Protect your Imaan

Smilla Rahmanir Rahim Al Hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah Ibaka wa salam ala Abadi, Hilary Mustafa, Amma Bhagavata bIllahi min ash shaytani R rajim Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem or as evil lo Latina todo Hooda silica la Houthi.

So beginning in sha Allah, I'd like to share a little incident that occurred. A few years ago, there was a report published by BBC royal radio in England.

And the report was,

obviously mass transmitted over the radio stations and etc, etc. And they caused the massive uproar at the time. And what they did, they did a study of Muslims in the UK. And these were Muslim, young Muslim children, or young Muslim adults who were Muslim by name. Muslim, by the way they looked Muslim, even they were known by Muslim. So they tick all the boxes at home, they known as a Muslim, but they're only doing it to keep up the appearance because of the community because of their families because of the parents. And what was really interesting and stroke. You know, really,

a lot of people who had this became very uncomfortable. There was a particular young student of the Quran, who had memorized the Quran, who had led taraweeh in his local masjid. And he felt comfortable enough to come on to the radio and say, I'm not a Muslim. Well, I do that to keep on my appearance.

So this really at the time, it caused an uproar. And we as a community felt that okay, what should we do? What direction should we take?

What do we need to do in terms of our

future generations? And especially in the US one thing in particular, you will find, obviously, the Pew Research this the study they did, it actually shows that 24% of born American Muslim children or adults no longer associate to Islam. They've openly declared that we're apostates we don't believe in Islam. Now, that creates a massive responsibility, a huge responsibility on not only the leaders of our communities, but parents as individuals. It's easy to kind of push the responsibility Yeah, that Imam can take care of that. He should do better Joe Mahatma has now right? He should be able to give How can an imam in a 30 minute Juma kotoba give you a child Iman, which is ultimately your

responsibility, the Hadith? What does it say about who you are? How are we done? He will do then you will do Alan Phaedra. Every child is born on a natural disposition in which they have faith in Allah. The natural disposition is that of a believer for Abba, who you have with that he or you Medusa Annie Oh, Eunice is the parents who take them on a path of Judaism or trust of Christianity or a path of Islam. So as the Muslim community in the US, what we ultimately really need to focus on is two things in particular, we work on what increases our Imam really ask these questions, because remember, you can shelter your children all you want. I don't let them hang out. I don't let them

have non Muslim friends. I don't let them in associate with other people. How long are you going to shelter them for? You know, if there's an attack? Like there's something there's a ban on the loose? I heard there was one in the masjid a couple of months ago. Right? So this is a bear on the loose this one bear it's a it's a it's a coincidence. You can protect your child you can say stay at home better stay at home, you know, allow these abandoned the loose with someone made a video that is in the masjid carpark. We don't want you going out. Now, just imagine you live in the jungle, where there's all kinds of animals, these snakes, these lions, these every possible thing you could

imagine? Are you going to shelter your child or teach them survival skills? Are you going to do?

You can't you can't shelter them? How long are you going to shelter them? You're going to save them from the from the lion, you're going to save them from the snake you're going to save them from something else? How long are you going to shelter them for? And in reality, when we look at the Western chef made a really interesting point or the day where he said the West is no longer a direction. It's an idea. It's a mindset and it's widespread the global villages, you know, it's what the philosophy of our societies are stood on now. So what we really need to do is what like that person who's growing up in the in, in a jungle, what's he going to do, he's going to teach his child

survival skills and for us to teach our children survival skills in terms of the greatest blessing Wallahi the greatest blessing we can give them. You could give your child an education, you could give them luxury you could give them cause you could give them give them businesses you could hand anything over. But remember, ultimately, the greatest blessing you can give to your child is what human human and that failure and that concern that is my child going to be raised the Muslim, this is something of the Gambia The Gambia had this in the past we find in the Quran to overseers, why is it was here I was here is a will. So at the time of death we find two particular incidents that

Allah

Samantha notes down and he mentioned these incidents not for us to read and think wow what pious people. For us to take a message from. The first is of Ibrahim wasabia Ibrahim Uber and he were cool. And the second one is yaku. What happened? They both on their deathbed, just imagine Ibrahim the father of whom is hot. is smart. Nebula is hot. Nebula is smart. He, what does he say? Yeah, bernia in Allah has the Fila Coumadin. Falletta Mukunda Illa Antimo steamin that my only concern as your father My last words to you are what? Your Muslim, live as a Muslim die as a muslim is saying this to true prophets. Then Jacoba li Salam, Allah Subhana Allah mentions his incident. What does he

say he he asks use of his brothers something different. He says, Mata boo do not mean body. I'm not going to tell you to be Muslim or your life. I want to know who are you going to worship? What are you going to worship for the remainder of your life? And then his children said Nabu, ilaha illa. Ibrahim, always smile always. Don't worry your father you'll be you'll be satisfied. We will only worship your Lord, the Lord of our forefathers Allah subhanho wa taala. So really at a time where parents need to be proactive in this the first thing that we really need to do is work on our knowledge, our knowledge of Deen What does Dean mean to me is being just the culture that I carry

because I've carried it over from Pakistan. I've ended up in America so I carry it you know, I go to the masjid is people who look like me. They dress like me. And that's my dream for me. Or does Dean actually mean something to us? Right is Iman actually something that resonates with us that this is my belief I sold I truly believe it. Because in the Arabic is really interesting the Arabic definition of Eman if we look at the actual definition, so in English, we have belief right? In Arabic, they define Eman as the IQ.

What is the green? When you look at something, you study it in its entirety. And then you affirm it. You said this is the truth. I believe it nice but to see the tea Illa shade, to attribute truthfulness. You say this is the truth. This is what it is. But really we need to ask ourselves is our iman of that caliber? Do we really look at Islam? I think this is the truth and this is the ultimate truth. And that always comes down to our lack of knowledge. Many people what happens as myself included, we practice faith we practice Deen for 2030 years there's no progression. So our knowledge on the first day we prayed Salah is this much of our knowledge 30 years later is exactly

this much.

Our knowledge of the Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the messenger said Allah will listen to this, which on the first day, exactly this much on the last day. And I'll give you an interesting incident. There was actually a scholar from India, Abdul Majid Daria buddy rahamallah He wrote a scene of the Quran

he apostate it. He became an atheist in his early life when he was he was a younger person at the time. And he has an autobiography. The ones who read or do can actually download it very easily online. It's called a is obviously RBT an autobiography of the of the material body. So he says in this he says, I left Islam, I went and I looked at Buddhism, I looked at other religions, Christianity, etc. And then eventually I became an atheist.

He says what reconnected me with with Islam was that I came across a translation of the Quran. So I really read the book of Allah again, I reconnected with the book of Allah. And the second thing I came across the work of Shibli Nomani and Salima nadwi being the sila tune Nabhi so the seal of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, because when you when you take everything apart, What is Islam? What is Islam? Is the message that the messenger bought the message that the messenger bought?

And what was it that Fatima you know, when when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam comes to Khadija or the Allahu anha. And he says I need

I feel for myself and she says Hola Hola. Hola, Zika Allahu Abba. And then she brings him on right? Why did you bring him on? Does you know the message? Does you know the actual details of the message? What does this reveal consists of? She believed in the messenger she knew the messenger Abu Bakr bought Imana Rasulullah why? Because he knew Rasul allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And now there's a question for us how much I've been practicing this faith? Have I ever looked up? Who this messenger was? Do I know anything about this messenger? And that's why I don't remember of the past they had a very interesting genre that we definitely need to tap into. They have a they when they

would study theology and Dean and the proof for Islam, you know what they would study? What would they study the existence of God? No, they would study something called the law. You don't know Buddha, was the proof that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is truthy, truthfully in his claim, that's what it was to the Imam basically counts them over to 1000 and other scholars less or more, you know around about that, that these are the proves that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was truthful in his claim. So this is something as parents we need to reconnect with our legacy.

really increase our image we increase our aim to get to that level of the speaker. The second thing and this is a final point I'm going to make

is alongside alien work strengthens and increases your Eman is practice.

We have the famous obviously discussions in early Islamic theology but the true Eman Yazeed. Why Yonkos Eman increases and decreases? How does it increase and decrease your practice? Why azido Allah Who Latina though Houda Allah will increase those in guidance who take guidance. So your your if you create a culture at home of not practicing Islam of Islam only being the Iftar parties in Ramadan, you know, a CHA better get ready. We're going to a third party swansong God's called us if that's what the meaning of our deen is, and that's what we stripped it down to it, there's a problem. There's definitely a problem. Islam needs to be living in your household day and night. The

child needs to witness my parents is praying further Zohar Asad. You can change you send your children to mclubbe you could send them to madrasa. But if there's a conflict when they come home, and they see a home, no one prays my father didn't even bat an eyelid my myostatin tells me that the difference between a Mortmain and a cough it is Salah.

And I've never seen my father pray.

It's problematic, right? So we really need to create a culture of practicing Islam, or bringing Islam to life through practice, through practice. And that's what children will take from the will take from our practice. So two things as adults and as children, we want to increase our Eman, increase your knowledge, read a Syrah study as you are mashallah you have an amazing resource of Chef Yahweh who's actually authored in this field, you have honestly, you are not just saying it, because if photography, you come here and take benefit from that, take benefit from that, and demand these things that we want something we want to learn about the zero of Rasulullah. Where should we

start? Is there a book you could tell me? Or could you tell me about some lectures you may have already given? Or could you do a separate series on this? So I could connect with the CEO of Rasulullah. Same thing with Quran. And the second thing in our practice, start trying to practice more when you practice more, when your children will witness that, and they will see that because remember one thing, it's it's very possible I met a brother here from this West Springfield area, and I share this story without mentioning his name.

He told me, he said,

I was born in Springfield in 1961 1961. Can you imagine? Right? And at the time, there was no Muslims. So we grew up and our father took us back home. And then we came back to the US. And he says, in the first generation, half my family left Islam.

Half of my family, he says, These people with my last name in this city, who do not identify as Muslim, could you imagine that? We talked about second generation, third generation, fourth generation, no first generation.

So these are points of real concern for us. I was with a an Obama met him recently in a place in Massachusetts again, I won't mention the name. And he told me something and wallah, he, I'm, I was I was unsettled that night. I'm not a father myself, but I wasn't settled. I couldn't, you know, at nighttime when something just keeps on playing on your mind. And he says to me, he says this an elder man who came here in the 70s

in Massachusetts, and he did relatively well, mashallah, you know, He, Allah subhana, Allah gave him everything. BA home, he created a culture which was, I want to be modern, you know, young, we are in America. Why do we want to do all of this backward stuff? Right? Didn't take the back seat is not as important. Yes, Dean, for me is my community and my, you know, it's a community center, I attend just for socializing, nothing else. So he exists daughters like this. He raised his daughters like this. And recently, he came to Islam, you know, he revisited his faith and he really became more and more practicing.

So he came to the Imam, the Imam I was talking to and he said to the Imam, he said, Can I speak to you? And he has a white beard now? And he says, The Imam said, Yes, sure. What would you do? And as soon as he went into the room to have a conversation with him, he had tears rolling down.

And he said, This is my story. I came here. I did this to bring up my children. This is everything that happened. You know, while I was bringing up my children, I didn't connect them to the book of Allah. I didn't connect them to Dean these things were the backseat. We were a very modern, you know, family who's who's living the American dream. So it says Now I've reconnected with my faith. I go home after Salado, Fudger on weekends, and a non Muharram a strange man is sat at my breakfast table saying hi, who spent the night with my daughter and I don't know what to do.

What can you say? But these are the realities. These are the realities of the consequences if we lay the right now, if not, we're not proactive. And it's important that we understand the language of our children, the community and so that you can shelter them all they want

If you go to university you will learn about from LGBT to individualism to all of these philosophy philosophies in our in our thing and if we are not familiar with them will fail. The Sahaba Radi Allahu Anhu in Makkah, they were familiar with all the challenges. In Medina they were familiar with what what the fire worshippers believed in what the Christians believed in the Quran addresses those things directly Christianity, etc.

So the West that me and you many people my age, like I was born and raised in the West, but guess what the west today is very different to the west. I was born. It was very different to the west. That's why you have all the Gen Gen Z, millennials Gen X. Do we know they will say that No, a Gen X doesn't think like a Gen Z and millennials and the only years apart a few years ago, 100 years ago, my great dada dada, my great great grandfather, and my grandfather had a very similar life.

They grew up in a similar different centuries, but again, they had a similar life. They lived and they died and they they lived very similar life. But now the world is changing, was changing massively. And we need to change one way or when I mean, we need to change we need to change our attitude. We need to change our attitude, especially towards our children towards our community and the importance our faith plays. So we pray Allah Subhana Allah gives us all the ability to act upon these things. May Allah subhanaw taala increases in Iman May Allah subhanaw taala protect our Eman Allahumma Habibie Lena Iman was the king who equally will be in our curricula in alpha one for Su

cola ASEAN what Jana Meena Rashi between Roberta Kabul Mina in the contest, Samuel rd moto Ballina in the country club Rahim Rasul Allah Allah fakulti Mudumalai wasabi Miami