Omar Suleiman – Learning Courage from Palestine – Our Predecessors
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of patientism in Islam, including the belief that everyone is worth it for them to engage in and not be afraid of the oppressor. They also emphasize the need for patience and generosity in leadership, as it is crucial for their success. The conversation touches on the negative consequences of a fight and the importance of avoiding fear and staying in a place where one is not the other.
AI: Summary ©
I mean, I mean mostly cool obviously we talk a lot were called the Mr. Rana will help or climate yada yada yada Dena ammonoid Tapachula haka to car T without a motor net loan to Muslim on. You are not suitable Rebecca Mala De ha ha common Epson Wahida wahala caminhadas Jaha Oberth Amin Houma region and Kathy are on one isa WhatsApp Allah Allah de Tessa Aluna b What are haram? In Allah? How can Alikum rocky but you and Adina Amador tupple la hora who colons Dida useless la come American way up for LA comme de novo Alterna, Hora Sula, who fucka defassa, frozen Alima, some and the bad. The brothers and sisters, we begin by praising Allah subhanaw taala and bearing witness that nun has
the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him. And we bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as his final messenger, we ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in His blessings path until the day of judgment, and we ask Allah to make us amongst them Allahumma Amin, I know that in the end of Ramadan going into now a week later, there was this overwhelming sense of grief and anxiety about what's been happening with our brothers and sisters and Philistine particularly surrounding and mazindol upside. And I want us
to actually now think about where we are a week later but but to connect it to something else and to go back to what we were spiritually trying to generate in ourselves in Ramadan.
The exercise of Ramadan is a sub. In fact, when Allah says was the annual discovery was salah, that exert yourself seek the help of ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada through patience and prayer. Many of the Redeemer actually say that the word a sobre here, which technically means patience, is actually referring to fasting, that you see closeness to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah through fasting and through prayer, but Allah called this noble act of ours patience southern. And I want us to connect what we see of what we were trying to generate of patients in Ramadan in a very specific sense, to the patients that we see from our brothers and sisters and Philistine in particular, and how we
generate that from them. And from our brothers and sisters all over the world that so bravely and courageously stand in front of their oppressors and do not relent, but maintain a posture in front of their brother in front of their oppressors that we can't help but admire and we think to ourselves Subhanallah where do they get that from? Now, obviously, it's one thing to be patient with food and drink. It's another thing of course, to be patient with bombs over your head. It's one thing to be patient with someone that's being annoying. Someone that's a little insulting, a little bit rude and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said say in the seitan I am fasting and I hope
inshallah to Allah, that what was in the assignment Ramadan, that I am fasting in Ramadan, when you see something that warrants that has turned into any Muslim, I'm just a Muslim. And I don't do those things inside or outside of Ramadan, I'm going to hold myself back. But it's another thing when you have occupying forces in front of you, troops in front of you, settlers walking into your house and throwing you out. People that show you absolutely nothing of any redeeming human quality. And you have to be patient in the face of that, but they are connected to each other. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us when it comes to patients in particular, that sometimes seeing
someone else or knowing of someone else that is going through something harder than you or has been through a difficulty harder than you allows you to be able to overcome the trials and the difficulties in your own life because you're able to draw inspiration from them and ultimately, try to connect yourself to the same connect yourself to the same source that they are drawing from. And that's why we have the famous Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Rahim Allah, Aki Musa, may Allah have mercy on my brother Musa alayhis, salaam laka Oh, the abbey Ackerman had he was struck
With worse than this, he was annoyed by his people more than I'm being annoyed in this situation, he faced a greater difficulty. And he was patience for sub. I too should be patience when I look back on my brother Musa on Instagram and draw from that inspiration. And there's something very important here. Our notion of patience in Islam is not passive. Slavery is not just holding yourself back. It is actively thinking about what is more worth the situation what is more worth it for you to engage in than what is immediately in front of you. And that's why when you hear what's beautiful wasabi row, while Savile Row, right? Like these are very active terms that we find in the Quran, to be
patient and to make other patient people patients, people that were patient in the face of their oppressors, people that were patients in battle. Some of these things don't translate well when you're just thinking about the word patients, but they do translate. Well when you think about the concept of Saba what tawassul but hockey, what's our Saba stopping, they actively enjoying one another with truth and they actively enjoying one another with patience because patience is not just holding yourself back. It's not just passiveness. It's filling yourself with something greater. It's not just not responding to the person in front of you. It's being engaged with the one that is above
you so that there's perspective with the person that's in front of you. It's not just not being afraid of the the oppressor in front of you who is actually a coward. It is understanding that this person who finds strength derives strength from their weapons and from their so called access to power and whatever it is that they have, is actually drawing strength from something that is in reality, vulnerable to Allah subhanho wa Taala and can immediately be taken from Allah subhanaw taala. Whereas you draw strength directly from the source you draw strength from Allah subhanaw taala. Without weapons without the same access to material power, as they have suburb is investing
in something, someone is feeling connected to something, somewhere is active worship of the heart that leads to certain qualities and certain characteristics. And subhanAllah we find multiple notions of this in the Quran. But let's just say really quickly about our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Palestine and what's happening over there, that what those people have been subjected to for now, over 70 years. They should have buckled a long time ago. They should have crumbled a long time ago. How do you deal with that much pressure? How do you deal with occupation? How do you deal with a redeem that is meant to break your spirits and all of the powers conspiring against you?
How do you still generate the strength? If you saw the images from AXA today? SubhanAllah. It's like ethos today, where do you find that? What is Allah subhana wa it's Anna filling their hearts with for them to be able to go out there. And again, as we said, not move, not move when you're watching them on the 27th night it says if they didn't even hear the bombs, they were just thinking about what the bomb was reciting. They were focused, their hearts were established, so their feet were firm as well.
And this is what I want us to connect ourselves to been lucky Tyler.
a leadership role requires patience, a very particular type of patience. In fact, I'm loving our bus of the Allahu Taala and Houma. He said that the two qualities that are necessary for leadership are certainty and Allah subhanaw taala and patience, those are the two qualities that are necessary for a leader. Now I want us to not just imagine this one day situation where we're in this you know, horrible environment, where we have to generate some sort of, you know, majestic type of patience to overcome a monstrous situation because that would disconnect the brothers and sisters in Palestine from us and turn them into some sort of mythology that we look to and we just say, masha Allah, but
then in our own lives, we're not connecting the dots about what we should be generating in our own selves. And that's why they say that SABR patience is connected to all of the other good qualities that we find in the Quran and Sunnah. And that's why the prophets lie. Some said there is no blessing. Oh Sarel middle Saba, that is more expensive than patience. It brings out so much good inside of a person. And they say it brings out generosity. How does it bring out generosity? How does it bring out courage? How does it generate a person being very calculated, and how they approach situations in their lives?
Because when a person has patience, they have perspective all the time.
And when they have perspective, they are focused on the greatness of Allah subhana wa Tirana and not the claims to greatness in this life nor the smallness of their own means. They're constantly focused on the greatness of Allah subhanho wa taala. And remember that Rahim Allah to Allah he comments on the Hadith where the Prophet SAW Selim said, what will be Kameena Gibney will book on that I seek refuge in You Oh ALLAH from being a coward or from being a stingy person. And he comments that'd be Rahim Allah to Allah He comments he says a shujaa out was Sahara hawan, from en la mujer de Bie, Maliki femenino, do the BNF see that the opposite of that is that courage and
generosity are brothers. If a person does not find expense, if a person is not able to give up their wealth freely, because they believe in something greater than the fear of poverty, or from the material pleasure of this life, they're not able to do that, then they can't do that with their own selves. And courage requires you to not fear anything that comes your way in this line. The same way that generosity true generosity, and that's why the prophets lie. Some said it might be that a person gives one little hum and they are superior in the sight of Allah subhana wa Tada than someone who gives 100,000 times that why because they're actually putting themselves at risk when they do
so. They're giving and they're actually putting themselves in a situation where they're having to trust Allah subhana wa Tada, there's a Tilak code in their sadaqa that's embedded in their sadaqa a trust in God that is embedded in their charity. It's not just that they're crunching numbers, and saying this is how much I can give.
It is a trust and ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala that leads them to not have such a fear of poverty that paralyzes them. And it is a longing for what Allah has, that allows them to readily and happily overlook the temporary pleasures of this life. I'm not deceived by the pleasure of this life, nor am I deceived by the fear of poverty. And what Imam Rahim Allah saying is that courage is the same thing.
I am not deceived by
the fear of what you seem to possess that's greater than me, I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of you because I'm really afraid of Allah subhanho wa Taala I'm really not afraid of the means that you possess, because they don't scare me. They're just means at the end of the day,
nor do I long for the position that you have because I long for what Allah subhanaw taala has promised me instead.
If a person has power in this life, power ends with death. But if a person has the reward from Allah subhanaw taala in the next life that's everlasting. And so courage and generosity are generated from what from the exact same thing. And Emanuel pain Rahim Allah Tada. He comments on this as well. And this is very profound. And I know that as we were going through the last two nights of Ramadan in LA and Rahim, Allah was a genius. And when he would talk about these things, sometimes he would decipher it and you can miss it in a book when you just read through the sentence, but he said, notice the Hadith where the prophets lie some says Lisa Shadi do the surah in the machete doula DM
Nico NAFSA, who are in the Lada, that the Prophet sites and I'm said, a strong person is not the person that overcomes their enemy.
Right. It's not a person that's very strong that was able to overcome their enemy. But it's a person that was able to control themselves when they got angry. He said, notice here, that sometimes when a person gets into an argument, what are the considerations that you make? At some point, there's a point in the fight. If you're just thinking in terms of material things where you know what, I'm bigger than this guy, I can take him, if we're going to fight, I'm going to be able to overcome him anyway. Or, you know what, I don't really have to worry about the there are no consequences in this world to this argument that we're having, because most fights are not my fists anymore. Right? I
don't really have to worry about it, I have more power. I don't, well, who cares? I'm gonna, I don't my job's not at risk, my career is not at risk. So they start to make all of these worldly calculations. That's one way so he says some people, they focus on the worldly calculations of the arguments, right and the fight like they start to make the haisa that the calculations in their mind, I'm pretty sure I can take them this way or take them that way. Or I have more means more power. The consequences of this fight are heavier on that person than me. He said the other part of that which is cowardice. Cowardice is when a person backs down in an argument or backs down in a
fight. Not because not because they see see a greater reward from Allah subhana wa Tada or because they're, they're deriving some sort of dignity in the moment, but because they're afraid
right, so wait a minute, I'm just really afraid of this person. Let me keep my mouth shut.
But Subhan Allah, Allah said, notice that the Prophet sighs I'm said Allah, the Yemeni CONAF, Sahar, and the Radha
He overcame his enemy by overcoming himself.
Now I'm in control of the situation, because I'm connected to Allah subhanho wa taala. Why did he overcome himself in that anger? Why did he overcome himself in that situation because he was able to maintain perspective and his perspective was Allah subhanaw taala. And so he had dignity. He had honor. Even in the midst of an argument, everybody else around might see that, oh, he lost the argument. He lost the fight. In his mind, he didn't lose the fight because he overcame himself. And by overcoming himself, he overcame his enemy. And he was focused on Allah subhanaw taala. And what Allah subhanaw taala has prepared for him in the Hereafter. And this is what I want to conclude with
inshallah Tiana, a few ways to think about now how we read some of these ayat and a hadith about courage and how they're connected to patience and longing for Allah subhanho wa taala, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when he mentioned that as an ummah,
you become like foam, the nations of the world gather around and they feast on you, you are the meal on the table and these enemies and these oppressors start to come and they start to feast on you. One by one, they start to eat away at you.
And they're asking the prophets I send them because they were thinking maybe it's in terms of worldly needs, is it because we're a small number? Yada Silla? Is it because there's so many enemies and we're so little prophets, like some said, it's not that it's that you have in your heart something called when
you're paralyzed? And they said, Why are we paralyzed on a sword Allah? What is it when he said, Hibbert? Dunya what Kira here to note, you love the world too much. And you hate death too much. Now, I need to contextualize this, because you know what? The stereotype of the Palestinians, the angry savages of the Arabs, the barbarians that the French had to colonize the Muslims. These people are animals. They love that. They don't care about life. And so the implication of that is that they're saying we're destructive, will destroy them and destroy ourselves and we have no regard for human dignity and human life. That's not what the hadith is talking about. You know what else is
very interesting about the Hadith of the prophets like Selim said, help the dunya Cara here to note you hate death. But aren't you some of the Allahu Taala and when she spoke to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam She said, Yeah, rasool Allah Lisa Mina ILAHA Kira will note In another Hadith, Yara sola, there is not a single person amongst us, except that they hate death.
Is it hate death? In the sense that you hate what awaits you in the hereafter? Are we supposed to long for death? Are we supposed to love death? Is that what the prophets lie some is saying because seemingly, there's a contradiction here. And that's what I shoveled the Allahu Taala Anna is saying to the Prophet, say someone he said, Whoever loves to meet Allah, or whoever, you know, whoever loves to meet Allah subhanaw taala does not fear it and whoever hates to meet Allah subhanaw taala Allah Subhana Allah hates to meet them and I shall have the Allah answer but Yama, Salah, we all hate death. And the prophets, like some said, That's not the point. But it's what it's when the
believer is given the Bushra, the glad tidings of what Allah subhanaw taala has the glad tidings of his pleasure, the glad tidings of his reward, the glad tidings of his forgiveness, that at that point, they're invested, they don't care at that point. There is ease of the transition.
So what is the Hadith saying, and how did the element reconcile between the two are saying that the believer does not love death? The believer does not actually love death. But the believer does not fear it in a way that paralyzes them from pursuing what comes after it. That's the difference.
No one loves death. No one likes the idea of being separated from their families. No one likes the I mean, when you hear these widows and Kazaa, talking about their husbands who have left them and talking about them as Shahadat and saying that he preceded me to agenda. It's not that they don't wish that their husbands were not still with them to be with their children.
It's that there's perspective. You know what, I'm happy for him. Not that I'm happy I lost him. I'm happy for him and that Allah subhanaw taala has promised him a wonderful reward in paradise. I'm going to miss him. I'm going to long for him. But I have that perspective. And so the elements say we can transfer that to everything held the dunya what Cara hates and fucker
you love the world too much and you fear poverty too much so you withhold from your wealth, when you're called to give charity for the dunya what can I hear?
You love the world too much and you fear humiliation so much that you instead try to impose yourself and arrogance
and you become foul and you lose your principles in the process. It's not up
out that but what it truly is is what when Medina, Armando Usha Bonilla, those who believe love Allah more. They love Allah more than they hate death. They love Allah more than they love anything of this world. They fear Allah more than they fear their oppressors. They're connected to Allah subhanaw taala more than people are connected to the things of this world. And so that gives them a sense of courage. That gives them a sense of generosity. That gives them a sense of firmness because they always maintain perspective.
They keep it all in front of them, when Medina Amendola Shadowclan, Nila
and Subhan Allah was looking at that woman whose house was destroyed.
And she's looking in front of the camera. You know, it's one thing to be able to save him Did Allah Allah will give me something more.
But when I saw this woman, I said, subhanAllah I've never seen anything like that in my life. What was she saying? She said, this house it'll come you know, houses are destroyed, they come back, we rebuild them. But in Arkansas, the house of ALLAH SubhanA wa, tada. The people need to stay connected to that. Giving a message to the world forget about my house. Airstrikes will destroy other houses. But that's the first tip love the Muslims. What about an axon? What about an axon? How do we then shut that? That phone off for that computer off and then just go back and sleep comfortably in our own beds and think well, how did I know bombs are falling on my house right now?
I don't have to worry about the things she has to worry about know
that woman has something here that's greater than anything that can be out here.
You can't kill a person like that. You can't break a person like that. That a that's able to maintain that perspective and say, I don't care about my house. I care about an Alexa. You think she likes being homeless? You think the nights since that video went viral of her saying you know my house? My house doesn't matter. It OXA matters more. You think that those nights have not been difficult for her? You think that there are moments of sadness where she remembers the memories in that house where she remembers the people in that house that have been taken away from her. It's not the point Allah did not make us people have no emotion. Allah did not make us people with no heart.
But Allah gave us something to give us greater perspective. Greatest perspective and that's where we find steadfastness from and with Imam Muhammad Rahim Allah.
Imam Ahmed Rahim, Allah to Allah was being tortured for his principles, and found that his best friends had turned their backs on him. He didn't find the solidarity from his scholarly class that others found. One oppressor drags him. The next one drags him. This oppressor dies another oppressor is born, they whip him in public. They humiliate him any manakamana Rahim Allah said something very powerful. He said, You know, I never used to fear I didn't use to fear death.
And at the same time, you know, it's not about the imprison or the death, but I feared the whip. He's being very vulnerable. So I didn't want to live a life of imprisonment and humiliation, like the idea of death. I could come to terms with that, that I might die. But I don't want to live my life under a whip.
And he said, I drew perspective, from the most interesting of people, one person was a thief.
Or he was he was a criminal. And he said to me that look after the first few lashes, you go numb, you'll be okay.
He's telling you that at some point, the whip stops hurting.
Your body will go numb and email back with our MLS that I drew inspiration from that man.
And he said, as everyone was talking about me, I'm shouting at me. There was another man that shouted out to me and said, Yeah, email in occasional help. Oh, Imam, look, you're on the truth. And he said to him, in them took time if you're not killed tomorrow to die anyway.
If you're not killed in this noble way, you'll die anyway. You might as well die for something more meaningful. You might as well hold firm to your principles, their brothers and sisters, we have to take inspiration from our predecessors, we have to take inspiration from our brothers and sisters and Philistine. How easily do we relinquish our deen
our principles when we feel like our dunya is being threatened. When we feel like our world is being threatened. How easy do we threaten our deen and let our deen go draw inspiration from our predecessors and draw inspiration from our present brothers and sisters in Palestine and elsewhere that constantly show us that if you're connected to something greater, everything else, everything else becomes miniscule.
As you think about that greatness of Allah subhana wa Tada May Allah subhanaw taala allow our connection to that. To grant us firmness and patience and sincerity. Always. A Kulu Kalia there was topological acrimony certain Muslim infested, we don't even know how to look for him.
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