Living Islam – Session 9

Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil aalameen or salat wa salam O Allah

Muhammad Rasul Allah Geraldo will be the first of 2020.

And we live in a data instead of

jiving somewhere. And singing Auld Lang Syne we are sitting here in the house almost ran into

lots of the New Year Greetings, and we are celebrations, which are happening all over the world.

The thing which I remind myself a new is that celebration can be and should be for achievement.

What the turn of the year simply means that this planet made a full circle around the start, which is the sun. That's it? I mean, what did I have to do with that? What did you have to do that you could neither Stop it, nor could we make it go faster or slower.

So if I'm saying I'm celebrating whatever celebrating

celebration has to be for some achievements, I can celebrate the fact that I climbed the mountain and celebrate the fact that

you know, I did a faster, difficult exam or I can celebrate something where I had some contribution in that.

So first question to ask is really what are we celebrating, but what we can and should do? And I usually share this also with regard to birth this because we celebrate birthdays, right? And if you ask yourself, what is it you're celebrating that you're one year closer to your death? Is that something to celebrate? With? That's all that's all it means? It just means that I was 63. And I'm 64. I'm now one year closer to my death? And is that something to celebrate? What What is, whereas what can be done and should be done is to reflect and to take stock? of what we did? How did we spend this year, last year, which went 2019? How did I personally spend this year? What could I have

done? What did I actually do? And if I could do something, and I did it 100 live, I could do something I did more Alhamdulillah. But if I could do something and I did not do enough, then I need to ask myself

and say what is it that prevented me from contributing more than I actually contributed? I could have done I could have done so much more. So it's not always necessary, that is bad. It can be good news as well. So hamdulillah This is what I achieved is good, but I'm saying what is required is thoughtful reflection about our lives. And the big the big benefit of that is that it helps us then to plan the coming period which is the next year. So if I have if I do thoughtful reflection on my current year, which has gone past and I say this year is what I did, this is what I could have done here is the shortfall here is the surplus and so forth, is it now therefore, in the coming year,

which starts from tomorrow, what can I do to make that a better year than the one that went best?

We have already said that if two days are equal, then you wasted one day. I imagine the standard that is set by the province on racetam is amazing. Just two days, literally it says if two of your days are equal, then one day has been wasted.

May Allah give us a way to use our time productively and in a way which is beneficial for us.

So what about if two years are equal?

So it's something that we need to plan and that's what I remind myself with you will let us use the time that we have

in a way which is inshallah beneficial for us. The most important thing to remind ourselves in all of this and all the plans and so on and so forth that we need to strategize, we need to plan whether it is our career, whether it is our family, whether it is the raising of our children, whether it is our marital relationships, whether it is thinking about and worrying about the future of us as an oma

because again, this is part of being a member of the Muslim woman,

one body, if the head pains the word body knows that in another these episodes are the one who is not interested in the welfare of our minds not from us, the owner does not worry about it is not for us. So hamdulillah we have a feeling for this we we you know in our hearts we have feeling for people we have feeling for the thing to do is to now what therefore what must I do?

Just having the feeling by itself.

is one thing somebody sent me the other day a very nice video of Toronto, in Canada where there is, it looked like either an RV or or a

sort of caravan thing, which goes

which goes through the streets. And they pick up homeless people sleeping on on pavements and on park benches and so on. And they take them in and they give them a hot meal and they give them a place to rest. Sure, it doesn't solve the problem of that person forever, but it solves it for at least one day.

Now.

Usual question is ever have you ever slept on the pavement? Have you ever slept on a park bench? So even you might even get charged up and say, Okay, I'm going to try and do that. I want to, I want to know what a homeless person feels when he or she is sleeping on the pavement or they're sleeping on the pavement. But my submission to you is you will never know that because you are doing that voluntarily. You are doing that deliberately they have no choice.

Right? It's not a matter of physically spending a night on a park bench. We do that for fun, not an apartment. But when we go camping, for example, you're doing it for fun. But the homeless person is doing it because they have no choice. What does that insecurity feel? How do you know that you will never know the man like keep you like them? They will never know that. But I'm saying that we need to have that compassion in our heart.

Here is a person will not bring it for fun. They're doing it because they have no choice. What does that insecurity feel like?

Right What is the insecurity feel like?

This is the meaning of being a Muslim, which is to feel for somebody else.

whoever that person might be. It's immaterial whether that person is Muslim or non Muslim. No, Allah Subhana Allah is Allah mean

he's not rubble was remade. This is the this is the beauty of the universality of this deal. Our our rock, the one we worship was Rajpal al amin, the messenger we follow is Ramadan. Al amin, non Muslim,

the GitHub that we follow the book, hotel leanness.

That's everybody. It's not hotel, illusory, mean no Hotel in us. Yes.

We know that that is a another aspect of the parameter of orderliness. It is a diet for everybody for all of us to wear our motto,

nice for the Zuma. Allah Raja said, You are the best of people and you have been selected for the benefit of all the people

who see me no meanness.

So if I if I as a Muslim and not thinking about the benefit of the warlord, then something is wrong with my understanding of myself and my understanding of my elderly.

This is what we need to do. And then it is not sufficient only to think

it's not as if we have only one head, which thinks of the rest of the body is made of wood. No.

The thought must translate into action.

It's only in the in the action that the glory of thought manifests itself. Otherwise empty thought is what what's the point of that thought? We need the thought without action without thought this is, you know, it is a recipe for disaster. But But similarly, only thought without action has no point.

So we need thought, and we need action. And this whole thing must be

supervised, mentally speaking, and guided by the deed of Islam.

This is what keeps us on track.

It is the boundary of Allah subhanho della della della Lu and

Salah, which keeps us on track.

We were talking, we were coming up from my place. So then we were talking about how is it? How is it that people?

Do you hear people making speeches after they have retired? I've seen this over three times. Right? So the person was in a high position in government in political power and authority and whatnot. And they did whatever they did, and after they retire, then you have them making speeches and saying, you know, the thing I did there, I really shouldn't have done it. I regret having done that. And my point is big deal. I mean you destroyed the world.

Right.

So now you want to say I am sorry, who cares? You're sorry.

You know, put it where the sun doesn't shine. I mean, as far as I'm concerned that that

Think has no meaning.

Now the question is simple question to ask is did that person not know that what they were doing was wrong? I mean, that's a no brainer. There's no way that those people did not know that what they were doing was wrong. They knew it. Then why did they do that? Because there is no guidance of Islam. There is no concept of accountability to Allah subhanho there.

This awareness of Allah subhana wa Taala in our lives, as I was saying the other day, this it gives two very major benefits to the person

the knowledge that Allah subhanho danijela gelato is seeing he's watching he is listening, he knows he is aware of a movie that is pseudo semi all Bassil.

The awareness and this is the one who am akumina Makoto college Allah Allah, this awareness does two very major things for us. The first one is that this is protection from sin.

If I know that Allah is watching, then how can I tell a lie? How can I do? How can I kill somebody? How can I How can I cheat? How can I steal? How can I do if I am aware? If I am aware, the whole point is that if I'm aware that Allah Subhana, Allah is watching me listening to me, who is with me. And the reason is, is that if you are alone, he is the he's the second if there are two is the third. So when we have this understanding, then this is protection, this is the great shield protection from sin. And the second big benefit is that this awareness

is the greatest source of confidence for the individual.

How and why would you be afraid if you know that Allah subhanaw taala is which

you cannot be afraid.

You cannot be afraid. I was in India, in North India once and we were in someplace. And we had to get back in the night. And one of my one of my friends is a senior, he was a senior police officer at the time there. So he said, I will give you an escort that

this these roads are not safe that I wear robbers and stuff. So I'll give you an escort. What that has turned out to be was we had a police jeep behind us and we had a police chief in front of us and we were driving in the middle.

Right. So now my point is, how safe do you feel? Right? You've got armed guards behind you in front of you. And

no one will stop this. Gone. Why? Because it is guarded. Front and back. What about

what sense of awareness of Allah do we have?

He said, Well, why am I Why am I going to what is the what is the awareness of that in our heart? Allah is with me.

I don't need anybody else.

Why am I afraid

to this awareness of Allah subhanaw taala This is what keeps us on track. So no matter how much of power well the authority, whatnot, whatnot, you have the one who's aware knows that one day I have to meet Allah. One day I have to go and answer Allah for whatever I'm doing. So let me make sure that I do the right thing here. Let me make sure that I take the right decisions. Many times you have this thing equals Oh, but you know, after all, that person had this problem and that person had this imperative and so on. My point is everybody's got an excuse.

Everybody has an excuse. Rosa Rosa. Sam had excuse for example, the people came from dive, you know, the whole story of dive I don't have to tell you that he went to Thailand, they rejected him and so on and so on the one finally when he after he, when he went to Medina before hatanaka. The barossa came from Taiwan, they gave us a delegation, and they said we will accept Islam. We will say Laila hi Lola, who will accept you as an OB, we will pray but we will not give Zakat

and there were people at the time who advised it they said yes, this is a good thing. We have no supporters, we have nobody with us. This is one of the two big drives of the Hejaz. One is the orange one.

This is these people they want a they will they will turn around they will come around inshallah. They're not big sizes. They're saying we won't pay zakat. Now, later on they will pay and so on, so on and so forth. What was the original celebs reaction to that?

He said the one who separates the Salah from the Zakat is not a Muslim.

He said I will not accept Islam.

And this was the ruling of the NaVi Allah is Allah will say the Navara Cynthia for the llama used in his time when they were the the waters of rinda when people said they will not praise like I said and I said if you don't pay zakat, I will fight

None less than 10 an hour satara de la de said we are going to find Muslims. He said

he's the one who separates the Salah from

I'm not fighting Muslims. If they refuse to play soccer, I will fight

sudo su stat, our sizzle to Casa de la.

He didn't say Oh, but you know, times are like this that no, no, no. The whole point of a principle is that you take a stand on that principle. It's not a question of times is that

the issue is, we forget and the reason I mentioning this is because this comes back again to our mark.

We forget the role of Allah subhanho wa Taala in our lives

is

the role of analysts monitor analyze, and the role of Allah subhanaw taala. Is

is one thing about about this is the sooner velostrata Allah subhanho wa Taala has helped does not come until you let go.

This is a tsunami of Allah Subhan Allah subhanaw taala does not show his help in advance.

The whole issue is even within

if you believe that Allah is with you,

then you act in that way. Then the help of Allah will come

to you very Melissa even Mrs. Lamb is

died up,

trussed up and he is put into the the cup of the trebuchet the catapult they are made of fire which is

so huge that they need a siege engine to throw him into the fire. They can't they can't go close to the wire.

So they have put him in this thing.

You will have a salami sitting there.

Where is the head of Allah?

Do you see any signs of the elbow one? No.

No signs.

And then in one airasia gibril A Salam comes to your MLA Salah ngvla salam says yes, I did not tell me what do you want me? Can I help? Tell me what you want from

Graham Allison says I asked only Allah I don't need anything from me.

So jubilation Allah subhanaw taala knows all these degrees amalaki does not go unless Allah sends it to Judaism goes to Allah subhana wa tada Yeah, Allah Allah Allah Allah mean you're college is about to be what?

I went to him I asked him Can I help you? He says he's not accepting anything from me. whatsoever. Unless Roger says you go and you tell him that I have sent and I want to know what does he want from me?

Jerusalem goes by visa Allah sent me. Your Rob wants to know what you want from him.

When I will, Islam says I want whatever my Rob wants.

My Arab does not need to ask this question.

He doesn't use me for the why no. I want whatever my rajala jailer who wants when he Brian well his alarm removed the means when he removed the tower so when he removed the wartsila from between him and Islam,

Allah Subhana Allah directly ordered the fire cola Yana Cooney burden was Salam and Allah.

Allah did not then Allah did not tell devalue sandwich at all. Allah did not tell gibreel Ali salam to do anything. So no, my slave

and me, he are gonna go do what he can to stay. What is the what is the reply for that? The heaviness of the response of Allah subhanho wa Taala to certain fathia you all know

what is the response we are gonna we are gonna say Allah says, Now it is between me and my slave. Whatever you want, I will give it

all I will worship only you. We are only from you, nobody else.

And Allah says that I will give.

This is the power of

awareness that Allah subhanho wa Taala is with us. Right?

There's a very nice teaching story. It's not a true story, but it's a good story to illustrate this story is that this man

is a mountain climber and he wants to climb this particular mountain and he wants to go up a particular phase which is the most dangerous phase of that mountain.

So he plans for this for many years he repairs himself he has all his equipment and everything else

and then he goes to the base camp and he is about to start climbing but at that time the weather changes

to people advising there's no don't climb today you know wait for some time

tomorrow day after or maybe weather weather will improve but he's no I have no time I have just this window and I'm going to go

against everybody's advice demand starts climbing the mountain and as he's climbing the weather becomes worse and worse and worse and he is oh half way up or three quarters way up and the weather now it's become pitch dark and there is a gale force wing and the guy's stuck and he can either walk or come down and at that point he slips and falls

he's although

he slips and falls

down but it is pretty dark you can't see anything. This is when and he is dropping he's in freefall

so in his mind now in an instant his whole life is playing back

and he knows is finished this is this is it. I mean I'm going to hit the ground and I'm dead. And at that time, his rope which is climbing with that rope snags and he is brought up like that

he's held so now he's like a pendulum is swinging in midair

but he hasn't hit the ground

so the man now tries to look around he can't see anything it is totally duck

the man says oh God saved me

spontaneously, sir Oh God saved me.

So years of voice and the voice says Do you think I can save

an answer? Well I this is you know

he said he has only you can say me Nobody can save me save me Please save me.

So the voices I knew sure that I can save you.

answers yes, absolutely. No one can save me

Please save me

the voices then cut the row

in all climbers I know they have that they have a knife. He has a knife

doesn't come through.

And they say the next morning

such parties went out because they knew the guy had gone out and so on and so

he found this guy holding his rope with both his hands

frozen to death. four feet from the ground

cut through

the sign of dog cool is to cut the rope

please understand cut the road does not mean leave the union Oh Allah centers into this linear to live.

Cut The Rope is in the heart.

It is a rope in the heart which needs to be cut

doesn't mean shut your shop and you know leave your job. No, no, no, no. Allah subhanaw taala wants you to to prosper. Allah wants you to be wealthy Allah wants you to be powerful. Allah subhanaw taala wants you to have influence so that you can do good. What is good is all of us have become homeless and we sleep on the street while you go to bed. Nobody got even like yourself.

Cut rope is in the heart.

I always think to myself whenever I come to America or Canada or something, the richest most wealthiest countries in the world. Why are people sleeping on the street?

The place where they are sleeping on the street. I was in Jamaica, in New York. And very early in the morning once we were going down Mayfair.

And we see garbage everywhere.

on the pavement on the street. True garbage everywhere.

So as a couple of brothers were with me, I said what is this name? And this is probably one of the most if not the most expensive neighborhood in New York. And you gotta I think there's probably no apartment there. There's less than a million dollars. million dollars is probably you know, a base figure.

But there's sort of garbage and why is this place so dirty?

He says no, this is not from them.

He said this garbage is on the street because of the people who live in the subway tunnels.

I said people live in subway Tanzania.

He says they live in the subway tunnels because the subway tunnels are heated

as what about

The track which is electrified.

What happens if you touch the track? He said

that's it. You touch the dragon. So if you're sleeping you add touches the track that's it.

But he says the subways he did so in the in the winter

season. What about the garbage? He said, the most expensive place has the best garbage?

Yeah.

He said the most expensive piece of the best garbage. people throw away good stuff.

So people come here to eat from the garbage cans?

Why? Is it lack of resources? Or is it lack of compassion?

If it was lack of resources, there would be no garbage because they would eat it.

This is what Islam came to teach us.

Islam came to teach us compassion.

Simply just the I'm giving you the some examples. If we take the sum total of time, energy, and money that goes into watching games, whether it's soccer, or cricket, or football or basketball or baseball,

some

of the money,

the time and the energy. And if we take this and we put it into poverty alleviation, removing a poverty, Billy may take my word for it, there will not be a single poor person, there will not be a single person sleeping on the street, they will not be a single person who has to go to bed hungry

and you will still have money left.

But we spend our money, watching ballgames when there are people starving on the street, and then we want to blame God and say, oh, but Why doesn't God do anything?

People ask this question. People ask this question.

I think God needs something you created you. You are the one not doing what you're supposed to do.

Allah created you for what

he created you we gave you a DD gave you understanding and so on. And so what gave you ideas

if you can walk by if you can drive by somebody sleeping on the street, and you can go home and you can sleep peacefully in your bed, my brothers and sisters Believe me there is something wrong with your

there is something seriously wrong with your heart.

This is not Islam, Islam didn't come to kill our hearts. Islam came to keep them alive.

That is the whole the whole issue is

the course which is you know, the leaving Islam is about this.

Leaving Islam is about practicing of Islam in our lives.

There's no the Saudis and Muslim. He reported Nova Salam said, Allah Subhana Allah says, I am just as my slave thinks of me when you remember

as any appdb

He said, I am as my slave thinks of me.

And that is the reason why as awesome said have the best of opinions about Allah subhana wa.

Because Allah said, I am as my slave expects me to be.

And then

he said, that he says, I'm said by Allah, Allah Subhana. Allah is more pleased with the repentance with this the fire on top of his slave than one of you who unexpectedly finds in the desert that he has lost his camera.

What is the meaning of losing your camera

is not an academic thing. If you are traveling in the desert, your camel is your lifeline.

If you lose your camel, you are as good as dead because that camel has your food on it. It has your resources on it, that's your transportation. If that camel goes away somewhere, then you are as good as finished. In one of these amateurism said there was there was this man, he was traveling on his gavel. He stopped somewhere and he was resting or something and his gavel disappeared.

He just gave up he decided that I'm going to die but there's no way I can survive, I will die. So he sat down there and in the process somehow he just fell asleep

and when he

woke up, he found the gavel standing the next day

that the man was so happy

that instead of he the way he thanked Allah, Allah He reversed the words

introducing all I am grateful to you he said yeah, allies grateful to me oh you see this way kind of reverse we use So, like he was crazy with happiness.

Let me set the example and he said this is how happy Allah subhanaw taala becomes an is when a slave repeats.

Now when I when I heard this, I was thinking to myself, why is Allah concerned about why Why is he so happy for

so I don't repent, I go into Jana. Jana was made. No.

It's got to be on somebody.

And my understanding is the reason a lot of times is because Allah subhanaw taala is

the famous Hadees where nobody saw this lady who was nursing her child. Now this

lady was one of the people who was a prisoner of war and she lost her child in the in the old mellie. And then suddenly she found a child. So she grabbed the child and hug the child and kiss the child. And she started nursing is one way to start in nursing the child.

And that time there was a pass by and he said to the Sava he said tell me do you think this woman withdraw that baby into the fire?

Impossible How can this mother it's her child. See the giant you so happy to find the challenge? Of course you've got throw this challenge to the fire

77 authority, Remo later he's dying his last moments in life.

He's laying on his bed, his friend comes and sits with him and his friend says yes. If Allah Subhana Allah gives you a choice.

And if Allah when you meet a label that gives you a choice, he says,

tell me if you want I will ask your mother to take your exam.

Like the accounting before. So you say Allah give me a choice to say, If Allah gives you a choice to say if you want I will, I will allow your mother to take your exam or I will take yours Which one do you want?

So

I will tell Allah Allah you take my

novel

so it's friendship is a strange thing of your mother takes your reserve instead of Allah subhanaw taala you don't want your Mother Teresa. He said no.

So he's friends is Why? He says because Allah says love is 70 times more than the love of math.

So, I want to remain number one.

This is the issue of Stefan Otto.

Allah has said he will comes closer to me by one span one span is much the from if you take your hand like this, he said he comes to me close to me by one span. I come close to him by one cuit and he will comes closer to me by a cubit. I come closer to him by a father My father was about six feet. And then he said if he comes to me walking, I come to him Ronnie.

This is Allah subhana wa Tada.

And that's one of those monitors that we live in.

And I said we're the believers. He said they are the ones who love Allah subhanho wa Taala more than anyone or anything else. I don't believe

anywhere myself and you, how do we love Allah? How can we develop this love of Allah Subhana Allah rather than I mentioned this as our distinguishing feature.

So if somebody says who is a believer, you say the one who loves them?

This one not this one.

So who is available, the one who loves them?

And how do you know if somebody loves Allah?

Because the love of Allah is expressed in obedience to Allah Subhana

obedience

for which Allah subhanho wa Taala takes care of

every aspect of that beloved life.

This is the reason why we are about the law. We are the Wrath of Allah subhanaw taala

One of my pet peeves about the translation of these words in English, you will hear you you will read and hear is on people translate the word app as servant, which is servants of Allah.

right but you know and I know enough Arabic don't know the word for servant is not

the word for servant is hard if

you don't believe me go to an alum and call him your abs.

He will, he will take you to hospital after that.

Seniors tell you, because they know they understand why you call him you have deals special face because he said we have not enough what are

the what is it is not a matter of semantics understand this is where I'm not playing with words. Who is a servant, a servant is an employee, yes.

servant to the employee.

So the employee employer relationship means what means a servant, first of all chooses to be a servant.

I choose to come and get employed by you.

I remain employed by you I remain in your employment as long as I want. I can resign and walk away. I can go to some other employer. And as far as you are concerned, you are only responsible for paying me my salary on time that's it period.

Yes, although

nothing more.

What about a slave?

A slave is owned

by the person, by his master.

What are the meaning of own own means? The slave has no choice. He can go anywhere.

The master owns him.

He is not there by choice. He is not choosing to be there he owns the he belongs to the master.

And what about the relationship the slave master relationship? To what extent is the master responsible for the slave complete extent?

Everything

said, unsaid, good bad, every single thing. Whatever is the requirement of the slave. The Master is responsible.

Think about this. We don't we don't usually think of our pets as slaves, but effectively we own them right? What is our asaram say about the lady who owned this cat. And this cat, this lady can find the cat where the cat couldn't go and feed for itself and the cat had no food or the cat died? What did he say? He said I loved him for that Why?

It's a cat after? Now what about the rub? Who will put this one into Jana? Because she didn't look after a cat? What do you think she will do with you and me? What do you think Allah will do with you and me? Because we own we are owned by him?

The issue is, does the slave understand himself to be a slave?

So what is the responsibility of the slave to do whatever the master wants? That's it.

The slave does not have a will of his or her own.

Choose a Master says to the slave, what do you want? What is the ideal slave? What will he say? He will say whatever you want. That's it.

What do you need? You know what I need?

I don't need to tell. Because it is your problem within quotes. I mean, I'm not saying the word problem with regard but I'm saying but the owners issue is the welfare of the slave.

So when we say we should become about the law,

we are about the law. It's not a question of becoming but I'm saying we must be aware of

when we become aware of that, then we love our last man

because of all that He has given us and then we obey Allah Subhana love for Allah is expressed by obedience to Allah. Love for a surah Allah sallallahu Sallam is expressed by following his lesson.

Not by singing singing on a sheet. Or by having this celebration or that celebration. No, by all means singer singer says if you like there's no problem I'm not saying I am saying that is not an expression of the love of an Amazon seller.

By all means, seeing the machine but if your life is not and my life is not another suit, navassa Salah the machines will not serve us.

Similarly we can talk till the cows come home about how much we love Allah. But if you are not obeying Allah subhanho data, all of these claims are of no use. The place these two things come together, obedience to Allah and following the synonymous or Salah where they were and how they come together is Allah

About

a Buddha Allah for a boonie you will recall that we often

say to them who claim to love Allah follow make my diva

follow me do what I do say what I say. Walk Like I walked out like I talk eat like a treat people like a treat people do hate not only because of obedience but because you love what Amazon seller and if you do that what will happen? You will love will love you.

All over him and almost mentality

is all forgiving and most person

will just do that. I asked Allah subhanaw taala please with you. I asked Allah subhanaw taala to make the coming year, the best year of your lives ask Allah subhanaw taala to enable you to do all the things that please Him. ask Allah to open the doors of Rama and Baraka and not for for you as an author to protect you from all evil that you know and that we should know. ask Allah Subhana salat, ease all your difficulties. Those you ask about and those who don't ask about ask Allah Subhana Allah to give you everything you ask with fair and apphia and to give you from His Majesty and grace and generosity that we should not ask. What's all the holiday will carry while it was grace and

generosity that we should not ask? What's another holiday we will carry while he was away.