The Pillars Of Islam The Pillars Of Success Sh.
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Channel: Navaid Aziz
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Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Karim. Allah Allah He was a he woman is 10 Navis una de la Yomi Deen
all praises due to Allah, the Lord and the cherisher of the universe. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our beloved prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his household companions, and the followers have the right guidance to the Day of Judgment. Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah wa wabarakatuh.
I welcome our honored guests and the viewers of various TV channels to the fourth day of the first ever English version of the Ramadan forum, which is in its ninth year.
We extend our thanks to His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, for his generous patronage of this event. Thanks also to our sponsors, the gold sponsors and the Buddha group, Dubai Islamic bank, Dubai electricity and water authority.
By telecare society and the Dubai General Directorate of residency and foreign affairs and our bronze sponsors tamani hotel and resort, dubai airport free zone, the maidin barbershops Resort and Spa, the Phoenix group and Dubai customs. For the last eight years on moussaka, Rama Dani or the Ramadan Forum has been a yearly event organised by the Dubai Department of Tourism and commerce marketing. Each year, a new slogan is chosen. And last year slogan was Ramadan changed me.
This year being the ninth
it's under the slogan now 30, leaner turkey or gathering to succeed. gathering to succeed My dear brothers and sisters in a month, where there are so many ways to attain success, the doors of Paradise are opened, the doors of Hellfire are closed and the devils are change. It is in this blessed month, that in every day and night, there are those whom Allah subhanho wa Taala grants freedom from the Hellfire and there is for every Muslim, a supplication which he can make and will and it will be granted. For this purpose. We have selected for you some of the best international speakers to discuss ways that true success can be gained not only in Ramadan, but throughout our
lives. With that I introduce our fourth speaker of the ninth Ramadan forum, who has joined us here in Dubai from Canada. Brother navaid Aziz is a Canadian national and is one of the latest additions to Alma grip Institute.
And is the line in the lineup as well as one of the youngest from Montreal, Quebec, he obtained a degree in economics and social science. After that, he went to the Islamic University of Medina
where he has spent three years attaining an associate's degree in Arabic before attaining his bachelor's degree in Sharia. Brother navaid serves the community as a marriage and youth counselor, and is currently working on attaining a master's in religious studies.
Brother navaid Aziz has chosen for us the lecture title, the Pillars of Islam, the pillars of success, just as a building requires pillars to stabilize its foundations and remain intact.
Indeed, We too, need pillars to keep us intact, spiritually and physically. And these are the five pillars of Islam. I would like to remind the audience that we will be having a raffle draw at the end of the program. And for questions to Brother navaid. You may send an SMS on 05094000 that's triple 097. I repeat 05094 triple zero
nine seven. And now without further ado, I leave you with today's lecture. And today's esteemed speaker, brother NaVi disease.
Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah, ala alihi, wa sahbihi, wa and Wanda, my bad. My dear brothers and sisters Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu.
One of the things I love about the Middle East, is unlike the West, as a practicing Muslim, I really come to appreciate the design. And what I want you to picture right now is imagine one of those hot summer days like we're living right now. And early in the morning for fudger.
As you're sleeping in your bed, you start to hear the sounds from one side of the city, you're hearing a lot about Allahu Akbar. And then from the other side, you start hanging in other than Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. And then you're still kind of sleeping. And then finally, he gets to the middle part of Vietnam. And this middle part of the year, Dan, is as if someone is throwing ice cold water in your face, when he gets to Hawaii Island further.
Come to success. This number $9.6 billion.
To a lot of us, it sounds as a ridiculous amount of money. And it actually is. But do you know what the country of America spends $9.6 billion on they spend nine $6.6 billion on self help, looking for self help looking for strategies to become more successful individuals. And then going back to the other and you hear them watching again, say Haryana and fella come to success. Now I'm gonna throw it in under number at you 2.3 billion. For those of you who have ever been to the west, you'll see that in the middle of the night, while Muslims are supposed to be praying chiamo Lal, from time to time will turn the TV on as well. And when you turn the TV on, they have something called
infomercials that people who can sleep, they find a way to put you to sleep they try to sell things to you that have absolutely no use and no value to you whatsoever. So hopefully you'll watch it and you'll eventually fall asleep. But here's an interesting statistic. Out of those all of those infomercials that are there. 48% of those infomercials, almost half of them are pertaining to self help that how do you become a more successful individual? Now this is what I wanted to discuss that as Muslims, we generally have this perception that you follow Islam and you will be successful. But then when you look at the world around you, you look at the Muslim nations you look at the Muslim
states, you look at the Muslim individual. Why is it that Muslims are not successful, even when this has taken place? I want to take you back to the farewell pilgrimage of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam on that day when he prayed his last thought and also in those one and only Hajj and he started to make dua to Allah subhana wa tada Allah subhanho wa Taala sent down one of the greatest verses in the Quran, and which Allah subhanho wa Taala says anioma Kemal to lacantina comb, watch Mantovani Konya Mati Allah como Islam Medina, Allah subhanho wa Taala says in this verse, that today, I have completed this religion upon you, and I have perfected my favor upon you. And I've
chosen Islam as a way of life. Now looking at this very verse, one of the companions he went on to commentate, and he said that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us everything that we need to know about this world. Do you see this bird that is flapping its wings. He even taught us something about this bird. This goes to show us that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when he was sent to by Allah subhanho wa Taala. It was not just about learning how to pray and learning how to fast and learning how to give the car, but rather the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was sent as a messenger to teach people how to succeed not only in the Hereafter, but in
this world as well. And this is what I believe as Muslims we have lost that we have made Islam a religion, which is purely about worshipping Allah subhanho wa Taala. We no longer live in this world, but rather we only and solely focus on the world of the hereafter. So now a question arises, if Islam has all the answers, why are the Muslims not successful? And this is what I
hoped to enlighten with the lighting you to and with you with the lights Allah today. And before we do that, I want to discuss the self help industry. How did it all begin in North America? Everywhere that you go people are studying it. I remember in one of my trips to Jeddah, a couple of years back, no matter what hotel you went to the auditoriums were being rented out. And when you ask the people, you know, what are you learning, and they tell you that we're learning strategy, we're learning management, we're learning leadership, we're learning NLP, we're learning how to be more successful individuals. And at that time, I used to think to myself, you know, this is what American Canada is
focusing on how on earth did it reach, you know, the people of the desert. And at that time, it really didn't make sense to me. But the more you realize that you see that this is an industry that all of us are a part of, whether we realize it or not, you're going to be hearing some names. I'm sure you've heard of them. And you'll see that how you as an individual are part of this industry as well. So starting off with a bit of the history, how many people have heard of Benjamin Franklin, a couple of people heard of Benjamin Franklin 1737, he writes a book called The poor man's Almanac. The Foreman's Almanac was one of those simple books, if you've ever read Reader's Digest, it has
funny anecdotes in it, it has pieces of advice, and has natural remedy. That is what his book had. Benjamin Franklin, he wrote this book, and this is what it entailed. So you can see from the very onset of America, part of its foundation was this concept of self help becoming a more successful individual. Now go forward 200 years later, and the country of the United States suffered this great ordeal, something similar to what the United Arab Emirates and the rest of the world have witnessed in the past couple of years as well. And this ordeal was known as the Great Depression. And this time, in the Great Depression in 1937, there are two books that were written, that changed the face
of the world. Number one was a book that a lot of us may have read, it's been translated into 80 different languages. And interestingly enough, a lot of Muslims have heard of this book. And that is the book by Dale Carnegie called How to Win Friends and Influence People. And this book, if you haven't read it, even though it was written in 1937. The lessons that are in this book are applicable in our times today. And the second book that was written in that very year, was called How to Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. And this book is not as famous. But these are the two books that were written during the Great Depression, that actually helps people get out of the Great
Depression, that it made people realize that your success, it does not lie in the money and the possessions that you have. But the success that you have as an individual is about how you feel about yourself. And there's nothing in this world that should dictate how you feel, but rather how you feel should dictate the things around you. And that's why you see, one of the important premises of this book is the psychology of excellence, that you think as an individual who is going to be outstanding, l you will be outstanding. But if you think as an individual who's constantly depressed and is constantly down, then your actions are going to manifest as such as well. So the first part
of getting out of this depression is trying to make yourself psychologically happy. And you'll see that you know, even in these times when people are going through economic crisis's, if they can just change the way they perceive the world, the world is not as dark of a place as people make it make it out to be now going 20 years into the future in 1950. There is another book written by now all over Peale called the power of positive thinking. And it was this book by all the repeal that actually cemented the foundations of self help. And you'll see that when just as Muslims you know, they study the Quran, and they study the sooner we have famous explanations of the Quran like Evan
Kassir and show Kenny and other scholars who explained the Quran. When you study NLP, when you study self help. These are the books that people actually study. So while you know the Christians will study the Bible, the Muslim study the court on these people are studying these three books, the book by Dale Carnegie, the book by Oliver peel, and the book by Napoleon Hill.
Now, something interesting about this industry, something interesting about the self help industry, you will see that these books that are about self help, very seldom do they talk about God. And every time they tried to mention God in it, something happens to them and I'm going to tell you what happens, but I'm going to share an interesting anecdote with you. You'll notice that when Muslims moved to the west they moved to foreign lands.
Not only does the personality change, but the names start to change as well. I remember I had a neighbor who was from Pakistan, his name was Mohammed. When he went to school, all of a sudden he became Mo, and you know, Abdullah becomes Albert, and Bilal becomes bill, and all these things start to change. And you noticed this reoccurring trend, and the self help books as well, that instead of mentioning the concept of God, instead of mentioning a law, instead of mentioning the Creator, all of a sudden, they've changed the title to the great secret, or the power of the universe, or the ultimate power. But if you're dimension God, when you go to the dungeons of the bookstores, if you
look at the way bookstores are set up, you'll find something very interesting. They'll always put the bestsellers in the front. And then they'll put those books that they don't want you to read books that cause current controversy, basically, books about religion, they go all the way at the back of the bookstore. So when they don't want a book to be successful, you know where to find it. It's all the way in the back in the religious department. And this is what the self help industry actually did, that they don't want to involve God in this process. They want you to be happy without the presence of God. And this is a very dangerous trend, especially seeing that it is picking up
around the world. You're picking up a phenomenon without God, how will you ever be successful. So now it's about time that when we look at the pillars of success, when you think about success, God Allah, he has to be a part of the equation, because you will never be successful without God with you will never be successful. Without his guidance, as you'll come to see Bismillah he Tada. So now let's talk a little bit about the world that we live in.
In Islam, Allah subhanho wa Taala talks about this concept known as the dunya. And this dunya, for those of you who don't speak English, it's referring to the material world, sorry, for those of you who don't speak Arabic, that was a slip of the tongue. For those of you who don't speak Arabic, the word dunya is referring to the material world. Now, the research that is being done by myself and my other speakers, that when you were to Google this term, dounia and look up talks on and look up books upon it. A lot of the times Muslims speak in a very negative tone, that this dunya is something you're supposed to stay away from this dunya is something that you look down upon. And
this dunya is something that you basically ignore. And you see that this creates a very big problem. Because how are we meant to ignore something that we are consciously and actively a part of, and you know, what it starts to sound like the very basic pillars of secularism, where secularism states that you know, when it comes to God, when it comes to religion, you do it in the church, but when you live your daily lives, you know, you live with a totally different set of rules. And these laws of secularism are not laws that Muslims abide by, but rather God Allah subhanho wa Taala is just as much a part of our life outside of the mosque as he is inside of the mosque. So now when it comes to
the concept of God, and the dunya it's about time that we start changing our perception and have a true understanding as to what this world is actually about. You'll notice in sort of Baccarat between eyes 199 and 202, Allah subhanho wa Taala gives a parable of people who supplicate to God. And if you've ever gone for Hajj or Umrah how many people have gone for Hydra Rama before please raise your hand it's quite a few of you so you're going to know what I'm talking about. As you're walking between rockin Alia Mani and the Hydra password, you're walking between the Yemeni corner and the black stone. It was the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that he would make
this dua, Robin attina for dunya Hashanah, waffle accuracy Hashanah joaquina, the banner that Oh our Lord grant is the good of this world. Grant is the God of the hereafter and save us from the punishment of the hellfire. Now of all the applications that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam could have chosen, he chose this very supplication. And this application actually occurs in the Koran in those verses 199 to 202. And Allah subhanho wa Taala talks about two groups of people. group number one is that their supplication is restricted. All they said was the robina attina for dunya. Woman the homefield demon Falak, that they said, Oh our Lord, please grant us the good of
this world. Allah subhanho wa Taala goes on to say, and they will have no share of the Hereafter, that people who solely focus on the life of this world, they will have no share and the hereafter, but then Allah subhanho wa Taala talks about a group of people that are even better, and in better terms, they're actually balanced, that they make dua to Allah. Oh Allah grant us the good of this world and the good of the hereafter and save us from the punishment of the hellfire. Allah Subhan
Know what goes on to say, and these people shall go on to achieve that which they strived for. So those individuals who have concerned for the accuracy, they're concerned about their afterlife, while still living successful lives in this world. These are the people who will be successful. Now something even more interesting to look at that a lot of the preachers when they come up on stage, they tell the people you know, worry about to do judgment and focus solely on the accuracy. While we are meant to focus and fear the Day of Judgment. What are the first few questions that Allah subhana wa tada is going to ask us about on the Day of Judgment, before we sell a lot when you send them
said, Now your Zoo Kadima.
urba, that the feet of the children of Adam will not move until he's asked about four things on Omari he FEMA of now about his life and how he spent it one Shabaab he FEMA of law and his youth and what he did with it, one man he made aina accessible who Allah in Africa and his wealth, where did he earn it from? And how did he spend it? Now, if you look at these four things, what is the reoccurring theme that these four things that God will ask you about on the day of judgment? Are all pertaining to how did you spend your life in this world? What did you do with your life? Did you spend it in heedlessness? Did you spend it purely in vain desires? And how about your youth? When
God gave you strength? When God gave you mental capacity? Did you spend it in mere game and playing and then help out your wealth? And this is something very important to understand that when you talk about the dunya, a lot of the times wealth is the first thing that comes to mind. And you'll see that Allah subhanho wa Taala will ask you about it. Where did you get your wealth from? What did you do with it? Basically, Allah subhanho wa Taala will ask you, did you ever take a money management course from an Islamic perspective? This is the indirect question that Allah subhanaw taala is asking you. And what I want to bring about today within lights, Allah is this harmony that is meant
to exist between the dunya and the afro, this marriage that Allah subhanho wa Taala created in Paradise, I want to bring it about again, then as Muslims, this dunya is not a wretched and dreaded place that a lot of people are portrayed to be, but rather, this is where we live. And if you're not going to be happy in this world, then trust me, you're not going to be happy in the hereafter. So part of being happy in the Hereafter is being happy in this world. And this is why you see one of the most beautiful statements of some of the scholars of Islam, that they went on to say, in the fifth dunya agenda. Mamma Mia. Hola. Hola, Jonathan Akira, there indeed, in this world is a paradise
and whoever does not taste the sweetness of Paradise in this world will not taste the sweetness of Paradise in the hereafter. Meaning that if you aren't happy in this world, you're not fulfilling your Islamic obligations as you'll come to see, then you won't have a share of Paradise in the hereafter.
So now,
this is the month of Ramadan. Right now, in this month of Ramadan, we consider this the month of spirituality. This is the month where we get closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala. This is the month where we go to the machines more often where we are more generous with our food, where we're more generous with our money. And we're actually friendlier on the streets. You might not notice this, but outside of Ramadan, how many people actually give you some lamps, but inside of the month of Ramadan, it's like even the non Muslims are coming up to you and they're like Salaam aneko. And you'll see this is like one of the most wonderful feelings because if you've ever been to the west,
you know back in the day, you know when people actually respected each other and they had good character and ethics. Even if you didn't know the person, you would say hi, how are you doing? Or you say good morning. But now living in the West it's gotten so bad people just you know stone called blank you you walk into an elevator, no conversation, no highs, no hellos. But one of the beautiful things that I've noticed being in Dubai is like even though people have no clue who I am, they'll always come up to me and Salaam Alaikum How are you doing? And you know, this is something that I noticed in this madness as well. So within the heat sauna, this is a sign of great things to
come. So this month of Ramadan is the month where we see closeness to Allah subhanho wa Taala and is seeking closeness to Allah subhanho wa Taala we'll see that work even gets a bit more enjoyable that you know, work isn't as dreadful as it usually is. Maybe it's because the timings are a bit better. Maybe because lives are happier. I'm not really sure what it is. But I want to what I want to focus on is as Muslims in order for us to be successful in order for us to be happy in the hereafter. We have to be happy in this dunya first
And why is it that when we go to work, all of a sudden is this dreadful thing, we hate doing it. But if you change your perspective, and you can even turn your work into an act of a bother, then you'll notice that even work will become a happier place to be that you turn your work. And a way to attain closeness to God work will actually be something that you enjoy doing, rather than it being something that you wish to flee from. So now I want to ask you a question and asked something similar to this in the beginning. And that is, if we were to wholeheartedly and fully embrace Islam, and fulfill its obligations, would we be successful in this dunya? And the answer most of us will
say, is yes, because that's what we're programmed to say, as Muslims, that that's what we want to say. But then why is it that we're still lacking that success? Why is it that we're still lacking the success, and I have a nice, I guess, anecdote for you. If you bought a new laptop, you will see that the laptop, it always comes with pre programmed software. So for example, Microsoft Word they give you like the 60 day trial on it. And it says if you want to use this, you know, put in the the Microsoft key that they give you, I believe as Muslims, we have that pre programmed software inside of us, Microsoft Word, you know, Windows seven, whatever you want to call it, it's already
programmed inside of you, the keys to success are there. The thing is, we haven't put in that code that Microsoft gives us to activate, we haven't listened to that calling of Allah subhanho wa Taala, so that it's initiated. And Bismillah hits Allah when you look at the Pillars of Islam, from the perspective that I'm going to give you today. I'm hoping that that successful mentality and perspective will be activated inside myself and all of you as well. Bismillah hits Allah. So I want to start off with all of you today, being the light Allah, Most of you before you came here, you prayed a lot to Asia and you prayed a lot to Torah, we know one of the habits of Muslims, is that
after Salah will raise our hands and make dua to Allah subhanho wa Taala. Now, without putting any wagers on the table, I'm going to be very cocky and arrogant and say I'm willing to put everything I have in my pockets on the line on the following bet that 99% of the audience in this room will fall under the first three categories of people. That number one, either they didn't make do after select deletion slot two thoroughly, or number two, they made to do but they don't remember what they made do are four or number three, the only reason they remembered what do are they made is because they've been making the exact same drama for the last 35 years of their lives. Even though we're
only 30 years old. And the night last majority of people will fall under this these three categories. But you'll see the successful Muslim, he is the one who is consciously making dua to Allah subhanho wa Taala that he is the one who consciously wants goodness for himself. He is the one that while making this draw, he's going to take the ample steps and hoping to achieve it. As you know, in this past year, the World Cup just went by. And one of the greatest legacies that has been left behind in the World Cup was by the country of Brazil, it's known to have this great legacy of being champions, and football as you guys call it. And North America, we call it soccer.
We call football, you know another barbaric sport, where men like to hit each other and tackle each other. But I'll save you the details of that. So going back to Brazil,
Brazil, it has this great legacy Muslims as well have this great legacy that you look at the time of the Prophet, you look at the time of the companions, you look at the early generations, they were successful. Brazil, it has the same history when it comes to the World Cup. Now imagine if this year, Brazil had made it to the World Cup, they're in the finals, and their coach comes up to them and tells them It's the final game. But I don't want you to go out. I just want you to make do I supplicate that you know, Oh Allah grant his victory in the World Cup. Oh Allah make us successful in this world cup. Do you think that the football team would accept this from their coach, never
they would never accept this. Likewise as Muslims when you're asking for success, and this dunya and in the Acura It doesn't matter how many times you're going to make that supplication up and until you're willing to take the practical steps to achieve it. So the first step in attaining that success is not only just making the drive to Allah subhanho wa Taala for it, but rather it's actually going out on the football pitch going out on the soccer field, trying your best and with the lights on through all the tests through all the trials. Allah subhanaw taala
Anna will make you persevere. So even in your own doors, look at the device that you make to Allah subhanho wa Taala What are you making dua for how conscious are you when you make dua to Allah subhanho wa Taala.
And you notice the more conscious you become, and the more creative you become with your supplications to Allah subhanho wa Taala The closer you'll actually feel to Allah subhanho wa Taala. So that was just a practical, you know, tidbit for you. Now, let us actually get to the Pillars of Islam. The very first pillar of Islam is the Shahada, the justification that there's no one worthy of worship except Allah, and that the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is his final and last messenger. Now, what is the possible success that one can find in this statement? If you look at your own human psychology, you'll see that as human beings, we love to be in one of two
positions. We strive to be in positions of authority, but we'll usually feel best when someone is authoritative to us. And you'll see that your success, your strength, quality, your serenity, it lies in obeying Allah subhanho wa Taala. People will work their whole lives, and they will not find happiness. But the second they submit to the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala. The second they submit to the command of Allah subhanho wa Taala. That is when they'll find happiness. I want to share with you the story of an individual named Abdullah. Abdullah is just your average Muslim, he lives in the United States. And one day, he was called into his office by the boss. And the boss told Abdullah
Abdullah, I have some good news for you. You've one Employee of the Year. Now, the law is just as regular itself, he smiled, and he was very happy and very cheerful. And the boss says, you know, before I give you this award, I want to ask you a question. And that question is, why are you always smiling? Why are you always happy? And Abdullah went on to say that, you know, boss, it's my religion that makes me happy. It's my religion, that makes me smile all the time. I know that when God is watching over me, I have nothing to worry about. So the boss asked him, Abdullah, if I was to become Muslim, would I feel the same amount of happiness? Now most of you may think that I'm about
to say, yes. This is what Abdullah said. And the boss became Muslim. But that's not the story. Avila said No, you won't be as happy as me. And then the boss, believe it or not, he was actually heartbroken. He's like, what type of Muslim? is he supposed to say that? Yes, you will be happy. And the boss was annoyed and frustrated. And then of the law, he stepped in and he said, boss, you would be even more happier. Because me as a Muslim, God, He forgives my sins from time to time. But you if you were to accept Islam, you will become even more happier. Why? Because when you enter into Islam, God will forgive all of your sins. It is as if you were just born that today. Now this story was
mentioned by Matthew, Matthew was the boss at that time, he came to the mustard, he took his Shahada. And he told us he shared his story with the mustard. Now, the reason why I mentioned in this is that as he's telling his story, he starts to break down into tears, he starts to break down into tears. And he says, I have never felt more liberated. I have never felt felt more free than I find myself and submitting to the will and command of my Creator. And this is human psychology, that when it comes to the creation of God, when they obey Him, when they submit to Him, that is when they find their true happiness. So in the first testament, and the first test invocation that a Muslim
takes, that there's no God worthy of worship except Allah. That's where the happiness kicks in. Now, the second part of that statement, is that there's that Mohammed is his final and last messenger. Now, again, going back to human psychology, we were created as individuals who imitate and emulate to one another. Even if you were to look around the room around you, you will notice that people who are sitting close by generally like to sit like the other person. So once a person is crossing his legs, then somewhere in that role, you'll find another person crossing his legs, and it usually works backwards. And now people are consciously changing the way that they sit. But there's
something that Allah subhanaw taala has in greatest sin. It's called rapport. We like to be in rapport with one another. Now, if you would ask a four year old child, you know, what is your aspiration? What is the dream that you have? Almost every four year old child will tell you, when I grow up, I want to be like Daddy, and it doesn't matter if daddy's a doctor or you know, an astronaut, or even a garbage man, that four year old child. He wants to be like Daddy, we were meant to be in
dividuals who imitate and emulate one another. And this is why Allah subhanho wa Taala God sent to this messenger, that mankind may have this example, that they may imitate and emulate, that will build bring them happiness in this world and in the hereafter. And this is why Allah subhanho wa Taala says, Look harder Karan Allah confy Rasulullah Hasina leemon Kenyatta, Jo La Valle Yamanaka, then indeed in the Messenger of Allah, do you have a great example, for those who wish to meet Allah and the Last Day. So Allah subhanho wa Taala, sent to the messenger, so that he may be imitated, and he may be emulated. Because naturally, that's what we do as human beings, we like to copy other
individuals, we like to copy other things. And this is what we just do. So in the Messenger of God, we see that we have that example of success, and thus we follow it. And thus, one of our psychological needs is met as well. And then you get to Salah. And when it comes to Salah, there are a lot of things that you can mention, but I'm going to mention something very simple to you. I was just talking to one of the brothers right now. And he was telling me that in the city of Dubai,
about 50% of the people are struck with diabetes, about 50% of the people amongst the locals are struck with diabetes. And I find that really, really high. But I relate this to the concept of Salah how and why that as Muslims, we have five daily prayers, the first of them being selected for Roger 430 in the morning, as it is, you know, in these days, this individual who wakes up at 430 in the morning, not only is he mentioned to freshen up, but he's also encouraged to walk in the mosque to the mosque to walk to the masjid. Now what is this usually due to an individual people who have diabetes, they're encouraged to do more exercise, they're encouraged to go out for walks. Likewise,
let's see something that's a very big common trend in the Muslim nations and worlds is that all of our men, for some reason, are struck with high blood pressure, you know, everywhere you go, and Muslims are always suffering from high blood pressure. But if you just follow that simple technique, wake up in the morning for selectel fudger. And walk to the masjid, whether it's a five minute walk a 10 minute walk a 15 minute walk, those simple walks can change the way you think and the way you feel. And then you go to the masjid. Why not for the sake of work, but for the sake of seeking closeness to your Creator. And then Allah rewards you at that time, that when you wake up 430 in the
morning to remember a lot to remember the Creator, you have a head start on attaining your risk on attaining your sustenance over the rest of the world. If you were to study Western demographics, most jobs, they start around nine o'clock. But when do the workers actually become productive, it's usually after lunchtime when they've had their lunch three or four hours into the day. That is when they become their most productive. So as human beings, it takes time to become more productive. So now you press the lotto for God, you're off for the rest of the day, you're going to start becoming productive at 738 o'clock, while the rest of the people they're still in bed, they're still dozing
off. And this is another key element of success that allows them I know what Allah has granted the Muslims that waking up for cervical fudger is another element of success. And when you focus on Salah, you'll see there's so many other things, just the simple task of coming to the masjid. What do we like to do as the world's today? We like to go to social gatherings Why? So we can network. Allah subhanho wa Taala created natural networks for us that when you go to the mosque, you go to the masjid, there are people that you will continuously run into. These are the same people that come to pray in the masjid, they will get to know who you are, they will get your phone numbers,
they'll get to know your job. Every time they need to buy something they can come to you every time you need help you can go to them. And this is how natural networking takes place in Islam simply by going to the masjid. So if you were to focus on Salah, and that's something I would encourage you to do that whether are what are other techniques of success that you find in Salah after this lecture when you go home. This is something I want you to think about bitonal atalla but due to the shortage of time, we're gonna move on to the next Pillars of Islam. The next pillar of Islam is the ACA and the month of Ramadan is when we like to give out a cause the car is the charity that we give out.
Most people all they know about it is that once a year you will give out 2.5% of your wealth. Now Muslims have become so lazy, that they don't even want to calculate the 2.5%. What they do is they'll take a portion of their wealth, and they'll be y'all Okay, I'm giving this out in your sake. Hopefully it's enough. But you'll see this is not what is required of a Muslim. A Muslim is actually meant to work out what he has. So you have to know what you have as an asset. What is it that is
Actually valuable, what is it, that is bringing you money, then you work out your liabilities, you deduct your liabilities. And then you figure out, are you at that level where Allah has blessed you to give out charity I calculated in North America, and it's roughly around $3,300. If you had $3,300, in your bank account for one year, then it is compulsory upon you to give out 2.5% of that wealth. And if you haven't been blessed with that, then you're on the receiving end. But the point being, what are some of the elements of success that you find in giving out charity, the most obvious of them, you learn how to do math, because as Muslims, we're not even as Muslims as human
beings, we're naturally very stingy people, we don't want to give out more than we have to. So we'll make sure we don't give out more than 2.5%. And the only way you're going to end up doing that is if you're very precise in their calculations, then likewise, the modern Muslim, he's going to have to look through bank charts. And you'll have to look through stock charts, how much was this stock? When I bought it? How much is it now? How much is it going to be when I sell it, all these things are taken into consideration. So he needs to have a financial background, another element of success. Now, the greatest element of success is bringing balance into the world. If you were to
look into this world, you will see that there is a great dichotomy, there's a great division, and I believe the way is one of those places where you see it most openly and appearantly. And that is the partition between the affluent, and between the poverty struck. And Zika is the institution that Allah subhanho wa Taala established, so that there may be a balance in society that people may not have to resort to begging, people may not have to resort to stealing, that the responsibility of the affluent is to take care of those individuals who are not as fortunate as the affluent. So it creates a balance in this world. That why instead of, you know, only the poor, the rich becoming
richer with the economy, the poor become richer as well, because the rich take that responsibility upon themselves. And you'll notice an interesting calculation, that if you look into this magazine called Forbes magazine, Forbes magazine is basically a magazine that talks about the richest people in the world and their personal lives and how they attain that was, I can't remember if it was the top 100 or the top 500. But whatever it was, about 10% of those people were Muslim, about 10% of the top 100 or the top 500 were Muslim. Now, if you were to take those 10% of people and calculate there's a captain money, you would notice that it would be enough to eliminate poverty from some of
the countries that Allah subhanho wa Taala gave us the ability to eradicate poverty, if we just gave out to this compulsory charity, and this is another element of success that you would find. Now you go to the month of Ramadan, the month of Ramadan, that we are in Allah subhanho wa Taala commands us to fast this whole month, you will see that the underlying premise in this month is restraint and gratitude, that we restrain ourselves from food and drink, so that we may recognize the blessing that Allah subhanho wa Taala has bestowed upon us, but it has not bestowed upon 90% of the rest of the world, that we have the ability to drink and eat freely, without worry as to where our next
meal, or our next drink will come from. This is a concept that we need to be grateful for. And this is why Allah subhanho wa Taala created this month of Ramadan, that you restrain yourself from food and drink, so that you may be grateful to Allah subhanho wa Taala for these blessings that we take for granted every day. Now you can go to the health perspective as well, just from an individual who goes from not fasting into fasting, you'll notice that your body starts going through cycles as well, in terms of its energy, and in terms of its emotions, in terms of the energy, the first two days of fasting, all of a sudden you're ridiculously energetic, the massages are jam packed for
thoroughly, and you feel like you could take over the world. And then by the time you get to the middle, your energy goes down a little bit. And that's usually because you know you're having to leave some posters and too many pokers and you know, your digestive system just can't handle it anymore. But if you actually eat healthy food during that time, you see that the energy would stay constant, and then the last 10 days, you're energetic again. So that's from you know, a health perspective, it's very healthy to fast. From an emotional standpoint, you'll notice the same thing that the healthier you are, the happier you'll feel as well. And the more unhealthy you are, the
less happy you will feel. So in the month of Ramadan when Muslims get happy for a few days, that's usually because they're the most healthiest during that time and through fasting. Allah subhanho wa Taala brings about happiness as well. And then the last pillar of Islam
Going for Hutch. Now some of you may have gone for a hide some of you are planning to go for Hutch, you will see that Hydra is the ultimate journey that a Muslim takes. He leaves behind his family. He spends a large amount of money, and he puts his body through the ultimate test. Now, even through hides, you'll see that there are a lot of lessons and benefits that can be learned. But the greatest lesson I believe we find in Hutch is what it does to the believer is that I want to give you the example, an individual who goes to the gym, and he's only bench pressing 100 pounds his whole life. He says brain stretching 100 pounds. Now time will come where 100 pounds becomes so easy and he
stops to grow, he'll get bored and he'll actually give up going to the gym. He's like Forget it, it's not worth it. But an individual who makes sacrifice and continues to grow, starts off at 100 goes up to 120 140 150 and works his way up. He continues to grow he continues to progress. Hij is that ultimate challenge where Allah subhanho wa Taala takes you to the peak of your ability to the peak of your sacrifice, sacrificing your family, sacrificing your wealth, sacrificing your body, going for, you know the suffering mode while going for the tawaf going to mainland and arafa. All of these things require a lot of dedication and sacrifice. And the biggest part of your sacrifice is
controlling your temper and the days of hides, when people are like pushing you all over, they're trampling you over. I remember, you know, the last time I made Hajj it was with my mother, and my mother is in front of me. And there's a group of Malaysian women right behind me. Now this Malaysian woman she's like about half my size. And you know, there is no man to protect it is no one to protect it from the congestion. So what does she do? She holds on to the top of my shirt on top of my head on. And you know, the first couple of times I'm like, Look, lady, you gotta leave me alone. You can't be doing this in hij. But eventually I just realized that there's no one there to protect
her. And I was like, you know, inshallah, this is gonna be my reward from Allah subhanho wa Taala that I'm protecting my mother in front of me, and this whole group of like Malaysian women behind me, that's going to be my reward. So in that time of frustration, in that time of anguish, I controlled myself for the sake of Allah seeking Allah reward. And that's when you grow as an individual, you are taught patience, you are taught gratitude, you are taught how to control your anger, all of those things come out of Hutch. So you notice my brothers and sisters, Allah subhanho wa Taala throughout the Pillars of Islam, he teaches us pillars of success. He teaches us how to be
successful individuals. You just need to analyze and focus and you'll see you're able to extract those deeper and greater meanings. And this is the true meaning of the ayah when Allah subhanho wa Taala says, Yeah, you're Latina. Manasa g Boone, Allahu Allah Rasul.
Allah.
When Allah subhanho wa Taala says, Oh, you who believe, answered the call of Allah subhanho wa Taala and His Messenger, when they call you to that which gives you life, that the Pillars of Islam, the obligations that Allah subhanho wa Taala commands, these are the things that will bring you success, not only in the Hereafter, but in this world as well. That phone is now ringing off the hook, Allah is calling you, and it's up to you, will you answer that call or not? And I want to conclude with one simple point to be the Allahu taala
is what is the point of this success. The point of this success is that we leave a legacy behind in this world, the vast majority of people they will live their lives. And when they die, they're absolutely forgotten. If they're remembered, what are they remembered for? They're remembered for having a nice house having a nice car. And you know, they might have done the odd thing here or there. But as a Muslim, this is not good enough. You want to leave a legacy of goodness behind you. a legacy that you will leave behind and people will follow your example so that you continue to grow in your award. I want to share a really nice example and conclude with this Bismillah hits Allah.
How many people have watched the movie Transformers? Let's be honest, has anyone watched transformers. Growing up, I loved the cartoon transformers. And at the end of this movie, there's this pivotal quote by Optimus Prime, which when I thought about it, I'm like, Man, I'm sure this has to be like a hadith or an ayah in the Quran somewhere, because it's too good just to be a quote from Optimus Prime. But he says at the end of this movie, fate rarely calls upon the people at a time of their choosing.
That when Allah subhanho wa Taala calls upon you, when it's time to leave a legacy. It's not going to be at a time where it's convenient for you. It's not going to be a time when you're absolutely free, but it's going to be a time when
You're busy in this world is going to be a time when you'll have a lot of stresses on your mind. That is when you will be called to leave that legacy behind. And you'll notice the most practical example of this and the healer of Abu Bakar when Abu Bakr became the first leader of the Muslims, the prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had just died. Abu Bakar had lost his best friend, he had lost his son in law, he had lost the leader of the Muslim nation, he had lost the judge of his society, he had lost his best friend, he had lost a brother, all those losses is taking place to Abu Bakar. But Abu Bakar still stepped up on that number and took charge of the Muslim community.
And this is the exact same call that Allah subhanho wa Taala gives to all of us, that Allah subhanho wa Taala created us with potential that we can leave these great legacies behind. Now, some of you may say, but that was Abu Bakar he lived with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. I'm going to give you an example of one of the greatest legacies that was left behind. And this individual didn't meet the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. This is the legacy of the negus and the joshy, the king of Abyssinia, an individual who was born as a Christian, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam described him. They have no morphine, Wilkie he had that no one in His Kingdom is
ever oppressed, that as a Christian king, he ruled with justice. And that was the legacy he left behind. A man that ruled with justice even though he was a non Muslim. And he later on he did become Muslim, but he never met the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Now I want you to focus on how was the news conveyed to the Prophet? How did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam find out that under joshy, the negus had passed away gibreel came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and he said Martin yom Roger lon saw that today a righteous man has passed away. And then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam took that exact phrase and told his companions so nuada he complained
that the alma mater Rajan on solea, they prey upon your brother, for indeed, today, a righteous man has passed away. Knowing that Joshua, he never met the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. But he is purified. And this test invocation is testified by jabril, the best of angels, and then in his den testified by the prophets of Allah while you send them the best of creation. And then it is testified to the best group of people after the prophets, the companions that they prayed over and the joshy so that even if he had any sense, they were forgiven by the duel of the Prophet, and by that of the companions, and the legacy he left behind, was that of justice, that he knew the role
that he had. And he did that role to the best of his ability. And when he excelled in it, that is when he left that great legacy behind. So right now in this room, each individual it has something that they're good at, hopefully it's the profession that you're in. That is what you are good at. Now take it to the next level, excel in it and realize that the wealth that you are attaining through this job, if you're feeding your family through it, it is actually a means of getting closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala if you're giving your Zakat through it, you're getting closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala. And if you're taking care of the needy, and taking care of the people around you,
you're getting closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala so indirectly through the job that you are doing, you're getting closer to Allah subhana wa Tada. You just need to change your mindset. Brothers and sisters Allah subhanho wa Taala has given us the pillars to success through Islam. It's about time we opened our eyes and went back to the original sources of success, the Quran and the Sunnah. And when you analyze them, and when we implement it, that is when Muslims will truly be successful, engage in revising the Quran, engage in revising the sooner engage in their analysis and its understanding and that is when you will truly be successful. I pray that Allah subhanho wa Taala
grants us ultimate success in this world and the Hereafter, and that he resurrects us with the prophet and all the great individuals that have preceded us will aku Dhawan and hamdulillahi Rabbil alameen wa sallahu wa Sallim wa barik ala nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi etchmiadzin de como la hawla wa Salaam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
For the enlightening lecture,
we have a few questions that we are asked to send as an SMS. But before that, we have someone who wants to accept Islam who wants to come into Islam from the ladies section. handler. We've had
we've had quite a few in the past few nights and a handler. We have one
Tonight, so,
the ladies in sha Allah, they just informed and informed us that there is a sister who wants to embrace Islam
and we pray to Allah subhanho wa Taala that
may Allah accept it from her inshallah.
So I'll read out the questions to the Shea The first question is, if old men can fast and women who are on their, you know, monthly beard cannot fast do they have to make up for those days after Ramadan? What if the old still can't do it?
Okay Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah Allah, the wasabi woman, Oh, my God.
In terms of people who attained old age and are unable to fast, then these people are permanently departing from fasting. And what is upon them at that time is for each day of fasting that they miss when they are meant to feed one poor person for that today. So let's just say you missed all 30 days of fasting, then you will make up those 30 days by feeding 30 poor individuals with food for that day with Allahu taala. In terms of the woman who is in her monthly menstrual cycle, Allah subhanaw taala has excused her from pardoning during that time, however, after the month of Ramadan is over, then she has one year until the next Ramadan to make up the days that she missed. And it is
compulsory upon her to do so busy nights either. So the woman who has her menstrual cycle, she's not too fast during the month of Ramadan. But once it is over, she makes up the days that she missed after Ramadan, before the next Ramadan comes. And Allah Subhana Allah knows best.
The other next question is that
someone is saying here that one of my
non Muslim friend believes in Islam and Allah, but he doesn't want to practice it. Because he will lose his beloved one and his family for the fear of that. What are the easy steps to convince someone like that to follow Islam?
That is usually a very difficult situation. And the way I would actually answer this is that say good things in this world do not come except at a price. And a level of sacrifice needs to take place. That the very fact that you know they're interested in Islam and are willing to accept it, I would say that if it's going to cause a problem with your family, then you don't even have to tell your family at the very onset. You can accept Islam and delay and telling your family that you become Muslim. And this will actually be like a training process for you. Because it's either that you engage with them in conversation, telling them about Islam, hearing their thoughts about Islam.
And if you do this gradually, then down the line, when you actually tell them that you will become Muslim, they'll be a lot more accepting of it, once they understand what it actually is. One of the greatest problems that non Muslims have with Islam is that they don't know what Islam truly means. They look at the news and they see, you know, pictures of buildings going up and pictures of people being killed. And they think that is what Islam and the Muslim world is all about. But when you look at the legacy of Islam, and what it truly means, Islam is the means of submission to God. And that is how we attain happiness. It has nothing to do with killing, it has nothing to do with murder, but
rather as Muslims, we condemn these very acts of terrorism, that the rest of the world is condemning. While they do it from a social political point of view. We do it from the point of God Himself, that God prohibited the unjust killing of people. And that is why we are against it as well. So when it comes to the message of Islam, if you can actually educate people as to what Islam is actually about, they'll be a lot more conducive to being open to the idea. And for those of you who are following the news, you'll see this is actually, you know, a reoccurring theme in New York right now, the Cordova institute that they're trying to open up there, actually, there was actually
a protest, and they said, You know, I learned everything about Islam when 911 happened. So basically, 911 was the fault of the Muslims, when in reality, it wasn't, it was a few individuals who became extremely their religion, they just happened to be Muslim at that time. It doesn't represent Islam. So the best way to educate individuals is to open up dialogue with them, and to gradually explain Islam to them. And this is the best way to go forth. So I would say take that step of courage. accept Islam Don't delay in this component of success and within the heights Allah with God, by your side through prayer, and through patience, you will be able to, you know, resolve any
of the other problems that you may have in this world. mela, keep your steadfast
Alright, the next question is, how can we train our kids so that they don't have to resort to self help later?
I hope you didn't understand from my lecture that self help is bad. Self Help is actually good.
But what I'm saying is that the initial steps of self help should start from the Quran and the sooner. Allah subhanho wa Taala has given you those pillars of self help in the Quran and the Sunnah in the Pillars of Islam start off by attaining those pillars of self help. And then, you know, move on to these other books. One of the best of them, you know, is the book by Stephen Covey The Seven Habits of successful individuals. Now, if you look at this book, I'm telling you, there's certain parts of this book that you can take points out and replace them with Quranic verses, and Hadith. And you will see that the message will stay exactly the same. So it goes back to that same premise
that the Pillars of Islam, the pillars of success are all there, you need to analyze them, focus on them, and you will be a successful individual. Sometimes you just needed taught in a language that is simpler and is more conducive to your understanding. And that is why you may use those books, but the absolute fundamentals of those pillars is found in Islam. So I would say that there's nothing wrong with going and seeking self help thereafter. But start off by analyzing the Pillars of Islam and the obligations in Islam first, inshallah. All right, inshallah, we'll have two more questions, if you have more sure. But one of them is that can you give us some points on how to make acceptable
do are,
some points are making acceptable
I would say that, you know, supplication in Islam is actually the essence of the relationship between us and Allah subhanho wa Taala that you'll notice in every relationship that you have, there's always an underlying factor, that you know, whether your parents it's meant to be obedience with your friends, it's mutual respect and courtesy with your children. It's mutual love. Now when it comes to Allah subhanho wa Taala. It's recognizing that very fact that Allah subhanho wa Taala creates you and sustains you, and you are the creation and worship of Allah subhanho wa Taala. And you are so helpless without Allah subhanho wa Taala that nothing that you do can be done, except by
his help. So by changing that frame of mind, and this is what you see the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam instilled in his closest companions. He told them that if you ask, then ask of Allah, that even if you were to drop your whip as you're riding on the horse, pick it up yourself and make dua to Allah subhanho wa Taala. If your shoelace were to break, ask Allah first and then ask someone else for that shoeless. So firstly is changing that frame of mind that you are in need of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, Allah subhanho wa Taala is not in need of you. Number two, in terms of getting acceptable. When do Muslims turn to Allah subhanho wa Taala the most and that is when Allah
subhanho wa Taala doesn't usually call upon them but it is usually at times when they need Allah subhana wa tada the most. So in times of, you know, calamity and times of trials and difficult times. That is when Muslims turn to Allah subhanho wa Taala. But in reality, if you turn to Allah subhanho wa Taala, in times of prosperity, you thank Allah for the blessings, and you continue to make dua while you're prosperous. Then when that time of need when that time of desperation, when that time of calamity comes, Allah subhanho wa Taala will more willingly accept your dua. And number three, is the importance of having a halaal risk and sustenance, that in order for you to be
accepted, you have to be owning a halaal means you have to be eating that which is hard on what you eat is very important. You can't be you know, consuming haram substances and accept and expecting that Allah subhanaw taala will answer your supplications but rather earned that it is which is hard on each that which is holiday, and that will be more conducive to advice being accepted. And most Lastly, is that imagine you have a close friend of yours. And he only calls you every time he needs something from you. there would come a time that you would just get fed up, you know, you would realize that your relationship is purely based upon his time of need. And I feel that this is the
exact same way we treat God Himself. We only return to God when we are in times of need and times of desperation. But if you were to change that mode of relationship and be with God at all times, praising him remembering him when it comes to your time of need, Allah subhanho wa Taala will fulfill your need even more quickly than that. And those are some simple tips of advice. And Allah knows best desert locker one last question. My question is with regards to zakat. I'm stuck with a huge amount of loan this year. How will I compensate the sucker?
Okay when it comes to loans and Zakat,
a lot of details are required. So just to break it down in simple terms, an individual who has more liabilities than he has assets islamically he's not required to pay the car
Because he's meant to be paying off his debts right away islamically we're encouraged not to incur debt. However, if we do incur debt, we're meant to pay it off right away. So an individual who's in such a state that he's drowning in debt, he's pardon from paying off the car, then you have an individual who has quite a few assets, but he's taken what they call islamically a luxurious loan, meaning that he took a loan just to invest in a business so that he may, you know, earn some more money islamically that is permissible. This individual he has to give Zakat, not only on his assets, but on the loan that he took as well, because he's using that to gain money as well. And then the
last individual is that individual who has a long term debt that he's paying off gradually. So for example, you've bought a house, and you're paying that loan that you have over a period of 20 years. Now, this is a large amount of loan that you're paying back, but you have a payment plan there. So this individual is still required to pay zakat on his assets, because this is a conscious loan that he took, and he's able to pay zakat, as well as pay off his loan. If that is the case, then he's able to pay zakat, and this is what is required of him in such a situation. Just as a piece of advice for people who are drowning in debt. You'll notice that one of the secrets to this life is
the hand that gives as also the hand that receives mean that in that time where you're most in need of money. If you can find five year homes, 10 year homes, maybe 100 their homes during that time of constraint when you need that money the most. If you were to give it in the way of Allah subhanho wa Taala take care of the week take care of the poor, you will see at that time Allah subhanho wa Taala will take care of you as well. So during this time while you're drowning in debt, still try to take some money out, give it out in the world of Allah subhanho wa Taala and you'll see that Allah subhanho wa Taala will aid you financially as well. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help you in your
debt and help you get out of it. I mean, I mean, just one personal question for me. Sure. What do we do if a Malaysian woman actually holds?
Generally speaking, they're not supposed to hold on to you for what you do, right? But during the time of hygiene, what are you gonna do? There's not much you can do to help us
for an enlightening talk and the question answers we have the lady waiting over there to make the Shahada inshallah, they will go through the procedure with you in sha Allah in charge of making the Shahada is the sister radio there in the ladies section? Yes, she's ready. Okay. So you can Okay, so sister before we take the Shahada, I want to make a couple of things clear be the lights Allah. Then when you take the Shahada, you're testifying to something very important that Allah is your only object of worship, and that Mohammed is the final and last messenger. And with this test invocation comes a change in lifestyle as well, where you stand up for justice, we are dead, dedicated to
fulfilling the commandments of God and staying away from those things that he prohibited. So before we embark on tasting this justification, are you ready to accept that inshallah?
Yes, okay. So within lights Allah, by the will of God, I'm wanting to say something in Arabic, and then give you it's English translation as well. I'll say it slowly so you can repeat after me be the lights either a shadow shadow,
and La, La Ilaha Illa Illa Allah, Allah, Allah, wa wa, a shadow shadow, Anna, anna Muhammadan Mohammedan are sown. Rasul Allah, and I welcome you into the faith of Islam, Allahu Akbar,
in telling them about Islam, hearing their thoughts about Islam, and if you do this gradually, then down the line, when you actually tell them that you will become Muslim, there'll be a lot more accepting of it, once you understand what it actually is. One of the greatest problems that non Muslims have with Islam is that they don't know what Islam truly means. They look at the news. And they see, you know, pictures of buildings blowing up and pictures of people being killed. And they think that is what Islam and the Muslim world is all about. But when you look at the legacy of Islam, and what it truly means, Islam is the means of submission to God. And that is how we attain
happiness. It has nothing to do with killing, it has nothing to do with murder, but rather as Muslims. We condemn these very acts of terrorism, that the rest of the world is condemning. While they do it from a social political point of view. We do it from the point of God Himself, that God prohibited the unjust killing of people. And that is why we are against it as well. So when it comes to the message of Islam, if you can actually educate people as to what Islam is actually about, they'll be a lot more conducive to being open to the idea. And for those of you who are following the news, you'll see this is actually you know, a reoccurring theme in New Yorker
Now, the Cordova institute that they're trying to open up there actually there was actually a protest. And they said, You know, I learned everything about Islam when 911 happened. So basically 911 was the fault of the Muslims, when in reality, it wasn't, it was a few individuals who became extremely their religion, they just happen to be Muslim at that time. It doesn't represent Islam. So the best way to educate individuals is to open up dialogue with them, and to gradually explain Islam to them. And this is the best way to go forth. So I would say take that step of courage. accept Islam, don't delay in this component of success. And within the heights, Allah with God, by your
side, through prayer, and through patience, you will be able to, you know, resolve any of the other problems that you may have in this world, May Allah keep you steadfast.
Alright, the next question is, how can we train our kids so that they don't have to resort to self help later.
I hope you didn't understand from my lecture that self help is bad. Self Help is actually good. But what I'm saying is that the initial steps of self help should start from the Quran and the Sunnah, Allah subhanho wa Taala has given you those pillars of self help in the Quran and the Sunnah, and the Pillars of Islam. Start off by attaining those pillars of self help. And then, you know, move on to these other books. One of the best of them, you know, is the book by Steven Covey The Seven Habits of successful individuals. Now, if you look at this book, I'm telling you, there are certain parts of this book that you can take points out and replace them with Quranic verses and Hadith. And
you will see that the message will stay exactly the same. So it goes back to that same premise that the Pillars of Islam, the pillars of success are all there, you need to analyze them, focus on them, and you will be a successful individual. Sometimes you just needed told in a language that is simpler and is more conducive to your understanding, and that is why you may use those books, but the absolute fundamentals of those pillars is found in Islam. So I would say that there's nothing wrong with going and seeking self help thereafter, but start off by analyzing the Pillars of Islam and the obligations in Islam first, inshallah. Alright, inshallah, we'll have two more questions, if
you have more sure. But one of them is that can you give us some points on how to make acceptable do are,
some points are making acceptable
I would say that, you know, supplication in Islam is actually the essence of the relationship between us and Allah subhanho wa Taala that you'll notice in every relationship that you have, there's always an underlying factor, that you know, whether your parents, it's meant to be obedient with your friends, it's mutual respect and courtesy with your children. It's mutual love. Now when it comes to Allah subhanho wa Taala. It's recognizing that very fact that Allah subhanho wa Taala creates you and sustains you, and you are the creation and worship of Allah subhanho wa Taala. And you are so helpless without Allah subhanho wa Taala that nothing that you do can be done, except by
his help. So by changing that frame of mind, and this is what you see the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam instilled in his closest companions. He told them, that if you ask, then ask Allah, that even if you were to drop your whip as you're writing on the horse, pick it up yourself and make dua to Allah subhanho wa Taala. If your shoelaces were to break, ask Allah first and then ask someone else for that shoelace. So firstly is changing that frame of mind that you are in need of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, Allah subhanho wa Taala is not in need of you. Number two, in terms of getting acceptable. When do Muslims turn to Allah subhanho wa Taala the most and that is when Allah
subhanho wa Taala doesn't usually call upon them but it is usually at times when they need Allah subhanho wa Taala the most so in times of you know calamity and times of trials and difficult times. That is when Muslims turn to Allah subhanho wa Taala. But in reality, if you turn to Allah subhanho wa Taala in times of prosperity, you thank Allah for the blessings and you continue to make dua while you are prosperous. Then when that time of need when that time of desperation, when that time of calamity comes, Allah subhanho wa Taala will more willingly accept your dua and number three is the importance of having a halaal risk and sustenance, that in order for you to be accepted, you
have to be owning a halaal means you have to be eating that which is hard on what you eat is very important. You can't be you know consuming haram substances and except unexpecting Allah subhanho wa Taala will answer your supplications but rather earn that which is which is halal. Eat that which is halal, and that will be more conducive to advice being accepted. And most Lastly, is that imagine you have a close friend of yours and he only calls you every time he needs
something from you, there would come a time that you would just get fed up, you know, you would realize that your relationship is purely based upon his time of need. And I feel that this is the exact same way we treat God Himself. We only return to God when we are in times of need and times of desperation. But if you were to change that mode of relationship and be with God at all times, praising him remembering him when it comes to your time of need, Allah subhanho wa Taala will fulfill your need even more quickly than that. And those are some simple tips of advice. And Allah knows best dessert locker one last question. My question is with regards to zakat. I'm stuck with a
huge amount of loan this year. How will I compensate the sucker?
Okay, when it comes to loans and Zakat,
a lot of details are required. So just to break it down in simple terms, an individual who has more liabilities than he has assets islamically, he's not required to pay the car, because he's meant to be paying off his debts right away. islamically we're encouraged not to incur debt. However, if we do incur debt, we're meant to pay it off right away. So an individual who's in such a state that he's drowning in debt, he's pardoned from paying off the car, then you have an individual who has quite a few assets, but he's taken what they call islamically a luxurious loan, meaning that he took a loan just to invest in a business so that he may, you know, earn some more money islamically that
is permissible. This individual he has to give Zakat, not only on his assets, but on the loan that he took as well, because he's using that to gain money as well. And then the last individual is that individual who has a long term debt that he's paying off gradually. So for example, you've bought a house, and you're paying that loan that you have over a period of 20 years. Now, this is a large amount of loan that you're paying back, but you have a payment plan there. So this individual is still required to pay zakat on his assets. Because this is a conscious loan that he took, and is able to pay as a cat as well as pay off his loan. If that is the case, then he's able to pays the
cat and this is what is required of him. In such a situation. Just as a piece of advice for people who are drowning in debt. You'll notice that one of the secrets to this life is the hand that gives as also the hand that receives meaning that in that time where you are most in need of money. If you can find five year homes, 10 year homes, maybe 100 their homes during that time of constraint when you need that money the most. If you were to give it in the way of Allah subhanho wa Taala take care of the week take care of the poor, you will see at that time Allah subhanho wa Taala will take care of you as well. So during this time while you're drowning in debt, still try to take some money out,
give it out in the way of Allah subhanho wa Taala and you'll see that Allah subhanho wa Taala will aid you financially as well. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help you in your debt and help you get out of it. I mean, I mean, just one personal question for me. Sure. What do we do if a Malaysian woman actually holds from the fact that I mean generally speaking, they're not supposed to hold on to for what you do, right? But during the time of hygiene, what are you gonna do? There's not much you can do. Now to help us Zack lockers here for an enlightening talk in the question answers we have the lady waiting over there to make the Shahada inshallah, they will go through the procedure with you
inshallah, inshallah, of making the Shahada is the sister radio there in the ladies section? Yes, she's ready. Okay. So you can Okay, so sister before we take the Shahada, I want to make a couple of things clear be the lights Allah. Then when you take the Shahada, you're testifying to something very important that Allah is your only object of worship, and that Mohammed is the final and last messenger. And with this justification comes a change in lifestyle as well, where you stand up for justice, we are dead dedicated to fulfilling the commandments of God and staying away from those things that he prohibited. So before we embark on teaching this justification, are you ready to
accept that inshallah?
Yes, okay. So within it Tada, by the word of God, I'm wanting to say something in Arabic, and then give you its English translation as well. I'll say it slowly so you can repeat after me be the light either a shadow shadow and an La La Ilaha Illa Illa Allah, Allah, Allah, wa wa a shadow shadow. Anna anna Muhammadan Muhammadan rasul
Allah, and I welcome you into the face of Islam. Allahu Akbar.