Mirza Yawar Baig – Do whats in your control
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My brothers and sisters, we
are living in
stressful times, difficult times.
And everything every time you think something is
finishing something new starts.
The latest thing that has started is the,
unrest
and rebellion in Bangladesh,
which has left 100 of people dead.
And,
the
government is foreign.
Some new government will come and so on.
A lot of,
killings and looting and this and that.
Now what is going on in Gaza and
so on is now almost a year old
and so also other places.
The reason I'm mentioning this is because
2 of my friends,
they asked me
they they said, what can we do in
these situations?
Because we are feeling we feel
on the one hand, we feel upset with
what is happening. We feel even more upset
with the fact that we are helpless. We
can't do anything.
We feel also,
in some ways, insecure and threatened
because we don't know what will spill over
where. Like, for example, now
the mosques and massages which are being attacked
in in the
UK by,
white extremists and,
so called I I don't use the word
right wing. You you say wrong
wrong wing,
because,
language is important. So is it these are
these people are are are
on the right. They're not on the right.
They are on the wrong,
because right or wrong in order direction.
So anyway, long long and short of it
is that all of that is happening. So
people are afraid what will happen.
So in that situation, what can I do?
Who is I? I is you, me,
the ordinary
Muslim.
We don't have any authority. We are not
in power. We are not head of state.
We don't run armies.
We are not billionaires.
Whereas billionaires themselves,
Elon Musk, who is,
I don't know for what reason, but he
is the role model for a lot of
young Muslims.
At least to read something about a person
before before you say so and so is
a role model. I didn't even completely I
think
some of our youth are,
the head is a vacuum,
and they're not even blonde. I mean, for
god's sake.
So the the the realest think about it.
Elon Musk is a role born forward.
Elon Musk is now running a campaign to,
support,
you know, all the wrong things for the
wrong reasons.
So there is this whole feeling of
tension and fear and whatnot. So I say,
what shall what shall we do?
We are like
as example I give with the analogy is
we are like
captains of a sailing ship.
You know, in the
good old days before the steamers came, they
were ships called the tall ships or clippers.
So it's absolutely
beautiful ships.
The the the beauty of that
vessel was something else,
you know, and then
sails upon sails upon sails. That's why they
were called tall ships
and,
how those sailors,
you know,
sail those ships is a it's a story
itself. Anyway,
so if you are if you are a
captain and we that's where we are as
Muslim. They live with the captain in a
a tall ship, and this ship is caught
in a storm.
Suppose there's a terrible storm happening. Now you
as a captain, you have 2
paradoxical
roles to play, and you and you need
to play both of them perfectly. The first
role you have to play
is to be aware of all the forces
surrounding you. So you have the ocean currents,
you have, the winds, and you have, you
know, all kind of stuff is happening in
the the rocks on which the ship,
threatens to be wrecked.
So you need to be aware of the
environment.
At the same time, you must not allow
that environment
to distract you from your course.
Right? Because if you get involved in the
environment, you will crash.
But at the same time, if you don't
know the environment, then you cannot really
save the ship because, you know, where are
you going? I mean, what's happening to the
to the wind and the rays of the
ocean currents and so on? So 2 different
one rule is ignore everything else and focus
on my my goal.
And the other one is
be aware of all the stuff.
At the same time, simultaneously,
you need to to to be able to,
perform these 2 paradoxical
roles
simultaneously and do them perfectly.
That's the situation that we are in.
So on the one hand, we have all
of this bad news all over the world.
And on the other hand,
question is what should I do?
My answer is
do what
we should do in the state of a
crisis, and that consists of the following steps.
1 number 1 is
face and accept the fact that there is
a crisis.
Don't imagine it away. Don't think it's not
happening.
Don't say it won't happen to me. It
we hope it doesn't happen to you, but
it can. I mean, there's nothing to,
you know, you are not special in any
way.
That's 1. Second one is
as Muslims,
be aware and have this complete and total
certainty
that nothing can happen
without
the permission of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
So whatever is happening
is happening
because Allah
is allowing it to happen and whatever can
happen and cannot happen because.
3rd thing
is to ask yourself,
therefore, what can I do?
And for that, the principle I apply in
my life, which I want to present before
you is I will not allow what is
not in my control
to prevent me from doing what is in
my control.
So let me repeat that. I will not
allow
what is not in my control
to prevent me from doing what is in
my control because the reality of life is
no matter what situation you are in, whether
you are the head of state, whether you
are a billionaire, whether you are a single
farmer
with some sheep on a hillside or a
farmer with in a hut, there is always
something that you can do,
and there is always something that you cannot
do. There there is no person who as
long as he's breathing,
there's always something that he can do.
No matter how smart, but that is something
which is in the power of that person.
So focus on what is in your power.
K? Don't don't worry about what's what is
not in my this is happening in Gaza,
that's happening in Bangladesh, this is happening in
the UK, that's
that's not in our control.
So
how can
I defocus from that? Stop watching that stuff
on social media.
People will people will send you forward forwards,
don't look at them. Delete them.
Television, if you have one, take it and
throw it in the junkyard. I I haven't
done the television for the last 30 years,
and I'm very happy.
Right? I don't miss anything. I probably know
politics better than most of you here because
I write about it,
And I have no television. I you don't
you don't need television to know what is
happening in the world.
So if you have a television, do do
the make make a video of how to
smash a TV. Take it outside, take an
axe, smash it, make a video, you make
some money out of it. Right? The people
who watch this garbage. So
do that.
Stop watching social media on all of these.
If you have friends who are sending you
stuff, very politely tell them, please don't send
me this stuff. I'm not interested. I will
not watch it. I will not respond to
you. I will not say anything. I don't
want to know. Leave it.
1 of the biggest problems
problem creators is social media
because of a very simple reason, which is
that the algorithm of social media sends you
more stuff of what you like.
So anything you like, anything you see, you
will get more and more of that. The
more you see, the more you get. So
you
will if you listen, for example, if
you are if you if you if you
start clicking on,
videos from Gaza, then you will get them
all day and you will get hundreds of
them. You will get them all day. If
you if you click on,
wildlife,
you know,
clips and you will get all that. You
will get that all day. It doesn't mean
that suddenly wildlife is more important than other.
It just means that you have been creating
or you have been clicking on those things
and it will give Saniya more and more
of the same thing. So now when you
and I, when we, and Mel helped our
us and our friends, people forward you stuff.
You look at that, then that's as good
as clicking on it yourself.
And you will start getting more and more
of that from different sources.
So this completely
occupies your life. I remember this, we saw
this very clearly during COVID, right?
We I know people who
would watch COVID related stuff literally the entire
day.
And their entire conversation was about COVID. Right.
They would walk around with masks, which was
fine.
And, but they would get completely paranoid,
about anyone coming close to them or standing
close to them.
Literally we're going on to the, almost to
the point of insanity,
or, or the signs of insanity
about COVID. So there was this tremendous fear
on the same, at the same time. No,
no, no, no. I'm not afraid. Life and
death in the hand of Allah. If that
is the case, then why are you acting
like like this, you know, in this completely
crazy crazy fashion? But that is because they're
watching that data every day.
No. But see, they they are dying so
many that they can't even bury them. And
in New York, they have them in a
in in refrigerator trucks.
There's no end to this. Right? See what
Fauci is doing. See what these people are
doing. Oh, the the the the the
media is is is, is is targeting all
this. And then you have the others who
say all of this is is a is
a conspiracy and so on. And, buy bang
pots and pans and COVID will go away
and and drink this, joshinda and that joshinda.
Now the point is the whole time it
is COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, and because
of that, your life is ruined. Your life
is ruined. Your conversation is gone. Your relationships
are gone. People got people got into they
got divorced because of this. All kinds of
terrible things happened. Right?
So the point I'm saying is that if
we are going to
harass ourselves
by watching negative stuff the whole time,
stuff over over which we have no control.
So instead of watching all these COVID movies
and COVID, stuff,
take your own precautions
and say, Alhamdulillah, Allah
has kept me well. I I am healthy.
I do not have COVID and Inshallah, I
will not have COVID.
Take whatever precautions you need to take. Right?
If you need to take a vaccine, take
a vaccine. If you need to wear a
mask, wear a mask, do what you need
to do, but don't keep on watching this,
social media stuff the whole time. The same
thing applies to Gaza. Same thing applies to,
to, the UK what's happening in UK, what's
happening in Bangladesh and so on.
We pray for those people. We really sincerely
make dua to Allah's manu tada
to keep our brothers and sisters safe wherever
they are and to keep all this madness
and insanity that is that is seems to
be engulfing the world. Keep it far away
from all of us,
but don't fall into this trap of,
the same thing over and over again by
watching all the social media stuff. So please,
my brothers and sisters, do yourself a favor.
Stop watching all the social media stuff. Right?
And then focus on what you can do.
What can I do? Number 1,
I can and I should correct my relationship
with Allah
because only Allah can change it. If it
is happening, it's happening because of Allah's
permission. Therefore, I need to be able to
connect to Allah What should I do? Make
my make sure in my life, there is
no disobedience of Allah
Earn halal, eat halal,
make sure you fulfill
your that don't let a far go without
fulfilling it.
There are many of you young guys who
are earning money.
Zakat is due on you, and many of
you don't know that you are supposed to
be.
Was due on you, and you did not
do because you did not know. I'm not
saying you are not evil. You're beautiful people,
but you should know. That is why you
must know your
And not say no, but my dad, your
dad has his own responsibility.
If if there is if you are earning
money,
your dad's Korvani or your dad's Zakat does
not affect you. That is he is doing
his job. For you.
That is due on you also, so go
pay it.
Make sure that you you are fulfilling
your Make sure you eat halal. Make sure
you earn halal.
Right? And then ex
do extra,
which starts with the halal. At least make
it further yourself. At least 2 rakat of
the Hajjut every
day. Pray that wake up half an hour
before the time of fars Fajr starts. Pray
2 rakat of the Hajjut.
Read some Quran, go to the masjid, pray.
Make this into your routine on a daily
basis.
Correct with Allah. Second thing is
deal well with your people around you, especially
people who are not Muslims. So your neighbors
and so on and so forth. You come
to the masjid on a Friday, don't park
on somebody's lawn.
Don't go block off somebody's driveway. Right? I
mean, I'm I don't even know why I
need to say that, but we you know,
we need to say that.
Don't go and park in a in a
in a place which has a handicap sign
on it. Don't do that.
Come early, park up, park. If you can't
get parking, if you come early, you will
get parking. Right? If there is no parking,
park a bit further away,
walk to the Masjid, no problem. The handicap
sign is for the for the person who
is actually handicapped.
And I don't well, forgive you, forgive, all
of us. I know there are some people
who carry a handicap tag in the car
in order to illegally park in a handicap
place. Fear Allah.
Fear Allah that Allah does not make you
deserving of that handicap tag.
Fear Allah so that Allah does not say,
oh, you you you love the handicap
tags over?
Alright. Now you will deserve it. This is
what is gonna happen to you. After that,
you will be handicapped, and then you can
love this tag and and genuinely use it
instead of lying about this tag. So when
I have some
some
some,
some, you know, shame,
How can you use a use a handicap
tag when you are not handicapped?
I have seen it myself. That's why I'm
saying I'm not like I have seen it
myself. There are people
here who do this
so that they can go and and and
park their car in a handicap. How shameful
is that?
We go to your neighbors. Make sure that
every person who comes into contact with you,
no matter
how redneck and blackneck and
commit and and and, you know, bigoted and
whatnot that person is. When that person comes
in contact with you, then the person's eyes
open and say, wow. This is a Muslim?
I know many Muslims are like this. They're
beautiful people.
I was in trouble. This person helped me.
Believe me, this is the only way to
change the world.
It's by changing the hearts of people who
you come into contact with,
and it's very easy. I'll tell you a
very simple math.
We are 1 fifth of the global population.
Alright? One fifth, Which means that in every
5 people, one is a Muslim.
In 5 people, one is a Muslim. Then
that one is you.
So for every one of you, there are
4 non Muslims.
If you can convert the hearts, I'm not
saying bring them to Islam. No. I'm saying
if you can convert their hearts to feel
positive about Muslims,
4 people, you've done your job.
You want the whole world covered. If every
Muslim
is good to 4 non Muslims and those
4 non Muslims feel that this Muslim guy
is a good guy, Islam is a good
religion, you've done your
job. Even if none of them comes to
Islam, no problem. That's between them and Allah.
Right?
Can you do this?
Be nice to your neighbors. Somebody's,
garbage can is,
is outside.
Can lid is open. Maybe it is raining.
It'll fill up. Just go there. Turn the
lid. Empty the can. Take it to the
to the garage. Leave it there. Believe me,
this changes hearts.
I have seen it happen. This changes hearts.
Christmas time, and I do it at Christmas
because they they expect it at Christmas. Christmas
time, we
get
very high quality, very good quality chocolates,
2 bags,
and I give it to the 2 garbage
truck drivers who day who do our garbage
every year.
Now Christmas time here in Massachusetts
means that maybe on that Christmas, there's 2
feet of snow.
But in that 2 feet of snow, I
go out there, I stand there because that
guy, I don't know what time he comes.
I'm waiting for him. I go out there,
I stand there, and I give believe me,
I have seen those people. I have seen
their faces.
And they know they know who I am
because, you know, they they they pass by
the house all the time they do the
imam of the wazid.
One guy tells me no one does this.
I said, yeah. I know.
I give it to the 2 garbage people.
I give it to the postman,
the the the mail carrier who brings, mail.
Change the hearts of people. This is what
we can do. This is in our control.
This is the control of every single one
of us.
Do whatever
way you can do it. Change the hearts
of 4 people. Each one, 4 people.
Right? Can we do this?
Yeah.
We ask Allah
to put this power to change the hearts
of people into your and my hand Insha'Allah
and to make us do this work so
that we will use what is in our
control to change what is not in our
control.