Mirza Yawar Baig – Elements from the seerah

Mirza Yawar Baig
AI: Summary ©
The importance of individualism and control of feelings is emphasized in Islam, as it is the core flaw in society. The need for a culture of individualism to address the Yoth of individualism is emphasized, along with the importance of submitting one's will to the boss. The shaping of one's life, including the use of sh matter to indicate success and praying for others is also discussed, with a focus on praying for others and shaping one's life to indicate success.
AI: Transcript ©
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Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen wa salatu wa salamu ala

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sharafi l-anbiyai wal mursaleen Muhammadun Rasulullahi sallallahu

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alaihi wa ala alihi wa sallam tasliman kathiran

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kathira.

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Fama ba'du, we were talking about the elements

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from the seerah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa

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sallam which we need to work on to

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bring into our lives.

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The first of those is the element of

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identity itself.

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How do I see myself?

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Who am I?

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My submission to you is that this is

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the fundamental problem today with everybody in the

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world, especially the Muslims.

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And it's a fundamental problem which especially in

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this culture is exacerbated and it is emphasized

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because this whole culture is a culture of

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individualism.

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Where the individualistic desires and individualistic ways of

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behavior are not only accepted and acceptable but

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they are raised almost to the level of

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a theology.

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They believe in individualism like you believe in

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religion.

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And this is a fundamental flaw, this is

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a fundamental problem.

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It is because of this that we have

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raised subjective feelings, a person's feelings to a

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completely unrealistic level where in the words of

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the philosopher Ed Burke, I don't remember the

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exact words but he says that the mindset

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is that my feelings have supremacy because they

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are my feelings.

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I need no other legitimacy to say that

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my feeling this way needs any external affirmation.

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So if I choose to feel one way

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and if I am not feeling, say for

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example I am not feeling good about something

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then the responsibility is on you, the person

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who is causing that negative feeling within me

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to change yourself so that I feel good.

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So for example, one way to illustrate this

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is that if you find me sitting in

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the masjid with my back to the wall

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and my legs stretched in front facing my

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feet facing the face of the Imam and

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facing the Qibla, this is fine.

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Because this is how I choose to behave.

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And now if you come and tell me

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that this is lack of adab, this is

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lack of respect, that is the direction of

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the Qibla, then the immediate response is, where

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is it written in the Quran that I

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should not point my feet to the Qibla?

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Find me the sahih hadith, mutawatir, that I

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should not point my feet towards the Imam.

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Now this is the problem.

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The problem with individualism, the way I say

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it here is that my image and my

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imagination that I am the king.

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The problem with that is that individualism is

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based on the lowest self.

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The lowest form of the nafs, absolute animal

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emotions and feelings and desires.

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And it's based on a very false principle

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that I am free to do whatever I

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want because I feel like it.

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The reason it's wrong is because all society,

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any society, not only Muslim society, any society

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is based on a fundamental principle which is

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the opposite.

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And that principle is that I am free

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to express myself and express my feelings but

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I must ensure that by my expression of

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my feelings I am not causing problems or

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hurting or insulting or being disrespectful to somebody

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else.

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So my feelings need to be controlled.

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All society, all civilized society is based on

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this.

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The control of feelings.

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The collective control of people in order that

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everyone is safe and well.

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Individualism is no control.

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Individualism is I will do whatever I want

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to do because I like to do it.

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So this is a mindset change that we

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need to make in our heads.

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As I mentioned, Allah swt when he mentioned

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in Surah Al-Baqarah the ayat concerning sending

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Adam as, Allah swt said, inni ja'ilun

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fil ardi khalifa or balik?

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Khalifa.

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Allah did not say inni ja'ilun fil

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ardi balik.

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Al malikul haqq, huwa Allahu ahad.

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Rabbul Arshil kareem.

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Inni ja'ilun fil ardi khalifa.

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Allah said I am sending on the world,

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I have decided to send on the world,

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a khalifa, a vicegerent, somebody to do and

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run things in my name.

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According to how I wish.

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Now if you think about this, who is

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a king?

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A king is a lawmaker and as I

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mentioned to you in the worldly sense, the

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king is above the law.

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The king makes the law.

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Right?

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Louis XIV said, my word is law.

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He said, I am France.

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He said, I am France.

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He said, my word is law.

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What is the law?

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Law is my word.

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Whatever I say is law.

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I am above the law.

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As I mentioned in the last session, to

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this day, the king of England cannot be

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tried in a British court.

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He is above the law.

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The king can do no wrong.

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This is the norm of a king.

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Whereas a trustee or a vicegerent or a

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khalifa is only the implementer of the law.

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That is why Rasulullah said, the famous case

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where this highborn lady was brought to him,

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who had committed theft and after due process,

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she was brought to him to sentence.

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And he sentenced her with the hajj that

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Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has set, which

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is the amputation of the hair.

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So they went to him and they said,

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let us try to intercede and say that

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can you change this and convert it to

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a fine or something else because this woman

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is from a powerful clan, big tribe, whatnot.

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Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, even if

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my daughter Fatima had done this, I would

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have prescribed the same punishment because this is

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from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

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Nobody is above the law.

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Islam is the only religion and only system

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where even Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam himself

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who is like a law giver, because Allah

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subhanahu wa ta'ala said, wa ma ataakumu

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ar-rasulu fa khuduhu wa ma nahaakumu anhu

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fantahu wa taqullah inna Allaha shadidu liqaab.

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Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, whatever my

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Nabi gives you, take it.

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And whatever my Nabi stops you from, stop.

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And fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and

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Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is severe in

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punishment in Surah Al-Hashr.

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Wa ma ataakumu, whatever He gives you, wa

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ma nahaakumu, whatever He stops you from.

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Allah did not specify and say in this

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area that, no, anything.

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So Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is, Allah

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is the law giver, Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa

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sallam is the law giver in the name

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of Allah in the world.

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Despite that, he is not above the law

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in Islam.

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He never held himself above the law.

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So the king is the law maker, the

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king is the law giver, king is above

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the law, and the king calls others to

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account.

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Whereas the khalifa, he is the implementer of

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the law, he is not above the law,

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the law applies to him, and he must

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answer the king.

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So therefore the question for ourselves is, we

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have made our ego supreme.

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That is what must be challenged.

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In Islam the ego is not supreme.

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And therefore the mindset change that we need

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to make, and this is the format we

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follow in this, what is the principle, what

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is the mindset change, and then I am

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going to ask you to discuss among yourselves

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and say what is it that you will

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do.

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The mindset change must go from does it

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please me, to does it please Allah.

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Does it please me, to does it please

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Allah.

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Do I like it, to does Allah like

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it?

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Right?

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If whatever pleases me also pleases Allah, alhamdulillah.

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But if there is something that I want

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to do or I like to do, but

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Allah does not like that, then I must

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change myself.

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Because Islam means to submit our will to

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the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

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Submitting without question, not because we believe blindly,

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but because we believe with knowledge.

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We believe, we know who is giving the

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hukum.

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So we follow.

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Not blindly.

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This concept, that's why Allah subhanahu wa ta

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'ala said, waj kaala lahu rabbuhu aslim, kaala

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aslamatul rabbil alameen.

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About Ibrahim alaihi salam, Allah said to him,

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submit.

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He said I have submitted.

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No argument, no discussion, no debate.

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Ibrahim alaihi salam didn't say well, let me

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think about it.

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I'll tell you tomorrow.

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I want to sleep over it.

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No.

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Aslim, aslamatul rabbil alameen.

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And that is what we have to train

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ourselves.

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How can I make myself submissive to Allah

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subhanahu wa ta'ala?

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Because He is Allah.

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Now this message of submission to Allah subhanahu

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wa ta'ala, we get at least five

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times a day.

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At least five.

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The five salawats.

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The salah is submission to Allah.

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Why do you pray at this time?

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Because Allah said so.

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Kaanat alal mu'mineena kitaabam wauquta, has been prescribed

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by Allah.

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Why should you pray dhuhr at this time,

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asr at this time?

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Why can't we combine the two and pray

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at one time in the middle?

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No.

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Why do you do that?

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Because Allah said so.

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The format of it, why is it done

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in this way?

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Because Allah said so.

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The content of it, what is recited?

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Because Allah said so.

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The way it is recited, bil jahir, obisir,

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because Allah said so.

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We stand, we bow, we prostrate, we make

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sujood.

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Why?

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Because Allah said so.

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Why do you fast in Ramadan, not in

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Shawwal, not in Shaban, nice time of the

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year, short days?

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No.

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Why do we have the congregational prayer on

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Friday, why not Sunday is more convenient?

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No.

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Because Allah said so.

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We are reminded of this all the time

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as Muslims.

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The thing is that we have learnt this

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very toxic and this very evil way of

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living in compartments in our minds.

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So in the salah we submit to Allah,

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outside the salah we submit to our nafs.

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We pray the salah in the masjid, then

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we go out to a business in which

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we are selling lottery, and we are selling

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cigarettes and we are selling all kinds of

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haram.

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We don't ask ourselves how is it possible?

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I just prayed here, I made submission to

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Allah swt and I made sujood to Allah

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swt.

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Allah made lottery haram.

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How am I selling, how is it I

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am selling lotteries?

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Somebody has to ask this question, no?

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You have to ask.

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How is it that I just prayed, and

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I am lying, and I am cheating, and

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I am doing ghibah, and I am talking

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about Nameem, and you know, my whole social

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life is like one of my nieces, I

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was talking about it, I was in the

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house, her mother said, please give some nasihah,

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I talked about the issue of ghibah.

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So she said, oh boy, there goes my

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social life.

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Which is true for a lot of people.

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We only talk about others.

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Think about this, if you take for example,

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there is a management concept, I keep doing

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this all the time because my day job

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is as a leadership consultant.

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If you take yourself and draw three circles,

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in the center is your circle of control,

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right?

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Sphere of control, circle of control.

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These are things that are directly in your

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control.

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You can stand up, you can sit down,

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you can go get a cup of tea,

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whatever, right?

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You can decide to keep silent, you can

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decide to ask question, you can decide to

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do negative things or positive things, in your

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control.

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And then you have a bigger circle, which

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we call circle of influence.

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So circle of influence is something I cannot

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control directly, but something over which I have

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some extra influence.

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For example, when I first came into this

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country, I started working in 1994, I said,

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well, nobody knows me here, how do I

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advertise my work as a leadership development consultant

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and so on?

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So what I did was, I would do

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breakfast meetings for Toastmasters Club, for different professional

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clubs.

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So they are always looking, they have these

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monthly breakfast meetings and they are always looking

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for keynote speakers.

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So I said, I will come and do

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a keynote speech for you, don't pay me

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anything.

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That's the easiest way to get invited.

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Tell people you won't charge any money, they

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will invite you.

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Shows how much value they have for what

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you have to bring, right?

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So in their mind, what you have to

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bring is less than the couple of hundred

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dollars I am going to pay you.

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So you delete that, then you are welcome.

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So my point is, if what I have

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to bring to you is worth only that

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much, why am I coming to you anyway?

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So anyway, that's a different issue.

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So I said, okay, you just pay me

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nothing.

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So I went and did that.

00:16:13 --> 00:16:15

Some people asked me, I said, why do

00:16:15 --> 00:16:15

you do it for free?

00:16:15 --> 00:16:16

People are charging money for this.

00:16:17 --> 00:16:19

I said, because every single person sitting there

00:16:19 --> 00:16:20

is a potential client for me.

00:16:23 --> 00:16:24

Because they are all business people.

00:16:24 --> 00:16:26

They are all executives from companies.

00:16:26 --> 00:16:29

Every one of them is a potential client

00:16:29 --> 00:16:31

for me and I am getting exposure to

00:16:31 --> 00:16:32

them for free.

00:16:34 --> 00:16:36

So I am giving this to you for

00:16:36 --> 00:16:36

free.

00:16:36 --> 00:16:37

You are too dumb.

00:16:37 --> 00:16:38

If you ask me to pay, I would

00:16:38 --> 00:16:38

pay.

00:16:49 --> 00:16:51

So it's very important.

00:16:51 --> 00:16:52

Circle of influence.

00:16:52 --> 00:16:54

So now, in this case, I can't go

00:16:54 --> 00:16:56

and say, give me the job, but I

00:16:56 --> 00:16:58

can come and show you.

00:16:58 --> 00:17:01

It's like giving somebody a sample, right?

00:17:02 --> 00:17:04

What is the best way to sell a

00:17:04 --> 00:17:04

perfume?

00:17:05 --> 00:17:07

Make a PowerPoint presentation?

00:17:08 --> 00:17:09

Or make a video on the perfume?

00:17:09 --> 00:17:10

What's the best way?

00:17:11 --> 00:17:12

Open the sample.

00:17:13 --> 00:17:14

Simple as that.

00:17:14 --> 00:17:15

Open the sample.

00:17:15 --> 00:17:17

Actually in Dubai airport, if you walk through

00:17:17 --> 00:17:19

the perfume shop, there are guys standing there

00:17:19 --> 00:17:21

with a spray bottle, you know, many of

00:17:21 --> 00:17:22

them, please, please, please, please spray.

00:17:24 --> 00:17:25

Open the bottle.

00:17:25 --> 00:17:26

Let them see.

00:17:27 --> 00:17:27

Circle of influence.

00:17:29 --> 00:17:32

Beyond the circle of influence is the circle

00:17:32 --> 00:17:33

where you have no influence.

00:17:34 --> 00:17:35

What is in that?

00:17:38 --> 00:17:43

In that is whatever is happening, global wars.

00:17:44 --> 00:17:46

In that, the whole lot, right?

00:17:46 --> 00:17:48

I mean, I can make a long list.

00:17:48 --> 00:17:49

I don't think I need to make it.

00:17:49 --> 00:17:49

You guys know it.

00:17:49 --> 00:17:51

And this one and that one, all in

00:17:51 --> 00:17:54

the outside world, over which we have zero

00:17:54 --> 00:17:55

control.

00:17:55 --> 00:17:57

Absolutely no control whatsoever.

00:17:59 --> 00:18:01

Now, you are talking about the issue of

00:18:01 --> 00:18:02

river, right?

00:18:02 --> 00:18:03

And wasting of time.

00:18:04 --> 00:18:07

Tell me, most of our conversations, in these

00:18:07 --> 00:18:08

three circles, where are they?

00:18:10 --> 00:18:11

Most conversations?

00:18:13 --> 00:18:14

In that outside circle, right?

00:18:14 --> 00:18:16

Where you have no control.

00:18:17 --> 00:18:20

You have no control, you have no influence,

00:18:21 --> 00:18:22

but that is what we talk about.

00:18:23 --> 00:18:25

We talk about politics, we talk about sports,

00:18:25 --> 00:18:28

for example, this team, that team, a huge

00:18:28 --> 00:18:31

amount of emotion behind worthless things.

00:18:32 --> 00:18:34

Where we actually have control.

00:18:35 --> 00:18:38

How can I get up one hour before

00:18:38 --> 00:18:41

salatul fajr and pray tahajjud and read one

00:18:41 --> 00:18:45

juz of Quran before I go to the

00:18:45 --> 00:18:46

masjid for salatul fajr?

00:18:47 --> 00:18:49

How can I make this into my daily

00:18:49 --> 00:18:49

routine?

00:18:50 --> 00:18:54

Completely, 100% in your control and in

00:18:54 --> 00:18:55

your control only.

00:18:56 --> 00:18:57

Do we talk about that?

00:18:59 --> 00:19:01

Imagine your day starts, every day starts like

00:19:01 --> 00:19:01

that.

00:19:01 --> 00:19:03

What a beautiful day!

00:19:03 --> 00:19:05

What a beautiful way to start the day

00:19:05 --> 00:19:05

it is.

00:19:08 --> 00:19:09

We don't talk about that.

00:19:11 --> 00:19:13

How can we raise our children?

00:19:13 --> 00:19:16

How can we create environments for our children

00:19:16 --> 00:19:19

which are positive environments where they will get

00:19:19 --> 00:19:24

some knowledge, some role models of behavior and

00:19:24 --> 00:19:26

so on and so forth which can help

00:19:26 --> 00:19:26

them.

00:19:26 --> 00:19:27

How can we do that?

00:19:27 --> 00:19:28

Do we talk about that?

00:19:32 --> 00:19:33

Completely in our control.

00:19:35 --> 00:19:36

So we have to understand this.

00:19:38 --> 00:19:41

Submit our ego to the will of Allah.

00:19:42 --> 00:19:45

Don't waste your time and energy and acquire

00:19:45 --> 00:19:49

a lot of needless evil by talking about

00:19:49 --> 00:19:52

other people, by talking about events and stuff.

00:19:53 --> 00:19:55

I am not saying it's not important.

00:19:55 --> 00:19:55

Absolutely.

00:19:56 --> 00:19:59

If you are really interested in establishing justice

00:19:59 --> 00:20:01

on the earth, you know what is in

00:20:01 --> 00:20:02

our control about that?

00:20:02 --> 00:20:03

It's to pray to Hajj-ud-Din, to

00:20:03 --> 00:20:04

cry before Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

00:20:06 --> 00:20:07

That is in your control.

00:20:09 --> 00:20:12

Beyond that, any charity you can give, any

00:20:12 --> 00:20:15

social work you can do, please, most welcome,

00:20:16 --> 00:20:16

in your control.

00:20:17 --> 00:20:22

But simply sitting and talking about it, the

00:20:22 --> 00:20:25

most useless thing and not just plain useless,

00:20:26 --> 00:20:27

it's also negative.

00:20:29 --> 00:20:31

So what did this Habba do?

00:20:31 --> 00:20:31

Think about that.

00:20:32 --> 00:20:37

Here is in Mecca, these people accepted Islam.

00:20:41 --> 00:20:43

Rasulullah s.a.w. did not bring a

00:20:43 --> 00:20:45

new business model.

00:20:46 --> 00:20:48

He didn't bring a new method of agriculture.

00:20:50 --> 00:20:52

He didn't bring some new technology.

00:20:53 --> 00:20:55

He brought a new way of thinking.

00:20:56 --> 00:20:57

The switch is here.

00:20:59 --> 00:21:03

From being accountable or not being accountable to

00:21:03 --> 00:21:04

being accountable to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

00:21:06 --> 00:21:10

From thinking that life is what is in

00:21:10 --> 00:21:13

this world, once my eyes shut, it's over,

00:21:13 --> 00:21:18

to understanding that life actually begins when eyes

00:21:18 --> 00:21:18

are shut.

00:21:19 --> 00:21:21

And that which begins when eyes are shut,

00:21:21 --> 00:21:22

does not end.

00:21:25 --> 00:21:26

Change in the mindset.

00:21:27 --> 00:21:29

So when they did change the mindset, when

00:21:29 --> 00:21:33

that happened, the Sahaba changed three things.

00:21:33 --> 00:21:36

First of all, they changed their lifestyle from

00:21:36 --> 00:21:36

the past.

00:21:40 --> 00:21:41

Think about this.

00:21:41 --> 00:21:43

Every single thing which I am telling you,

00:21:43 --> 00:21:44

believe me, nothing is new.

00:21:46 --> 00:21:48

If something was new, you should be worried.

00:21:49 --> 00:21:50

Because where is he getting Wahi from?

00:21:52 --> 00:21:57

When the ayat of the hurmat, the prohibition

00:21:57 --> 00:21:59

of alcohol and gambling and so on was

00:21:59 --> 00:22:01

revealed, when Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala said,

00:22:01 --> 00:22:05

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu al-khamru wal-maysiru

00:22:05 --> 00:22:09

wal-ansabu wal-azlamu, riju summi al-amanu

00:22:09 --> 00:22:11

al-shaytani fashtanibu, la'alla fuktufyu.

00:22:11 --> 00:22:15

When this ayat was revealed, think about this.

00:22:15 --> 00:22:19

When this ayat was revealed, we know the

00:22:19 --> 00:22:23

ahadith and the people who narrated that, and

00:22:23 --> 00:22:25

that includes Sayyidina Abu Huraira r.a. and

00:22:25 --> 00:22:25

others.

00:22:25 --> 00:22:32

They said that people were, somebody had a

00:22:32 --> 00:22:35

glass of alcohol, a wine in their hand

00:22:35 --> 00:22:37

and they emptied it.

00:22:37 --> 00:22:38

They threw it on the ground.

00:22:40 --> 00:22:44

This ayat was revealed in Madinah and Madinah

00:22:44 --> 00:22:49

was an oasis and their big crops were

00:22:49 --> 00:22:51

grapes and dates.

00:22:52 --> 00:22:57

The world over, when people grow crops which

00:22:57 --> 00:22:58

are high in sugar, they make wine.

00:22:59 --> 00:23:00

Everywhere.

00:23:01 --> 00:23:02

Same thing in France, same thing in South

00:23:02 --> 00:23:02

Africa.

00:23:04 --> 00:23:07

So Madinah had winemaking as an industry.

00:23:08 --> 00:23:10

It was not just people making a couple

00:23:10 --> 00:23:13

of bottles of wine to have a drink.

00:23:13 --> 00:23:13

No.

00:23:13 --> 00:23:15

This was an industry.

00:23:15 --> 00:23:16

This is what they did.

00:23:17 --> 00:23:19

They manufactured wine and they sold wine.

00:23:20 --> 00:23:23

And that is the reason why the historians

00:23:23 --> 00:23:25

have said that when this ayat was revealed,

00:23:27 --> 00:23:31

the sahaba emptied the containers into the drains

00:23:31 --> 00:23:34

and wine flowed like a river.

00:23:35 --> 00:23:36

How did it flow like a river?

00:23:36 --> 00:23:37

Because there was that much of wine.

00:23:39 --> 00:23:41

Otherwise how would it have flowed like a

00:23:41 --> 00:23:41

river?

00:23:41 --> 00:23:43

Because there was so much wine.

00:23:44 --> 00:23:46

And then what they did was they smashed

00:23:46 --> 00:23:46

the containers.

00:23:48 --> 00:23:50

Somebody went and reported to Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi

00:23:50 --> 00:23:50

Wasallam, this is Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, they

00:23:50 --> 00:23:51

are breaking up the containers.

00:23:52 --> 00:23:52

Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam called them.

00:23:52 --> 00:23:53

He said, why are you breaking the containers?

00:23:54 --> 00:23:54

This is Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.

00:23:54 --> 00:23:56

He said, you can use them.

00:23:56 --> 00:23:57

There is no problem.

00:23:57 --> 00:23:58

Fiqh matter.

00:23:58 --> 00:24:00

You can clean it and wash it and

00:24:00 --> 00:24:01

use it for something else.

00:24:02 --> 00:24:04

They said, Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, we don't

00:24:04 --> 00:24:06

even want to be reminded of a time

00:24:06 --> 00:24:08

when we used to disobey Allah.

00:24:10 --> 00:24:11

Now think about this.

00:24:11 --> 00:24:13

Before the hurmat came, they were not disobeying,

00:24:13 --> 00:24:13

no?

00:24:13 --> 00:24:15

That wine was permitted.

00:24:16 --> 00:24:17

Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, the two ayats

00:24:17 --> 00:24:19

which came before that, Allah Subhanahu wa ta

00:24:19 --> 00:24:20

'ala only.

00:24:22 --> 00:24:24

He said, first of all, he said, la

00:24:24 --> 00:24:25

takramu salatamantum sukhara.

00:24:25 --> 00:24:27

He said, don't come to the prayer when

00:24:27 --> 00:24:31

you are intoxicated and so on.

00:24:31 --> 00:24:33

So, it was not only for prayer.

00:24:34 --> 00:24:36

Afterwards, Allah is not saying drink afterwards.

00:24:36 --> 00:24:38

He is saying in that state don't pray.

00:24:39 --> 00:24:40

But this ayat was khatai.

00:24:40 --> 00:24:41

This is finished.

00:24:41 --> 00:24:42

Khalas.

00:24:42 --> 00:24:44

First of all, stay away.

00:24:47 --> 00:24:47

Think about this.

00:24:48 --> 00:24:51

Did they say, Ya Rasulullah, we accept.

00:24:52 --> 00:24:53

We accept the ayat.

00:24:53 --> 00:24:54

We accept the hurmat also.

00:24:55 --> 00:24:57

But, please think about this.

00:25:00 --> 00:25:01

This is our livelihood.

00:25:02 --> 00:25:03

This is our industry.

00:25:04 --> 00:25:06

If we leave this, how will we feed

00:25:06 --> 00:25:07

our children?

00:25:08 --> 00:25:10

If we leave this, what about the family?

00:25:11 --> 00:25:13

So, why don't you tell us and show

00:25:13 --> 00:25:14

us an alternate way?

00:25:15 --> 00:25:16

Then I will leave this business.

00:25:18 --> 00:25:19

Did they say this?

00:25:21 --> 00:25:22

What do we do today?

00:25:24 --> 00:25:25

You have a gas station in which you

00:25:25 --> 00:25:27

are selling alcohol, in which you are selling

00:25:27 --> 00:25:29

lottery, in which you are selling cigarettes, in

00:25:29 --> 00:25:30

which you are selling God knows what.

00:25:31 --> 00:25:32

And somebody says, please don't do this.

00:25:32 --> 00:25:33

This is haram.

00:25:33 --> 00:25:35

Why are you feeding your children haram?

00:25:35 --> 00:25:35

Why are you eating haram?

00:25:36 --> 00:25:37

No, I agree with you brother.

00:25:38 --> 00:25:39

100% I totally agree with you.

00:25:39 --> 00:25:41

Show me some other business, I will leave

00:25:41 --> 00:25:41

this.

00:25:45 --> 00:25:46

This is our problem.

00:25:48 --> 00:25:48

This is our problem.

00:25:49 --> 00:25:50

Show you another business.

00:25:51 --> 00:25:52

Until I show you something else, you won't

00:25:52 --> 00:25:52

leave this.

00:25:53 --> 00:25:55

Allah has prohibited, that's not good enough.

00:25:56 --> 00:25:59

I have to show you something else.

00:26:00 --> 00:26:02

The sahaba did not do this.

00:26:03 --> 00:26:05

When Allah said, don't do it, khalas.

00:26:05 --> 00:26:08

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, no interest

00:26:08 --> 00:26:11

based dealings, no riba, no problem, khalas, finished.

00:26:12 --> 00:26:16

You know, just think about the, what do

00:26:16 --> 00:26:19

you think was the market cap that got

00:26:19 --> 00:26:21

wiped out with this one ayah?

00:26:24 --> 00:26:28

Those lending companies, and remember, as I keep

00:26:28 --> 00:26:32

mentioning, don't think that the sahaba at that

00:26:32 --> 00:26:34

time, they were talking about poor people.

00:26:34 --> 00:26:35

They were not talking about poor people.

00:26:35 --> 00:26:38

People like Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib were major

00:26:38 --> 00:26:39

bankers.

00:26:42 --> 00:26:45

Billions and billions worth of dollars, worth of

00:26:45 --> 00:26:49

currency and gold and silver and stock and

00:26:49 --> 00:26:50

so on, they had.

00:26:54 --> 00:26:55

And this is not new.

00:26:55 --> 00:26:56

I mean, they didn't invent it.

00:26:57 --> 00:26:58

The Romans had it a thousand years before

00:26:58 --> 00:26:58

them.

00:26:59 --> 00:27:01

The Persians had it a thousand years before

00:27:01 --> 00:27:01

them.

00:27:03 --> 00:27:06

They only continued that financial system which was

00:27:06 --> 00:27:06

there.

00:27:08 --> 00:27:10

But when the ayat came, Allah subhanahu wa

00:27:10 --> 00:27:12

ta'ala said, this is haram.

00:27:13 --> 00:27:15

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, if

00:27:15 --> 00:27:17

you don't leave it for illam ta'fal,

00:27:17 --> 00:27:21

Allah said, Allah is declaring war.

00:27:22 --> 00:27:24

Accept harb min Allahi wa rasooli.

00:27:24 --> 00:27:25

So, what did they say?

00:27:25 --> 00:27:27

They didn't say, ya Rasool Allah, it's okay,

00:27:27 --> 00:27:29

we won't lend in future, but at least

00:27:29 --> 00:27:30

what is there, let us get it.

00:27:30 --> 00:27:32

We can't just wipe out this entire, you

00:27:32 --> 00:27:34

know, imagine what will happen to my books.

00:27:35 --> 00:27:36

All net receivable gone.

00:27:37 --> 00:27:39

Put a line through it, zero.

00:27:43 --> 00:27:44

But they did that.

00:27:45 --> 00:27:47

And when they did that, Allah subhanahu wa

00:27:47 --> 00:27:50

ta'ala opened for them the doors of

00:27:50 --> 00:27:51

real wealth.

00:27:52 --> 00:27:55

You don't have to do sums in your

00:27:55 --> 00:27:55

head.

00:27:56 --> 00:27:57

Real wealth.

00:27:58 --> 00:27:59

Allah gave them real power.

00:27:59 --> 00:28:00

Allah gave them real authority.

00:28:00 --> 00:28:02

Allah gave them real land and empire and

00:28:02 --> 00:28:03

everything else.

00:28:03 --> 00:28:05

When they decided to obey Allah subhanahu wa

00:28:05 --> 00:28:05

ta'ala.

00:28:06 --> 00:28:09

So, they changed their entire lifestyles.

00:28:09 --> 00:28:11

Second thing they changed was, they changed their

00:28:11 --> 00:28:12

circle of friends.

00:28:16 --> 00:28:17

They changed their circle of friends.

00:28:18 --> 00:28:20

Sayyidina Rawad ibn al-Khattab r.a had

00:28:20 --> 00:28:23

this group of his buddies and they used

00:28:23 --> 00:28:24

to drink every night together.

00:28:26 --> 00:28:28

Sayyidina Rawad said once, he said, if I

00:28:28 --> 00:28:31

had not come to Islam, I would have

00:28:31 --> 00:28:34

died either of too much of alcohol or

00:28:34 --> 00:28:36

I would have died in a drunken fight.

00:28:36 --> 00:28:38

In a drunken brawl, somebody would have killed

00:28:38 --> 00:28:38

me.

00:28:39 --> 00:28:40

Because he used to fight.

00:28:41 --> 00:28:42

He would get drunk, he used to fight.

00:28:42 --> 00:28:43

He was a wrestler, he was a big

00:28:43 --> 00:28:44

man, he was very powerful.

00:28:45 --> 00:28:45

So, he used to fight.

00:28:47 --> 00:28:47

He said, this is what I would have

00:28:47 --> 00:28:48

done.

00:28:48 --> 00:28:50

I would have died either just with too

00:28:50 --> 00:28:52

much of alcohol, cirrhosis of the liver or

00:28:52 --> 00:28:55

something, or somebody would have killed me.

00:28:58 --> 00:29:00

But the same Umar ibn al-Khattab r

00:29:00 --> 00:29:04

.a, after Islam, his friends are who?

00:29:04 --> 00:29:08

Abu Bakr, Anas Rahman, Ali, Zubair, Sa'd ibn

00:29:08 --> 00:29:10

Mu'adh, Sa'd ibn Jawal, Mu'adh ibn

00:29:10 --> 00:29:11

Jawal, and so on and so on and

00:29:11 --> 00:29:13

so on r.a. These are it.

00:29:13 --> 00:29:13

That's the group.

00:29:15 --> 00:29:16

Friends are so important.

00:29:17 --> 00:29:18

So, so, so important.

00:29:20 --> 00:29:22

If you are with the right friends, then

00:29:22 --> 00:29:24

certain behaviours become easy because this is the

00:29:24 --> 00:29:27

accepted norm in that company.

00:29:28 --> 00:29:30

Time for salah, everybody is starting to pray.

00:29:30 --> 00:29:33

If you don't pray, then you feel very

00:29:33 --> 00:29:33

odd.

00:29:33 --> 00:29:33

What?

00:29:33 --> 00:29:35

Everyone is praying, I am sitting here.

00:29:37 --> 00:29:38

But if you are in the wrong group

00:29:38 --> 00:29:42

of friends, then sin becomes easy, disobedience becomes

00:29:42 --> 00:29:44

easy, obedience becomes more difficult.

00:29:45 --> 00:29:46

I am not saying you can't do it,

00:29:46 --> 00:29:47

you can still do it, but it takes

00:29:47 --> 00:29:50

more time and more energy and more courage

00:29:50 --> 00:29:50

and more effort.

00:29:52 --> 00:29:54

And sometimes people don't do it because it's

00:29:54 --> 00:29:54

just too much.

00:29:54 --> 00:29:55

They can't manage it.

00:29:56 --> 00:29:57

So they leave it.

00:29:58 --> 00:29:58

Now I will go home and pray.

00:29:59 --> 00:30:01

I don't want to show before these people.

00:30:01 --> 00:30:02

Shaitan comes and says, you want to show

00:30:02 --> 00:30:02

off?

00:30:03 --> 00:30:04

You want to show you are such a

00:30:04 --> 00:30:04

good Muslim?

00:30:05 --> 00:30:05

Go home and pray.

00:30:05 --> 00:30:06

Pray khada.

00:30:07 --> 00:30:08

No problem, there is khada.

00:30:10 --> 00:30:12

Where is the khada for deliberately leaving a

00:30:12 --> 00:30:12

salah?

00:30:12 --> 00:30:12

Is there a khada?

00:30:12 --> 00:30:14

For deliberately leaving a salah?

00:30:16 --> 00:30:16

There is no khada.

00:30:18 --> 00:30:21

But shaitan tells you, hey maafi bhoota, don't

00:30:21 --> 00:30:22

worry, it's okay.

00:30:23 --> 00:30:25

Allah will forgive you once.

00:30:28 --> 00:30:29

Change the circle of friends.

00:30:30 --> 00:30:32

And they change their leisure time activities.

00:30:36 --> 00:30:37

One good thing about living in America is

00:30:37 --> 00:30:38

nobody has leisure time, right?

00:30:40 --> 00:30:43

One job, two jobs, three jobs, and the

00:30:43 --> 00:30:45

rest of the time driving between jobs.

00:30:47 --> 00:30:49

May Allah have mercy, we call this the

00:30:49 --> 00:30:49

American dream.

00:30:51 --> 00:30:52

It's an American nightmare.

00:30:54 --> 00:30:56

By the time you think you have enough

00:30:56 --> 00:30:59

money, you are ready for the hospital.

00:31:01 --> 00:31:03

And of course, by then you are in

00:31:03 --> 00:31:05

Medicaid, so you don't pay the bills, and

00:31:05 --> 00:31:06

you satisfy, oh at least I am not

00:31:06 --> 00:31:07

paying the bills.

00:31:08 --> 00:31:10

Yeah, but that's a nice way of ending

00:31:10 --> 00:31:10

your life, you know.

00:31:12 --> 00:31:13

Stuck to some machine.

00:31:13 --> 00:31:14

Innalillah, innalillah.

00:31:16 --> 00:31:18

Please, don't do this to yourself.

00:31:19 --> 00:31:19

Spare yourself.

00:31:19 --> 00:31:21

What Allah has written for you will come

00:31:21 --> 00:31:21

to you.

00:31:22 --> 00:31:24

Do a reasonable amount of work.

00:31:24 --> 00:31:25

There is no, I am not against working,

00:31:25 --> 00:31:26

you have to work.

00:31:27 --> 00:31:28

But there is no need to kill yourself.

00:31:30 --> 00:31:30

Allah will give you.

00:31:33 --> 00:31:36

Get some free time, spend that time with

00:31:36 --> 00:31:40

good people, good company for yourself, for your

00:31:40 --> 00:31:41

children, for your family.

00:31:43 --> 00:31:44

Spend time in the zikr of Allah.

00:31:45 --> 00:31:47

Spend time in looking around, seeing this beauty

00:31:47 --> 00:31:49

of this, this is such a beautiful piece

00:31:49 --> 00:31:49

of earth.

00:31:50 --> 00:31:52

So much beauty in this country.

00:31:52 --> 00:31:54

How many people here have visited any national

00:31:54 --> 00:31:54

park?

00:31:56 --> 00:31:57

One person, two, three people.

00:31:57 --> 00:31:58

Thank God.

00:31:59 --> 00:32:01

Most places, nobody.

00:32:02 --> 00:32:03

Too busy.

00:32:04 --> 00:32:05

Too busy doing what?

00:32:07 --> 00:32:11

Please, worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in

00:32:11 --> 00:32:12

different ways.

00:32:12 --> 00:32:13

One of the ways of worshipping Allah subhanahu

00:32:13 --> 00:32:14

wa ta'ala is to see His creation,

00:32:15 --> 00:32:16

and say Alhamdulillah, subhanAllah.

00:32:17 --> 00:32:18

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for

00:32:18 --> 00:32:22

the wisdom and the hikmah to learn and

00:32:22 --> 00:32:23

to benefit from that inshallah.

00:32:23 --> 00:32:26

Wa sallallahu ala nabiyyil kareem wa ala alihi

00:32:26 --> 00:32:28

wa sahbihil bayan bi rahmatillahi wa barakatuhu.

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