Gear Up For Greatness

Throughout the Quran, Allah azza wa jal tells us of the fact that he created the skies and the earth and everything between them over the duration of six days. When Emma sent me lube and no fatigue touched Us, it didn't tire us in the lease to do this,

of course, had Allah azza wa jal

created them in less than six days, it still would not have fatigued him. Because when he simply wants something done, he says to it couldn't be fair, Kuhn, and it is throughout the Quran is established. So then why did this world take six days to be created?

It's not because Allah needed that span. Right? That is why some of the scholars said it's actually because we need to understand the nature of this world. Nothing here happens overnight. It was for us, Allah was showing us that in this world, the nature the matrix of this world is that things happen gradually.

You don't plant and sow and harvest in this world in an instant. It's just not how this world works. Even in English, you know, they say that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The second best time to plant the tree is right now.

You'll get it later, though. So stop wasting time, stop waiting for opportunities to land in your lap. You have to take initiative, and plan early and

await for the fruits. You gotta wait. That's how things happen in this world. It is the nature of this world, not just physical trees, plant what you want early in your children, plant in yourself faith late now. So it takes deeper roots. So when the winds blow harder later, your faith doesn't fall over. It's about what you've invested earlier on. And you know why this is extra relevant, extra timely in this day and age. Because we live in the age of unprecedented ease, unprecedented prosperity, good times, we are more well off more comfortable by a long shot than 99.9% of all of human history we are. But you know that does the risk that poses that poses the risk of us

forgetting how far back you have to go. To build this far forward, you have any idea how long it took to get here. That's why the famous adage goes that it was hard times in the past that created strong people, right. And these strong men created good times. And women of course, right created good times the strength of the age that was demanded is what built greatness. But then it continues to save us about the cycle, the cycle of humans and civilizations, hard times create strong men strong men create good times. But then good times, create weak men.

And then weak men create hard times, and the cycle continues. And so we are more in need than anyone else to remember this, that we are subjected to weakness more than ever before, because we got it easy more than ever before. The ease of life has made life so hard. No more drive, no more ambition. And you just look around. People are saying Why isn't life making me happy anymore? In the past, people used to pursue happiness. They used to call it the pursuit of happiness. Now let's Why isn't happiness coming to me? Why haven't I gotten promoted in my job yet? Should I change careers? You've only been there for a year or two? What do you mean promoted? What promotion? In the past he'd

worked 1015 years, and then he'd start eyeing up promotion. And so that notion of everything should be effortless. Everything should be easy. Our dean also came to guard us against it in many ways. You know, I'm one of them. hubub may Allah be pleased with him when he became the ruler of the Muslims. Shortly after the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and there was like unprecedented growth. He was checking the Muslims keeping them in check from overlooking the risk that we were upon right now. He used to say to them in neither Accra hope and our outcome Subhanallah I cannot stand I will not tolerate to see you wandering aimlessly purpose. lessly and then he explained he

said laffy Amelie duniya Well, if you I'm gonna laugh Hera just seeing you lounging around, not busy with the work of this world, or busy with the work of the hereafter.

They're neither. You're not even building out yourself. Your portfolio as we call it nowadays, you're not building up your finances. You're not building up your family. You're not building up your knowledge. You're not What are you doing?

And goose Rahim Allah scholar, he said to his fellow, Imam Ibrahim namaste surah he said to him once, they will check each other and we need this we need sort of echoing the sentiments. He's say to him, you will get married, get married already, or else I will say to you what Omar used to say.

Or Omar used to say to Abu Zilla in this generation,

Maryam now Kameena, Nika he Illa, Adzuna. For June, nothing is stopping you from getting married right now. Except you're incapable or you're wicked. Why aren't you married? Either you want to play around outside of marriage, your wicked person, or you're incapable? Both of those should make you uncomfortable and you want to shed those notions away from yourself. No such thing as being wicked. You can accept that for yourself. No such thing as being incapable if there's anything you can do about it, do something about it. Why aren't you married yet? Why don't you have a family? Why aren't you pursuing children? What do you think you're here for? How much time do you think you have? This

was the type of attitude they had with each other?

And you know

that not only should this ingrained in us a notion that there's no offseason for a believer who understands the nature of life, right? There may be low seasons, that's human right wax and wane, our ambitions dip. Sometimes we get distracted. Sometimes we're hardwired to be heedless, I'm okay. But there's no offseason. But it also means that when you set your goals these incremental these little wins as they call them will actually create in your desire for greater wins Inshallah, that's why this is so important.

Like, there's a beautiful account that happened with another ruler of the Muslims aren't gonna map the Nazis and I hate my whole life. And I'm gonna map that as he's only ruled the world. For about two or two and a half years, it wasn't long at all. But the build up the preparation, the gearing up for that greatness is what you want to notice. It was a mindset, it was a determination. So in this incident, his his lifelong advisor Rajat and Hayward great scholar once bought him a shirt when he was still the governor of Medina for 500 Darryl him, let's just say dollars. And he brought it to him. And Omar Abdulaziz said to him, this is a really nice shirt, I can't hold anything against this

shirt worth not for the fact that it's for 500 Meaning it's too cheap. It's beneath me. I don't wear stuff for 500 bucks. It's gotta be

1000 plus.

And years later, when he became the Khalifa of the Muslims, he became a far more pious man. And he says, I bought him a shirt for five Dirham 100th of the cost five $5.

And so he said to me, there's nothing wrong with this shirt.

Worth not for the fact that it costs so much money.

Rajat the advisor began to cry, so my crying will happen. He said, You remember when you told me 500 is too cheap, and he didn't remember. So after he reminded him of the incident, and look at where you've been and where you are, now, I feel bad for you. You're so hard on yourself. So he told me Don't feel bad for me. I've set my eyes on something else. He said to him, I have Neff Cinta. Wacka. Like an ambitious spirit inside me. Whenever I get something, I want something better. I'm actually not going lower. I'm going higher right now. He's telling them in the past. I craved being the governor. And until I became the governor. And then I desired to marry the daughter of the

president. Basically, the Khalifa is daughter fought lemons, Abdul Malik, and give her a huge bridal gallery riches as her bridal gift. And I did that. But then when I got that,

I desired to be the Khalifa himself, the Sultan himself the president, not just his son in law, and then I became that righteous means of course, and then I became that and now I long for Paradise for Jana. Nothing less. That's why five is too much right now.

And so, and there's a gem here, by the way, like getting married, being a leader, these are all aspects of this world. This world will only not break you. By the way, when your goals in life are not the end of life. It's not the end I want to be you

No CEO, I want to be married with a nice big house with a inground pool. If your accomplishments in life are a means to your afterlife, then you won't be disappointed if you get them if you don't get them, right. It's not my ultimate goal. It's a means to my goal. It's a stepping stone. And also, if you do get them, you won't be disappointed by them. Because many people get what they think is worth chasing for a lifetime, then they get it. And they're utterly miserable because they thought it would fulfill them. You're not made to be fulfilled by these things. Those holes cannot be filled by materialistic gains. They'll never be filled with that.

You know, an AI to tell you about life never breaking you. You know, when you think about like Goebbels, there is a man and other ruler of the Muslims that comes to mind, which is Abdul Rahman and more Alia.

It's going to be difficult to summarize the story, but I'm going to try because it's really worth it.

Abdul Rahman anymore. Alia was essentially the only survivor of the Omega dynasty. The Prophet SAW Salem the Sahaba lead, one of the last Sahaba to lead is from bento Omiya his family builds out of dynasty they ruled for some time, another dynasty, the AI Besitz come in and massacre the will maids. Neither of them was 100% Innocent at that point, they just massacre them. They killed a whole family. No one's rising to power from this family again. Two people escape. This man I'm telling you about 100 More Alia Rahima Hola. And his 13 year old brother. They're on the run. They get to the river. The mercenaries are behind them. They jump in the river, they swim halfway across the river,

his little brother can't make it too tired. And the people at the shore are saying, come back. If you surrender, we promise you safety. We won't kill you if you surrender now. He had to so he swam back to the shore. Soon as he got to the shore, they slit his throat.

So only after Ramadan more hours left. He continues to the other side. And essentially for six years he's off in hiding in Africa. From like the Middle East. He crosses over eventually to Africa, West North Africa there and he's hiding for six years strategizing, mobilizing all of this to do what he literally crosses over the sea North. He doesn't go back. He goes north, and he takes over Al Andalus he takes over Muslim Spain. He becomes the Khalifa overnight.

I know I said nothing happens overnight. Just hear me out overnight to the point that historians title him. Abdurrahman it death in Abdurrahman, the Enter it's a very clunky name in English. What do you mean the enter because that's what he did. He literally entered and assumed the role. I'm here. Everybody stand down.

Because before that when Muslim Spain was liberated, there was a period called the Abdullah the governors phase. Because there was 22 governors in 40 years. It was a free for all okay.

assassinations and overthrows and rebelling. It was a mess. He walks in and clears everybody out is I'm running the show. And he runs it and grows it and establishes it. 32 years he lived an endless you know how old he was when he did that. He was 18 years old.

This is why the other dynasty divested from the monsoon I Bessie. He named him and this is his most famous name historically, you should look him up. He named him Sakura Quraysh, the Falcon of Quraysh

because his lineage goes back to college. And he flew the coop, and he refused for anyone to keep him down. I got no family. I got no sort of military mobilization. I have no life experience. I don't got much time. I'm only 18 years old. I don't have anything he refused to be. But what I want to say is you think that came out of nowhere? No, that came out of the fact that he refused to settle

and be complacent and die of depression and just throw in the towel. He was working. He knew that life does not have sympathy on those who waits for hand me downs.

And so the summer is also ahead of you all right. It's just the summer. He was just 18 right?

Things are don't let the world tell you it's just the summer. Don't let the world tell you you're not 18 yet, whatever. It's gonna break that ceiling that artificial glass ceiling on top of you and put in a plan for your

Self what are the needs out there? What does the world need and what am I good at? And then know that you got to put in the work. A call Holly has I will start from lovely Maria welcome

and hamdu Lillahi wa salatu salam ala Milena Viva La ilaha illallah wa ala Sharika or shadow Anna, Mohammed and Abu whenever you who are pseudo.

You know, despite the fact that he was a genocidal dictator,

this statement of his is no less true.

This statement of Lenin, you guys may know Lenin of the former Soviet Union. He said that there are decades in life when nothing happens, downtime assumed downtime, right? Nothing happens. Then he says there are weeks in life where decades happen?

Why did decades happen in weeks, because the underground the infrastructure, the work the patience

caused this to come about later on. People only see what's on the surface. But that is not possible without what is beneath the surface. The majority of the mountain the majority of the iceberg is underground, hard work. And that is why no one ever got anywhere.

Not even the prophets of Allah without patience. You want to be a leader for yourself, lead your life in a better direction, let alone lead your family, let alone lead others patience. Why did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say ma'am in being Illa AlGhanim There was never a prophet of God, except that he was a shepherd of sheep. Being a shepherd of sheep teaches you a lot. But think about it. This is downtime. This is God's prophet for like 10 years Musa alayhis salam or the Prophet SAW Selim right on the side of a mountain somewhere in the shadows, right? You think this is like I'm bigger than this, I'm better than that. This is necessary.

You don't just learn patience and deliberation. And the tranquility you get with dealing with docile animals and reflecting on the signs of nature and being a thoughtful, introspective person, but you also learn to be a leader. They're grazing I can't be I got to watch them. The wolf is coming. Right? Their heads are down. I can't keep my head down. What if there's a cliff coming up? Right? They're not done eating. Even if I want to leave I gotta be patient with my flock or else I can't. I'm gonna part ways with them. All of this is what made great leadership possible. What made great goals possible, it was gearing up for greatness before the opportunity came and then they were able

to capitalize on it. May Allah help us capitalize on all of the time wasted. And all of the times we underestimate ourselves. May Allah make us the best of those who have ambitions in this world in the next May Allah azza wa jal help us plant the healthiest trees in our lives and the lives of our loved ones and in this planet, and may Allah allow us to reap their fruits for eternity Allahumma Amin may we always see as the Prophet said Allah He salatu salam Allahumma Inanna Celica basophil amor will Azima Tala rushed learn this dua. Oh Allah grant me firmness in my affairs, never to be a feather in the wind a victim of my circumstance right of Oh Allah give me firmness in my affairs and

resolve upon doing the right thing resolve upon guidance, may we be the best of those who benefit from this dua