When Muslims Work Together 3 – Volunteer Discipline

Nouman Ali Khan

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Episode Notes

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan shares with us two passages which at first seem to contradict each other from Surah An-Nur, verse 62 and from Surah At Taubah, Ayats 44 to 45 and it seems as if they are saying the exact opposite of each other. 

In Surah An-Nur,

‘Those who are asking you permission are in fact the ones who believe in Allah and his messenger.’ 

In Surah At Taubah,

‘Those who believe in Allah and the last day, don’t ask your permission,’

and it goes further,

‘those who are asking your permission they don’t believe in Allah and the last day.’

Surah Nur says, ‘Those who ask your permission those are the ones who have imaan.’ Surah Taubah says, ‘Those who ask you permission are the ones who have no imaan!’ Then there is another contradiction, ‘If they ask you (to be excused) for whatever issue they have, don’t give them permission!’

Surah Nur says, ‘If they ask for permission, it’s a sign of imaan and if they are asking (to be excused) for an important matter, give them permission.’

Surah Taubah says, ‘May Allah forgive you, why did you give them permission?’  Surah An Nur says, ‘Give them permission.’ Surah At Taubah says, ‘Why did you do it?’ Surah An Nur says, ‘If they ask permission that’s Imaan.’ Surah At Taubah says, ‘They have no imaan.’ 

These Ayats are being discussed because they represent some of the most beautiful examples of Quranic wisdom on the issue of seeking permission from Muslim leadership. 

Thus, in Surah An-Nur we understand the standard protocol of discipline. If one has an issue, he should ask permission and the Leadership should go out of their way to try to give permission in most cases. We must respect them and honor their request.  Did the hypocrites ever ask permission? The only reason they came to ask for permission was that it was mandatory. So voluntarily they never came to ask for permission. The people who came to ask for permission voluntarily depicts a sign of Iman. That’s the difference between Surah An Nur and Surah At Taubah.

 

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AI Generated Summary ©

The Bible provides examples of legal behavior from the Bible, including cases of asking for permission to have children, requesting children to have their names published, asking for permission to have children without their consent, and asking for permission to have children without their consent. The importance of clear commitments and policies, leadership, and giving permission in various situations is emphasized. The segment also touches on the use of language in writing and the need for leaders to show up and convince leaders to stay in the battlefield. permission is given in a state of emergency, but not in most cases.

AI Generated Transcript ©


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In mini una Latina

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he was who he was either Mamma

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mia

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for either calluna

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Jamie I am yet Habu.

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Dino

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in leadin is the new NACA.

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You can let me know Nabila he was Sunni

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for either the Luca de bout Leisha and new him.

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She temin home was still feeling level mu law in law Haku

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propitiously Sabri, we assume the MD moonrock that have been listening, Coco de hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu Salam mahadasha ambia it was Mussolini. He was after he is married to my mother. In order to introduce this next lesson, I'm going to share with you what seems at first, a very direct contradiction. I'm going to read a part of the translation of an ayah from Surah to new surah number 24. This is iron number 62 for those of you that are referencing it, 2462 and then I'm going to be reading something from Surah totoaba is number 44.

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And number 44, and 45. And they'll seem like they're saying the exact opposite thing. So let's start. The Arabic says in mela lunak hula you can Latina you mean una villa. He was hoody. Those who are asking your permission it's talking to the Prophet sallallahu sallam. Those who are asking your permission are in fact the ones who believe in a line is messenger.

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Lucky try at least try to keep the English in mind okay. Those who asked the prophets permission are the ones who in fact believe in him and his I believe in Allah and His Messenger Okay, Philip totowa lie is that the local Latina you mean una bella he will yummy.

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Those who believe in a line the last day Don't ask your permission.

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Those who believe in a lie and the last day Don't ask your permission and it goes further. And it says in Mia Nino, and La Nina la mina Villa he will Yamanaka and those who are asking your permission, don't believe in a line the last day.

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So to do says those who asked your permission. Those are the ones who have you mind.

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So the Toba says those who ask your permission, are the ones who have no you might

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have no demand. And then there's another apparent contradiction. So so the nurse says, you know for the new caliber of the chutney him, they'll eventually come in home. If they ask you for whatever issue they have give them permission. So to do says First of all, if they ask permission, it's a sign of demand. And if they are asking for some important matter, give them permission.

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So Toba says Allah one can imagine de la Soto versus Bella, forgive you. Why did you give them permission?

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Why did you give permission? So the new says give them permission. So why did you do so the new says if they ask permission that semen so the double says if they asked permission, that must mean they have no demand? Seems like a opposite views or no. So this is what I meant. Specifically, both passages have to do with permission. Both of them have to do with permission. And I pulled these passages out because they represent some of the most beautiful examples of Quranic wisdom. beautiful example of Quranic wisdom.

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Now,

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this first one is so explicit, it's so awesome in ML meaning true believers are only and only the kinds of people and levena Allahu alayhi wa Sudhi those who truly have faith in a lion has messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, what is that kind of

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green mean so beautiful whenever they are with him on some collective mission ambreen Jamia the entire series today could be called Hoda de amor in Java, guys guidance for collective work. The Quran actually uses the word collective work and the phrases I'm ruling Jamia is a candle Mahara marine Yama and whenever there with him on some collective mission, some tasks, some project. Now it's talking about Sahaba, the companions of the profit. Well, the long run which mine was a little longer and he was headed. They go with him on some mission. He assigns them to go speak to some tribe he assigns them to go scout some area he assigns them to go, you know, go learn

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You know something from somebody or get some news or whatever, he sends five, six of them, 10 of them whatever it may be, he gave them a test. That's an analogy. I mean, it could be any task. It doesn't have to be military in nature, it could be any task. Which means this passage particularly has great benefit for us. Because it could be any collective task, right? He says lumea, the hippo has is that they knew they would not abandon that task until they asked the permission of the Prophet first, solo mahanadi. Center. Let's put that in contemporary times.

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So you have a meeting. And in a meeting, we what we love doing, of course, because we're Muslims, we love meeting committees. Right? Oh, sorry, I mispronounced that committees. Right. So we love making committees. And this is the the research committee, this is the dialogue committee, this is the we're going to do something I don't know what it is committee, this is I want to be in a committee committee. Right, we have committees. And then you have a committee and that committees task is by the end of this week, you three will get this, this XYZ done.

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By the end of this week, and three people will get this done. Each one of those three people thinks x thinks y will do it, why think z will do it, the things y or x will do it, I don't have to do it, everybody shows up empty handed the next week.

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Because it's three of you what happens in psychology, it's called diffusion of responsibility. Nobody takes responsibility, somebody will do it. And then when you come back to meeting the next week, you're like you didn't do

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what you were nodding your head was, uh, you will not get more than I was.

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Nobody gets it done. But the guidance of foreigners, whenever they are on a collective task, there is no diffusion of responsibility. They don't abandon that task, unless they explicitly tell leadership. Listen, I can't do it, I'm sorry, I got a situation at home, my mother in law's here or something. They've got a situation. So they let you they let you explicit explicitly, look, I can do it. They don't assume or somebody else will take care of it. They don't assume it is very powerful guidance, folks. This is the kind of thing that destroys voluntary work. Because the leadership says the volunteers don't do anything. And then the people say the leadership is not getting anything

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done. because nothing's getting done. Because everybody keeps thinking somebody else will do it. And the whole thing is stagnant. Right? This keeps the machinery from breaking, if you're not going to be able to do it, come out and say listen, actually, I have a meeting, I have to fly, I have an emergency, I have a doctor's appointment, I have this, I have that and the other, I can't do it. So you're gonna have to take care of and be open about what you can and cannot do. And we have we have to change the culture of, you know, corrupting the meaning of inshallah.

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We have to, we have to stop that. That's a sacred phrase. It's a beautiful thing to say in childhood, but we've turned it into something ugly.

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In sha Allah means yes. In sha Allah means never.

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In sha Allah means maybe if I'm in the mood,

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it could mean anything. And you coming in sha Allah?

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mean? Yes. It could be no, it could be I don't like you.

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It could be any of those meanings. Be clear in what you can and cannot do. Be clear in your commitments, especially in committee, tax committee tasks, team tasks, don't put it off on somebody else, let me

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know and by the way, at work, at work at your job. If you have a team, sometimes you have teams or no. And your team was given a test.

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Immediately, as soon as the manager says you three have this job. What do you three? Do? You talk to each other and say you do this part you do you do? A I do? b i do see right. Immediately. And if any one of them says I thought you were gonna do everything, that's why I was on vacation this week. They will never do that if they liked their job. Because they know if they do that what's gonna happen?

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You're gonna get fired. You're gonna lose your job. But you know what, in Islamic work, it's voluntary when you're gonna fire me. I never got a paycheck anyway.

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Go ahead. What you're gonna do? Fine, I won't come anymore. was boring anyway.

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So you start thinking because it's voluntary, you can make a trivial, you can make light of it. You don't have to take it seriously. You don't have to meet the deadline, like you have to do at work. When you have when you haven't met a deadline at work, what happens? You stay late.

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You sweat it out. You order like, you know nasty tasting food and you stay in the office and you finish the work and you come home exhausted because you have to finish the task. Because you need the job. There's a serious attitude. If you cannot do it, then just say no. And if you can commit to it, if you can commit to it.

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Now on the flip side, let me tell you something because we have to balance all these equations. On the flip side, you have an immediate, you have somebody who's in charge of a project, Team Leader. And he gives you a task and you say you can't do it. And he says, well, Joe, he knew Phil,

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who was

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strong struggle like it deserves to be struggled for Stop making excuses. Don't make excuses. And you say, brother, my son is sick, my wife is sick, I gotta take care of them first, oh, in number two como la, la, La Hoya and done, what

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is going to court day and night, your money in your children or if it's not for you,

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Allah has the ultimate reward. Let her be sick of I will take care of her you think you will take care of her have some human go do my work.

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Leadership, which we'll talk about at the end cannot be emotionally manipulative.

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I cannot do that you can't give your volunteers a religious guilt trip. The Prophet never did it soliloquies and never did it. He never made people feel bad.

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When they came in to give an excuse, never did that. So if you're in a situation where the leadership is making you feel bad when you come and say, I can't do something, I'm sorry, first of all, you coming and saying, I'm sorry, I can't do it. Even that was a choice. You didn't have to come, you could have just skipped out on the whole thing. And when they asked you about it, because I forgot. But the fact that you made it an effort to come and say, Look, I know this is important, I'm sorry, I can't do it, please assign it to somebody else. That is a show of how much you believe in the project.

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That is a show that you take it seriously. And that should not be turned into a guilt trip by leadership. That's bad leadership.

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That's emotionally manipulative leadership. And that's the kind of leadership that everybody runs away from literally left by themselves. And then they say, I don't have any volunteers. Nobody works with me. Obviously, when you can act like that, who wants to work with you.

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I mean, the fact that you were, you know, to machine all the time is probably because your wife doesn't want to hang out with you either.

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Because, you know, that kind of personality. Go home a little, you know. So this is a very important area of concern, being taking permission seriously seeking permission, when you're the volunteer yourself, that will be a sign of permission sign of your commitment. And leadership is given advice at the same time, even though the last session of the day is qualities of leadership, Quranic qualities of leadership, but one quality right now all mentioned. And that is for investor, the new caliber Alicia and he him if they come to ask your permission for some of their important matters, so the excuse should also not be just anything Hey, by the way, I just bought Assassin's Creed

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three, and I haven't started it. That's why I can't do it.

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By the way, I just you know, you know, Vaughn just came out, and I haven't seen it. That's why I can't make it to the program. Sorry.

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No, if they come to you with an excuse that is legitimate, something serious, that's the word shot. And it's not just any, it's not just any firin. It's a shot and shot and is a serious matter that pertains to the person individually a private concern. If that's the case, then I'm in home, give permission to whoever you want from among them. It's the leaders discretion to give permission and not give permission. At the end of the day, the leader is told you have the choice. You can give permission and not give permission. We have to talk about that too. Why does a leader have a choice? Why come? How come Allah didn't just say, give everybody permission?

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Why do you say only who you want, who you see fit? Because a good leader understands the difference between who should get permission and who should it. So before I go to the next passage, which seems like it's a contradiction, let me explain how that works. You see,

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in a store,

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a guy has like five employees

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and he's got an employee that's really hard working. Basically that guy is running the store. That guy one guy and we're single handedly running the store and he's got another employee was like a nephew or something. You got connection so he got the job doesn't do any work.

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He's even he's on vacation even when he's at work.

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So now there is you know, one of the the the good employee comes and asks for a day off.

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And the lousy employee comes and asks for a day off. Who am I going to give a day off to

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all makes sense.

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I'm going to give a day off to the lousy employee.

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You know why?

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Because the lousy employee whether he was here, Salah

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is the same for me if he was here, he wasn't here. Work wasn't going to get done anyway, tomorrow, go.

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And the guy who works hard I'm not going to give him a deal.

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But you know what, they both walk away the guy who doesn't work at all he walks away he goes, You know, I don't do any work and I get a day off.

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And the guy who works hardest thinking man, I work so hard. I deserve a day.

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And he doesn't give me a day of any kill this guy here.

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That's not fair. Actually, what the guy doesn't realize is he didn't give you a day off because you're all the more valuable to him. It's a proof of how valuable you are. So sometimes somebody comes with a legitimate excuse to the Prophet sallallahu wasallam and says, I can't do it. And the Prophet says, No, I can't give you permission, I need you.

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That's a discretion upon the Prophet or subtle salon. But if you can afford to let him go, he will. If he can afford to let him go, he will. So the leader has to be merciful, but also understand the needs of the work.

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And so you press upon your followers, but don't press so much that they break. That's the balance between the two. Now let's go to the other passes. The other this was sort of the new, the other one who remembers what was the other one from doba. So to Toba, from beginning to end is an emergency situation.

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It's the state of emergency of the oma.

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Makkah has just been conquered. And we kind of poked at the Roman hornet's nest,

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just poked at him. And now there's a big conflict about Hebrew, between us and the Romans.

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And so the messenger and they sort of some starts preparing an open draft. This was the first time in Islamic history in the history of the Prophet's life, at least to some that it was mandatory on anyone capable of fighting to come join the army. Before that it was voluntary, if you didn't know. But they were voluntary, as I was voluntary, but but the book was a draft. Everybody has to show up. And if you don't show up, you better present an excuse. You better explain yourself.

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So we're heading to the book we're gonna meet the Roman army

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100,000, strong, serious matter.

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demonaco in the hypocrites weren't up for it. So they come to the Prophet one of them comes to the Prophet sighs and says, woman, we're cooler than the will attorney. He says to the promises of jasola give me permission. You see, I'm a player.

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And we're going to go pass through some towns when we get near the book that have really, really pretty women. And I can't help myself. So I'm going to put myself in fitna and therefore please don't let me go into battle against the ruins of all the lame excuses you could have come up with

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and that to the messenger, some alone and the messenger hears this and he says, okay, you can stay.

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He just says okay, you can stay. And to me, that is a genius of the Prophet sighs so that that kind of a joker would have been a liability on the battlefield, not an asset.

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Though Harajuku feeco Masato Camila Habana and even admits, he says if they came out with you, they would have caused nothing more than disruption.

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They would have been a problem. Now that's another solution. Because you know, in an army in the battlefield, you need the tightest discipline.

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If one soldier leaves his position, there can be chaos. Isn't that true? So if you have an unreliable soldier, why don't you just stay home and cook?

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Let's let the real soldiers go. So if he's coming in asking for an excuse, it's better you let him stay.

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But the prophets lie Selim is being taught in a state of emergency. When people come and ask you permission, don't give them permission. And you will find that even though you didn't give them permission, they'll still stay behind. And they will prove their disobedience to you and they'll prove that they're hypocrites this time.

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So I don't want you to give them permission. So unless has in a state of emergency, why did you give them permission? Hector yatabe ana La La Vina. Sadako quwata alkazi been until you can confirm who's speaking the truth and you can get to know the liars. So in a state of emergency permissions are dropped. Life and death situation. That's a life and death situation for the entire Muslim ummah. Then permissions are dropped, then there's no please excuse me, I have some problem No, done. That will not be given and actually the only people excused were the ones Allah Himself excused and Serato Toba. Otherwise, nobody was excused. So what we learned is slow to noon is the standard

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protocol of discipline. If you have an issue, ask permission, leadership should go out of their way to try to give the permission. In most cases, they should try to give the permission that should be the rule, let it go. And that's a show of your courtesy to the volunteer don't make them feel bad about it. Don't make them feel like they're less of a volunteer, respect them and honor their request. The fact that they came and asked you permission is a sign that they respect you anyway. By the way, under normal circumstances did the munafo even ever asked permission? No. They didn't ask for permission. The only reason they came to ask for permission was because it was mandatory this

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time. So voluntarily, they never came to ask for permission. The people who come to ask for permission voluntarily that's a sign of demand. That's the difference between still too new and solid atharva. That's the that's the fundamental difference between the

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In the state of emergency people who come and start asking, making lame excuses, obviously that's proof they have no demand for tobacco boom

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then their hearts are riddled with doubt. And they are they're going to go back and forth and they're adults. And by the way, Allah insulted them really nicely to in the Quran.

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Allah says I had the courage

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to call them out this is not part of our course. But I want to share with you how Allah calls people out i mean he owned these guys with desire these IRA It was pretty amazing. very entertaining to imagine the situation. So the guy comes the guy is a sweet talker, right? Oh messenger I was so ready to come and I was completely coming with you but then all of a sudden my mother in law came over and I have

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you know, I like that example. Okay.

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guy makes an excuse but you know, he says I was coming I was ready to go you know me. But just last minute this thing happened you know, it just happened. I don't know how that happened. It's crazy, right?

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Allah says no. If they really intended to come out with you

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they would have packed their bags go check your home how many bags are packed

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there's nothing tacked on called him out because all I knew was inside the house on one was all ready to go let's see how ready you were. Let's take a look. When I can however carry Hello home Beata home Allah was a lot less disgusted at the thought of appointing these people with you in battle. Allah didn't want them to come they shouldn't have the honor of accompanying you

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that's why they stay behind what we're looking at how long behind the home for third Baba home that he made them lag behind Loki locker room ID This is the insult in battle in Arabic language parted or carried on doing so. Okay. In battle party Dune is used for men, women and children that don't go to battle. So let's ask the locker room and sit back with the women and children who sit back.

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That's what he calls them. He insults them with that language. So that was our brief session on permission