Staying sincere for the cause

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 salam 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 him and his bus had path until the day of judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them Allama I mean, the brothers and sisters as time goes on.

I had been planning this cookbook for a while. And I think now is the time for us to actually ask ourselves this question, as it has now been over two months, since the unfolding atrocities have captured our hearts and captured our attention and attempted inaudible arming activated our community in a way that it has never been activated before activated our oma in a way that it has never been activated before.

And the question is, are we sincere? In our activism? Are we sincere in doing what we are doing for the sake of Allah subhanaw taala anything that I have put forth, whether it's attending a protest, or it is sharing something, or it is doing something? Is it sincere or not? And I want everyone to understand from the very start, that the purpose of asking this question is not to deflate our efforts when we are already starting to see them wane due to the length of this atrocity. But it's actually to re energize them, because if you put it last, if you put sincerity back into it, and you recalibrate in accordance with what Allah subhanaw taala calls us to be called to, then you actually

bring forth an added blessing to the types of work that we are trying to do in sha Allah to Allah seeking to bring about change in the world around us, and especially right now for our brothers and sisters in Philistine. Now, there's an interesting Hadith that we start with. And I always like to go to the context of the Hadith into the narrator because it gives you a sense of how the Companions themselves use to interact with this hadith.

And it's a hadith that's well known. And the way it's narrated is powerful, a boyhood idol on the Allahu Taala and who was in a sham, the area of greater Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, the place of shahada, the place of MBs, the place of prophets and martyrs.

And as he was narrating a group of people came up to him at the end of his narrating to them and giving his lessons on behalf of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and they said to him, uh, you have shaved, oh, Sheikh, and they mean it both in terms of his knowledge as well as his seniority. AU has shaped Hadith now Hadith and Samaritan woman Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Tell us what you heard from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam give us a hadith something precious something special that we can keep near and dear to our hearts and above Reiter is interacting with a context that is very different Islam has spread to a sham, and it is taking

root and a sham. And you are starting to see opening after opening after opening, so they said Give us something and I'll go around the Allahu Anhu. As he starts to narrate this hadith he cries

and he goes again and he starts to narrate on behalf of the prophets lie some that I heard the prophets lie some say and then he starts to cry again. And he does so a third time and he starts to cry again. And then he says that I heard the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say in a well and nasty yoke la yo Mel Fiamma. Dr. Lee Raju lowness to see that for OTV for our Rafa who near Emma who for our for her, the profit slice and I'm said that the first person to be judged on the Day of Judgment will be a Shahid will be a martyr who is brought forth in front of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah and Allah will mention his blessing says favors upon that person and the person will

acknowledge all of those blessings and then Allah subhanaw taala will say from our military her What did you do with those blessings? So he would say cartel to Vika helped us to hit to that I fought in your cars until I lost my life and Allah would say corrupt you have lied while a kidnapper cartel into the annual Carla Jerry Murphy rewire Shuja

rather you font so that people would say What a brave man you are. What a courageous man you are. You wanted that to be said and it was set. Now, the Shaheed is the first person Subhanallah we know the rank of a murderer on the Day of Judgment

And we've been speaking about it for these months. And this hadith where the prophets lie some goes on to mention a scholar who only taught or who only recited the Quran so people would praise the recitation or their knowledge and someone who gave charity only so that people would say Kareem generous and it was said, and there is nothing left on the Day of Judgment. The first person mentioned in the sequence is a Shaheed a martyr.

Now if that person has to take into account their intentions with the greatest sacrifice, that means that all of us have to be extra careful with our intentions, because a person indeed could get caught up with what would be said and what they are projecting of themselves, rather than what is actually of them and this has broad implications now why the Shaheed and I want to start with that, because it is perplexing in many ways. The madmen Tamia Rahim Allah, He said, that the best of people or the Gambia, the best of people are the prophets. And that's why the worst person on earth is a false prophet. The best of people are the Gambia, or the prophets of Allah. And the worst

category of people that have walked the face of the earth and they continue to show themselves in every generation are people who falsely can't claim prophethood are the false prophets. Then he said, you go to the next categories. So deaqon was shahada was solidly owned? Well, it really well, mostly soon, you go down the categories, people have truth, people of martyrdom, people of scholarship, people of sincerity. And he said they are the best people. Therefore the worst people are those who claim to be of them when they are the exact opposite of those things may last for hundreds and protect us. So he said you've got the columns. You have all of these noble qualities,

all of these noble people, to pretend to be one of them with no intention of actually embedding what made them noble, is of the greatest signs of hypocrisy. May Allah protect us. And so in our situation, when we look at ourselves, in a moment where we're all suddenly becoming activists, and we are all suddenly taking to the streets, and we are showing up as we should show up. Let's remember that it's not about us. It's about Allah subhanaw taala and those people that we are advocating for,

and of the worst things, as their intimate mention, of the worst things that a person hates to be called is a coward. And especially in the context of the prophets lie some of his companions, being called a coward is what drove some of courage to the battlefield on the day of better, they didn't actually want to be there, but Abuja had went to them and he called them cowards. And they said, No, we're not cowards. They actually didn't care about going and fighting against the Prophet's life and um, but being called the coward is so despicable that it drove them to the battlefield and they lost their lives in Boston, they lost their lives and falsehood, on the other hand, of the most beloved

things to be called is courageous. Shuja, Jerry, everyone wants to be called courageous, brave, right? Of all of the categories of things that people will say, generous, knowledgeable, courageous, is up there, right children, it's in their fifth law, they want to be courageous and we encourage courage as we should.

But if it's insincere, it could drive a person to even be willing to give their lives their whole existence. Think about the logic, you're not even around to hear people praise you, but you would be willing to die so that your name can be praised. It's a strange logic. It's strange, but it happens that a person says I want to go down in the history books like this. Who cares if you're not around to narrate the history books or have them narrated to you, instead, you want to go down and Allah's books like this, then that's a noble intention. Because it's greater than you. It's greater than you hearing your name being praised. And so there's cowardice and then there is courage and everyone

loves courage. Everyone hates to be considered or looked down upon as a coward. And he goes on to speak about how in the time of the prophets I saw them when you're looking at intentions and sincerity. He says to hidden them out Rasulullah he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that we went out with the Prophets lie some on a particular battle. For color, the Roger in Lindeman, your dairy, your dairy Islam, the prophet slice, and I'm sad about a person who claimed to be Muslim. This is an important part of this hadith, which I'll explain. He claimed that he was Muslim.

The Prophet slicin Um, said Who woman Elena, he's a person of the fire.

Imagine before the battle starts a man coming out, saying Allahu Akbar, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, um, you know, showing off his sword and showing off his skills and showing that he's willing to go all the way right and, and be the hero of the day and the people

Oftentimes some women Adelina that's a person of the fire. So

I'm gonna write about the Allah and who says hello mahal kita al cartella wordsru pital and shad Eden that wants the battle took place the man was fighting bravely, courageously he was out there. He was doing everything that we would glorify a man like hamazon all the Allahu Anhu for thought hundreds of L or an E may Allah be pleased with them all he was out there. And eventually he was wounded that the people came back to the prophets like someone said yellow suit Allah, Allah, the culture in the human Adelina for him the whole cod cartel and Yama Peterlin studied and whatnot. Oh Messenger of Allah, that man that you just said as a person of the fire fought so bravely, and he

died, he lost his life and the prophets lie. Some repeated Ilana to the fire.

Then they came to the Prophet sly Simon, they said,

and Abu Huraira says cada Bardot Nancy and young tab that some of the Muslims started to have doubts like this is too much this is perplexing

that this man ended up being alive. And then at night, he succumbed to his wounds and he took his own life.

He took his own life. And so Subhanallah his reality was shown that it wasn't for the truth that other people were there for.

And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in Allah, Allah, you do have the deen, but Raj will factor that it might be that sometimes Allah subhanaw taala gives victory to the deen through a wicked person.

His intentions were not noble. He wasn't there for the right reasons. And yes, something came out of him that day, but it wasn't for the right reasons. Now, why I said this is an important component to build upon. These people that are being spoken about are hypocrites, that no they are doing it for show. What about someone who wants to be sincere and doesn't think it is for show. And that's where you start to look for the signs. These are people that embodied hypocrisy, and they knew it and they knew they were not doing these noble things for the sake of Allah subhanaw taala they knew they were doing it for the glory, the glory of the costs, before social media before anything that would cause

anything to be broadcasted. They knew they were there for falsehood, and they disguise themselves with truth. But what about the rest of us? When there might be some signs of it? What are the signs of insincerity that could overtake a believer and there are five things that the scholars mentioned. And it is more important now than ever, for us to remind ourselves and to renew ourselves. Number one, a person who doesn't renew their intentions, it starts with that. We're a religion, where we are taught to renew our intentions every single day, every single morning before every single act of worship, and so naturally with the extensions of that, renew your intention, why do you do what you

do? Why do you do what you do? Number two, that a person does not embed the private components of that goodness, when others are not paying attention. If the only time you do good work is when other people see it, then that's a sign. Right? That it's not actually for Allah subhanaw taala because you shouldn't be acting for the sight of Allah subhanaw taala. And the public nature of something that you do should be an extension of the work and the necessity of the cause, not something that you actively seek. So if you ditch the private and only do the public, then that is a sign of insincerity as well. Number three, that you're disappointed when you're not celebrated, that you're

disappointed when you're not celebrated, you're disappointed when you're not acknowledged by people. A person should not be disappointed when they're not acknowledged, the person should instead say and Hamdulillah, Allah subhanaw taala saved my editor saved my good all the way for that day. And I hope to preserve some of it. Number four, that you quit when you're attacked. One of the greatest signs that public service is for the public is when the public turns on you and you ditch the service. Right? So when someone gets involved in something good, and they get punched in the process, not physically no one should be punching you physically but metaphorically you get punched in the

process. Right? And that causes you to abandon public goods you sit you say you know what, the people don't appreciate me therefore I will not do any more for the people.

Well, then that's a sign that you aren't doing it for Allah subhanaw taala in the first place, and so you don't abandon the cause. When you are not celebrated, you don't quit when you are attacked. And the last one is the most important when it comes to the time component.

You don't walk away when everybody else walks away.

You don't walk away when everybody else walks away, is panela things capture our attention and everybody gets excited about a Nobel cos

And then eventually, attention moves on. Our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and shorter, our attention moves on.

And there are going to be people that are going to look around and say, no one's talking about this anymore. No one's posting about it anymore. No one's protesting anymore. No one's praying about it anymore. No one's giving to it anymore. I guess we can all move on now.

Your sincerity will show and your ability to stay committed once everybody else has moved on.

And this is especially true for Philistine how many times in the past have things quote, unquote, flared up, and everyone got on board. But then as quickly as everyone got on board, everyone got off board as well.

Sincerity is to stay committed when everybody else moves on. And I want to end with this point in particular, someone might say, you know, when I do this stuff, I don't know if I'm

protesting for the sake of Allah anymore. You know, I don't know if I'm posting for the sake of Allah anymore. I don't really know. If I'm giving for the sake of Allah anymore. I don't know if I'm showing up for the sake of Allah anymore. What's the fine line? Right? Is it should we completely eliminate the public element of this cause when our greatest strength is the publicizing of this cause? What's the fine line? I don't know if I should be doing any more. And I want us to Inshallah, I leave with this thought. One sincere servant to Allah subhanaw taala is better than 1000 insincere people to a good cause. One sincere servant is better to Allah subhanho wa Taala than 1000 insincere

people, but 1000 servants struggling with their sincerity is better to Allah subhanho wa Taala out of than one sincere servant 1000 People who make it part of their mojo had a part of their striving to continuously strive against their intentions and continuously make sure that they're there for the right reasons doing for the right reasons, is far more beloved to Allah subhanaw taala than one person who has seemingly already arrived.

If you listen to this whole hitbox

and you thought of everybody else, but yourself,

please turn that lens inwards. None of us are immune. Otherwise ovaherero The alo I know who was narrating the Hadith would not have cried three times and wept before he could even get the Hadith out of his mouth.

We're all imperfect, striving servants to Allah subhanaw taala. But do not think at any point, that your intentions are immune, whatever it is that you're doing, or that it's unimportant, to keep on checking your intentions. I don't care how often we're doing what we're doing.

recalibrate every single day, every single time you do anything, something as simple as posting something on social media. If you can take a moment and renew your intention with Allah subhanaw taala do it at that moment.

And keep your private worship for your brothers and sisters as much as your public activism. Now's not the time to remove our private worship, now's the time to inject it in our public work. Because that's what's gonna cause us to outlast everybody else in the nahe time. And your Lord is just your Lord is merciful. As long as you are striving none of us will be perfect in our activism and none of us will be perfect in our sincerity. But your Lord is just and your Lord is Most Merciful. What kind of Saturday welcome mascara and your Lord is grateful for your efforts so long as you are trying to make sure that those efforts remain for Him and for Him alone. May Allah purify our hearts may Allah

purify our intentions may Allah purify our deeds. May Allah Subhana Allah allow all of us to do solely for him and in a way that solely benefits our brothers and sisters in Philistine and the oppressed all over the world. Allah him I mean a whole look at how that was stuff Allah you will accompany certain Muslim infrastructure you know in the whole of Rahim.

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