Mohammed Faqih – Strength Through Community IECPA Annual Conference 2024

Mohammed Faqih
AI: Summary ©
The importance of unity in Islam is demonstrated through personal actions and practices, including praying five times a day. The need for individuals to practice their own actions and not pray in public is emphasized. The importance of bond between believers and their community is emphasized, and the need to be part of a larger community is emphasized. The speaker emphasizes the importance of trust in the Prophet's strength and building friendships with others, while also highlighting the importance of regular events and events in the community. The speaker also highlights the need to enjoy the fruit of unity and build wealth organically.
AI: Transcript ©
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The very fact that we don't have an

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ummah, a true ummah, in its truest sense,

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that is, that led to this.

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If we were an ummah as we should

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have been, or as Allah Subh'anaHu Wa

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Ta-A'la commands us to be, and

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as the Prophet ﷺ left us, we would

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have not, we would have been able to

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provide aid and help and rescue innocent civilians

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who are being slaughtered.

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We can't even get a bottle of water

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without someone who really wants to see us

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all gone without their permission.

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So this is a sad reality, but I

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also believe that it starts from here, from

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communities like this community, from individuals like you

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and I, who really see the importance of

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it.

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And here I am 25, 20, 25, 28

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years later, I'm still talking about the same

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topic that we've been talking about.

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Almost every Islamic convention that happens yearly, you

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will find in the topics of that convention,

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a talk about, or two about unity, right?

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So as a matter of fact, some conventions,

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the entire theme of that convention is unity.

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So I'm not against discussing it and talking

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about it, but we really need to be

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truthful with ourselves, and we need to be

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transparent, we need to really be committed, because

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all these talks that we're attending, and all

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these reminders that we're hearing, and all these

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talks that we are given as speakers, and

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as imams, and as du'as, and all

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of that, they're going to be held against

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us on the day of judgment if we

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do not practice what we preach, and if

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we do not commit to what we already

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believe in.

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You see, and sometimes, you know, and I

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don't, I hate to get philosophical, you know,

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people conflate unity with, with, with community and,

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you know, other great concepts, but Islam calls

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us to come together.

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Islam calls us to come together, and there

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are multiple, you know, Qur'anic verses that

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invite us to come together.

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So, and I don't see in any of

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them, like, an explicit, an explicit reference to

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the word unity in the way many people

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understand it.

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And again, I'm not saying it's not intended,

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I'm just saying that it's very important to

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make the distinction between what we are being

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invited to do, and what we sometimes mistakenly

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assume we ought to do.

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So, unity in and of itself, I believe,

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is really a consequence.

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It's an end.

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It's, it's, it's something that, it's a result

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that comes out of something else that we

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can all commit to.

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And that is what is known as coming

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together.

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Sometimes people call it jama'a, sometimes people

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call it ishtima'a, creating assemblies.

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And if you look closely into what Allah

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and His Messenger ﷺ taught us to do,

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even as individuals, for our own health, and

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for our own growth, it will lead to

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that.

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It's meant to teach us that.

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So, Allah ﷻ commands us to pray five

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times a day.

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Even if you pray individually, which is obviously,

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it's inferior to praying in a jama'a.

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We are highly encouraged and commanded to pray

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in a jama'a, especially the men.

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Even when you do that, when you pray

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individually, you are still practicing a communal act

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of worship.

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And there is a talk later, I believe,

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about act of worship.

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Because, you know, at the same time there

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are millions and millions of Muslims praying to

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the same direction, the same number of rak

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'ahs, the same, generally speaking, in the same

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fashion.

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It's not like everyone has their own prayer.

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You can come up with your own prayer,

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or your own rituals.

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That automatically unifies you.

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Only if you really think about it and

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internalize and realize that this is one of

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the intended objectives of the acts of worship,

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of ibadah.

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And Allah ﷻ doesn't say that, you know,

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pray on your own whenever you feel like

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it.

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No, five times a day.

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So, in a way, it is important for

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us to come together, at least spiritually, at

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least emotionally.

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Think about it.

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It's important for us to come together five

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times a day.

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And then physically, we are commanded to actually

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do our best to come together physically.

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Many people, again, as I said, many brothers,

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and I don't intend to be here to

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make a distinction, but we are invited to

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pray five times a day in the masjid

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if we can.

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And if we can't do five times, then

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as many prayers as we can.

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And, you know, in many communities, alhamdulillah, we

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see now this trend of people starting their

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day in the masjid and ending their day

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in the masjid, coming for fajr prayer and

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going to isha prayer as well.

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You see this happening in many places, and

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I travel quite a lot around the country,

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while still there are people who refuse to

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be part of that effort.

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But that, in and of itself, is supposed

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to bring us together and create that sense

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of unity or community amongst the believers.

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So we find the Qur'an always inviting

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us to meet.

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Ijtema' means to meet, to have an assembly,

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to come together.

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Physically, spiritually, emotionally, and if possible, intellectually.

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So this is one thing that we find

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a lot of emphasis for in the hadith

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of the Prophet ﷺ as well as in

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the Qur'an.

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Number two, the Qur'an and the prophetic

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tradition forbid us from doing anything that could

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compromise that sense of brotherhood or sisterhood or

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that thing that bonds us together, that brings

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us together.

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Anything that could weaken it, anything that can

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break it, you're not supposed to do that.

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Even individually, even if it's between you, even

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if it's a feud between you and someone

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else, you're not supposed to do that.

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We are forbidden from doing that.

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There is an entire surah that talks about

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how Muslims should behave with each other, how

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we should avoid doing the things that could

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actually weaken that bond that we have.

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And the Prophet ﷺ and Allah ﷻ in

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the Qur'an, Allah ﷻ first and the

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Prophet ﷺ remind us of this very special

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bond that we have between us and we

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should not do anything to weaken it or

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destroy it.

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Number three, let me just focus on this

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bond that Allah and His Messenger ﷺ talk

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to us about and how it was through

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obviously different events and acts of worship and

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commitment first and foremost amongst the believers, the

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Sahaba, the most amazing and fascinating community that

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has ever, you know, that we look up

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to, they felt that.

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And they committed to it.

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And they set a great example for us.

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And that is this unique and extraordinary understanding

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the Sahaba had for Khuwa.

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And again, sometimes you use certain words and

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people look at you and they're like isn't

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that, but I don't know how else to

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describe it except as brotherhood.

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This bond that the believers have.

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Allah ﷻ in the Qur'an says, innamal

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mu'minoona ikhwa.

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And the Prophet ﷺ in the hadith of

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Ibn Abbas repeats that.

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He quotes that.

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And then the Prophet ﷺ elaborates on how

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that should manifest itself.

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Innamal mu'minoona ikhwa.

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Believers are one brotherhood, one unit.

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There is a bond between the believers.

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So our community, the unity of our community

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is deeply rooted in our faith.

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The stronger your faith is, the stronger that

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bond that you have with like-minded and

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like-hearted people should be.

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And if you don't sense it, if you

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feel isolated, if you feel that you don't

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belong, then there is something wrong.

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If you, when you see a believer, a

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believing man, a believing woman, when you see

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them, if you don't feel automatically, if you

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don't gravitate towards them, if you don't feel

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a connection of some kind, then there is

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something wrong.

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Something seriously is wrong.

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And unfortunately, more and more people, and obviously

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there are all kinds of very, you know,

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factors to that.

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Many people feel, though they come to the

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community and they like to have big gatherings,

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they don't feel like they belong.

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There is something that is missing.

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And I think part of it has to

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do with us not really valuing this quality.

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Seeing the significance and the importance and the

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weight of this quality.

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So you really have to do the things

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that the Prophet ﷺ talked about that will

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actually enhance that feeling.

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The Prophet ﷺ, for instance, tells us, and

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by the way, look, just if you were

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to examine the Qur'anic verses and the

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prophetic statements and you can look them up

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now, you will see that there is a

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lot of focus on emotions, positive emotions, when

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it comes to that bond the believers have

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with one another.

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So for instance, the Prophet ﷺ talks about

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love.

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Love.

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That the believers are supposed to love one

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another.

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So how do we know if we even

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have that love for other believers?

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So the Prophet ﷺ says, none of you

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is a true believer until he or she

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loves for their brethren what they love for

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themselves.

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So if you want to really see whether

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you truly love a believer or not, and

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whether you are truly a believer or not,

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you should ask yourself, if I love something,

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if something is dear to my heart, whatever

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that thing is, promotion, status, wealth, could be

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something very specific or something very general, do

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I love it?

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Do I love for my brethren to have

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the same thing?

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Do I love for others what I love

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for myself?

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And if that's not the case, then we've

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got an issue here.

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So the Prophet ﷺ says, well, you're not

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going to believe, you're not going to enter

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Jannah until you believe.

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لَا تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى

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تَحَبُّوا And you're not going to truly be

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believers until you love one another.

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Then the Prophet ﷺ says, should I not

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tell you about something that if you were

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to do, it will actually spread or strengthen

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and promote that love amongst you.

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أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ Spread peace, not only the

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greeting of peace, but be peaceful towards one

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another.

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Harbor nothing but positive, you know, feeling towards

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other believers.

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Get rid of whatever causes you to have

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animosity or hatred towards another believer.

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Whatever causes misunderstandings, suspicion, jealousy, etc.

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etc.

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All these things that many of us fall

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into.

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Think of others to be as good if

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not a better version of yourself.

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Show up in the life of another believer,

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even if it's just by you're passing by

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them.

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You're just passing by them.

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You're just show up as someone that brings

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peace, someone that spreads peace, someone that intends

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peace for them.

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أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ Spread peace.

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Another recommendation the Prophet ﷺ tells us, and

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by the way, salam is one of the

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ways that we actually get to know each

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other.

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So, you know, and there are other hadith

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that talk about that.

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Many of us, by the way, we have

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very, very superficial relationships.

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Even when we go to our community center.

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Now, I'm sure, ya jama'a, you're like

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me, and I'm guilty of it, and may

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Allah forgive me.

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I'm sure you've been to the same masjid

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for a long time, and you've run into

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the same individuals for a long time, and

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you don't even know their names.

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You don't know their names.

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And there are many people, you know their

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names, that you don't know what they're doing.

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I know people that, you know, prayed next

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to each other for years, and sometimes I'm

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like, oh, do you know, and I'm like,

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astaghfirullah al adheem, I'm bad with names, man.

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Do you know the brother that prays to

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your left?

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That's what I say.

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He's like, which one?

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The one that was there yesterday at fajr.

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He was praying to your left.

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He was wearing such and such.

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He's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Do you have his phone number?

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He's like, uh, no.

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In a community where people have been seeing

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each other for years, years.

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So if we, if we don't get to

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know one another, we're not going to really

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care for each other.

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We're not going to feel that bond.

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The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam actually takes

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it a step further.

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The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, exchange

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gifts, and you will love one another.

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And we know that giving gifts or receiving

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gifts is a very powerful love language.

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Exchange gifts.

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This is the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,

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1400 years before Gary Chapman discovered that giving

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gifts is a love language.

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The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam talked about

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that.

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The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, exchange

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gifts, and you will love one another.

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But you're not going to exchange gifts with

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anyone that you don't know very well.

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As a matter of fact, if someone doesn't

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know you very well and they give you

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a gift, you're like, there may be some

00:16:16 --> 00:16:17

listening device in this gift.

00:16:18 --> 00:16:20

Are you spying on me or something?

00:16:20 --> 00:16:22

So we need to get to know one

00:16:22 --> 00:16:23

another.

00:16:24 --> 00:16:27

We need to do ta'aruf, get to

00:16:27 --> 00:16:31

know one another authentically if we really value

00:16:32 --> 00:16:35

this beautiful gift Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

00:16:35 --> 00:16:37

has given us, the gift of community.

00:16:40 --> 00:16:46

Now, let me move into areas that are

00:16:46 --> 00:16:47

key.

00:16:47 --> 00:16:50

And I'm assuming that you're all, most people

00:16:50 --> 00:16:52

are from Allentown, correct?

00:16:53 --> 00:16:53

Yes?

00:16:54 --> 00:16:54

No?

00:16:55 --> 00:16:56

I'm assuming most people.

00:16:56 --> 00:17:00

I'm not saying y'all are from, most

00:17:00 --> 00:17:00

of you?

00:17:00 --> 00:17:01

Okay.

00:17:03 --> 00:17:06

Now, show of hands, how many of you

00:17:06 --> 00:17:10

are regular visitors of your local masjid, be

00:17:10 --> 00:17:14

it your regular visitors of your local masjid?

00:17:15 --> 00:17:20

You know, okay, during the election years, one

00:17:20 --> 00:17:24

of the stats that really disturbed me within

00:17:25 --> 00:17:30

the most active, again, studies do not, you

00:17:30 --> 00:17:34

know, sometimes they can be, they may not

00:17:34 --> 00:17:37

be very conclusive, but there was something that

00:17:37 --> 00:17:40

really, you know, disturbed me in the past

00:17:40 --> 00:17:44

ten years, that most people that actually consider

00:17:44 --> 00:17:48

themselves to be very religious, that includes Muslims.

00:17:48 --> 00:17:49

I'm talking about Muslims.

00:17:49 --> 00:17:50

This is also true amongst even Christians.

00:17:51 --> 00:17:55

But most people that consider themselves to be

00:17:55 --> 00:18:00

committed Muslims, they do not go, they do

00:18:00 --> 00:18:06

not attend weekly programs in the masjid.

00:18:07 --> 00:18:07

They do not.

00:18:08 --> 00:18:10

Imagine, we're talking about not even Friday, most.

00:18:11 --> 00:18:12

And when I say most, I'm talking about

00:18:12 --> 00:18:13

41%.

00:18:13 --> 00:18:16

Sorry, I'm talking about more than 50%

00:18:16 --> 00:18:18

of those who are, who consider themselves to

00:18:18 --> 00:18:19

be religious.

00:18:23 --> 00:18:27

So, in a study done by Pew Research,

00:18:28 --> 00:18:33

they actually surveyed Muslims, 80% of whom

00:18:33 --> 00:18:38

claimed that they are committed Muslims, 80%

00:18:38 --> 00:18:39

of whom.

00:18:39 --> 00:18:42

And then when they were asked how often,

00:18:42 --> 00:18:44

if they go to their, to a regular

00:18:44 --> 00:18:49

gathering in their community center, once or more

00:18:49 --> 00:18:55

per week, only 39% said they do.

00:18:56 --> 00:18:57

That means 41%.

00:18:57 --> 00:19:00

That means half, if I read it correctly,

00:19:00 --> 00:19:03

if I remember correctly, more than half actually

00:19:03 --> 00:19:03

don't.

00:19:04 --> 00:19:07

They do not associate with their local masjid.

00:19:08 --> 00:19:09

For whatever reason they have.

00:19:10 --> 00:19:11

That's very disturbing.

00:19:11 --> 00:19:14

And that makes me wonder where people get

00:19:14 --> 00:19:15

their religious teachings from.

00:19:16 --> 00:19:17

Obviously online.

00:19:18 --> 00:19:21

And where people get that bond or that

00:19:21 --> 00:19:24

connection to the rest of the ummah.

00:19:26 --> 00:19:28

And I tell people, if you're not able

00:19:28 --> 00:19:31

to get along with your local community, how

00:19:31 --> 00:19:34

should I expect you to get along with

00:19:34 --> 00:19:34

the rest of the ummah?

00:19:37 --> 00:19:38

If you can't get along with your local

00:19:38 --> 00:19:43

community, if you can't feel that you're part

00:19:43 --> 00:19:45

of your local community, how are we expected

00:19:45 --> 00:19:48

to be part of a bigger body with

00:19:48 --> 00:19:52

all its complexities and challenges and issues and

00:19:52 --> 00:19:53

problems?

00:19:55 --> 00:20:00

So the first step towards really being part

00:20:00 --> 00:20:02

of this body that we call ummah is

00:20:02 --> 00:20:04

to be part of your local community.

00:20:06 --> 00:20:09

Build relationships and be part of your local

00:20:09 --> 00:20:09

masjid.

00:20:10 --> 00:20:12

And inshallah ta'ala maybe during the breakout

00:20:12 --> 00:20:14

session we can talk more about this.

00:20:15 --> 00:20:17

I don't have much faith in people who

00:20:17 --> 00:20:21

are really isolated and are not or don't

00:20:21 --> 00:20:22

want to be part of their local communities.

00:20:22 --> 00:20:26

Who are not as excited about it.

00:20:27 --> 00:20:29

I know people that they will flock to

00:20:29 --> 00:20:34

national events and different activities and stuff like

00:20:34 --> 00:20:34

that.

00:20:34 --> 00:20:36

But whatever is happening in their local community,

00:20:37 --> 00:20:43

be it some charity work or youth activities

00:20:43 --> 00:20:47

and other programs, they have no interest whatsoever.

00:20:51 --> 00:20:53

So that's the first step.

00:20:53 --> 00:20:56

And again we find this in the prophetic

00:20:56 --> 00:20:58

tradition that yes, keep going.

00:20:59 --> 00:21:02

Attend, not only the jum'ahs, but attend

00:21:02 --> 00:21:03

as many prayers as you can.

00:21:03 --> 00:21:05

At least start your day in the masjid

00:21:05 --> 00:21:06

and end your day in the masjid.

00:21:06 --> 00:21:09

And be part of that group.

00:21:10 --> 00:21:13

So the masjid alhamdulillah is a great gift

00:21:13 --> 00:21:15

from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

00:21:15 --> 00:21:17

No wonder the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam

00:21:17 --> 00:21:18

as soon as he arrived in Medina, even

00:21:18 --> 00:21:21

before he built a place of residence for

00:21:21 --> 00:21:24

himself sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he made sure

00:21:24 --> 00:21:25

that they build a masjid first.

00:21:26 --> 00:21:26

That's what he did.

00:21:27 --> 00:21:28

And he participated in the building of the

00:21:28 --> 00:21:29

masjid.

00:21:29 --> 00:21:30

And by the way it was very very

00:21:30 --> 00:21:31

simple.

00:21:31 --> 00:21:33

It was not as fancy as some of

00:21:33 --> 00:21:35

the masajid that we have including my masjid.

00:21:37 --> 00:21:40

Big huge facility, massive, you know.

00:21:41 --> 00:21:43

It doesn't need to be.

00:21:43 --> 00:21:44

Keep it simple.

00:21:46 --> 00:21:49

Make sure that everyone has that masjid in

00:21:49 --> 00:21:50

their hearts.

00:21:50 --> 00:21:50

They come together.

00:21:51 --> 00:21:54

And then grow organically, gradually and organically.

00:21:55 --> 00:21:59

And as your needs grow, you can grow

00:21:59 --> 00:22:00

your center.

00:22:07 --> 00:22:11

InshaAllah ta'ala I will stop right here.

00:22:12 --> 00:22:13

How much time do we have left?

00:22:14 --> 00:22:16

Six minutes inshaAllah.

00:22:16 --> 00:22:18

Is there a Q&A session now or

00:22:18 --> 00:22:18

later?

00:22:19 --> 00:22:21

I actually put a note for myself here

00:22:21 --> 00:22:23

to take questions from the audience.

00:22:25 --> 00:22:26

What is the format?

00:22:28 --> 00:22:29

After?

00:22:29 --> 00:22:30

After I finish.

00:22:31 --> 00:22:32

Oh later.

00:22:33 --> 00:22:35

There is a separate session inshaAllah ta'ala.

00:22:41 --> 00:22:42

Okay.

00:22:42 --> 00:22:45

I'm going to leave the challenges that get

00:22:45 --> 00:22:48

in the way of our unity for the

00:22:48 --> 00:22:50

breakout session inshaAllah ta'ala.

00:22:50 --> 00:22:52

And I ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala

00:22:52 --> 00:22:54

to bring our hearts together.

00:22:54 --> 00:22:57

I ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala to

00:22:57 --> 00:23:03

help us get through these very trying and

00:23:03 --> 00:23:06

difficult days.

00:23:07 --> 00:23:08

And we ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala

00:23:08 --> 00:23:11

to restore peace and tranquility in the name

00:23:11 --> 00:23:13

of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

00:23:13 --> 00:23:14

May Allah azza wa jalla give victory to

00:23:14 --> 00:23:17

the resilient people of Gaza.

00:23:17 --> 00:23:19

May Allah subhana wa ta'ala restore peace

00:23:19 --> 00:23:22

in Lebanon and the rest of the Muslim

00:23:22 --> 00:23:23

world.

00:23:23 --> 00:23:25

May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reunite this

00:23:25 --> 00:23:30

ummah and help us restore that glory that

00:23:30 --> 00:23:37

we once were able to enjoy as believers

00:23:37 --> 00:23:39

whose hearts were brought together.

00:23:39 --> 00:23:43

I'll conclude by saying that do not underestimate

00:23:43 --> 00:23:44

the power of dua.

00:23:45 --> 00:23:47

Do not underestimate the power of dua.

00:23:48 --> 00:23:52

Keep in mind that that love that we're

00:23:52 --> 00:23:54

talking about, that sense of unity and community

00:23:54 --> 00:23:56

that we're talking about, it's all in the

00:23:56 --> 00:23:57

hands of Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

00:23:59 --> 00:24:01

If we do not and again I don't

00:24:01 --> 00:24:02

want to take away from the session that

00:24:02 --> 00:24:04

talks about ibadah, acts of worship and the

00:24:04 --> 00:24:07

role of that to cleanse our hearts and

00:24:07 --> 00:24:07

bring us together.

00:24:08 --> 00:24:09

But Allah subhana wa ta'ala says something

00:24:09 --> 00:24:10

to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam that

00:24:10 --> 00:24:12

is very profound and I've been reflecting on

00:24:12 --> 00:24:13

this a lot lately.

00:24:14 --> 00:24:15

Allah azza wa jalla said to the Prophet

00:24:15 --> 00:24:18

salallahu alayhi wa sallam, huwa allathee ayyadaka binassarihi

00:24:18 --> 00:24:19

wabilmu'mineen.

00:24:19 --> 00:24:22

He's the one that gave you strength or

00:24:22 --> 00:24:27

victory through, Allah subhana wa ta'ala granted

00:24:27 --> 00:24:31

you victory directly and he surrounded you with

00:24:31 --> 00:24:32

the believers.

00:24:34 --> 00:24:36

One of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam's

00:24:36 --> 00:24:38

greatest assets that Allah azza wa jalla reminds

00:24:38 --> 00:24:40

him of are the believers who were around

00:24:40 --> 00:24:40

him.

00:24:42 --> 00:24:45

What was so special about them, oh Allah?

00:24:49 --> 00:24:52

One of the secrets of their strength was

00:24:52 --> 00:24:57

that sense of unity and community, that love,

00:24:57 --> 00:24:58

that bond that they had amongst them.

00:25:00 --> 00:25:02

And it was not only at, it was

00:25:02 --> 00:25:04

at the spiritual level as well as the

00:25:04 --> 00:25:05

emotional level.

00:25:05 --> 00:25:07

Their hearts were combined.

00:25:07 --> 00:25:09

Their hearts were brought together.

00:25:11 --> 00:25:13

There was ta'leef.

00:25:14 --> 00:25:15

They got along.

00:25:15 --> 00:25:17

That doesn't mean that they were all the

00:25:17 --> 00:25:20

same, that they all wore the same uniforms

00:25:20 --> 00:25:22

and that they all grew their beard the

00:25:22 --> 00:25:24

same way and they all wore the same

00:25:24 --> 00:25:26

color of kufi and the sahabiyat wore the

00:25:26 --> 00:25:29

same color or style of scarves and stuff

00:25:29 --> 00:25:29

like that.

00:25:30 --> 00:25:31

That's not what it means.

00:25:31 --> 00:25:36

It doesn't mean that they're all just superficially

00:25:36 --> 00:25:39

and outwardly conformed.

00:25:41 --> 00:25:43

But no, Allah subhana wa ta'ala says,

00:25:43 --> 00:25:46

their hearts were connected.

00:25:47 --> 00:25:48

They had no issues.

00:25:49 --> 00:25:50

The poor did not have any issues with

00:25:50 --> 00:25:51

the rich.

00:25:51 --> 00:25:52

The rich didn't have any issues with the

00:25:52 --> 00:25:52

poor.

00:25:54 --> 00:25:58

And if they ever were to compete, they

00:25:58 --> 00:26:01

only, they would compete in the matters of

00:26:01 --> 00:26:02

akhira.

00:26:04 --> 00:26:06

Which when you compete in the matters of

00:26:06 --> 00:26:08

akhira, it still brings your hearts together.

00:26:09 --> 00:26:12

And the Prophet ﷺ taught them how to

00:26:12 --> 00:26:13

not let dunya, and he used to tell

00:26:13 --> 00:26:14

them, I fear for you.

00:26:14 --> 00:26:15

Dunya is what I fear for you.

00:26:16 --> 00:26:18

So Allah subhana wa ta'ala tells the

00:26:18 --> 00:26:20

Prophet ﷺ that he's the one that actually

00:26:20 --> 00:26:21

brought their hearts together.

00:26:22 --> 00:26:23

When their hearts were connected to Allah subhana

00:26:23 --> 00:26:25

wa ta'ala and attached to Allah, their

00:26:25 --> 00:26:25

hearts came together.

00:26:27 --> 00:26:29

Then Allah subhana wa ta'ala tells the

00:26:29 --> 00:26:34

Prophet ﷺ, if you were to spend all

00:26:34 --> 00:26:35

the treasures in the world, you would not

00:26:35 --> 00:26:35

be able to spend all the treasures and

00:26:35 --> 00:26:38

the wealth on this planet, you would have

00:26:38 --> 00:26:39

not been able to achieve that.

00:26:42 --> 00:26:43

You can't.

00:26:43 --> 00:26:46

You can't bribe people to genuinely and authentically

00:26:46 --> 00:26:48

love one another, care for each other, defend

00:26:48 --> 00:26:50

one another, die for each other, live for

00:26:50 --> 00:26:51

one another, care for each other.

00:26:52 --> 00:26:52

You can't.

00:26:53 --> 00:26:54

Wealth won't do that for you.

00:26:57 --> 00:26:58

It doesn't.

00:27:01 --> 00:27:02

Look what is happening with the hip-hop

00:27:02 --> 00:27:03

culture.

00:27:05 --> 00:27:06

It doesn't do that.

00:27:07 --> 00:27:07

None of these things.

00:27:08 --> 00:27:08

Fame doesn't do it.

00:27:08 --> 00:27:09

None of these things do it.

00:27:10 --> 00:27:11

Worldly matters don't do it.

00:27:11 --> 00:27:13

But the love of Allah subhana wa ta

00:27:13 --> 00:27:17

'ala devoting ourselves to Allah azza wa jalla

00:27:17 --> 00:27:18

will do that automatically.

00:27:20 --> 00:27:25

Allah is capable of doing it.

00:27:25 --> 00:27:26

So turn to Allah subhana wa ta'ala

00:27:26 --> 00:27:28

and make du'a for yourself and for

00:27:28 --> 00:27:30

the rest of the ummah and ask Allah

00:27:30 --> 00:27:32

azza wa jalla to instill in your heart

00:27:32 --> 00:27:34

this deep love and appreciation for the Muslims

00:27:34 --> 00:27:36

and that Allah subhana wa ta'ala endears

00:27:36 --> 00:27:38

you to the Muslims as well.

00:27:39 --> 00:27:41

And inshallah ta'ala that will lead one

00:27:41 --> 00:27:43

day inshallah ta'ala to you not only

00:27:43 --> 00:27:46

feeling the sense of unity but you enjoying

00:27:46 --> 00:27:47

the fruits of that unity.

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