The 3 Keys to Human Excellence

There is a very famous passage my brothers and sisters in sort of Alia Emraan.

that encapsulates the summary of how to arrive at your maximum or maximum potential, the best version of yourself.

And that is a set of four verses were in Allah azza wa jal versus was Sadie Aroo LM Filati Mira become one what Jannetty in outdoor has similar to an outdoor read that read moods Akin,

and race, take this life seriously, be serious and determined in racing in competing for the forgiveness of your Lord. At the end of the day, this is what matters. And a paradise as wide as expansive as the heavens and the earth rather wider and more expansive than the heavens and the earth that has been prepared for the people of Taqwa has been prepared for the pious, those who live consciously of Allah.

And this is the first quality of truly successful people.

The people who got Allah's forgiveness at the end of the day for living by telco and wound up in paradise. And that's so important because many times it is parroted at our ears at every turn, that this is what success is, and that is what success is. And so when I say name was successful person, the average person even Muslims may say, this businessman or that entrepreneur,

this is what jumps to mind.

fame, wealth, power, these are success. Allah is saying no, stay focused and race here where it's worth it towards the forgiveness of your Lord that that everything else is eclipsed by then notice that he says a paradise wider than the heavens and the earth. He doesn't just say race for Paradise and the AI keeps it moving. Why is it so many times throughout the whole Quran when Allah mentions Jana, he qualifies it he interjects in the middle of the sentence. So many descriptions of Jana various descriptions of Jana, because unless you're able to visualize what Janna is like, if you can't dream it, how can you chase it right? If you cannot visualize what is in that paradise, what

awaits a person, for example, in this verse, just how vast it is. Its massive size, its boundless size. It's, you know, it is not just vast physically if we can use the word physical here, it is vast in every respect. It is vast in the emotions it has to offer us you think you felt happiness, you've never felt happiness, there's a wider version of happiness, a more vast emotion in paradise that this world cannot contain. It is even vast in its flavors, you think you've tasted all the flavors, there is a much wider selection of flavors in the fruits and in the rivers and otherwise. So visualizing the vastness of Paradise is a part and parcel of being able to chase it correctly.

Because if you cannot always be able to put a goal in your mind at least and reorient yourself on your goal, you will not be able to race you will not be able to stay determined.

Nothing will make you weaker in the race than being disoriented about the goal. Then having blurriness about this goal of yours. And then the verse continues to say what not just that it's so wide, it says or it that it has been prepared. It's already ready for them with Turkey and for the people of Taqwa.

As a horrible Rahim Allah, he used to say about this concept in the Quran. He used to say well, I should have been liminality for another Gen Netta to say no FOCA who will now rule to serata who que Fe Anam obey now Houma. It's really odd. He says that someone is told that Jana is actively being prepared and decorated on top of him. And the fire is currently being stoked and kindled under him. How does he sleep between these two places? I mean, he should at least be spiritually awake, right? Humans have to sleep. But how do you fall asleep in the race? How do you sleep in your competitive instinct when you know this? So that is the first part of human excellence, racing in the right

direction and racing at a you know, a respectable pace by having the visual ahead of you having your eyes on the prize. Once you have that, go to the next verse. In this passage, Allah azza wa jal says, What is the description of these mucha pIan for which this vast prepared paradise is awaiting? He says I lead

Nina, you will feel cool if you sell raw while the raw a while Cal the mean Alpha when I fina Annie, Nancy Walla who you hit booty Marcin in the moutain. And then Allah does not just describe any more Tiffin he dropped, he describes basically the the highest tier of water clean. And he says those who spend, whether in good times or in difficult times, and those who are able to suppress their rage and pardon people. And then he says to summarize it Wallah who you hate Bucha teen and Allah loves they are very cherished by Allah, the Mercy Nene, he says now, you see these people, to the extent of their Taqwa to the extent of them, visualizing the home that they're chasing the abode of the

people of Taqwa will be the extent of their consistency and their strength in the race. And so he describes the fastest of them in this area to start you at the top to aim for that. And he speaks about things if you reflect, they're not even mandatory, right? Those who spend in good times and in hard times, while you don't have to spend the hard times Islamically speaking, you get spent on right, then it says, Those who suppress their rage.

And pardon the people not just suppress it, nope, suppress it to the point of

suppressing your rage to keep you fair and just in anger, that's mandatory, but to suppress your rage in the point where you dismiss your right for justice, for demanding justice, for equal retribution for equal vengeance. This is not mandatory, right? To forgive someone who wronged you was like mandatory.

So what does this tell you? It tells you these are people have said, these are people who they do not look anymore because they see Jana. So clearly, it's being prepared it being so wide, then they don't whether I have to do it or I don't have to do it is no longer a factor for them, they are mixing in they are people have a sense, people of such excellence, such excellence that good is their habit, even if it is not a duty on them. They just see themselves at this point and how could I give up this opportunity? Give up this opportunity for another act of good to chase another level of gender.

And so to the degree of your ability to visualize will be the strength of your ability to race and you will rise above even that where is the red line mentality? That concept of like Will I be punishable? Is it sinful if I do this or not do I have to is off the off the table it's gone.

And before I move on to the next area, we need to always remember that when I say that people have said our people who good has become their habits regardless of the ruling.

The Prophet alayhi salatu salam cautioned us to make sure you build up to this state gradually. He said when you build your habits, even if they're few, that is fine, but make sure you're consistent. Some people they just grab a little bit from anywhere and it doesn't work right. In other words, know that if you want Allah to love you, Allah he'll Hepburn Marcin, remember first that Allah loves consistent deeds, even if they're small. So to build up to this level of true accent, have small good deeds that will accelerate you little by little, don't get overtaken by the visual and say I have to do the greatest good deed now and then you burn out many people fall into this trap.

You are what you habitually do what you repeatedly do. Aristotle used to say, excellence is a habit, it's not an act. How do you build that habit? By the little things first, always remember that, you know, so many Quran experts tell you every student I've had who memorized the entire Quran began with a line or he'll say a page a day. And by the time they progress, they're now doing four and five and 10 pages a day started small for the sense of accomplishment for the motivation, you know, subhanAllah there is so much less excellence in our age, in the corporate world or in any type of fields. People are all complaining about the lack of excellence, the lack of productivity, the lack

of perfectionism that once existed, the lack of expertise. One of the reasons is what this incoherent just hustle just grind just keep pushing in every direction and doing 1000 things at once as opposed to that valuable gift. He told us all Salem No, no, no focus, start small and scale it carefully because you only get one shot at this. We only live this life once. So that priceless advice he told us Allahu alayhi wa sallam 1400 years ago. You want to be a person of accent. So that Allah who may love You, Allah Who loves consistent deeds, start them small

The third now area quickly, Allah azza wa jal then speaks about the people of excellence in a very unexpected way. He says, After spending in good times and evil and those difficulty and those who suppress their rage and pardon people and Allah loves the people of Xad, he says, further describing these modes of pain that will inherit Paradise will Lavina either follow fisherton l Vala, mu m Fusa, whom veka Rula. And they are also those, that when not those who are committing evil deeds, that when they commit evil deeds, so, there's a sense here that it is not a habit of theirs, or it is not a frequent habit of theirs. They spend in good times and hard times, pardon people who

wronged them and if they commit evil deeds, Allah says so they commit just not that frequently, when Lavina either for alfalfa hay Schatten, el Vala, moo and fusarium vacarro, Allah, they are those that when they commit an indecent act, or wrong themselves, major and minor sins basically, that can Allah Allah comes to mind. First step thoroughly don't obey him and so they seek forgiveness

for their sins, where many other fellows Vinoba Illa Allah and who else they recall this who else will forgive my sins but Allah wa ala Musa Rue Allah, for Allah wa homea Allah moon and they do not persist adamantly in what they used to do that sin they fell into, while they know they may become absent minded they may slip time and again, you know, in sha Allah few and four are far apart but they're not actively adamantly going back to the sin

carelessly while they're trying to be careful, even if you cannot be perfectly careful, lamb you Saru Allah, for Allah wa whom ye Allah moon, they do not insists there persists in the sin while consciously doing that. Willa Iike Jessa uma Farah to murabahah him even these people Allah said, even after starting at the high level, he said these people, their reward will be a forgiveness from their Lord, what he told you to raise for two verses ago, they too will get the forgiveness from their Lord with Jana to integrate him into it hell and how to Holly Dena, fear and gardens beneath which rivers flow abiding there in eternally. Whenever I'm at July, Emmeline and how excellent is

their award of those who put in the work the reward of those who do work

of hola hola has stuff for Allah Allah Allah Emily welcome

Al hamdu Lillahi wa Salatu was Salam ala Milena V about that shadow Allah ilaha illallah, WA Julio Shadi Kala, Shadow shadow and Mohammed Abdullah, who want to be you who are also.

So what does this third verse

teach us about the people of excellence, we said, the first verse said to us, that you have to lock your eyes on the prize, or else you will not be able to race. The second of them is that you are a person of habitual, good right? Person of accent. This third one is it's a fundamental part. A fundamental part of this is a person who is able to overcome their let downs, overcome obstacles, to not hold yourself to a high standard that shaitan will use against you to demotivate you in the race. This is part of what you need to be a person of excellence. You know, when the Prophet Alayhi Salatu was Salam said to you, if you never committed sins, I would have feared for you something

even more dangerous, which is becoming conceited. He's teaching you to say, take this in as an opportunity to learn that the I'm not that great. I'm a failure without Allah. But so long as he's on my side, I can continue to have chances every time I repent. In another Hadith, he said, had you not committed sins, Allah who would do away with you and bring about another creation, another human race, if you will, that sins so it seeks his forgiveness, so he forgives them. This is not telling you to just like be little sins or embolden you to go ahead and sin. This is telling you be resilient when you when you fall, be resilient when you stumble, have hope when you sin and just get

back up every single time.

You know, many people they just feel like they're at rock bottom before they actually are, you know, a wise man in the English language. At least he used to say that when you tell yourself I'm at rock bottom, like I failed again. All my accomplishments are gone. He says rock bottom is the best foundation to build something on. And in our tradition, this is also true. The brokenness, when you fall in your attempts is one of the ways to accelerate you one of the shortcuts to Allah. As it will claim Rahim Allah He used to say do you think Adam Alayhis Salam was the same in his relationship with Allah after the sin? No. He was closer to Allah after this in because he repented

and experienced a new name of Allah, Allah for the most forgiving that he would not have experienced. Had he not sin.

You know, speaking of Adam Alayhis Salam and I will wrap up with this. There is a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari and elsewhere where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, one time Allah permitted Musa alayhis salam to debate with Adam Alayhis Salam. And he said to him, oh, Adam, how could you do it? How could you sin, you are the father of humanity. And Allah created you with his own two hands and he blew into you from his spirit. How could you do this to us? You got us kicked out of Jannah.

And so Musa alayhis salam says to him, are you not Musa who Allah wrote for you the Torah with his hands. And Allah spoke to you distinguish for you with speaking to you directly? How could you he said, he said, How could you blame me for something that was written on me 50,000 years before the heavens and the earth?

You see, Adam Alayhis Salam was not blaming destiny for committing his sins because we know from the Quran, he said, Oh Allah, forgive me, he owned it. But after the fact that you owned accountability, responsibility, it is ultimately part of Allah, Allah, Allah who will destined that we will not be perfect. And so part of that is something to be capitalized on. We can cite the other of Allah about the calamity. And so long as you've repented from your sin, you can just consider it another calamity. Something to be rewarded for that is the idea.

As the Prophet alayhi salatu salam said, we're at VSA adolescent tempo, her follow up the bad deed with a good deed so that you can erase it, you work on it. And he said is that in Billa? He will attaches you know, just stay on the good deeds and seek help from Allah and don't ever give up don't ever give in. To overcome setbacks is of the qualities of the people of Sn who inherit this Jana, may Allah make us and you of them. May Allah help us and you will lock the price in our hearts and in front of our eyes. May Allah help us people who will become upon a habitual good, and time and time again refuse to stay down when we have setbacks when we find obstacles when we get tripped up

Allahumma Amin