Omar Suleiman – How the Prophet Inspired Young People
AI: Summary ©
The importance of Islam in shaping one's life is discussed, including the negative impact of sallama's actions and the need for personal connections to the Prophet's teachings to achieve comfort. The importance of finding comfort in life and embracing Islam is emphasized, along with the need for personal connections to the Prophet's support system and creating a path to their true values. The importance of setting good habits in high school, particularly in college, is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to love a tomato, he used to love things that would be considered good omens. He used to love to see the bright side of things. And I know that many times, you know, we talk about the darkness outside, and we talked about how difficult things have become for Muslims around the world here in the United States. But I want you to actually see the bright side for a moment and humbled enough in what you just witnessed. What you just witnessed. Were people young people, saying the names of Allah Subhan Allah to Allah. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that the day of judgment would not be established, until the name of Allah is
no longer set on this earth. And then you witnessed a young sister recite Surah Fatiha, the opening verses of the Quran from Al Kitab, the foundation of the book of ALLAH SubhanA Mata and he watched the young man mashallah beautifully presents, the history of Islam in America, and how that led to his own personal attachment and what that means for us to date. And then you witnessed personal journeys and testimonials of people that found a connection to their Islam in America and want to help other youth with their Islam in America, who all somehow think that they're good basketball players, which I have my doubts about. That's alright. We'll let them have it. We'll let them run
with it. And then it ended off with Amara l Sudima.
Now just a Omer Sinema Amara L. Serena, who Masha Allah talks about his own means of refuting some of the pressure that comes his way for insisting upon his Islam here in America. If that doesn't give you hope, what does that is the entire spectrum of what we want to pass down to the next generation when it comes to Islam in America, and so I'm optimistic and in sha Allah to Allah, we should all be optimistic about what the future of Assam not just in America is, what Islam in the world is and what the future of these young Muslims actually is. I want you to think about the messenger of allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
as he was facing the most difficult moment of his life,
or rather the most difficult moment as a community because the most difficult moments were for the Prophet sallallahu sallam.
And I want you to contrast how the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam dealt with
his personal difficulty, and then how he inspired a generation of people to get through what seemed to be a moment that threatened their very existence.
When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was in bhyve, in his personal moment, the worst day of his life was thought of
it combined humiliation
with rejection, and not just humiliation and rejection at the surface level. But digging deep into the Prophet sallallahu Sallam as a human being himself. You heard in these youth, something that we all experienced when someone questions your intellect and someone questions your worth. Shavon will try very hard to make you start repeating those negative things to yourself and seeing yourself as worthless. And before they threw stones at the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and caused him to bleed in five. When he addressed the leaders of five, they wouldn't even look at him.
And they'd be little Tim,
as if he wasn't even in the room. Who are you to speak to us. And then the stones came.
And then the blood flowed. And then the teeth broke. And the sandals filled with stones, and masala sigh son finds himself in a very alone place.
And the thing that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam stakes, his hopes in
is in the next generation of those people.
Some of whom were actually the ones throwing the stones at the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Think about how profound that is. When you read it to salaam, on the angel Gabriel comes to the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam with the angel controls the mountains and says, I can crush all of these people between these two mountains.
He's referring to the old and the young,
the young of whom were actually casting stones. They didn't know any better. But they were actually casting stones at the profit
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as well. And the prophets of Allah Azza wa sallam rejects Doom, on the basis of what may be their children will grow up to say La Ilaha illa Allah, perhaps there'll be different maybe their children will be attached to this word of monotheism, La ilaha illa Allah there is no god but him, maybe the kids will be different.
He was able to see past their stones
and instead, see their innocence through it.
He was able sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to see past their insults. And instead see the potency of the message that Allah gave him to cause them to reconsider their insults.
Even if you try to break him and his essence as a person, and tell him you are not worthy, he knew sallallahu alayhi wa salam, that La Ilaha illa Allah, the statement of monotheism, the power of the message that was given to him was indeed worthy.
And that any human imperfections that we have,
would not hinder the perfection of the message that's been given to us.
And so the power of this message was enough to overcome the insults that were being hurled towards him, was enough to overcome the power dynamics that had made the situation see impossible seem impossible. And give the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam hope. And today, if you go to PA if their muscles,
their children were Muslims.
You know how 14 generations of Muslims because the prophets lie son did not give up on them, he saw hope, despite being at his lowest points. Fast forward.
The most hopeless situation for the Muslims in Medina, and this is arguable, in the sense that it could be another incident but Allah knows best that seems to be 100. The Battle of the Trench. Why because 100 When the Muslims were forced to basically build a trench between themselves, and those that had intended to massacre them and wipe them off of the face of the earth.
They were more outnumbered than they've ever been, and less equipped than they've ever been.
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
looks around and he sees young people,
young people that were willing to dig the trench with him.
Young people
that found enough courage and strength,
though they had not live their lives as youth
to sing songs of hope,
even as they couldn't find food to put in their mouths.
It's one of the proudest moments of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when he stands up, and I want you, you know, sometimes it's helpful when you're reading sila to try to see the world through his eyes.
I want you to think about what it's like for a man that's been through life when no one was around him,
to rise up from the ditch, and to see a bunch of young people covered in dirt, singing songs of hope.
And he says, Allah hum, now Aisha in Asia
Phosphatidyl Ansara muhajir.
O Allah, there is no life, except for the life of the hereafter. So forgive the unsavoury and the Mohan team, the youth of Medina, who received this and the youth of Mecca, who migrated along with me Forgive them,
as if to say sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that these young people
had through certainly a combination of the power of the message. But the shinda the extent of the persecution, come to a realization very early on in life, that there is more to life than life, that there is more to existence,
then these temporary sprouts of play and folly.
And it was the wisdom of Allah subhanho wa taala, that they faced
the test along with the embrace of the message early on to where they could come to that conclusion. Some of those conclusions that you heard just now in these presentations,
that what I have is worth the struggle.
You see many parents try to instill in their children. Allah
If of comfort and ease so that they don't have to struggle, the way that you struggled.
Some of you grew up under intense racism and persecution, or difficult economic barriers. And you struggle it, and you wanted your kids to live a life of comfort.
Because you didn't have that childhood of comfort. But it may be from the wisdom of Allah subhanaw taala, that he will challenge your children differently than you nonetheless challenge them. Because sometimes the challenge is necessary for any human being, to come to a deep place of reflection, how much is this message worth to me?
What does this Dean mean to me?
When I get asked by my colleagues about it, when I see people around me who seem to have a much more fulfilling life than I do, what does it mean to me?
Because you better believe that if you were in the ditch with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, you had to ask yourself that question, do you drop the shovel and turn back and run? Or do you stay there and keep digging because this message means something to me.
You know, the Sahaba Faced Better and overt and 100 and Tabuk.
Some of the scholars saying the Battle of better they learned La ilaha illAllah. Because in whether it was about Allah, and in the battle, or they learned Muhammad Rasul Allah, because they had to throw themselves in front of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as he was being attacked and almost killed. But that's where the true meaning of la ilaha illa came in was better. And then the true meaning, not that they didn't have it before, but really a fulfilled essence of Muhammad Rasul Allah, it came in overt
when they had to throw themselves in front of their Prophet sallallahu. And he was sort of not because he demanded it, but because they knew that the message that they had demanded that of them and protect him. They got it, because the challenge forced them to ask the questions to themselves.
And to the young people that are here.
Consider it a blessing from Allah subhanho wa taala. That sometimes you're going to be challenged.
But what you have is so special.
I want to ask a question here. How many of you grew up going to school without any Muslims around you? Anybody?
Mashallah, how many of you grew up in Utah with no Muslims? School? I too,
grew up in school with no Muslims around me.
I didn't have any Muslim friends in school. I didn't know any other Muslims in school.
And like all my L, Selena face questions, and honestly how to discover and I could hide from being Muslim.
I could blend in and hide from being Muslim,
amongst my peers. And I look back and I'm grateful to Allah subhanaw taala that I was forced, forced to find my Islam very early on. Because I had to ask myself, is it worth the social alienation that I don't necessarily need to have right now?
That I could technically avoid?
And to me that answer was absolutely the best decision I made of my life and handed it to me. Best decision I made in my life. It was worth it. It is worth it. You see, subhanAllah when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa salam talks about the coming of the last days, and he says sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that behind you. Were what comes after you are days of great patience, the likeness of witches, what?
Some of you know that hadith, right? What's it like
to do what? A Yama sub
Koblin Alan Jamal, it's like holding on to a burning piece of hot coal.
But then the prophets I send them says but the one who acts upon their faith in those days has the reward of 50
They said the otter sword Allah, a Durham seen a minimum 50 of them the reward of 50 of them he said no the reward of 50 of you.
You see, you can read that hadith and you could say, Man, Islam these days is like holding on to burning hot coal.
Or you could say and and Hamdulillah. Islam today is the reward of 50.
You could emphasize the struggle or you could emphasize the reward. You can emphasize the crisis or you can embrace the challenge.
And what we have in this beautiful message of ours is certain
Only a challenge. There is no way you could be fully Muslim and fully embraced in a world that doesn't fully embrace Islam.
It's not possible, there is no way that you could fully be Muslim and then fully embraced by a world that doesn't fully embrace Islam. What does that mean? There is going to be unnecessary tension between you and the world around you. Not one that you provoke with your bad manners. No, it's fabulous to hear accent, either lovely Boehner Kobina who are Dalits in Canada, who and even me, when people are rude with you, when people are following you respond to that which is evil with that, which is good with that, which is better. Show them your good character, when they show when they show you their bad character. Show them how Islam turns you into the best possible human beings
show them what Islam turns you into as a neighbor, what it turns you into as a colleague, what it turns you into as an employer, what it turns you into as an employee, what it turns you into as a student or a teacher, show them what Islam turns you into as a human being. Because that's what the prophets I send them did, but I'm attending them in a mercy to the world. But in the process, there are going to be some people that just don't like you.
And that feel inherently threatened by your message, even if you don't present it in threatening ways.
Because it causes a tension in them.
And at that point,
you hold firm
and you realize no, now you can be bulimic. Yato sort of Allah, O Messenger of Allah, the character that you've shown to these people is exemplary.
You've shown these people nothing but beauty.
They're not really denying you. It's not about you. It's not about your character. It's about what you stand for. That what you stand for sometimes, is going to make you a target.
Now the Muslim does not live in this world paranoid but the Muslim surely does live in this world confidence
with great confidence
because just as the message is worth it and the reward is worth it's
Allah will be my source of strength.
And Subhan Allah when you look at the youth around the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when we talk about succession, you know, masha Allah, I don't think I've been to a program in recent memory.
Where I had youth presentations like this before me. What the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did
in his community, was that he did not just create succession. by appointing leaders in advance. He didn't say salah, how are you gonna send them to the elders of the companions? Look, you hold on to this for 2030 years. And then we're gonna write a constitution and 30 years you pass it on to the next generation.
With the prophets of Allah, Anakin was Saddam did was he integrated the youth into every single layer
of the Dawa and of the dynamics of the community.
They were there. There wasn't a monotonous sitting the gathering of the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam, except that there were youth there that were weighing in with important, important analysis that were giving their opinions that felt personally vested that were welcomed that were included. Let's Allah say some of them did not have a youth committee. His entire community was a youth committee. They were integrated. The Prophet salallahu Narnia Salam gave them important tasks, but he did not give them important tasks without a support system with those with experience.
Because you can't create succession.
Without personal investments.
That young companion had to be personally vested in this mission, and also lost my son was able to create that I just finished talking about why rather than a job that will the Allahu Taala animal on the Tuesday night class, the first and you talk about more I've seen you do the Relena Yeoman PM, the master of all scholars on the day of judgment, and he died when he was 34 years old.
What are the Allahu Taala Anna?
The prophets lie some built people early on, invested in them, gave them attention included them and gave them a support system.
And he allowed them to be personally invested. You know, it's very, you know, eye opening about the messenger sallallahu alayhi salam and how the young people around him responded to this message.
Some of the best companions of the prophets lie Selim were the children of his enemies.
Ekrem even Abby Jaha you've all heard of Abuja, hub, the pharaoh of this ummah, for their own of this ummah.
His son Ekrem, or the Allahu taala. And who became an incredible companion, loyal to the Prophet sly son died a martyr Shaheed
raising the banner of Leila Allah where his father did everything to try to crush it. And the prophets lie Selim. You know how he made it come I feel included. This is beautiful. Oh Bucha had hurt the Prophet slice and I'm quite a bit. The messenger sighing Salam told the Companions do not mention his father around him. Don't talk about a Bucha head around.
Don't taunt him with his father. Don't talk about the legacy of his father, disconnect him from that don't identify him by the crimes and the sins of His Father.
Give him a chance to shine. carland Igneel Walid Carr, literally Allah on Anhu his father
was a horrible human being.
He's not tainted by the sins of His Father.
And liquid harlot became to the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam, Dora bent a bee Lahab imagine being the daughter of Abu Lahab you read the surah in Quran about your parents being in the fire
Sahabi or the Allahu Taala Anna
Abdullah in new Abdullah, nobody even salute
the chief hypocrite of Medina. So if there is an equivalent to Abuja, in Medina, it's our beloved Obon salute the chief hypocrite and Medina, his children, Allah and Jamila become amazing companions of the Prophet slice on empowered in the community of the Prophet slice Allah.
So those are the children of the enemies. And then you have the children of the companions that were also companions
Abdullah ibn Ahmed Eros, Abdullah bin Ahmed and US Ahmed and also the Allah Tala animals a great companion, his son Abdullah felt a direct connection to the prophets lie some personally was vested in the message personally had his own attachment had his own story
and you know what from a quantity perspective surpassed his father in a bother in worship.
You imagine it's like the greatest it's one of the funniest things in the world to me the complaint of honorable us about his son Abdullah to the prophets of Allah it was
alright, I'm loving I'm gonna get married. And I'd love to honor Masha Allah when he got married. You know the husband and the wife are supposed to pray tonight guys together.
He read the whole Quran on his wedding night.
The guy while the Allahu Taala and home well IV he used to read the Quran every day finish it used to fast every day wasn't sleeping at night was just dedicating himself and Omdurman us has to bring his son to the prophets lie some to say you also love can you talk to my son he reached too much.
Praise too much. every parent's dream right the eldest little Allah helped me with him.
He took it too far too quickly. But that was something the prophesy some wild comes about the zeal of it while still moderating the proportion without taking away the purpose and the zeal. Yes, you need to moderate the proportion.
But keep that zeal keep that purpose keep that love. Abdullah saw the Prophet SAW Salem as His Prophet, not his dad's Prophet, not his dad's friends, Abdullah abnormal, while the Allahu Taala and human Abdullah Abdullah Ahmed,
if there is any person who emulated the Prophet slicin, from the Companions, to the point of putting his foot in his footstep, walking in His footsteps, it was our beloved Muhammad Ali Allah Allah the son of honorable kappa. He loved the prophets lie Selim. He had his own connection to the Prophet science Allah. He used to ask the prophesy some questions. He has his own Hadith from the Prophet slice them he doesn't just narrate from his father. He's got his own independent, unique connection, he was vested, this was his religion, not just the religion of his father, you understand the difference? These children of the companions
were able to develop their own unique connection to the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam they to being companions and have their own unique pathways to greatness.
When you want to create succession, you have to create a sense of being personally invested. Now let me address the youth here in particular, at some point this has to become your own religion.
At some point, this has to become law in Allah Muhammad Rasul Allah to you because at some
Important, your parents aren't going to tell you to pray anymore.
Your parents won't be there to make sure that you pray on time.
They won't be there to tell you did you read this much Quran, they won't be there to protect you from some of the sins that are out there and some of the temptations at some point, you've got to connect your own purpose to that purpose, and have your own unique relationship with the Quran your own unique relationship with the Prophet sly salah, your own unique relationship to lectures. Your parents can't force you to listen to Him or else today, man forever at
some point, it's got to be you.
At some point, you have to ask yourself, why is it
that this message is so special
and so unique?
You know, they say that money that you inherit is never as precious as money that you earn.
You know, you work for money. It's like your kids allowance versus the money that they just inherited money that's given to them.
money that you earn is often more precious and more valuable to you. Same thing is true with this religion, sometimes. Sometimes you got to take that step back and say, You know what, this is my religion. This is my way. This is my path to Allah subhanaw taala.
I want to go to gender.
I want to meet the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, I believe you have to take that. And sometimes Allah will put those challenges your way as a gift. Because it'll force you to reckon with that message early on and ask yourself, is it worth it? And I pray that the answer for each and every single one of you will be yes. In sha Allah, I pray that the answer for every single one of you will be yes. If you haven't had that tension arise yet in your lives. I'm going to say to the parents in particular, the ask, you know, what is it that I need to be doing right now?
How do I raise righteous Muslim kids? There are three things that are necessary and I hope the youth in here are listening as well in sha Allah Tada number one foundation.
You have to work on their foundation. Their foundation is what they learned from you at home, and how Islam is a lived reality with their parents. How Islam is the foundation of their home,
to know the Quran to know Allah Subhana Allah to Allah to connect their existence to the existence of Allah subhanaw taala to connect their purpose to the purpose that Allah has endowed them with. You have to nourish them with that, give them the tools, give them the foundation, show it to them, demonstrate it.
And you have to expect that sometimes, you know, just like when you lay the foundation of a home 1020 years the warranty wears off a bit. There's gonna be some movements.
There's gonna be some movement, and it's very interesting because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said he is not amongst us Mala Yaga Hamza Liana while you work with Kevin on the one who does not show mercy to the youth,
and respect the elders, you're not amongst this community. Well, Rama looks like first and foremost. Forgiveness, a chance at redemption.
Your kids are going to do some really dumb things, hopefully not too bad.
But they're going to disappoint you.
They're going to make mistakes that you thought that you did everything that you possibly could for them not to make, and you hope those mistakes are not severe. You hope their mistakes they can bounce back from you hope they can catch themselves before they go too far. But it was gonna be important for you towards them as well.
To try to bring them back to their foundation.
Okay, foundation number two friends.
And this is for both the parents and for the youth.
The people around you will define who you are. It is as simple as that. You know, it's amazing.
That's not just for young people.
We are all affected by peer pressure. It's the dress, it's the car. Whatever it is, you get older, it's your kids wedding, YOUR KIDS shoes, your house, what they're saying about this and what there's I mean, but the peer pressure and the standards that are set for you are inevitably going to rub off on you.
Foundation, and then friends trying to give your kids the best friends that they possibly can have by putting them in environments where they'll make good friends in Charlottetown.
That's number two. Number three is one that often doesn't come up and I'm gonna say it right now because I want you
Young people as well that are kind of in the teenage phase, to really take into consideration. Number three is good habits,
good habits.
If you establish good habits in high school,
they will benefit you tremendously in college.
For parents, if you establish good habits for your youth, when they're younger children, those good habits will help them because they'll become a part of them.
When they hit those critical agents,
we're creatures of habits. And sometimes we have a wake up call, we have a moment of clarity that hits us when we get a little bit older and wiser. But our bad habits
pull us back down.
And so trying to establish good habits with each other, I mean young people in here with your friends as well, trying to establish good habits. From now a good sense of discipline will help you in your trajectory in sha Allah to Allah towards Allah subhanho To Allah as you reach that next phase, and the way that I'd say look at it is that you know, we all have these peaks. Ramadan is the peak of the year right? Ramadan is the peak of the year, what's going to determine your good Ramadan
your Shabbat
you prepare yourself and Siobhan your Ramadan will be good. Everyone needs a good shot down before a good Ramadan.
And so what I say to younger people, always is get ahead starts.
Get a head start, start thinking about things that those around you are not yet thinking about or taking too seriously. Get a head start and that will set you apart. Once you reach that next level. Oftentimes, people waits and by the time they start to try to set themselves apart,
they're already acting while coalescing with the bunch.
They're already just trying to keep up with the group at that point.
It's panela, you find so many of the companions of the Prophet sly Salam took advantage of that Headstart. And that's why they became the people that they became
young people mashallah that figured it out in high school, that they needed to make that change.
And what are they doing with their university days, and sha Allah to Allah excelling in their education, and at the same time investing in other youth.
And last thing that I'll say to you, the brothers and sisters, is that it's not just about surviving, it's about thriving.
I want the young people in here to think about generating Iman in the next generation, not just holding on to it for themselves.
The more that you give, the more Allah subhanaw taala will give you to give.
I'm so proud of this group of young people mashallah that I've decided to start an effort to help their peers because they see where their peers are, because they have lived what they have lived in the presence. And so that's the closest proximity to understanding the struggles of people and wanting to heal and wanting to give back and wanting to generate and wanting to grow others is one of the greatest ways that you grow yourself. Because Allah Subhana Allah will keep on filling your tank, if you keep trying to fuel it, so that you can give to others in the night so that you can help others and support others. I pray that Allah bless the youth in this community, that Allah
bless the parents in this community to raise tremendous youth, that Allah Subhana Allah to Allah make us amongst those that carry the torch and pass it that have faith in their hearts and generate it in the hearts of others that are guided and guiding that are rectified and rectifying. And I pray that we can be a people that Allah subhanaw taala describes as having firm foundations, but branches high in the sky producing fruits at all time for the benefit of everyone around us alumna I mean, does that mean lol Phytoceramides until agriculture