Mohammad Elshinawy – Who do I vote for – Piety before Politics

Mohammad Elshinawy
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The speaker discusses the importance of religion and how it can be a political and political vehicle. They also mention the need for people to be aware of their political views and to practice their own strategies. The speaker emphasizes the need for everyone to be aware of their political views and practice their own strategies.

AI: Summary ©

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			Separating politics from religion could sometimes be the
		
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			greatest crime ever.
		
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			You know why?
		
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			Because it is ultimately Allah's creation, all of
		
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			it.
		
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			He created it all.
		
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			And so rightfully so, it's ultimately His determination.
		
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			Truth is what He says to be truth.
		
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			And justice is what He determines to be
		
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			just.
		
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			Our worldview comes from Him.
		
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			And to be on the opposite side of
		
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			that is to sabotage our salvation.
		
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			Our survival and hereafter depends on aligning with
		
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			God, not putting ourselves on equal footing to
		
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			contend with God.
		
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			Now on the other hand, confusing politics with
		
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			religion can sometimes be one of the greatest
		
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			crimes ever.
		
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			You know when this happens?
		
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			When a person wrongfully, incorrectly assumes that their
		
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			political views are absolute truths.
		
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			When you're as certain of your political position
		
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			as you are certain of Islam, that's a
		
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			big problem.
		
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			Because political maneuvers, political strategies, your approach, your
		
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			theory on how to bring about better conditions
		
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			for yourself and the world, these are not
		
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			exact sciences.
		
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			Grounding your value system in revelation, in Islam,
		
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			that is a definite.
		
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			Feeling Islamically obligated to pursue the lesser evil,
		
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			that's a definite.
		
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			That's a must.
		
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			Identifying which strategy, approach, methodology will generate the
		
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			lesser evil, that's not a definite.
		
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			That's speculative.
		
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			Why is it speculation?
		
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			Because none of us are God and only
		
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			Allah Azza wa Jal knows the future.
		
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			Practically speaking, who am I voting for?
		
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			I'm voting for the candidate that the specialists
		
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			in politics whom I trust deemed to be
		
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			the lesser evil.
		
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			So I feel morally obligated to support that.
		
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			Even if I don't agree with all of
		
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			that campaign's views.
		
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			They believe this and I believe their speculation
		
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			is less likely to be wrong than mine.
		
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			So I'm gonna remove my right to have
		
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			a view and defer to those who have
		
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			a more likely correct view.
		
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			That's it.
		
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			But at the end of the day, it's
		
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			speculation.
		
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			Am I gonna advise others to do the
		
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			same?
		
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			Sure.
		
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			I will advise others and if they see
		
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			otherwise or trust specialists that are saying otherwise,
		
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			I'm gonna assume the best of their intentions
		
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			and realize they might actually be right.
		
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			Because I know I don't know the future.
		
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			I know that I don't worship my opinion.
		
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			I know that political scientists are not prophets.
		
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			The sahaba, the companions of the Prophet sallallahu
		
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			alayhi wa sallam, they were not perfect.
		
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			One time the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's
		
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			wife was slandered, accused of infidelity.
		
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			And they kind of got into it, jumped
		
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			to certain conclusions, but in reality at the
		
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			core of it, they were all reacting to
		
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			what is the correct way to get to
		
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			the bottom of this.
		
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			But in the middle of that, someone said
		
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			complicit.
		
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			Someone said enabler.
		
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			Someone said siding with the hypocrites.
		
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			But the point being, very quickly did they
		
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			realize that they were wrong.
		
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			Very quickly did they realize that they were
		
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			offended.
		
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			Personally offended or offended for the sake of
		
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			the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
		
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			And as a result of that, they had
		
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			jumped to a miscalculated conclusion.
		
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			They speculated incorrectly.
		
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			And so what did they do?
		
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			They retraced their steps and their brotherhood resumed.
		
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			And we must all do the same.
		
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			Our Lord is one.
		
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			Our destination is one.
		
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			May Allah gather us all in Jannah.
		
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			Our enemy is one.
		
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			And so our road is one.
		
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			We may sometimes take different lanes on that
		
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			road, but our road is one.
		
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			And if we don't accept as our brothers
		
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			and sisters, those whom Allah Azza wa Jal
		
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			has accepted as His servants, how can they
		
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			not be worthy to be equally your brother
		
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			and sister?
		
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			When Allah has accepted them, regardless of everything
		
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			else, as worthy of being Muslim.
		
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			If we don't accept that, then our problem
		
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			is not with our brothers and sisters anymore.
		
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			Our problem is with Allah subhanahu wa ta
		
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			'ala.
		
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			Our problem is with the fact that there
		
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			is something heavier, something outweighing in our hearts,
		
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			weighing heavier than la ilaha illallah because they
		
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			have it too.
		
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			And so may Allah allow for our piety
		
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			to guide our politics.