Sikander Hashmi – Tips for a Happier Winter Break KMA Friday Message
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
We begin by praising Allah
the lord of the universe,
our creator, our sustainer, our protector, our nourisher.
And we begin by sending peace and salutations
upon his beloved messenger,
Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, the final messenger
of Allah.
I hope that you're all well by the
grace of Allah
And today, on this beautiful day, this blessed
beautiful day, the sun is out, masha'Allah.
The sky is blue and clear as I
can see from here.
We find ourselves at the beginning
of the winter break.
Now most of the time,
this time of the winter break approaching is
a time for excitement.
Even for those who are not celebrating the
holidays or not celebrating any any holidays coming
up, You know, it's a time, to take
a break,
from from work,
especially from school, for our young ones.
And,
you know, in the past years, what would
happen if families would get together? Maybe you
would have been planning to travel.
Most of the time we would have snow,
although there's no snow today.
You know, there will be events happening and
people will be going. So, many people from
Argo go to Toronto, for example,
or travel elsewhere.
But, of course, this year is very different.
We know that the vaccines for COVID 19,
have been released and are slowly
going to be reaching,
people, different parts of the country, different parts
of the world.
And,
actually,
the,
so the assembly of Muslim Jurists of America,
AMJA,
group of scholars,
and as well as the Canadian Muslim COVID
19 task force, both of them have issued,
and I'm sure other organizations as well, have
issued statements,
about the vaccines,
approving them from Islamic point of view and
recommending them,
as well as this is one of the
means that Allah has
given us to improve our physical
protection.
Now, of course, there can be much discussion
and debate surrounding,
safety and long term impacts,
of,
vaccines that that may have been seen in
the past.
But it appears to talk to the, to
the experts,
honest, trustworthy experts in the field.
They will tell you that for the most
part,
the the benefits,
that the world has seen,
coming from vaccines outweigh,
the harm. But, kind of, Allah
knows best. That's a separate,
discussion.
That but the reality is that even with
the vaccines being rolled out,
the virus is still spreading. And there's a
lot of concern,
regarding the winter holidays
that people will be meeting. Because, you know,
in the summertime, if you remember, if you
think back a few months,
you know, we would pass by, you know,
for example, Andrew Hayden Park, and you'd see,
that,
it will it will be will be packed
especially on the weekends.
Many, many families,
mostly Muslim, I think, you know, who would
be gathering and and meeting family and friends
and so on, outdoors. And, of course, it
was probably a lot safer,
to do that outdoors, as opposed to indoors.
But because of the cold now, no one's
gonna be in the parks. Most of the
parks are actually closed.
So the concern is that people will be
meeting indoors and they'll be close contact especially
inside homes,
or gatherings like weddings,
and especially major concern with regards to the
open serving of food
as well.
So
hospitals are preparing for a large increase
after the winter break, and the concern is
that that increase could actually
may, make the situation unmanageable inside hospitals, especially
in larger cities.
We're somewhat better off
here in Ottawa. And Allah
protect us all.
Now as always, of course, we place our
trust in Allah.
And
with that,
we need to continue,
taking precautions.
Now because of which, we are expected to
have a very different winter break,
a very different winter break this year. And,
because of that,
or,
rather, you know, this different type of break
can be very difficult for some people,
for children, for youth, for adults, for the
elderly.
Various,
family members, various segments of our community can
find it very, very difficult, especially when there's
nothing to do,
or there's very little to do, I should
say.
And, you know, you can't really go and
meet people.
Probably not gonna be able to travel,
plus, you know, if there's snow or if
it's very cold and the nights are very
long and the days are short.
And as a result,
it's very likely that many people will be
feeling,
sad and having feelings of depression.
And actually, in fact, you know, this time
of year is known
to be when depression associated with winter tends
to peak
because
there, you know, Allah has created us in
a way that we actually crave and we
need sunlight,
and we need to, you know, go out
and get exposure to sunlight.
And if a person, you know, we're not
designed
to live in in in long
periods of, of darkness,
or, you know, that is something that we
find challenging
just in the way that we are we
have been designed. So,
you know, in extended periods of darkness coupled
with the cold, coupled with the social isolation,
these are all things which can pose, serious
challenges.
So today,
we're gonna briefly look at, inshallah, some steps
that we can take to fight sadness and
feelings of depression
and hopefully spend a happier winter holiday. This
may not apply to everyone,
in every way, but,
more likely than not, you have a family
member or someone that you know who is
going through this or will be,
you know, who perhaps could find these tips,
helpful.
Insha'Allah. So first of all, the first thing
we have to realize is
that our religion, our deen of Islam is
a holistic religion, which promotes
holistic wellness.
And what that means is that the various
aspects of our lives from an Islamic perspective
are not separate.
We don't compartmentalize
and say, okay. This is my, you know,
this is these are the teachings with regards
to the physical, these are for the spiritual,
these are for the mental,
and, you know, they're all independent of each
other. And, you know, I'm just gonna do
one and it's just the impact of it
or the benefit is just gonna stay limited.
That's not how it works. Right? So it's
a holistic
because we are, you know, Allah has created
us as human beings
with,
you know, the physical body, with the mind,
and with the ruh, the spirit. So therefore,
we can't separate the 3. The 3 are
are linked to one another and one something
that impacts one affects the other. Right? So
it's all it's all interconnected.
So what happens is oftentimes there's a misbalance
that can end up leading to various symptoms
and challenges, And we try to deal with
the symptoms,
not necessarily getting to the root of the
problem.
Right? So for example, if somebody just keeps
getting headaches and you keep telling them, okay,
take Tylenol. Just keep taking Advil and keep
taking Tylenol. Okay. Well, that may give them
some relief
temporarily. Every 4 hours or every 8 hours,
the headache is gonna come back, and it
doesn't get to the root of the problem
as to why the headache is actually occurring
in the first place. Right? So a lot
of times, what what what's happening today is
that we see symptoms and we try to
deal with the symptoms, but we're not actually
getting to the root cause. And a lot
of times the root cause is not so
easy to identify.
So a few things that can help us,
and it's actually,
you know, very important, especially especially when the
days are short, especially when there's less sunlight,
is to actually get exercise.
Right? It's to get out,
try to get out of the home. Even
in the summertime or the spring, I remember
during the pandemic, like, in the beginning of
the pandemic, right, a lot of people were
just locking themselves up inside, and it would
be such,
you know, it will literally be such a
breath of fresh air if you just went
out and start off again. You would notice
that not just physically you would feel better
by the physical exercise,
but your mind would open up and you
feel refreshed and you feel,
you know, you you feel good. So exercising
is very very important,
especially when it comes to mental health as
well. And you think about it. Right? When
you're exercising, are you using your brain? Are
you using your mind? Not really. Right? I
mean, if somebody's running, somebody's biking, unless they're
doing, like, some crazy obstacle first, You know,
I mean, you're just like, you know, you
you're using your body physically, but it's actually
having a positive impact on your mind. Right?
Why? Because they're all interconnected.
Right? You your physical activity
and there'll be certain, you know, chemicals that'll
be released in your brain, and this is
the design of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, subhanahu
wa ta'ala, subhanahu wa ta'ala, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
subhanahu wa ta'ala. Right? Everything is interconnected. So
exercise is good for us. We know that,
but
really, really push yourself to try to get
out. I know it can be cold sometimes.
It may be difficult. It may be challenging
or, you know, maybe not everyone
will be able to go out and walk.
But getting exposure first of all, exercising and
getting exposure to nature,
is is very, very therapeutic,
and and it's very, very healthy, very helpful.
And, actually, one thing that we are, trying
to push, the new program we started is
called KMA Wellfit.
K. So and we're having a winter Wellfit
challenge.
And the idea is that,
we encourage one another
to at least,
move
without a car, of course, move for 1
and a half kilometers every day. Okay? So
whether it's walking or running or biking or,
jogging or, you know, whatever snowshoeing scheme, whatever
you like to do, you know, go out,
and this is a challenge that everyone can
take, Ochala. Try your best. You know, if
you're not able to for some reason, that's
fine. But, you know, try your try try
to encourage motivate yourself, encourage yourself and others
to try to get out and move for
at least one and a half kilometers.
And you can actually sign up, you know,
for those of you who who may not
know, there is, you know, an app,
that you can download, you know, on your
devices called Strava, and it'll actually we've actually
created a community,
on Strava, so we can actually follow each
other and see who's running how much or
who's, you know, doing what, and we like
each other's activities and we comment. And, you
know, just just to give positive,
you know, reinforcement and encouragement to one another.
So because when we see others doing it,
then we also get motivated. Right? So,
it's tinyurl.com/camewelfit
or actually you can just go to kanamossoons.ca,
then you'll find the link, to sign up
for this. So this is something new that
we we we started.
And again, the benefits of this will not
just be physical, but it shall it will
be mental and spiritual as well because if
you get out in nature
and you you because many times, you know,
in our lifestyles today, we're just we're just
driving everywhere. Right? We're hardly ever much all
of some brothers and sisters, I can see
them in the neighborhood walking, but when the
weather's cold, like, it's it's it's tough to
get out and the days are short. But
really try to get out because it gives
us exposure to nature and, you know, it
it gives us a different perspective, and it
gives us an opportunity
to appreciate the blessings of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala. And the beauty of Allah's creation and
his design and, and and like all these
different, you know, things that we should be
thinking about or reflecting upon that many times
during the course of our busy days or
or while, you know, just staying locked up
at home, we may not be exposed to
as much. So exercising,
very, very important. If you can go outside,
do it inside. I know people who just
walk in their homes for kilometers, you know,
or they'll have treadmills or, you know, other
equipment that they could use,
and they're really just just running and or
walking and and, and and making, you know,
good use of their time, getting that exercise
that's good for their health, for their physical
health, but also their mental and spiritual health.
That's number 1. Number 2, you know, taking
care of our diet is also very important
for, you know, the the the reason that
Allah
out of his wisdom and knowledge has prescribed
for us to eat halal,
but also payib as well.
Right? And these things are not done just
for no reason. Whenever Allah prescribes something for
us or prohibits something for us, it's for
our own benefit. And there we might understand
some wisdoms, but there's many more wisdoms
that we do not understand. And we are
not able to appreciate just because our our
senses are so limited and our knowledge and
our understanding is so limited, especially compared to
that of Allah.
So eating that which is halal number 1,
but also wholesome,
and pure and natural. You know? And and
eating halal, like, sometimes, you know, we may
not be so careful. Sometimes we may think,
okay. Well, some things are not that necessary
and, you know, we're just gonna be a
bit lax. But, you know, it has an
effect on our spirituality.
It has an effect on the spirituality of
our children. But these are things which are
important and they're important for a reason because
there are impacts that we may not be
able to perceive. You know, a person may
feel that they're having struggles. They're having challenging
challenges with regards to, to be a, right,
with regards to various things. And and then
they may not even realize that perhaps some
of it has to do with the fact
that the the nourishment that their children are
getting, that they are giving to their children
is perhaps not halal. It's doubtful,
or it is not for you. Right? And
therefore, it's having an impact on their behaviors,
having an impact on their growth than the
way that they are behaving.
So, you know, taking care of our diet
for ourselves, for our families, make sure that
it is halal, but also, you know, that
is wholesome.
Trying to avoid junk. Now, of course, we
enjoy junk food once in a while,
but, you know, really trying to control the
sugar intake, the salt intake because, again, these
things will have not just physical impact on
us, but it will affect us indirectly. It'll
affect us mentally as well
and eventually and spiritually as well.
Of course, the prophet has given us the
1 third rule. Right? Now we're not really
having dinner parties or gatherings, so maybe it's
easier to practice this rule nowadays compared to,
you know, when we're when we're eating somewhere
else,
or when buffets are open, for example.
But 1 third, you know, for food, 1
third are are stomach. Right? 1 third food,
1 third liquid, and 1 third for air.
Right? And, again, this is the prophetic
prescription, like, can be very difficult to follow
because our dinner is already taking up 90%.
You know? Because it's already taking 90%, and
then the dessert is, like, another 20 on
top of it. So we already had a
110 plus we're drinking. You know? So just
just trying to be mindful of these things.
And on top of that, not just the
physical diet, but also
the the the the the mental and spiritual
diet as well. Right? So what do we
listen to and what do we watch? And
this, again, subhanAllah, is something which is so
overlooked.
Right? Where people will be trying to to
improve their spirituality or maybe they're trying to
improve improve,
you know, things that have to do with
their mental state, their behavior, all of those
things, but they're not realizing what they're actually
taking in. They don't realize the damage that
what the material they're watching.
Right? Whether it's on Netflix or it's TikTok
or, you know, any other platform that they're
they're going through, the stuff that they're watching
and the the things that they're listening to,
especially if they're listening to music and they're
listening to, you know, various types of lyrics,
all that stuff is like poison.
They're like, how is poison ever gonna make
you well? How is it ever how is
poison ever gonna make you feel better?
Right? It may you may think that it
it it's it's gonna make you feel better,
but in reality, it's not. Right? Junk will
make you feel miserable. Right? So the type
of material that we're reading, that we're watching,
even if it's just like YouTube videos or,
you know, for older adults, you know, you're
watching stuff on YouTube, you're watching, you know,
like, the crazy part of videos that people
are forwarding to you, and you're just, like,
you know, spending your time doing all of
that.
It may be very captivating,
but how healthy is it? Right? Is it
increasing your anxiety? Is it increasing your worry?
Is it may creep, you know, making you
paranoid? Is it making you doubtful of of
things and of people? So really look at,
you know, pay attention to what you're watching
and what you're listening to because it is
gonna have an impact on you. Watch and
listen to good material, healthy material, positive material.
It'll make you better. You know, I was
just in a presentation last week, a very,
very good conference, masha'Allah, on Muslim mental health.
And they're talking about the impact of news
headlines.
The impact of of news and being too
too, you know, attached to headlines and and
paying attention to the news and the type
of anxiety, you know, the the the impact
in terms of creating or increasing anxiety
and giving, people a lot of, you know,
mental peace. You know? So it's not I
mean, I studied journalism. Right? I worked as
a reporter. So I'm not saying, you know,
news is not important or or don't, you
know, don't pay attention to the news. Of
course, it's very important, but in moderation.
Right? Pay attention to what you're constantly feeding
yourself
because at the end of the day, it
is gonna have an impact on you.
Number 3,
appropriate sleep and rest at night. Now, of
course, you know, some people may be staying
up very late because, you know, it's it's
the winter break or,
or maybe sleeping in very late and things
like that. And, of course, once in a
while you do that, you take a break,
as long as you're praying fudge or, of
course, on time, you know, it's fine. But,
you know, regularly, we wanna make sure that
our our sleep,
and and our wakefulness is balanced. Right? So
it's not too much so that it becomes
laziness, and it's not too little so that
it becomes harmful to our bodies because, you
know, Allah tells us
and
who made your sleep,
made your sleep for rest and the night
as a covering. Right? So there's a reason,
why Allah
you know, has has made night and day.
And part of it, at least one of
the reasons, is for us to be able
to rest. Right? So our minds and our
bodies,
to rest. So trying to use that,
you know, in a moderate way and making
sure we have enough sleep, that we need
especially for young people. I know it can
be really, really challenging to go to sleep
early or, you know, and, you know, just
to some people are night people, some are
morning. I understand that. But at the end
of the day, trying to take care, and
balancing,
our our sleep, paying attention to our sleep
so we are sleep so that we're resting
and sleeping in a healthy way.
You know, doing something different
and breaking the routine
is also healthy. Right? Even if it's something
which is simple. You know, some parents I
know a lot of parents will be dealing
with kids who are saying, oh, we're bored.
We're bored. What do we do? What do
we do? Oh, this is so boring. This
is so terrible. You know? And and almost
every parent has probably lived through that and
we may have done that ourselves when we
were young. Okay? But so, you know, it's
natural.
It's it's natural that, you know, as human
beings, we will get become we will get
tired of routines.
We will get bored at times. So try
to do something different even it doesn't have
to be something that's tremendous. It doesn't have
to be something that's, you know, that's that's
that's that's really big.
But just trying to break the routine and
and doing something simple even if it's going
to a new place
or, you know, I don't know, getting food
from somewhere different if you can or trying
a new activity,
you know, trying something that you haven't done,
going to a place you haven't been to,
you know, just just exploring different things, going
to different places,
that can help break the routine. Next
week,
for our meat and tea session,
coming up on Thursday, we will be talking
about winter,
fun and sports. You know? So their their
activities, some of our brothers and sisters and
families are, you know, engaged in that we
may not know about. We may not be
have tried before. So, you know, explore new
things,
and try to find, you know, things that
you can do, that are a bit different
than what you're used to. Now also the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has told us,
that, you know, one of the things that
I mean okay. So as human beings, we're
we're looking at others, of course. Right? We
hardly ever look at ourselves. Right? We're always
looking at others. Like, I'm looking at you
right now. Right? So we are we are
used to looking at others, and one of
the ways that we look at people sometimes
is that we compare.
Right? We look at what others have. And
this is tends to be a major issue
at this time, especially with those who have
children, you know, who have
friends who or, you know, classmates who are
perhaps celebrating Christmas or getting lots of gifts
and things like that, you know, and you
start feeling deprived. Right? You start feeling okay.
Well, now how come, you know,
they get to get all these things and
how come I can't have this and, you
know, so there's a lot there's a lot
of comparison
that tends to happen. So the prophet
has given us, you know, really really golden
advice and that is that
That look at those below you, do not
look at those who are above
you. Why?
For it is the best way not to
belittle the favors of Allah
Right? So first of all, try not to
compare, but if you're going to look, if
you, you know, if you're gonna pay attention
to what people have,
or or, you know, if you're gonna pay
attention to their state, then look at those
who who have less than you. Right? Meaning,
not not below you in a bad way,
but those who have less than you or,
you know, who are not as blessed as
you are by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Why?
Because it is the best way not to
belittle the favors of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
If we start paying attention
to, you know, what we don't have and
what others have, then we lose appreciation for
the blessings that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has
given us. On the other hand, if we
pay attention to, you know, what
we have and what others don't have,
it increases our appreciation
of the favors of Allah
So, you know, first, try not to compare.
But if you're gonna look, then look at
those who don't have, right, who don't have
anything. And for parents, expose
expose your children
to people who don't have.
Right? For those who are less fortunate.
Right? We're so used to meeting in our
own social circles, you know, own families, which
is good. There's nothing wrong with that as
long as you practice it safely nowadays, of
course. There's nothing wrong with that, but what
happens is we end up living in a
bubble, even adults. Right? We start thinking that
everyone
is at the same level as us. We
start thinking that everyone else's lifestyle is the
same, that everyone's standard of living is the
same. And especially if Allah has blessed you,
it can become very easy to to to
get cut off from reality.
Right? You lose touch. Right? I've had that
experience before. We went to, you know, a
a a soup kitchen to serve a meal
at and,
you know, it was just literally blocks
away from, you know, the local university.
And, you know,
bless the volunteers, but, you know, some of
them are like, we are so used to
walking in these polished,
you know, clean corridors of the university amongst
educated people and academics and, you know, where
people who are relatively well off. We never
realized that this is the state just 3
blocks away, that there's people who are hungry
and, you know, who have nowhere to live
and they're coming for food.
And they had you know, we were serving
them.
So, you know, just just snapping out of
our little bubbles and actually realizing,
what's actually happening to people even within our
own cities, that can be a great way
of of increasing our appreciation for the blessings
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, but also then
motivating us to help others as well.
And that's my next point that, you know,
if you have nothing to do, find create
something to do,
right, by serving others, by coming
to to the to to the aid of
others, by becoming a means of mercy for
others. Right? When it comes to the homeless
people, especially, you know, in the cold,
whether, you know, you you collect socks or,
you know, gloves
and coats,
and donate them to the homeless shelters. And,
of course, contact them first to see what
they are receiving these days, or raising money
or, you know, making cards for,
the our elders, people in long term care
facilities who are really feeling isolated
nowadays, you know, finding something something to do
that you can do yourself with your family,
with your children
to to brighten up someone else's day and
in the in in the process, you you
feel good about it as well. Right? And,
of course, it counts as salaqa for you
as well. InshaAllah, Allah will reward you. And,
again, when it comes to mental health, right,
the top two things that are recommended
right off the bat, especially for people dealing
with depression, it's exercise and volunteering.
Exercise and volunteering. Those are the 2 things
that if you just get yourself push yourself
to do that, you will almost always
start feeling better, right, even by a little
bit. Okay. So coming to to the benefit
of others, helping others,
giving or supporting people in any way that
you can, even if you can't give yourself.
Right? But just, like,
getting something going. Right? Collecting something, you know,
whether it's money or goods, arranging for it,
facilitating it. And you get the equal reward,
right, or similar reward. That's what the prophet
has told us. Right? The beauty of Islam
is you don't have to be rich in
order to get reward for salafah. You don't
need to have anything
in order to get rewarded
for giving and charity because you become a
means of facilitating
goodness for others, and, Insha'Allah, you will receive
the similar reward. And most importantly, my brothers
and sisters, to have a happy winter holiday,
winter break,
most importantly, let us increase
in spirituality.
Right? That is the number one way to
find peace in our hearts.
Right? That is the main way of finding
peace.
K. If we want peace in our hearts,
if we want restfulness, if we want our
hearts to be calm, it's not gonna come
from anything else. Or it may come from
some things, but it will be temporary.
The impact
that we are going to get from the
zikr of Allah by
far that is going to be the most
powerful
source
for peace and contentment
in our hearts.
You know, so whether it's salah or making
dua, recitation of Quran, listening to Quran,
let's, you know, making
with focus, listening to, you know, inspirational talks
that remind us of Allah
You know, we have,
something new also, the winter dua challenge, which
starts Monday as well,
going through,
the 2 weeks during the winter break. We'll
have a new dua that is posted every
day. New prophetic dua. Then it's for children
but also for youth and adults. Everyone can
participate.
And the challenge is that you memorize the
dua of the day and you, submit it
to us. You record it and you submit
it to us that day before midnight.
Everyone who does that, it doesn't have to
be perfect. You try to memorize it as
much as you can. And you you submit
it.
If you submitted that day, each person who
submits it will be entered into a prize
draw for that day. And then there's gonna
be a grand prize draw at the end
as well. Again, so just motivate us, have
something to do, and having some goals and,
you know, using our time positively. So, you
know, that is something that you can find
online on our website at canonmuslims.ca.
And starting Monday, we'll be posting the dua
here on the window as well for those
who like to confirm
with their families to see the the dua
of the day.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
said, reported that the prophet
said that no person, and another report no
believer,
suffers any anxiety or grief.
And then says this dua, Allah
Meaning, oh, Allah, I am your slave, the
son of your slave, and the son of
your made slave. Your command over me is
forever executed, and your decree over me is
just. I ask you by every name belonging
to you, which you have named yourself with
or revealed in your book, or you taught
to any of your creation, or you have
preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with
you that you make the Quran the life
of my heart and the light of my
chest and a departure for my sorrow and
a release for my anxiety. So this is
a dua. It's a it's somewhat lengthy dua,
but perhaps it's something that we can learn.
It's not part of the challenge because it
might be hard to learn in one one
day.
But then the prophet said, what will happen
to that person? Except that Allah will remove
their sorrows
or their sorrow and replace it with happiness.
K? So if you're feeling anxiety, if you're
if you're feeling,
sadness,
grief, then this is the dua to read
because the prophet
said that Allah
will remove that person's sorrow and replace it
with happiness. And what what what could be
better than that? Right? That our
sorrow is removed, our grief is removed, and
it is replaced
by happiness. And the companions asked that,
should we memorize these phrases of the supplication?
And he responded,
yes. Whoever hears the words should memorize them.
So as much as possible, you know, try
to memorize this I'll post it on my
Facebook as well, so that, you're able to
memorize if you don't know it already. Now,
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam went into the
masjid one day and found Abu Umama radiAllahu
anhu and said,
why do I see you sitting in the
masjid when it is not prayer time? So
So Muhammad said it is due to anxiety
and grief which resulted from debts that I
owe. So the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,
shall I teach you words? Shall I teach
words which will take away your grief and
by which Allah will help you repay your
debts if you were to say them.
So Abu Muhammad
of course replied, yes, oh messenger of Allah.
Yes, You Rasulullah. Thereupon the prophet
said
that
every morning and every evening say,
That, oh, Allah, I seek refuge in you
from anxiety and grief, weak weakness and laziness,
miserliness and powerliness,
the burden of debts and from being overpowered
by men. And after this, Abu Umama radiAllahu
anhu commented that I did this and Allah
relieve my sorrow and anxiety and help me
repay my debts.
Apart from that, of course, reciting Suratul Falak,
Suratul Nas,
the Suratul Fatiha,
You know, very, very powerful, especially before going
to bed for, our.
Coming to together to offer salah in JAMA'ah.
Of course,
is open for Fajr Maghrib Bereshat. So sign
up for your pass at canonmuslims.ca/pass.
You can come for the for the prayers
in JAMA'ah.
You know, meeting and seeing one another, talking,
even a salam, a smile. Well, you may
not see the smile because of the of
the mask, but nonetheless,
you know, it is something that will help
us feel better inshallah.
The The prophet
said that,
Right? The hand of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
or the mercy of the protection of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala are upon the congregation or
upon the jama'ah.
So, you know, resist the urge of becoming
isolated.
Yes. We may be due to the circumstances,
but try as much as possible to to
be in touch with one another.
And, in terms of good things that we
can do, also reaching out to others who
may be isolated. So perhaps we are not,
but perhaps there are elder, you know, our
seniors or elders or some, you know, some
members of the community who are shut in
and they're not able to get out or
they find it difficult.
So calling,
video calling, you know, having conversations and being
in touch, that is something also that we
can do that will keep us busy and
also make others feel good and give them,
you know, something to look forward to, inshallah.
So we ask Allah to
protect us, from all types of grief and
anxiety, depression, and sadness. Ask Allah
to make our winter break, but also all
of our days always a means of peace
and happiness for us.
Oh, love. Please forgive our major and minor
sins.
Oh, love. Please fill our hearts with the
light of iman, with the strength of taqwa.
With love for you and your book and
your beloved.
Oh, love. Please purify our minds, our hearts,
our, our thoughts of all everything that is
evil and make our minds and our bodies
and our souls true believers in every way.
Oh, Allah, please envelope us all in your
unseen protection.
Oh, Allah, please cure all of those who
are ill, all of those who are facing
hardships and struggles with regards to their health.
Will Allah our elder sister who is in
pain and weakness. Will Allah our brother and
sister living with long term pain and injuries.
Will Allah our pioneers, our elders, and others
who are ill with cancer and other illnesses.
Oh, Allah, ours,
all of those who are ill or who
are injured, who are in any type of
pain or grief or anxiety or stress, oh,
Allah, please cure them and heal them. Oh,
Allah, you are the cure and you are
the healer. Oh, Allah, please grant them all
speedy and complete recovery.
My brothers and sisters.
Just,
an announcement with regards to, Foodie Fridays.
We're starting to sell, food once again, to
benefit,
the Masjid, project.
So that's commandments.ca/food
today on the menu this evening. This is
no longer Jamara time. But from 4:45 to
6 PM is the pickup. Chicken, biryani today
on the menu
so you can sign up for, food. Please
do place your orders because it's almost finished,
at www.kanadamustems.ca/food.
And also, as I mentioned, our du'a challenge
starts on Monday,
and also, the winter welfare challenge as well.
Both of those links are also on our
website at kanadmuslims.ca.