Lauren Booth – Heart Soul – Episode 28

Welcome to heart and soul with me, Lauren booth, your place to reflect. Today we're going to be considering sincerity, sincere acts for our faith and in our lives. Joining me today to enlighten us is Chef Omar Suleiman Sheikh Omar began his journey to knowledge in 2000 in the United Arab Emirates, where he studied at the feet of prestigious scholars, such as chef Tarik Eben Raja Sheikh Omar has a bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies, a master's degree in Islamic Finance, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Islamic Studies. He previously served as an Imam in New Orleans for six years, and has since dedicated himself to full time teaching chef assalamu alikum.

Sincerity is the pursuit of doing actions with deeper meanings. It is not the outward it is the inward. Is that a beginner's guide to what is known in Arabic as a class? Can we perhaps ask you to introduce us to the linguistic meaning and take it from there? Sure. So the philosophy is a philosophy means to purify, actually, so to purify everything, you know, to purify your intention from anything but a loss of habitat. So it's to completely remove anything

from your intention other than losses. And it is the greatest pursuit that a person has an x because the purpose of life is to please a loss. So it starts off with a person purifying their intention from anything but but that purpose, realizing that realizing the purpose, the reason that they're doing something, how do we put that into action? For example, if we're talking about sincerity in our, in our appeals to Allah, so sincerity, and you know, comes in two senses here, right? There's sincerity and that something is being done meaningfully, right. It's it's sincere, that it's not superficial, it is, it's deep, it's heartfelt. And that's one function. So the other, the other form

of sincerity, which is usually alluded to is, you know, for example, not doing things for with ulterior motives, so to pursue something that's worldly, or, or the praise of other people. So in the sense of

sincerity and draft means that you are calling upon Allah for Allah, that you're calling upon the last kind of Anna, sincerely seeking His forgiveness, not because someone is watching you. So removing the need

of other people being aware of that there is a private conversation between you.

And having a private conversation with a law necessitates that you believe that he's listening to you, that you believe in his existence, that you believe in his ability to help you to hear you and to help you that you realize that he's always capable of helping you. And he's always willing of responding to you. And so a sincere you're out to a lot is one that is between you and him. One that that is heartfelt one in which you try to remove distractions, as you call upon him, and one in which you believe in his capability, and willingness to help you and to respond to your

and your knowledge that Allah never allows us to go to waste. And that's something that's very important here, but it's not sincere if we conditioned him to act with, you know, a law having to answer it the way you want it to be accepted. Can you put that into a practical sense? So how would you say that? How would you How would you not make us and said, Oh, well give us an example of the wording, please? Sure. So for example, you know, if someone wants to marry somebody in particular, right, then

we have what's known in our religion, as john is taught, which is a prayer in which we, which we seek guidance from a loss.

And essentially, the essence of that prayer is that if it's good for me, then take it away from me, and if it's bad for me, I'm sorry. It's good for me to make it happen. facilitate it and if it's bad for me, then remove it from me, right? Until the person is making drag to a lot to marry a particular person, which is fine, right? But that doesn't happen. And a person says that my drop

have not responded to that my dad didn't count I didn't a lot give me this particular person. But when you're making drama to Allah, you are acknowledging his knowledge of overall thing, things and his power over all things. You're not just, you're not, you're not making a demand you're consulting, you're making a request based on what your limited knowledge shows you. And your limited experience shows you. And you're and you're asking the loss of hundreds labs to facilitate with you appear what appears to be good for you. But you're also asking the last panel in the same breath, that if it's not good for me to take it away from me to make to ask a lot for something very

specific, and then to expect a specific answer and then question a lot when you don't get that specific answer shows that you actually have a misunderstanding of a lot, the first and it's also a bit of a sign, isn't it that we may not be on the right path? Exactly, exactly. I always tell people that, you know, the most irresponsible thing that you can do with a drug addict is to keep feeding their addiction, as opposed to breaking it. And you know, to think that that's actually helping that person. Likewise, why would a lot easier than the addiction, a lot of times with their addicted to doing it, and that you're you're not as conditioned to work only there. If there's vignette

prosperity, and you're getting a sense, and the priority is to break that addiction to video. So sincerity really, is that you call upon a lot trusting Him. And that sounds so you call upon him for him. No one around you listening, it's between you and him. And he also trust the way that a lower answer and carry out the affairs. So this is quite subtle shift. Because we can try to pray with sincerity. And that's a very, very important that we come in humility to the prayer mat, and then we continue again, if you're in the masjid, you can rush to the you know, the front line, but don't elbow your way in and Sharla and when you're standing there, don't be aware that you're in the front

and Haha, so and so is behind me.

That takes away from the sincerity. What are the practical signs are there that the minute you say I'm being sincere, you're not being sincere? Sure. Show the signs that a person is being sincere not being sincere are we talking about particularly in the context of VR, just in general, let's take it generally. So sincerity is that you seek the pleasure of Allah. Right. And one sign of insincerity. Probably the most major sign of insincerity is that you're only motivated to do good when someone other than Allah is watching you. Right. And that's, and that's a very dangerous state to be in, but your motivation doesn't lie, to do things when you're only being watched by a loss.

And that's, that's something that we can practically change. The way that we change that

is that we make the sight of a lot more Beloved, just in the sight of people. How do we do that we start we learned to do things privately, some some good deeds privately. So that when we do them privately, we express our, our, our desire to a loss of rights added that we that he'd be pleased with us that we're not we show that we are, you know, only doing things for his pleasure. And essentially what happens what you want to happen is that you want the sight of Allah to become more beloved to us in the sight of the people. So you want to taste the sweetness of doing things solely for the sight of a loss penalty. So that even when you're doing things outside of solely the site of

a loss kind of Medina when I was watching and others are watching you, your primary audience is still a loss and you're still doing things for the sake of a lot because the sight of Allah has become far more precious to you in the sight of the people. Mashallah. It's a good time to take a break we visited today by chef Omar Suleiman who's sharing his gems of knowledge and we'll be right back after this. It's ground is of sweet Musk, and of saffron set and his roof is the house the throne of the Lord clear and manifest. His rocks are jewels polished and finished and his buildings up from silver and gold bricks compressed his fruits a sweeter than honey every time you try to

digest every single bite instills your appetite that leaves your senses having to guess and you're still not impressed. Then the rivers the winds will sweetened sublime pure refreshed. The foods they're so refined on the table you sit down and dine new design essentially prepped, your thirst is served and silver golden goblets cleaned the circle fooled ginger into sneem that are filled as you select, and you're still not impressed. And if you ask about his shade is covered by a whole series of galloping morays for 100 years, and that's just one tree. And if you ask about his encampments,

fitly made enchanting there are a dozen displayed in length then miles up to 60. And it's tall buildings filled with rooms on top of them rooms atop a room that reached the highest stars were a luxury, and the clothes and bedding which resumed to be hemmed with the finest golden silk loom and costume listing shining literally. If you ask about how your face will bloom, there'll be like the image of luminous moons and your age will be at the peak of 33. And you're still not impressed. When you hear the whole singing, your heart was swoon even greater the voices of the prophets and the angels whom are nothing to the words of your Lord who deserves praises abundantly, and you're still

not impressed. And a few brides and wives pure and chase stunningly beautiful for you. They've been told to wait as you refrained from all worldly desires, and your worldly wife, the queen of the brand should be only replaced with greater human enchanting grace with beauty that never expires. But you're still not impressed. And in your house of indulgence in the palace, you stay. You're thinking already what could be greater than this very single day you have everything you wanted even more in array. As you admiring your properties, your streams and displays you hear a voice of a caller who calls and conveys the blessed a majestic has requested a visit so visit him He says, as

you're bewildered, you're thinking what Rhonda? Do this slave. But as you're in complete disarray, you humbly say, oh, Lord, we hear and we obey. And everyone who has heard the cooler meets in the valley without delay and as your Lord requests his chair to be summoned straight away, and dazzling pulpits will emerge of gems poles golden light rays on sheets of fine must you sit and lay, and then when everyone's secure and progressions are underway, you hear Oh, hello, Jen. You have an appointment with your Lord that He wishes to reward you the caller will say what were all your think your very own dismay has a mallord made their faces bright in the sun scorching glaze has made a DS

and the skills heavy as a witness in their ways. And not only free from the fire in the heat of the * fiery blaze Are you still not impressed? When they're all rattled, confused and completely days a light and compasses the whole of Paradise and everything outlays so the look up in behold and as they gaze you'll see the loader compelling a majestic is in everything he portrays. Oh, hello, Jenna. Salaam Alaikum. Peace be upon the majestic says so the occupants will answer in the best of ways. Our law you are peace and from you there is peace of possessive Majesty and Honor and spend you're in grace, shallower love and embrace and state. Oh, hello, Jenna. We are those who used to

obey me without ever having seen me. This is the Dave increase. Oh, hello, Jenna. If I were not, please review I would not have made you inhabitants of my paradise. So Oscar me, as the inhabitants pray to the Lord. And as a start to ask and embrace. Yeah, Rob, they say, Our Lord, so we may look at it, let us see your face. And are you still not impressed? as your Lord and cozies well with his beauty out of certain roles is led which if you will, and would have burned them street lights, and on that day, your Lord in all of you splendora might will talk to each of his slaves regardless of the color, race and heights. Did you not remember when you did this on that day on that very single

night and a slave will say yes, will you know Forgive me, our Lord of the heavens exalted in all the lights? And my Lord will say, you have not reached this position if it wasn't for my forgiveness. So how cool are the righteous eyes in sight? And how sweet are the ears when they hear him in the afterlife? To Him we belong unto Him we will reunite Are you still not impressed?

You're listening to heart and soul on Qf radio with me Lauren booth, sharing his gems of knowledge with us today is once again Shaykh Omar Suleiman, Chef Suleiman, if we want to be better people showing sincerity to Allah subhanho wa Taala. How do we do that? When we're looking for a job? For example? How would we say I want to make the intention for this to be for the sake of Allah? If we're going to the gym? That's just a physical act, isn't it? We can't make the intention of doing that for God. What should the idea was that? How do you make that for less?

But why do you want to be strong? Why do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be healthy so that you can be more productive for the sake of the less artists that you can serve people so that you can have more strength to worship Allah says you can take care of the amount of the test that he's given to you. Then you've turned that into an act of sincerity into an actual loss.

There's also the

what's what's what's mentioned from one of the things companions of the Prophet peace be upon him by the name of mine, and several of your longtime annual is that he said that I seek the rewards from a loss for my sleep, the same way that I seek it for my standing up in prayer at night, because he sleeps with the intention to re energize themselves for the sake of a loss of a job. So when you're able to take food and drink, and, and all the mundane activities, the seemingly meaningless activities in your life and make them noble intentions, then you make those things rewardable. You take them from being nearly permissible to make making them things that actually rewardable and the

Prophet peace be upon him says

they're too heavy. He said, one of them said, Well, if he hadn't consulted for that, in one of you being intimate with your spouse, there's, there's a good deed, there's a reward. And the companions were shocked by that. They said, would we even be rewarded for being intimate with our spouses and the Prophet peace be upon them said, Well, you know, wouldn't you be punished if you were intimate? And if you committed adultery or fornication? And they said, Yes, of course, he said, so shouldn't Allah reward you, you do things in a permissible way. So there's the very neat of choosing something permissible over something prohibited is rewardable. And finally, here, the prophet peace be upon

him mentioned that if a person you know that there's a charity and everything, including the morsel of food that a person puts in the mouth of his or her spouse, so an act of kindness, you can turn it into a good deed. If you have the intention to make it something that's for the sake of a long shift, we are approaching the last days of Ramadan, and it would be wonderful to try and save our good deeds from this Ramadan and not to lose them by a wrong intention or by boastfulness, can you just for the last few days, reminders, give us an idea of how we can protect those deeds by really being selfless in our giving? Absolutely. So one of my favorite debates about Ramadan actually sort

of summarizes this entire topic. The Prophet peace be upon him says that Allah says, assault that that always the actions of the son of Adam extra him, except for fasting fasting is for me, and I reward accordingly. So fasting is exclusively for me, am I rewarded accordingly. And what that means, but what if that same means for less dependence on that fasting requires a certain amount of sincerity, that if a person you know is alone, and they have a chance to break their fast and they don't break the fast, that means that they're starting to that they're honoring the sight of a loss upon them, and they're learning to do things exclusively short lost time to honor and not is the

core of the matter. So what would I recommend to everyone Rama bond has a lot of community the community aspect to it which we should indulge in

make sure you have some private moments as well. Between you and a lot in this month. Make sure that there are some moments where you're sitting alone and you are talking to a loss of honor in your pm particularly in the last 10 nights you can put on with some reflection make sure you make time for for you to have alone time that the last count out especially in those precious last night's Aloma on inshallah tada and you will find that sweetness of worshipping a lot long hopefully will shuttle in to a point that even when you worship a lot with the people, you're so zoned in on a lot on it that you don't feel the sight of the people like you feel the sight of a man as a pinata Allah grant

us that foresight to know what is really important. We've been joined today by the excellent chef Sulaiman de Zak amla hair, and we pray for you and your family. And we ask a lot on this day to strengthen us in carrying out his commands and to let us taste the sweetness of his remembrance. You've been listening to heart and soul until tomorrow Assalamu alaikum.

The producer for this series is a have a chef