Omar Suleiman – The pleasures of this life vs the rewards of the next – Late night reflections #1
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The speakers emphasize the importance of learning and action in achieving goals, avoiding distraction, and focusing on one's power and history to achieve spirituality and change. They stress the need for strong knowledge and action to achieve success, especially in the present, where success is measured by strong willpower and action. The importance of praying before sitting down and reassessing one's heart is also emphasized.
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Amin SallAllahu wasallam Baraka, Vienna, Muhammad Anwar Ali Salam at the Sleeman Kathira to my bad Welcome to our first session of the late night hotter from Belarus lemak center with Chef Omar Suleiman
a blessing at hamdulillah she has a rejection hamdulillah it's a blessing for the light of Baraka, what Allah that Allah Subhana Allah allowed us to live long enough to enter the last night of the month of Ramadan denied the first the 21st of course, which is the first night of the last 10 and handle a lot of blood. I mean, and I believe it's, it's in itself as accomplishment and for the last well being the night of Friday as well. That's a great blessing over here in sha Allah azza wa jal and we believe we talked about the discussion what topic we should choose for these last two nights. And we came to
the recommendation of the book of Imam Abdul Josie Rahim Allah to Allah Seidel harder before we start talking about the topics that I wanted to share and show it to give us an idea and what this book is all about and why this book in particular and who even even Josie was so that people would recognize who this animal discovered that we were going to be talking about for the next few nights in shallow Tana Zak Allah Krishna.
So don't want to add to your soggy Manuela, instead of doing a full bio I think just to really just get an idea of the author because it's important sometimes to really know the author and hamdulillah last year we did it fell out from rebellion Rahim Allah to Allah and in LA him or him Allah is a very familiar name, two people. In fact, he's often mixed up with an imam even though Josie Rahim Allah to Allah who we're talking about today. So even though Josie I'm not going to Josie Rahim Allah to Allah will Faraci precedes him Rahim Allah to Allah. He's a 12th century scholar from Baghdad. And if no, Josie is the most prolific writer in the history of Islam. I'm gonna repeat that
again. The most prolific writer in the history of Islam, there is no scholar in history that wrote more books than him. Remember that have you Rahim Allah to Adam, of course compiles the famous Theodor Amanullah, the biographies of the nobles, he says that there is no person that he has ever done a biography on that wrote more books than him. There was a scholar that divided the years of his life by the amount of pages that he wrote and said that if you took the days of his life by the amount of pages that he wrote, they'd come up to 16 pages a day, Imam and Jamia Rahim, Allah to Allah said that I found over 1000 books from this man. And he said, and I heard there are more that
I haven't found. So what does that mean, when you have a writer like this, and what's sort of his background, he was a great scholar of the humbly school. And, in fact, was is looked at as one of the main reasons why the humbly school took root. He was a staunch supporter of the mouth hub of that school of thought in buffed out he was extremely knowledgeable, and not just knowledgeable in the sciences of a snob. And I think that that shows often when you're reading a scholar that has a knowledge base, and more than just a tradition, right, he's a scholar of history. He's a scholar of poetry. He's a scholar of grammar, he's just, I mean, he, he tends to bring out all of these
different elements of his own reading comes from a very educated backgrounds, used to give large public addresses in a book that was known for his large gatherings. And it used to scare him, Rahim Allah to Allah from a spiritual perspective, the amount of popularity he enjoyed in his lifetime, it did scare him. There are multiple times where you find him,
blaming himself, writing very, very personal, deep, vulnerable thoughts about not letting the fame get to his head. And it's very profound, because he has a very sharp pen. And I don't say that in a degrading way. They've been Josie Rahim, Allah to Allah is a literary genius. And, you know, when you're reading like an English language, when you're reading Shakespeare type, right? You, you kind of navigate with that in mind that sometimes you're going to read some things that are going to be like whoa, very, very far, you know, and sometimes you're going to read some things that are just deeply profound. So his writing is highly charged, charged when he talks about himself, charged
frankly, when he talks about his contemporaries when he talks about some of the other groups and other scholars, he is a fallible human being like the scholars are in general. And we are, of course, far more prone to mistake than than they are coming from the later generations. But he did write, sometimes pretty sharp, again, some of his contemporaries, and also, again, some of the groups so one of his most famous works is to be bliss, which is the deception of the devil. The title would suggest something that maybe it's a personal Teskey a book, but he was actually writing about the market Tesla, and the cooperatives and some of the groups that existed at the time, some
of the groups that had left the cinema altogether, with a very, very sharp pen, but necessary at times.
And I think that when we read him,
two things are important to take into consideration number one, when a scholar has written that much, you can basically find anything you want to in his writing,
you know, any narration that you're looking for, because he knows his audiences, right? Any narration that you're looking for any, any way of thinking that you're looking for, you can find it. Okay. So there's a caution there, that sometimes he's not doing the tough reach, for example of the Hadith, he's not going through the authenticity of a narration, because he's listing out that narration in the capacity of a reflection, right. And so you don't take it as an authentic or inauthentic. But he's just talking about, you know, it's narrated this, it's narrated that. The second thing is that translations are awful when it comes to highly charged writers, or writers that
write very strongly translations can be very sensitive translations in general, are bad of these classical texts. This is one of the particularly bad translations that I've seen, I actually don't recommend the translation of this book at all. So Seidel hotter, is here are a collection of his thoughts. And some of them are very personal reflections on test Kia, some of them are attacking trends that he saw at the time.
But very similar to unfolded very similar to the useful things of the military and Rahimullah to add, they're just these jumps. Sometimes it's a paragraph, sometimes it's three pages, and it gives you some room to reflect. And that's what chefs and I chose to do is just take some sections that are relevant to Ramadan and this pondering on the hereafter and reflect on them and I'll mention one more thing, by the way that he's buried next to him Allah to actually in Baghdad, which is very beautiful, that Allah subhanaw taala wrote that down for him that the person that he looked to as a teacher, though he was not a contemporary of his ummah, Muhammad didn't handle Rahim Allah to Allah,
the Imam of the Sunnah he was buried actually next to him. And we hope that's a sign of his acceptance. In the Hala is bookshelf, if I can think of any contemporary maybe model of his book is what we call it the day journals is more like his personal journal, what he's actually reading when he hears random thoughts, that's what's called captured thoughts. So the harder is random thoughts that he thinks about as very deep profound to us today. These were just him sitting there. And suddenly something pops in his head and just like wow, that's an amazing thing. So he writes it down. So it's personal journal, really, in regards to how he was seeking knowledge and how he was
learning how he's studying how he's teaching. So these random thoughts to us there are gems literally. But that shows you this is the excess amount of knowledge that was coming out of his mashallah his writing journey, is that just the access but to go into the deep profound aspects of His Eminence knowledge is unbelievable. That's one thing that we should know about the book itself in its original texts in the Arabic language really, I also am not as
I would say, prolific in that can understand the English language actually Rama himself but even myself, I was looking at the translation just like Oh, my God, I wish I can for a better translation myself. But the thing is, in the Arabic itself, you can feel the energy of it will, it will Josie Rahmatullahi to add Ali, things about him and Josie that we should also see and think about when they described him they said Carlo, he became so popular his popularity was so you know, profound in the society follow cannot occur Lomography much this will lose the the least number of those who attend his session will be in the 1000s. The least number of the 1000s put things in the right
perspective, but that at the time at its peak, at its peak in terms of his populations, his popularity and how an amazing society at the time it was because that was just like the top city of the world at that time. That's during his time. I will tell you right will judge Rahmatullah Lee, that actually city had about a million people in terms of population over time. So when you're talking about 1000s, attending when the population is millions, that in proportion is massive number. It's literally a massive number, where his popularity came from him being a prolific writer. Today, people get their popularity from from social media from the internet, the more you are
publishing there, the more you have any trendy content and so forth, the more popularity probably gonna get it doesn't mean about the content really, in terms of substance or otherwise. But back then, he has to have this popularity because he was writing mashallah, regularly. And we'll talk about writing chef somebody probably didn't mention there. It wasn't on a computer at home. It wasn't a laptop. It was actual parchment and ink and, and all that stuff. Can you imagine six? Typewriter right? Pretty much
can you imagine 16 pages of parchment with your own hands and you're writing ink, right? If you made a mistake, oh my god. You have to erase all the ink that you had before and and start over again. Can you imagine that? And still, mashallah he wrote so much so that he became so popular, and again people attend to this
Russians in the 1000s One last thing with all this popularity with all this, with all this knowledge, mashallah one of his Of course, you know, best thing about him that his spirituality, he was so spiritual as a while, you know, as a preacher to the world not just profound in terms of knowledge and science of the the Sharia. Also in terms of the science of the heart, he was so sophisticated, and at the same time so soft that when he speaks, they said, hundreds of people, they repent to Allah subhanho wa Taala people, they just kind of like stop their old ways and turn mashallah to the path of the deen and so forth. Like it was very effective in his speech. But one
thing, people of that nature, what do you expect them to go through jemar trials and tests right? And Allah subhana wa Taala chose to test him with something. Not so many people know about even Josie Rahmatullah Talon, one of his kids, one of his children, used to be mashallah one of those guided kids. But then at some point in his life, that kids it just kind of like switch paths.
All of a sudden, he rebelled against his dad, he rebelled against, you know, the path of guidance and so on. And he chooses, unfortunately, to go astray.
His father, you know, heartbroken, obviously, he writes a book to him. And it's known as left at will Kevin Ilana say hi to Lulu like bringing my heart to my son? Like how can my son you know, listen to me, it didn't work out his son continue to do to take that his own path. Unfortunately, to the extent that his son sometimes knowing the value of his dad, he would go steal some of the books of his father that has his own handwriting, and sell them on the market for it of high prices. And that father was heartbroken that unfortunately, he sometimes made dua against his own job. I want to mention this because I know that sometimes we will talk about Allah MA and Sahaba. And so we idolize
him to the extent that we become we make them unrealistic, really. He was a great Adam, as we heard, but at the same time, he had to go to challenge like everybody else. So I don't want you to think that what we're going to be studying over here is idealistic, that I can never reach that level with what I'm going through in my life. Yes, you can. Yes, you can you go through challenges, you go through tests, and it's purifying shallow to Allah. But still, I need my heart to be attached. Even though I'm going through those tests and those trials, it still makes me human more than anything else. That's why I mentioned this before we started shall not share one more thing and then see, if
you don't mind I'll start reading it.
But before that, one thing that always moves me about him is he would be he would be seen actually, you know, sometimes he come out he just see the crowd. Before social media Subhan Allah may Allah protect us and so a lot of efia Honestly, it's it's scary. Like it's one of the most, you know, you got like the Sofia nfld of the world, Rahim Allah, who if he saw three people in the gathering, he's going home. He's like, I'm not talking to more than three people at a time. Because he was so afraid of React. He was so afraid of that showing off. No Josie Rahim Allah to Allah, he has 1000s and 1000s of people in front of them. And he sometimes just take to a corner and cry and make your app.
And so he has several of these narrations. One of them, he said, Yeah, Allah don't punish me. So that the people don't say that the tongue that used to remind us of Allah was punished by Allah, so don't humiliate me. Like don't don't make an example out of me. Because all these people think something about me and they're coming to Allah subhanaw taala through me, so don't do Don't punish me in a way that would make them say, Oh, look, the one who used to tell us about punished him. And he's also the one Subhan Allah who would say to some of the students, if you are in Jannah, and you don't find me there Subhan Allah, I mean, then ask about me. I mean, that's, like, if that's not
humility, from the most prolific writer in Islamic history to actually go up to students and say, Look, if you if you're not there, if you're there, and I'm not there, ask about me ask about this, this poor person that used to teach you. And so I mean, we conveyed that as well.
And in all seriousness, in all seriousness, make dua for anyone that benefits you, including us, please, make dua for anyone that benefits you for their sincerity, for their steadfastness. And for Allah subhanaw taala to keep us all collectively on the right path.
So Ben and I titled start reading in sha Allah Tada. So we're on I'm going to read it in Arabic and like I said, we're not going to do the translation or we'll do we'll do our own translation in sha Allah to Allah. This is fuss Joe Ali will Tabari Illa dunya cathedra from the human decadent with a cruel Yachty Emraan hydrogen Anatole berry from the human heritage what Obama one mana la mala who and Joanne de Bella Yachty Aqua Lima Yes, Marina noir Ed Quran well a psychedelic so first he says that
he talks about the the way the self finds gratification, easy gratification in worldly pleasures over the hereafter. And he says that the self finds easy gratification and worldly pleasure because they're tangible. They're quick
identifiable, they have an immediate taste to them. Whereas the self finds that dimension of the Hereafter goes against those cravings. Because it's intangible, they're unable to grasp those things. They're unable to quantify those things. So when you're talking about guidance, and you're talking about all of these things that are outside of the self, they find themselves unable to grasp those things. And he said that, you know, it might be presumed by the ignorance, someone who's ignorant might say, that the attractions of the Hereafter are stronger and more influential than those of this worldly life, considering the frequent warnings in the Quran, in this regard, and he
says that it's in fact, the opposite with a sick kid with a psychedelic, the opposite of what these people presume. And this is actually introducing a layer of individuals to whom Allah that's important, isn't that Josie has a major problem with false spirituality. It's actually one of the most refreshing things to read about him, is that a person that eloquent could have claimed a certain station with Allah Subhana Allah, but he really blasts the people who he calls, you know, fake, people have to solve, right, there's a soul within asceticism as then it's a solo for spirituality that's praiseworthy, that's grounded in the tradition that, you know, stops at the
limit of the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu sallam, he really blast those people who, you know, tend to make this spiritual trend that is unattainable and talk about how we don't need agenda, we just need the level of Allah subhanaw taala. And we don't need to hear about reward in the hereafter. You know, we don't you know, spirituality is just to live in nothing but prayer and worship, and we don't have desires and you know, people that aspire to be monks of sorts, he hated that. And he blasts it frequently. And so, he's saying that, you know, obviously, the way we're created, the poll of the tangible and the quantifiable and what's in our immediate grasp is going to
be stronger than the pull towards that which we cannot grasp and which seems intangible at times. So he's like Allah azza wa jal created us this way. And the goal is not to defeat your nature. The goal is to discipline your nature properly. That's the point that he is making in brief and inshallah Tata will get into into a greater detail. And then he gives this example he says, Leanna masala Tabari fee melee healer dunya Tenma Ilja refer in the whole Yakubu wat we're in nama Rafa, Rahu Isla Falcon Yatta ju l Calif. He says that, because the example of, of the self in this regard, of the innate nature, the cravings of human beings and their inclination to this worldly life, he says,
it's like, God, you know, like, like running water, right. And it's moving downwards, so a downward stream. And he says that, the reason being is that it is more convenient to do that than to strive to exert yourself to go upwards. Right, so climbing a mountain versus going down a river. So he's saying that a person who submits themselves themselves to their desires is like a person that is flowing downstream. It's comfortable, right? It's comfortable, it seems natural, right? Why would a person want to exert themselves to try to climb towards something with the inconvenience of that, unless they have in clear sight, the destination. So he's saying that the difference is not in the
power of desire, and how we crave or how we feel, the difference is in where you want to go. And that's why if you want a religion, if you want the elements of Deen, that are going to speak to your Downward stream, you'll find it you will find many feel good quotes in the Quran, the Sunnah and an account of the self and the things of the self, you'll find things that always tell you that you're okay. You can be selective in your reading of religious texts and just sweeten the downward stream. But as human beings we don't like climbing, right we you know when you're hiking, if you don't have a clear end in sight or a goal to get to the top of this mountain, then that pain that you're gonna
start feeling in your thighs and not sweating like I don't want to do this right why why even put myself through this so he's saying the difference is not in the desire and strength of desires are how Allah created us. The difference is that some people prefer to be in a downward stream because you flow naturally that's how we are so if a person flows with their desires, right, they're just going to feel like they're going in a certain direction but at the end of the day, they're going to reach rock bottom literally right whereas the other side of that requires a level of an exertion and I'll just end with this part and shorter then we can we can talk about it a little bit inshallah he
said what he had to Marathi for shatter a bitter really would tell him to oh, we June the lucky for Mr. Top row. For Java, people who can zero well as knowledgeable and young live in knowledgeable and you'll develop very powerful Subhanallah he says and that's why when you look in the dean and the
way that Allah subhanaw taala gave us this religion, the legislator, being Allah subhanaw taala. Sometimes he gives us total leave. And sometimes it gives us our heap. Sometimes he gives us encouragement. And sometimes he gives us admonishments. Sometimes he causes us hope, sometimes he causes us fear. And he says that to how we join the lab that strengthens the soldiers of the mind. You know, I was listening to Sheikh Abdullah, healthy, the whole lotta Allah. Honestly, he was talking about fitness, and he was like, I like to listen to stuff when I'm working out, that tells me that I'm not good enough that I need to work harder, right? Like I need to go. I like to I like
someone telling me I'm not good enough when I'm working out, you know, so I have in my ear, right? So I need to go further, further, further, further. And that's, you know, the soldiers of the mind, right, like that discipline, that determination. Like, I'm going next, I'm going next, I'm going next next step, next step, next step, he's saying the discipline of the self, similar in that regard. And Allah subhanaw taala does not just give you
you know, the hope, the stuff that that tells you mercy, Rama, Rama, Rama, because that would not be good for you, that would actually that imbalance, that imbalance, while it can be religiously, you know, justified through selective reading, is actually going to lead you to the bottom of the stream. Right? If you have someone who is training you, and Allah Subhan, Allah to Allah, when Allah Allah, Allah to Allah belongs the greatest example, he's training us training you to get to the next level, right? You want the trainer to sometimes, you know, rough and you often bid next, no, don't fail, don't not again, go further, push yourself, right, you need that total leave and that total
heap. And he says that, as for the nature of a person, he says that the strange thing, or the amazing thing is not when a person younger than when a person succeeds in overcoming
these these desires, I'm sorry, he said, It's not strange when you see a person that overcomes these desires, he says that rather, it is strange that that person has overcome. So you know, this idea that this is not an easy task, that this is actually something to strive towards. And this is actually something that we should look towards and that we should
you know, that it's a surprise, it is indeed a surprise and it is indeed an amazing feat when a person succeeds in overcoming their desires for the sake of that greater determination. But you should expect that most people are going to succumb to their desires because they don't have enough determination to go to the next level so we can we can stop and talk about this.
I just had a few things from what you mentioned, Masha, Allah will tell you it will judge Rahim Allah so keep saying don't call us on Allah, who is your amatola that Allah you hear when he says God will? taba means the attractions, or the gravity, basically, of this of this natural in it? And he said that it actually the concealment of data, which means it's intrinsic, something from the inside? And what are these things that keeps attracted you to the dunya? We know them today, you know, in the literature, English literature and also other religions so far as the the seven deadly sins, right? So when we talk about for example, we talk about pride, that something is from the
inside, right? Your pride will probably cause you to do so many things that we'll consider from the worldly merits, like fighting for yourself, even though it's not fair. You know, you're wrong, but your pride is telling you Are you serious? Are you gonna let yourself down there? So you start fighting for yourself? That's what pride is all about. Greed is greed. No matter what you have in your hand, if you're never satisfied is going to make you actually go down to cheat and steal and, and all that stuff. And then Emma was just winning against somebody else, or getting something that you see in someone else's hands. That's what greed is all about. Same thing when it comes to lust,
desires, no matter how dignified you are, when some come to the subject of loss of 100 people sometimes they lose sensitive, sensitive, how the sense of of Athan that there is completely just goes completely absent when they go and practice and go after their lust and so on. Envy loonies, wrath and sloth all these things that you goes about your desires. These are now what is considered like the gravity that keeps pulling you download. verses he says, As for Java double akhira, the attraction to the airflow to the matters of the Earth has come from the outside. They come from the outside. Why? Because he talked about Jana, Where's Jen is not inside. It's out there. Talking about
Ava and Salah that require some effort. It's not something from the inside, right? So that's why it's not that attractive at all. Unless of course the person finds you die from ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. That's why I've been playing Rahmatullah Evel Knievel Jersey right now, in his book order to Siberia, he commented on this, because look, as an Insan, which was a human being Allah subhanho wa Taala in the Quran, did not speak you know, in favor of you as just being a human being. Instead Allah Allah says about in some call in some are joola your hasty
In the answer, there'll be luck collude, the Insan is always you know, to his gods Palas. Always denying the favors of Allah azza wa jal, ALLAH SubhanA spoke about the insam it says kind of the Luma is always transgressing Jaya, hula ignorant kufra denying Allah. So when he speaks about insan that's the scripture of incense. So just being a human being is not sufficient to be praised. And that's why he says you need those element those attractions from the outside. And you can only find them through Of course, the way comes from Allah Subhana Allah the guidance that comes from Allah azza wa jal elevates you from being an insane to a higher level, obviously, which is why you know,
Josie Rahmatullah Allah when he speaks about the example of the water, so obviously, you go with gravity. And we have so much, so much, you know, magnet, all these magnets that you have inside you, that pulls you there, it takes you down, it's easier, you're gonna go with the gravity versus going upwards. However, if you go up course there's a reward for it. Yes, it's dangerous. Yes, it's hard. It's difficult. But by the time you get there, you could actually, you build muscles, Mashallah. And the best example, you could see them in in nature.
One of the most popular fish that you eat in the market as well as Mr. The salmon, right? And salmon, and during the season, the breeding season, what do they do, they go against the stream, they go up the rivers paler, and they go through, of course, all these dangers, including the birds, that keeps, you know, kind of smack them out of the water to get them out to feast the feast and eat them. But here's the interesting thing about the journey of the salmon.
Of course, the salmon usually goes on that journey only once in its lifetime.
So from the beginning of the stream all the way to the end, where they're supposed to have the breeding sites and so on. They say actually, they go on to that to that journey. And once they lay the eggs, that's it they die.
So it's an interesting thing, but still Allah subhanaw taala put them in them that instinct that keeps him doing this over and over again, over and over again, in cycles of life. So they focus on the journey, because the journey in itself is very rewarding for them. So sometimes us when we see that oh my god, I missed on a moment of winning for my pride. I missed on a maybe a moment of winning for my lust or for my greed for my that. You see, this seems to be losing moments, but in reality, they can be the rewarding moment that builds a spiritual muscle for you. That will help to keep going against the stream as Emily Josie Rahmatullahi Tada Ali and that's why it says that in
order for you to strengthen your muscles that will help keep you going and forward against the stream. You have to help your mind. The will the soldiers of the Apple would what would the ammunition of the Riveter constant encouragement, and also warnings these are the two major things that we always see in the Quran to encourage you to do good with the reward for the Astra. And also one against doing bad. Otherwise, this will pull you down with a gravity. So that's kind of like just to Felisa was saying Rahmatullah. It's
one thing that he says, another place he says that Adam, it is Salam. It's very interesting.
He said that, before Adam, it is Salam had a soul. He was just a piece of flesh that you walked by in Jannah. And you paid no attention to, but it was only when Allah subhanaw taala de facto fee human royalty when Allah azza wa jal blew the soul inside of him, that suddenly the angels Prostrate it towards him. So he talks about the praiseworthy nature of a human being he says, We are the only creature that can go from being a worthless lump of flesh to something so honored and sacred that the angels would prostrate towards it at the order of Allah subhanaw taala. So, like that potential, the drive being magenta to knifes like, and this is all internal, this is not something that you can
you can you can, you can quantify, in terms of, you know, muscular density like this comes from a place of Google him, right literally an elevated pursuits. Do you want to go to the top of the mountain or not? Right? And if you are not convinced that there is a mountain top, like think about when you actually go on a hike if you've actually been on a hike when you know exactly how many miles it takes to get there, you've seen the place you've seen, you know, someone's told you about how amazing it is, you've seen the scenery, you've seen the imagery, like you want to get there because you know exactly, you have Yaqeen you have certainty in the point existing and your ability
to get there. So when you start to get tired, how many more miles do we have right? How much longer do we have and so that helps you develop the mental strength and it is mental strength, right? To overcome the physical fatigue. That's a very uncomfortable climb, but how amazing do you feel when you get there? Alright, so thinking about like Subhanallah Jana, the Ark era, the mountaintop is not here. The Mountaintop is in the hereafter. You only arrive after you pass away. But the believer with accuracy homeopathy, no and they have such certainty in the hereafter. It's like
I know it's there. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam going there and telling me about it is more affirming than someone taking a picture of it and putting it on Instagram like Rasulullah sallallahu Sallam if he said it's true.
I know he saw it, I believe him. And he told me how amazing it is. I really want to get there, I want to see that mountaintop. Right? I want to see that place and for the dose Allah, right, the highest place, but Subhanallah that what he talks about here in this downward stream. I think there's also something very profound that the scholars mentioned about it is that one of the scary things about that is that you're not feeling friction. And when you don't feel friction, sometimes you don't feel a sense of urgency. And so a person can be in a downward stream and not really feel like anything is actually wrong here, right like I don't feel a sense of urgency or an emergency to
to actually start to go against the flow to get to a higher place. And as Paula do the example you mentioned about other Malays ceremony was first created obviously, was just a piece of flesh down there, no one paid attention to really until Allah gave him that rule. She has this example still exists with us human beings when we are born as well too, because Allah Subhana Allah speaks about the nature of man. So Allah who are Harajuku, remember, Tonio, Maha to come Lata and I'm gonna share that he is the one who brought you out of the wombs of your mother's knowing absolutely nothing. So we are born to this world with ignorance. And with all these seven elements that keeps attracting us
to go down stream, because that's natural inside you right now. But then by Allah's mercy and Brockman, he says, What ya hola como sama while Apsara while F Ada, then he gave you the elements the instrument by which you can challenge these attractions. He gave you the hearing, he gave you your site so that you would hear and listen and read, you would read and you learn. And then you processes in the heart and the mind and make your choices. Otherwise, obviously, there will be no meaning for that test at all. Revenue has been certain to us. I'm delighted and there is no need for us to worry about anything. So I believe that the example we mentioned about Adam Alayhis Salam
still exists with all of us. So you guys are born with the natural innate to follow your desires.
That's natural. And that's what as kids, what do we do the first we go after, of course, our desires. But then as we become mature, that's when it started becoming responsible for your actions, because now it's your responsibility to make sure to tame all these desires. How do we do that? That's where knowledge comes into play. And one of the topics we're going to be discussing in the series in sha Allah Tala is the importance of learning and put that into action. Because the halter preventer him encouraging people to do good and forbidding them from doing bad. This is all to strengthen the Akoto elmia. That the power of knowledge by which I can control the power of coverted
amellia The power of action. A lot of people they have so much passion and energy coverton Amelie they have the power of action. But if it's not equipped with the proper overturn, elmia the power of knowledge really, it will be wasted. Because you will put that energy in the wrong place. So that's extremely important that we know naturally speaker will inclines towards our desires and go downstream. But it was a lot of energy, a lot of effort to go upstream. And without the proper knowledge, you wouldn't know where exactly to make the jump
Jfl I wanted to read the next few sentences from the next section is really powerful idea of how do I resist in the present moment for a future promise. If you think about the shutdown, right, and what we are trying to do what we're trying to accomplish with our souls,
you're looking for something in the future. And that looking for something in the future has to be strong enough to drive you in the present. Right? So you're really interacting with presence and future. And this is a profound sort of pivot that he makes of the how, you know, like, Okay, you just shared with us that, you know, I need to find willpower, I need to find the willpower and any moment I am given a choice between the obedience to Allah subhanaw taala and the disobedience of Allah subhanaw taala so I need to find enough Paul towards the obedience of Allah subhanaw taala away from the disobedience. How do I find that Paul? And this shows you his mastery of the soul. He
says women lamjao Our Kiba verbally he'll his father and he will allow me Now Paula Berman who Salam will be na sabe mal Raja minha he says that the one who does not think carefully about the consequences of their actions, then they are going to find that their desires will overcome them and they will harvest pain from the places they saw a safety and discomfort from the places that they sought comfort. So what he's talking about there is he's saying that look if if a person does not actually stop and think about well, what has what have I been yielding the
As far right when I sought relief and other than Allah subhanaw taala did I find it when I sought comfort and other than Allah subhanaw taala? Did I actually find it like, basically the life experiences that I have already up until this point? Once I'm old enough to start to contemplate experiences, once I've got a collection of life experiences, right, and you have a collection of like life experiences, no matter what age you are, then that should make me actually really realize the power of that desire. So he says, what they earn or how that film was stuck, but yet to be, you know, basically mildly. So he says that the way that a person becomes connected to the outcome is by
contemplating on the past, the way you get connected to the proper outcome is by contemplating on the path on the past. He says, Well, who Nikola Tesla, Hulu and Tikona I'll say it Allah here America. Oh Atlanta, who? For Aner leather tomorrow sciatic we're in a terrible car ticket. Hey, Hurtado, hello couldn't be Murphy. So beautiful. Subhanallah I hate these translations. I'm gonna try that. So he says so, think about the past. He said your life is divided between the times that you obeyed Allah subhanaw taala in your life and the times you disobeyed Allah so He started off with if you think about the way he starts off here, it's like look, we're creatures with desires
Allah talks about Jana for a reason the prophets lie some talks about quantifiable good deeds for a reason right? If you watch today's episode on Amazon, he's he's counting with the Sahaba right? How many deeds on Amazon? He's talking about planting forests and Jana he's you know, Allah azza wa jal talks about the reward and gentlemen, because we are creatures with desire, right? So we just have to discipline those desires, not deny them, but he says, you divide your life into two, when you kind of look back, whether you're 18, or you're at, you look back and you say, there are the times that I obeyed Allah, and the times that I disobeyed ALLAH SubhanA, Allah to Allah, and this is how I
divide my life. Right? He says, So where is the pleasure of your sin? And where is the hardship of your good deed now? Are you still tasting the pleasure of that sin? That you committed that time you disobeyed Allah when you look back? Did it give you any lasting sweetness and the time that you obeyed Allah did it give you any lasting exhaustion? You know, you exhausted yourself last summer bong and the evening Allah heeta Allah You can't leave it to be in Allah we caught later to COVID last year but in light Allah we pray that Allah azza wa jal accepted from us from all the previous years as well as this year, Allah Allah I mean,
are you still sleeping from last year?
Right? Are you still suffering from the fasting from last year? No, the the pain of the fasting is gone. The, you know, the fatigue of the sleepless nights is gone. This too will happen after this Ramadan. So he's saying, Where is the pleasure of the sin? Where is the hardship of the good deed? He said at this point now, hey, Hata Brawlhalla couldn't be Murphy, every single person has simply sailed along with the yield of the obedience of Allah or the disobedience of Allah, you took your yield, okay. So you took either your yield of new strength and a reward that you will one day see which will be so sweet. Right, and you took your yield of sin unless you seek forgiveness from Allah
subhanaw taala for it and that is, of course, the * from Hatsan. For the fasting person is to rewards when Allah relieves you after the thorough after the obedience to Allah like how great do you feel after you do something good? As much as we have desires? How amazing do you feel after you do something good, you don't worship that good feeling, by the way you worship Allah subhanaw taala. And that's not the ultimate reward that you're seeking. But it is as you wish on moment. It's Allah is hastening of the glad tidings to a believer that a believer your soul is at peace at Harmony. So think about it this way, when you're going towards the mountaintop. How good does it feel when you
realize you've reached the halfway point, and you take a break, and you say, You know what, I've got the strength to go further. Okay, and you take your sips of water and you rehydrate. You feel amazing. When you break your fast you feel amazing when you find the reward when you go back and you remember your moments of obedience to Allah subhanaw taala when we go back, and we think about our student days, and we think about the days, you know, that that you were in Bosnia, right, you think, you know, you think about those old days, you know, and for us, 50s and old days, like I'm talking like, 5060 years ago. Nice. Sorry. I love you, chef. I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself. Then I
gotta go into my office.
When you remember your old days, fine five years ago, your good days. When you remember your good days, you remember those days that you obeyed Allah you remember, you know, those of you that are no longer students that had great MSA days. Okay, are great days of activism and a bad that you felt a high. Doesn't it naturally induce a smile?
Like don't you go hand in line? Oh, those were amazing. I remember
Are those days of Verity Calif, I remember those days of worship, I remember when we did this service initiative, I remember this, it's good. Imagine when you meet Allah with that, that's like, Whoa, that is the mountaintop. But when you go back and you remember, sin doesn't do anything but cause you to hold your head in shame. Like it didn't, I really don't feel good. Now when I remember it. And the pleasure of it quickly dissipated shape on told you it'd be long, quickly dissipated. And now I'm further down the stream than I really needed to be, I did not really find that happiness and that fulfillment of the soul that I was seeking. Let's add also to this something that we have
to keep in our mind, that also only happens to that to the heart that is still alive, the heart that is already dead. When it started reminiscing those past those last moments of the sin, they might smile as well, too. They might look back and it's like, wow, these are good old days back in those days, because they never did proper Tober. They never looked back. And they said, what oh my god, I'm so ashamed of myself. Because one of the conditions of Tober, obviously, is that first of all, you quit this and you look back and you regret it. But if you see yourself that you're looking back at your sins, and your disobedience of Allah subhanaw taala. And you just kind of like feel so
guilty, that it's not halal anymore, we're unable to do it. There, you're in trouble. You're seriously in trouble. Because until that moment, you've been still drag downwards, you're not being actually pulled upward. So be careful with that even even Joseph Matala over here when he talks about Allah Allah, which means that the end results and the consequences and looking forward, obviously, he said, Look, the sweetness of the mercy of the sin is gone. And again, the fatigue of the evader is also gone, both of them are gone, is they don't last forever. But what lasts forever, is the end result. If you truly believe in Allah subhanho wa taala, then you know that for the good
deeds that you've done, there is an everlasting reward. And for the bad deed, if you don't repent from it, they're going to also be might be an everlasting punishment. So he says over here, look, you have to look forward to see where all these are going to lead lead you. And if you know that they're both going to have an everlasting effect. Which one of the two would you like to keep to keep for yourself? And that would be enough, I would say, repellent for people to say, You know what, I don't want anything to last to be bad for me. So I'd rather to focus on that, which is right. But again, that's for the heart that is still alive. And we're going to talk about and
shallow data later on the clue. What keeps the heart alive and shallow as there was, there was so much we can talk about the subject, we have about 15 minutes in shallow data. But I want to open the floor for questions and answers from our students over here in sha Allah azza wa jal, so if anyone has any question on the subject, then ask about the cow. Okay.
On the subject itself, right now, if anyone has a question, please do so.
Raise your hand.
We haven't even
we have the microphone.
So while this should be named, like the regimen of building a man, to be honest with you, because in the beginning, it tells you like, you know, the the gives you the contrast of the river go flowing down, which is the flow of the dunya, right, and you get stuck in and you're right, you don't have to do anything, you're just there, and it brings you down, but at the same time, when it tells you the higher things when you want to like build up something, it tells the mountain go up the mountain, you know, it's much difficult, much more difficult going up distributed was going up the mountain, and you could always take like human sides to get out of that river and go up. But I mean,
the thing is, like, with this, how can you build up your mind to be like, you know, I guess stronger to like, you know, kind of sort of see that because in the middle of the river you're there, you're basically not able to see anything you just mean drugged down, you know, especially accurate. There's other things and you know, you get like that panic and stuff. Yeah, what's a good idea to basically just see this, okay, I gotta get out of this river, and go up that mountain and shallow bark Luffy?
I love the question, by the way, because it, I think it lends itself to to a point. You know, some of the stuff when you're talking about building Eman?
It actually requires like a resolution on the part of the person.
Like you can hear the most beneficial knowledge in the world. And you can say in your mind, oh, yeah, I'm that person, I'm going to be that person. But it takes being resolute and saying, You know what, okay, what is this? What does this imply for me? And I think that one of the inconvenient facts that we have to come to terms with is that if you're not feeling the Klein, then perhaps you're not reading, right?
In the sense that if you've reached a position if ALLAH blessed you to reach a certain position, and you got comfortable there
then that's a problem.
What happens to the physically fit person when they stop working out and stop setting new goals for themselves? All of their games are eventually lost. Right? And in fact, it can get even harder to get there afterwards. And so spiritually speaking,
discomforting oneself in order to make the next game? What does that look like? What it looks like, frankly, first and foremost is with the disobedience of Allah subhanaw taala. There is nothing where the downstream flow feels more natural than when everything else around me tends to be trending in that direction.
So if
you start with the sins,
everyone in my space, does the exact same thing. I read that the Quran and the Sunnah find this to be
blameworthy. Yeah. But everybody I know,
acts this way does this. So I feel no urgency to challenge what seems to be a collective downward, you know,
stream. So that's why Subhan Allah when we talk about those that embrace Islam, and Subhanallah, I'm always done. Like, some of the text messages that I got today, were just I mean, about someone that was finding difficulty in his fasting, because of the challenges of the family. Like I think to myself, subhanAllah you have people that embrace Islam, and that in a moment to become more about they become strangers to their own families, they face every single obstacle, but because they're in a mindset of overcoming obstacle, they're just climbing and climbing and climbing and climbing. And you have people that grow up in pretty comfortable surroundings, right? Grew up amongst Muslims and
stuff like that, but they're not willing to challenge a single cultural practice, or family practice or societal practice, or what's within their friend circle. They naturally submit themselves because the very comfortable place again, I think that's what the power would have been agility Rahimullah saying here is that it's comfortable. It's comfortable, right? Like you're just flowing, you know. And so I have to actually feel some friction to make the next gain in my religion. That means that
in a culture where things become more complacent, where people are less willing to advise each other, or receive advice, because no one no one even wants to talk. I mean, I'm guilty of that, right? I mean, I don't there's all of us, right? To an extent. It's like, I don't want to give them I'll see how receiving I'll see how sometimes like, well, you don't want to offend this person. So don't give them advice about something that could be doing better. Maybe you don't want to receive the advice. You know, I love Wallach Rahimullah. People said, Tim, aren't you gonna give us an Aussie Heiser? Is there anyone left that wants nothing? Like, I mean, like if every time he gave him
I'll see how people got mad at him. So he just said, I'm gonna stop giving, I'll see either, right? Like, what's the point of giving advice to people? So when you find people are less willing to give you and I'll see you. And Trends tend to be going in a certain way, and you're flowing in that way. What does that mean? Like? You got to sit there and challenge yourself like, am I living the most compliance lifestyle? Because the Quran and Sunnah are very tangible, the reward is not yet tangible. But the guidance is, right as far as the guidelines, am I living the most compliant lifestyle to the Quran and Sunnah. That's one, and then when it comes to good deeds, never become
complacent. I can read more, I can pray more, I can do more. I can volunteer more. And that is Subhanallah the mindset and I'll end with this image Josie Rahim Allah.
I think what what makes him so powerful is such a vulnerable writer. He gets so mad when people praise him. He'll actually sometimes write entire pages like someone praised them to his face. And he went home and wrote this letter to his soul.
Right about like, wait a minute, well, who do you think you are? Who do you think you are? You can pray this much. You can pray more. You can be this your sincerity can erode. I can tell I need to feel friction. But also keep perspective so that that's where the total leave the hope comes. That I never lose sight of the fact that it's Allah's mercy. That's going to get me to the next step. But I need to try to take the next step.
You have a question for the sister side.
Okay, we're going into the brothers again. The side anybody? Actually we took from the society from that side, sorry, good, good.
Saramonic.
Allah, I have a question.
Sometimes we fall into holes, and they're deep into sin, and haram and probably outside of Milan. And we get this feeling that it's too late for a person, that it's too late for me to start doing good, I did something bad. And we think that maybe Allah is not going to forgive us for what we've done. And how can we identify if we're in that stage, in our lives, that we can be forgiven by Allah
That's something that maybe a lot of people might go through. Even brothers that were born and raised Muslim or converted to Islam or anyone that that trick from chiffon
as parliament, I think this moment when someone start realizing, look, I've done so much so bad. I don't know there's redemption from me, reminds me the Hadith of the man who killed the 99 people. And then I went to someone who was knowledgeable, ask him, look, I've got 99 souls, is there any hope for me? And then I said, 99, I think Did Allah is gonna forgive you? No way. So he finished 100 100.
And then he went again, but still Subhanallah his heart was not at ease. Still, he was looking for an opportunity to redeem himself. And he wanted to ask someone more more knowledgeable. He said, Look, I killed the 100 people, what do I do? Is there any hope for me? Now he wasn't scared of him. So I'm not you hook up the 100 No, you know what you always hope for you right? But he was genuinely telling him who is going to prevent you from coming back to Allah subhanho wa taala. There is always hope for you. And therefore he said to me, said look, but the place where you are the surrounding Gloria is not good. Why don't you go somewhere such a such place, you haven't shall a good
opportunity for yourself. But the last version so the first thing I would recommend the person who's in such a circumstance like these is that, firstly, is to understand, they're not alone and this feeling
it historically goes as back as this man and all the way back there. So you're not alone in this field. As a matter of fact, the prophets of Allah Salah he advises against this, he called this the shaitan acting like the wolf. So in that could have been another animal class here, that the wolf only prays on the stray sheep. So what does it do? It comes to the flock and thought trying to attack on the side until isolate one of those sheep obviously, and then goes and attacks it. Same thing, these thoughts are the shaytans work to isolate this individual, telling them Look, you're so horrible, you are so bad, don't go to that place. If you go to the magic, you're going to solve the
whole community. Stay away from there, you're too dirty to this. And somehow and that we just, again, we listen, we listen to them, we go downward, as well. So that's one thing that we need to keep in our mind or shaytan is work is to isolate us. So we need to be careful not to follow that then after that, of course that hamdulillah once we realize, okay, so there's still hope for me. Once you open that door, then it started climbing up inshallah and one thing I want to add, actually, again, lastly, is we have to understand like the Sheikh was talking about the friction point, right?
You have to realize there is no there is no stop on that journey. If you stop you start going down, that to Allah subhanaw taala the prophets of Allah Azza wa sallam he doesn't fade out for after fansub Well, a lot of bigger forgot. It told him when you're done given your Dawa. He said further ferrata fansub you need to stand up until you feel the fatigue of the Ivana. What does that mean exactly? Part one give Dawa. Right? When you're done, you're tired and exhausted. We assume that you're going to hear what take some rest, take a break, relax, rejuvenate, but Allah subhanaw taala the Prophet SAW Salem go now and focus on yourself. Stand up until you feel that fatigue what you're
not a baker forever because this is what you need to see Allah's helps Hannah Montana. So on the journey, we go from one step to the other one from one hardship to the other one until we succeed Inshallah, terracotta Allah, Allah. I want to add Subhanallah you know, shift that hadith. A lot of times you hear that hadith, it's like, yeah, guy killed people. And you know, there's a murderer, right? He's a murderer. And you know, what's what's, how's that possible, but it's distant,
actually had an incident SubhanAllah 2019, I will not forget it. I was sitting in front of a kid who was
out of an at risk. He's an at risk kid. And he was I don't want to give too many details. He wasn't Muslim at the time. And panela he was, you know, he was caught for some petty crime. And he got out and he was like working, doing community service to get out of it. And we were talking, you know, you like like many people that are in that situation, very guarded at first, upfront, but got vulnerable very quickly, once we warmed up to each other.
And he he actually said to me, he you know, and it really it made so much of this come to life. He said to me, if someone killed someone though, they think God would forgive them.
And I could tell he was talking about himself.
Like he, he's like, imagine I had someone in front of me a 1617 year old who's basically telling me that he killed somebody. And he's given up hope on religion and faith. You know, I gave him the autobiography of Malcolm X and we're talking about that and redemption and remaking yourself and reinventing yourself and he's and that's when it just
took a serious dark turn he's like yeah, but someone killed someone you think God would forgive them.
And subhanAllah that moment was was was very real and I remembered love and bustle the Allah Tala and human incident with him
where a man walked into his his gathering his halacha. And he said, If someone killed someone, would ALLAH forgive them?
And he said, Yes,
Allah would forgive them. There's a chance of redemption for that person. Even for murder, there's a chance for redemption terms of Toba. And then another person came in and asked the exact same question. Would ALLAH forgive someone who killed someone? He said, No.
And the man left and the students were completely confused. He gave a different answer to the same question twice. And they asked him why. And he said, because the first person I could sense
that he had done this. And he was asking if there was a path back to Allah subhanaw taala. He said, the second person was basically looking for a license to kill.
Right? He was he was thinking about doing it. And he was asking that question, with the intention to go forth and do it. When you fall in a hole. No matter how deep the hole is. You have a way back up because you're not the one who determines the length of the rope.
Allah subhanaw taala has given you his habit.
No matter how deep in the wall you are, the habit is there the rope is there. You have to grab it though. You have to grab it. I want to say Vaughn will tell you before you fall into a hole is that the hole is not that deep. And then after you fall into the hole, you're never getting out of this hole. Right. And that's the trick about Lacombe. Lahiru. That's the delusion of the deluded the chief polluter. And so with the arriba the Alladhina Astra for Allah and foresee him la takana Tolman Rahmatullah in Allaha fear of the Nova Jamia in a hula hula for Rahim say, Oh My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair from the mercy of Allah. Because Allah forgives
all sins, because he is seize power, you're putting it all to Allah as there's nothing about you. Because he is a photo of mine, because he's all forgiving and all merciful. So it wasn't about you or your sinfulness or your righteousness in the first place. It was about your acknowledgement, and your effort that follows along. So if there's any question from the society
there's one.
So what happened to the boy?
The boy has a clip hanger. What happened at the at risk? Boy, the boy this was
what did I answer him? Yeah. I told him absolutely. I told him that he should commit himself. I mean, I answered him, he knew that I knew. But it was just it was an unseen. It was sort of like an unspoken fact at that point. And a supervisor actually kind of had this look on his face like, whoa, what just happened here? Because it was it was kind of an it was an interesting conversation.
But you know, one thing that that I told him and one thing that I say to people that have gone down a path of that dark is don't just commit yourself to toboe yourself, but commit yourself to helping people that you recognize are going down that path as well. Like commit yourself to a culture of redemption to turning people away like some one of the most one of the most beautiful ways you can make Toba especially with something like that. When someone has committed a sin that involved especially harming other people is to stop other potential farmers and abusers from going down that route, create a better culture be a part of changing, you know, stepping in, and the best. I'm
telling you that, you know, the after the after school programs that the drug rehabilitation programs, the game rehabilitation programs, right, who's the person that everyone listens to?
The one that's been down that path?
And filleted Rahim Allah said keep the company of the repentance because they have the softest hearts, the repentant have the softest of hearts, Pamela people that have been there. They have the softest hearts. That's, that's at the mercy of Allah upon them. And they have a credibility. Like I've been there before. I know. I know what it's like, right? I know, I know what you're going through. And relatability is an important part of nausea. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when he saw the woman in the graveyard, and she was crying, and bawling and wailing in a way that transgress the limits and the prophets, like some told her, you know, to be patient, and she said,
Get away, you don't know or what do you know about my affair not knowing that it was the profit slice. Once she was told it was the Prophet salallahu Salam it was like, Oh God, I told the prophet off. And the Prophet sallallaahu Salam in his other, his in his perfect flood, his perfect mannerisms. He didn't say a woman do you know who I am? He walked away until someone else told me you realize you just told the prophets lie Selim to go away and you don't know what I'm going through. But the prophets lie Selim could have put his foot down and said, I don't know what you're going through.
Khadija Abu Talib, you know this because he could have gone through his kids one by one. He didn't do that. Salallahu Salam
But you better believe that when he spoke at his Salatu was Salam she remember she said this yesterday and at dinner, I loved it. I loved it. He said Rasulullah Salallahu Salam was the most relatable person in human history. Because there was nothing you could go up to him with. And tell him that you'd been through. Except that he could be like, Yeah, I can relate. He was the most relatable human being in history. sallallahu alayhi, wasallam. You're an orphan. Yeah, I'm an orphan to you suffered death of family. I suffered that to poverty. I know what that's like rejection. I know what that's like there's no hardship, you could have gone up to him with sallallahu alayhi wa
salam and told him about, except that he could be like it. I've been there, that he's the most relatable human being that's ever walked the face of the earth? Salalah.
Yes, sir. Another question in the back.
Salaam Alaikum. Salaam.
Why would counsel? I guess, for me?
My question is on the topic of standing or swimming against the current,
I find I often find myself in a difficult position, sometimes, in going against the opinion of family members
of what they consider to be good deeds, for example, in the sense of like, sometimes there's the rhetoric of like, oh, you know, that's an unbeliever. So it doesn't really count as a good deed.
And so that's the first part of the question.
I didn't understand. So can you can you repeat the question again, please, in terms of what answer you're looking for on that question, I guess you could hold the mic closer sister.
So it's the it's to understand like, where's the discernment of what is considered a good deed? When,
when sometimes the rhetoric is, you know, who we serve, as it might disqualify the good deed? Like, at home, for example, we're told, I was told, like, oh, you know, if it's a non believer, it's not really a good deed. That, you know, if you're helping unbelievers instead of believers, and there's always the stance of like, No, you have to help only Muslims.
So are you saying are saying, basically, if I want to do the right thing, does it have to the only count if you do it towards a Muslim family member? Correct. And then, and then, and then also, like standing against the current in that belief, as well. And you know, saying, you know, we're all humans, and we need to just be good role models and examples, period, but, you know, helping everyone go, how do you stand against that? And then
how about one question at a time.
So, in regards to what you mentioned, when it comes to the subject of kindness and subject of goodness, and so forth, keep in mind that transcends above the subject of religion over here. Being good to others being good, good Aflac, and good manners. It's not about them. It's about you. It's about who you are. So you being a good Muslim, you have to have the good o'clock, no matter what. In regards to specifically being good to non Muslim relatives. Allah Subhana Allah made it clear in the Quran, even if your parents even if they're trying to push you away from the deen of Allah subhana wa Tada. It says we're in Jeddah, Allah and to Sharika be managed like a Via Ferrata Houma if they
push you away from Allah that you worship number that ALLAH SubhanA wa Tala don't obey them, but then he says, Warsaw hub Houma. Dunya ma rufa, but keep a very good relationship with them. Like he said, Keep a good or keep a reasonable companionship for them, which means as long as they don't ask you to disobey Allah subhanaw taala be nice and kind to them. There was a time when
a smart mentor workers today Claudia lo Anna, she came to Medina among the early muhajir dal immigrant who came to Medina, her mom, she heard about her daughter she gave birth to a child, just to give a backstory on this matter. So a smart Vinterberg Krista did the wife of as Obama won the cousin of the Prophet salaallah Salam, she gave birth to the loveliness of it.
And the Latin Isabel was probably one of the most celebrated children that was born in Medina. Why? Because for an entire year, an entire year, the MaHA Julian the immigrants when they arrived in Medina, they were unable to conceive and their children they will die. So people that would say they were cursed. The Mexicans would say, Look, they're cursed. We told you that when they go to Medina, the Houma and the allergies and the diseases Medina will destroy them. So it was some people they became so skeptical on them, even start believing those kind of things until asthma or the Alana. She gave birth to a healthy child, Abdullah Elizabeth. So that was the most celebrated child at that
time, obviously. Oh my god. hamdulillah we're good. We're good. So her mom and mom
Kashi heard about the birth of her child. So what did she do? She comes to visit. But she wasn't Muslim at the time. When she arrived at her house, a small salon and she stopped her mom. She goes, Wait, because we're here. That's a new thing. Now, I live in a Muslim community. My mom was a Muslim. She wants to come into my house. What do I do with this? I don't know. I don't have to deal with her. That was new. So she stopped her and she got announced the prophets Allah SamCart jasola in Abuja at Zara, my mother, she came visiting all the way from Mecca to see me to see my child, what do I do? I remember was shocked and surprised that you had even asked a question because
Subhanallah a criminal monkey? Like really should honor your mom. Like he didn't even ask about that she become Muslim or otherwise. Simply said, Just take care of your mom. So that kindness no matter what it is to obviously it's it comes to everybody. Now I don't even make that comparison. Even Subhanallah your kindness even is rewarded even if you deal with nonhumans as well you deal with with animals still that can get you to agenda so that's I hope you keep that in mind inshallah Tabata call no matter who they are. Your kindness counts because of who you are not who they are. Wala Anna
Shall we take last question from the brother Simon shadow? Question. Oh
golly.
I had a question about the journey of going uphill. And how did these masters have to self deal with the triple issues that came in their life? And did they ever take a break? You know, maybe sometimes it's the philosophy of taking three steps forward and one step back, gather yourself and then going forward, like every Ramadan, we're gonna push ourselves then we might take a step back afterwards. And then we hope every year we elevate ourselves so it's very hard to sustain the work ethic or the
ambitions we have in Ramadan all year long. But we hope that every Ramadan we're building on some foundation, and so when it could be trials, could be life could be anything. Even even Josie when he goes through the trials of his of his son, did it ever impact his, I guess his work ethic when he came to his his knowledge, his teaching? Did it ever, you know, I could imagine his reputation was hurt. Maybe he was you know, felt embarrassed or hard did that ever impact his teaching? And what advice do you have for us? When we go through hard times or just life is changing and you stage in life and your job and your family? Whatever it is, that may reduce the quality maybe the quantity of
EBA or whatever we have? How can we keep the quality up?
Wonderful question.
My mic
who cut my mic 20 You guys cut my mic one of my support those are your supportive team said yes of cut my mic.
No, I'm watching you guys. We'll see you back here. I
was you.
On that case, the answer just changed.
Listen,
Hadith and to be so ly Salam, especially the narration I've been working on since inadequately che in civil law but equally share what's in front of mankind for Trattoria serenity for the Tada woman committee lady called Halak. Okemah cardarine salatu salam, the prophets, I seldom said that everyone has a peak, and every peak has its course you got your high point you got your low point. And then this narration, he emphasized the lies on the low point rather than the high points. And he said that whoever is low point is to my sunnah than they have been guided and whoever has it to something else. Funkadelic they will collapse. Very important here. You know, if you read that
hadith phase, well, you might think, low point being sinner, does that mean that the example of the Prophet fly southern has to be my low point? No, no, not the practice the Prophet sighs I'm talking about the Creed, the methodology, the guidelines, because what what in what innovation brought in terms of thinking was unrealistic standards, unrealistic practices, and lots of disappointments. And that's why the Prophet slice and I'm told the three young men that came searching around his house right to, you know, asking his spouses about what his practice was like and then saying, well, that's him. We need to fast all day and never break our fast we need to not be intimate with our
spouses we need you know, the prophet size that I'm said whoever turns away from my sunnah is not from me. So he's talking about the methodology or the salatu. Salam, the relevant emphasize the Fatra not the Shirwa, the low point, not the peak, why? The peak is when you're feeling it, you're in stride, you feel great, you're in hogyan ombre, you're in Ramadan. You are, you're really feeling connected right now. Alright, that's your high point, your zeal, okay. The low point being an accordion
So the sooner the right amount mentioned is two things. Number one, that you do not abandon fraud. You don't abandon obligatory deeds in your low point. You don't abandon the obligatory. Number two, you don't engage in major sin.
All right, so those are the two main keys with the low point. What does that mean? People that try to come in really hard end up crashing really, really, really hard. You know? So he might Malik Rahim, Allah to Allah saw a really overzealous young man who wanted to argue with him. He said, I want to debate you. Like you just became religious yesterday. I wanted to beat you. Alright, like, Alright, he's like, I want to debate with you email Maliki my Malik is like, alright, well, if you win what happens? So you'll follow my opinion. And he said, If I win, what happens? He said, I'll follow your opinion. And he said that a person who turns their religion into just an object of
argumentation is going to keep on changing it.
If your religion is just do that, like you're overzealous today. So you're fighting over it arguing mashallah, you became a keyboard warrior over the time. All right, you're gonna be the complete opposite of what you are today. And that's exactly what they said. They said the man went from extreme to extreme to extreme until he eventually left Islam. Okay. And usually we see that sometimes someone comes in super religious, super religious, and then they super go away.
Right, like, they come in really quick, high, and then really, really, really low because it was unrealistic from the start, this wasn't a healthy journey for you.
What does this mean for us? The average person
when I'm not feeling great, I'm still gonna come to Juma. Still gonna come to budget if I can, I'm still gonna keep some connections to the masjid. Maybe I'm not at the level, I want to be my three or five prayers a day in the masjid, I still want to come to one. I still want to come twice a week, if I'm not coming up, you know, I'm not gonna give up the fluoride. I'm still gonna fast Ramadan, I'm still gonna stay away from drugs, I'm still going to stay away from Zina. I'm not going to start watching this or doing this or going to this place or going to that place because I'm feeling low. Right now. I'm at a low point in my faith and spirituality. I still have a baseline here. And my
baseline is that methodology of the Sunnah of the Prophet saw the line somewhere, right? That I'm not going to go beyond this point. And that's the difference between
taking a break and actually descending, right, taking a step back versus taking a step down. Okay, sometimes take a breather, and reassess. I set this goal for myself, in terms of a novela for example, right? That I really wanted to be a person who prays clean. I'm a little
I got witted suddenly down. Like what's it like? That's it. I do with it every night now. Hamdulillah this is amazing. I've never been this consistently with it. Alright, let me add to that guys. And the next thing you know, you you got tired things got in the way. You got really busy at work and oh my god, I'm not praying with it anymore.
I feel horrible. So tonight, guys that I was going to do a pm before that gone. Well, you know, like, I need to get now I need to get right back to the pm and the winter because I last left off with five records. So if I'm not doing five records, I'm failing. No, go back to one. And then three, build back your wits it habit. Reassess. Okay, how about if I just start adding two records once a week? And do that for a couple of months? See how that goes for me? How am the lights working? I choose a night that works for me. Alright, it's working. Now. Let me add another two guys there. See how that goes for me build slowly gradually, but your baseline has to be I will not
forsake the facade I will not forsake the obligatory nor will I engage in one of the Firewalkers and one of those shameless open since I've had a couple of things here one of them that is very important extremely important to safeguard this for others actually to pay them off and I know a lot of us you know say well hamdulillah if I did a fraud mashallah I'm good handler moment. I want you to aspire to a higher level of government, you sunnah you know that you pray before and after before and after Magadha when after Isha and when you come to the masjid, you pray to raka before you sit down, you pray to her Salah you pray to rock for record night and so on. All these now often let you
pray they will safeguard your freedom for you. Why because when you get weaker, you most likely are going to quit the now often before you come to the forum. But if you have no no no often to safeguard your Florida if you get weak, what's going to happen
you're going to quit and some of your fraud now becomes extremely dangerous. So safeguard your for either within Amazon that's extremely important. So make sure to build the habit and the good and short tradition of praying more than just for Salah. And more than just you know the Sunnah of the Ohana and Maghreb and this and that. Add more to the shallot on. The second thing I need also to remind myself and everyone here is to focus on the medieval globe, the hearts again I'll come back to the heart because we always focus on my salah. I always
focus on my Mondays and Thursdays I stopped praying I focused on the DUA that I stopped doing and making, but rarely that we really we sit down and reassess
the condition of the heart when I've spoken about this a few weeks ago, in the fragile heart and one time about Alcoa to the LME, and Akoto amellia, that your heart needs these two things, the power of knowledge and the power of passion,
you know, your power of passion to do I need to have the fuel for that. And that fuel needs to be appropriate early. That knowledge I will immediately push you to do that, which is bad turn shallow terracotta. So to upgrade. One of the way we can continue on the journey, obviously, is always upgrade your element, your knowledge. Ask yourself the question, when was the last time you open a book?
When was the last time you even learn something new? When was the last time you read something for him in New Jersey? Are they happy or Rosario this or that? Besides these fancy coats that you read on Instagram? When did you really read the paragraph from the beginning to the end?
We are really that we are getting in terms of our knowledge right now. And our knowledge is becoming stagnant. And guess what if the last time you read a book was maybe two years ago, it means you're two years behind.
So if you start going downwards, you know why? Because the fuel is coming down right now. So you need to make sure to keep fueling yourself with that proper knowledge and shall allow the water codon does that Kamala Harris BarakAllahu Kumaraswamy bless you and your families your anatomy and ask ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada to make this a blessed night all of us. Ask Allah subhanaw To make us among those who witness that letter to the Rio Grande I mean, we ask Allah subhana wa to forgive us our sins, our shortcomings. We ask Allah subhana wa to accept the best of our digital Bill Alameen We ask Allah Subhana Allah to accept or fasting our TM our dua our car our citation the Quran are
yet to be asked with access to most the best of our D Dr. Abdullah Al Amin, Ya Allah we come to you this evening with all our shortcomings our sins that we asked you that you replace them with Hasina, Terra Bella Mia, Ya Allah we ask you to raise our status in this dunya and the Afra but Al Amin guide our hearts that which is most pleasing to you and make it easy for us to follow with your but Al Amin and your Allah show us that which is wrong and make it easy to stay away from manual Rahim. Keep our hearts sincerity and honor to your bride Amelia allowing us to fill our hearts with love for this Dr. Bill Alameen Yola, we ask You to forgive our families our parents are blind I mean have
medicine in Iraq Manuel Rahim forgive our spouses your brother me and guide their hearts to allah God that the hearts of our children are bright I mean make our families the comfort at the corners of the eyes for us in this dunya and in the area but I mean, Ya Allah we ask you to bless us with the Quran and Allah for the Quran. Your Allah we ask you to give us the ability to memorize and learn the Quran your brother I mean, live by the structure of the Quran your manual Rahim asked to soften our hearts to the remainder of the book of the Quran and the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu wasallam y'all have asked you to soften our hearts to the liquor of Allah Yara but Alameen gave us
all peace and tranquility on HeartShare Rahmani Raheem. The way we gather this in this place in this dunya we asked who Yara be that you do not deprive us from getting together and Jana deliver dos Allah Allah will the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Masada Abraham hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa sallahu wa Salam o baraka and Mohammed diwata annual
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