when we come to the communities, like the Jamaica, Muslim center, and other communities around the United States of America, in the past 40 to 50 years, the same problem is there. But we are more mature
we are we are beleaguered and confronted by
major issues that have nothing to do with our differences. And the longer we're more mature. So as as a mature social activist and mature Muslim,
as a mature, now I'm advising not just pointing out the problem, but advising steps that we can take to do what one modify the Polaroid polarization, the natural polarization that we have with people. Because in distributing water, and food and technology and services, you you eliminate that polarization or you severely modified, you feel me. So
I say neglect oversight, as opposed to fault.
So for that good enough, it declawed.
Our job is to just to deliver what we can and remind each other what we can do. And I'm bringing what I consider to be
a
proposition. McDonough call it a solution, I call it, it is a highly probable
proposition that could change some of the social dynamics between Muslims and non Muslims here in North America, and in particular here in New York City.
Yes, you don't have to answer him. But why is the reason you said you were Reaper? Right? Yes.
Islam Felmy.
You like drones.
You don't want to send the drones up in the air. It's so true. You get to them, he didn't missiles or whatever, right? They just zoom in on you, right? So if Allah He was guidance for someone, he sends that guidance out, and it finds that person.
It wasn't like I was looking, I was intelligent, or there was some light that came from the sky or anything like that. However, I don't mind talking about that. But since I've talked about that so much, I was just sent you to holiday or seen that calm
that website.
Or you can go to
Sky views on on Facebook. And then I've got some of those testimonies that are there. But thank you very much for asking me that.
And any other questions, brothers?
Okay.
In most discussions that have considered to be proactive,
there's usually some call to action.
It could be an appeal, it could be a proposition. In this case,
I'm making an appeal. I'm making a call to action. And not on behalf of my organization, the purpose of life foundation, you know, it's just it's just another organization.
And I happen to have decided with the
with the consent of my senior advisors, I've decided to return to New York City to New York City for personal reasons, because most of my family is here.
So by default,
it's my responsibility to meet with my peers
in a age of my peers, my my peers in Islamic work.
And Muslim brothers and sisters who we are all now neighbors.
You know, we all neighbors from East New York to Jamaica.
is a is a
25 minute drive that makes us neighbors.
And having said that,
I just want to put it out there
as
Something that's in the universe and something that's recorded
that I think that those who have responsibility among the Muslims, they need to meet and greet
without food
and have their have their don't drink tea and coffee and this gets in sweets, don't do that.
Don't promise food nothing.
Make the meeting an hour or two hours of this 20 People hour, two hours done. And refreshments, whoever wants it at the end, and you'll get something done.
And then we have a set of meetings like that to come up with an agenda that we can append,
you know, an agenda that we can append that we can attached to the work that we're doing and every Muslim center.
Because every muscle center is also a community service center, isn't it?
According to the knee and the work of the product sales team, every Muslim center should also be a community service center.
And this is what, what we are proposing
to do in New York City in Sharla. Yes, brother.
Well,
Brother, I don't want to be like a square.
I don't need to be like an OG old time, you old school or anything like that? Okay.
Were you here for the lecture?
Okay, good, good. So, I can guarantee you this.
That
if we, the older generation, we had
10 Young people your age,
young men,
and 10 young ladies, same age, about their
undergrads or
seniors in high school and
graduates.
If we had 10,
and you willing to do the service,
then most of what young people need to come together to do to make Islam more relevant to them will be in capsuled. In that work.
This work, I promise you.
And an I prefer to work with young people.
I like to meet with the old people about a half an hour.
But I can work with young people all day.
So this is this inter generational. This is your time.
This is not the time of the guys or girls. That's my age. No, we're at the top of the hill, and some are over the hill. But you guys are just halfway up.
Starlin is Brotherhood is fraternity?
It's coming with a new mindset. Think outside the box and think outside think outside the box and act outside of the building.
What was to say?
And act
outside the building
this the United States of America. And we're not we're not talking about the flag.
We're not talking about the ego.
We're not talking about the White House. We're not talking about Republicans and the Democrats. When it does. Now we're talking about we're talking about our treaty, our social, political, moral treaty with this country that's called citizenship.
Allah is gonna hold us responsible for that.
And I want to share that with young people because some old people they think they're already dead like, they're already endowed.
They made Hodge today on the way to Paradise don't get me wrong wings.
And when people become endowed spiritually,
they think they're empowered or they're endowed or they're blessed, or they're old and they make great sacrifices. They think that they have influence.
They do, they should be respected highly.
And the profit loss and Sunnah provides for that.
But
I want to remind the people here
that I'm the 86th. Some said 78, major companions of the Prophet sallallahu sallam, most of them were young.
So glad tidings to the young people. That's a very good,
very good question. And it is irrelevant.
It's just that the Dean should not be about the Dean should not be linear. He didn't say line up. Everything doesn't have to be linear.
It's not about boxes of squares, and circles in there too.
You can't come from you cannot join
a race of people that's moving during the 100 yard dash and you starting from standstill, and you didn't warm up.
But you headed for
some kind of serious injury. So rather than to get injured, Muslims check back in their comfort zones.
Now we need young people to be active, to be clear minded, to be focused, to be disciplined, to be endowed, to be trained, to be focused to be influential with other young people. And then those young people who could probably make up 40% or 50%, when I say young 40, between 40 and 50, they could really have a voice.
But they have to think outside the box. And
act were
outside of the masjid and still be respectful. Because it's the only people who are the pioneers and everything if they knew that you were going to preserve what they struggled for. That was enough
to understand it, you will be the one that's going to inherit it corrected. It's a partnership.
May Allah subhanaw taala he bless the elders,
those that are here and those who have passed, and may Allah subhanaw taala He blessed the pioneers of Islam in the United States of America,
those who most of them now have passed away because they came here about 70 years ago. And they started their worksheet around 1950 1955 And some of us we don't even know their
names.
For the record,
my name is
Khalid you're seen some people call me chef is a respect. It's not necessary.
I'm 76 years old, I became a Muslim in 1965 in this city at Masjid down
and I was
Imam and Chairman of the prophets of Light Foundation Islamic Institute on Eastern Parkway for about seven years. And this is my home
and the Jamaica Islamic center or Jamaica Muslim center and its growth in this development is very dear to me. And I thank my brother to hide
Choudry for making this meeting happening inshallah and I am your
your
um, your your elder in some cases or your
associate brother.
And my
email is Skye purpose at Gmail. That's my email and my whatsapp number is
246-945-2406
which is a political and we'll be handing over Alisha dunlea ilaha illa and I want to sell for like one or two but it was Salam alaykum warahmatullahi