Suleiman Hani – Bridging The Gap Between Generations

Suleiman Hani
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The speakers discuss the challenges faced by families in various countries and their experiences with different forms of slavery. They emphasize the importance of learning about the challenges faced by generations and embracing the Prophet's teachings. They also discuss the importance of shaping behavior and leadership through social media and the impact of social media on individuals, parents, and children. The speakers emphasize the need for individuals to practice proper manners and build their own mentality while also educating others on Islam and bringing their children to the United States.

AI: Summary ©

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			When you see families in different contexts around
		
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			the world, whether here in the U.S.,
		
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			in your own community, or you see families
		
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			celebrating in Bangladesh, you see families protesting together
		
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			in Pakistan, you see families suffering together with
		
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			different forms of oppression in Yemen, you see
		
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			families in Gaza, many of whom have become
		
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			orphaned, many of whom lost the majority of
		
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			their families.
		
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			May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept them
		
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			all as shuhada.
		
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			You see families in Syria celebrating together.
		
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			You see many families wondering, perhaps over a
		
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			million Syrians in different countries, wondering as they
		
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			head back with a sense of optimism and
		
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			hope, but a little bit of uncertainty about
		
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			what the future holds.
		
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			You see them planning together, moving together, thinking
		
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			together, collectively growing, supporting each other.
		
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			And during these times, and especially in these
		
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			contexts, with the rise of individualism, with the
		
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			rise of the expressions that many people have
		
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			shared, the sentiments of having family but feeling
		
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			alone, having community but feeling isolated, having social
		
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			media and connections to the world but feeling
		
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			more alone than ever before.
		
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			It is important for us, when we observe
		
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			these contexts and these changes and these trends,
		
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			to understand some basic things and to remind
		
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			one another as a community and as families
		
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			about the command of Allah subhanahu wa ta
		
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			'ala.
		
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			Oh you who believe, 89 times in the
		
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			Qur'an, pay attention for Allah will tell
		
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			you about something good for you to implement,
		
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			a command that leads to something fruitful or
		
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			something harmful or prohibited so that you may
		
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			avoid it, a warning.
		
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			In this context, it is a warning and
		
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			a command.
		
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			Protect yourselves and your families from the fire.
		
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			And the ayah continues in surat al-Tahrim.
		
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			We think of some of the challenges of
		
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			families in general across the world, regardless of
		
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			ethnicity and even sometimes regardless of religion.
		
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			We find that one of the greatest struggles
		
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			from a sociological perspective is the disconnect between
		
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			generations.
		
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			The misunderstandings, the misconceptions, sometimes the ego that
		
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			plays a role.
		
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			So what is it that the young generation,
		
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			Gen Z and Gen Alpha, would need to
		
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			know about their parents or their older, much
		
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			older siblings or the generations that came before
		
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			and vice versa?
		
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			What is it that parents need to know
		
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			about their children and their struggles, their challenges,
		
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			their opportunities that would bring people closer together?
		
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			Because in reality, from the 1990s onward, according
		
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			to some sociologists, the generational changes have increased,
		
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			meaning the increment itself has become more rapid
		
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			and smaller.
		
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			So there are faster changes and adoptions with
		
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			technology and cultural norms and globalization, the rise
		
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			of cultural fluidity, that people are exposed to
		
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			so many different things at the same time
		
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			at a younger age as well.
		
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			So it's important for us to recognize this
		
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			and to start with a context, to understand
		
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			what is the context of the family member
		
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			that I have or the youth in my
		
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			community?
		
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			And it doesn't have to be the case
		
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			that everyone who's listening to this is in
		
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			the same stage of life or has children
		
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			or has parents who are alive.
		
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			May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la
		
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			have mercy on our loved ones who passed
		
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			away.
		
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			But it is important that we recognize that
		
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			the growth and rebuilding and revival of the
		
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			ummah is a collective responsibility.
		
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			And so it is a collective responsibility to
		
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			learn about one another, to learn about the
		
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			challenges, because we hear frequently from parents, we
		
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			hear frequently from children saying or expressing things
		
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			like, well, I don't really understand this thing,
		
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			and then they move on as though the
		
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			curiosity is not important.
		
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			To understand what the challenges were for the
		
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			generations before, what the challenges were for your
		
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			parents, what the challenges were in their context.
		
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			So the first thing we recognize from an
		
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			Islamic lens is to meet people where they
		
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			are.
		
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			Find out what it is that they are
		
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			going through, relate to them, and advise and
		
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			connect and communicate.
		
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			And the Prophet ﷺ was amazing at this.
		
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			The youth never felt surrounding the Prophet ﷺ
		
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			like they didn't have value or importance.
		
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			And even in terms of their presence in
		
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			some of the most notable and memorable gatherings
		
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			of the companions in the seat of the
		
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			Prophet ﷺ.
		
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			But of course, in the very famous hadith,
		
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			Prophet ﷺ advises the young companion Abdullah ibn
		
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			Abbas radiyallahu anhuma, he advises him, يَا غُلَامْ
		
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			إِنِّي أَعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَاتٍ I want to teach you
		
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			some words.
		
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			I will teach you some words.
		
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			احفظ الله يحفظك Be mindful of Allah and
		
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			Allah will protect you.
		
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			احفظ الله تجده تجاهك Be mindful of Allah
		
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			and you will find him in front of
		
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			you, meaning close to you in terms of
		
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			his mercy, his protection, his dua.
		
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			إذا سألت فاسأل الله If you ask for
		
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			help, ask of Allah.
		
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			وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله And if you want
		
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			to seek help, seek help from Allah.
		
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			And the hadith continues and there's an element
		
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			of qadar, an element of trust in Allah,
		
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			an element of tawheed.
		
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			But the point behind this particular narration is
		
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			that the Prophet ﷺ in this context, in
		
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			this lens, he's advising someone very young, some
		
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			of the most powerful comprehensive words that we
		
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			have memorized as believers.
		
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			And we ask Allah to make us from
		
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			amongst those who recognize and repeat and memorize
		
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			and live upon these words and die upon
		
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			them as well.
		
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			The Prophet ﷺ is teaching tawheed, the oneness
		
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			of Allah, to a young companion, teaching him
		
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			courage and resilience and trust in Allah, teaching
		
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			him not to be afraid of the creation,
		
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			but to put your trust in the Creator.
		
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			And with this, of course, we recognize that
		
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			for many of the younger generation today, despite
		
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			what their parents may or may not be
		
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			aware of, a lot of their information about
		
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			life and values, morality and ontology, God, what
		
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			is good, what is bad, it's taken from
		
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			social media if that is something that they
		
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			have regular access to.
		
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			And the reason this is important to know
		
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			is because when you look at social media
		
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			in general, again from a sociological lens, you
		
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			find different studies and different impacts and many
		
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			of them are negative and there are a
		
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			few positive things as well.
		
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			But amongst them is that from an Islamic
		
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			lens, the knowledge that is taken about Islam
		
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			is usually taken from people who are not
		
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			qualified.
		
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			Not always, but usually.
		
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			The people who are loudest, most controversial, people
		
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			who have influence positions.
		
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			So if they are influencers, they are more
		
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			likely to share opinions about everything and anything.
		
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			And because they have following, this is seen
		
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			as social proof.
		
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			You know what?
		
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			5,000 people are live watching this person.
		
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			Let me listen as well.
		
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			A million people follow this person and it's
		
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			seen as a credible thing.
		
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			This is a form of credentials.
		
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			And this is very problematic because we know
		
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			that from an Islamic lens, the most important
		
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			thing is that we take our knowledge of
		
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			any field, but especially of Islam.
		
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			We take it from the right sources.
		
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			We understand what is good, what is bad,
		
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			what is qualified, what is not.
		
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			And with this as well, of course the
		
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			reminder of the Prophet ﷺ, be mindful of
		
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			Allah and Allah will protect you.
		
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			The reminder here is one that's not just
		
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			for Gen Z.
		
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			It's not just for Gen Alpha, those who
		
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			were born in the 2010s all the way
		
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			to the present.
		
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			It's for all of us.
		
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			The Prophet ﷺ's teachings and his practice
		
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			demonstrate to us more than anything else the
		
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			importance of modeling the action you want others
		
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			to follow.
		
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			And if children hear these advices from their
		
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			parents, they hear from them the command to
		
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			do X, Y, and Z.
		
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			But they themselves practice the opposite and they
		
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			themselves are exemplifying the opposite.
		
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			The children will take more from what they
		
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			see rather than what they hear.
		
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			And we ask Allah ﷻ to guide us
		
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			and guide others through us.
		
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			Many youth, for example, in the U.S.
		
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			and around the world will express this sentiment
		
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			that they don't see their parents practicing Islam.
		
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			And you ask, what do you mean by
		
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			that?
		
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			They say, well, yes, sometimes we pray together,
		
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			if that.
		
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			Sometimes we don't even pray together as a
		
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			family.
		
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			Sometimes we don't see our parents praying at
		
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			all.
		
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			Sometimes we hear from our parents, read the
		
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			Qur'an, and they don't see their parents
		
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			reciting the Qur'an at all.
		
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			Morning, evening supplications, none of that.
		
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			And it might be that some parents are
		
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			not doing these things, but it might be
		
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			also some parents are doing these things when
		
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			the children are not around.
		
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			And there is a lesson in that as
		
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			well in terms of demonstrating, sometimes being present
		
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			with your children when these things are happening.
		
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			But another example of practicing the opposite is
		
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			when parents give very young children devices so
		
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			they would stop nagging them and bothering them
		
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			and the parents would have some moment of
		
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			freedom for a few hours.
		
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			And that child then becomes addicted to all
		
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			the apps that are made to addict people.
		
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			And as the child grows older, now the
		
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			parents is more concerned, like you need to
		
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			study, you need to live your life, you
		
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			need to grow intellectually, I'm seeing some harm.
		
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			Whose fault is it that the child was
		
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			glued to that device in the first place?
		
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			And it's not to say that it's an
		
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			easy thing.
		
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			It's not to say that this is something
		
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			that sometimes is out of our control.
		
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			But there are measures we can take.
		
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			And as a family, we start with recognizing
		
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			the context, that we look up to the
		
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			Prophet ﷺ, and we teach this and reference
		
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			it and talk about it often as families,
		
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			that he is our role model.
		
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			We start with that.
		
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			The Prophet ﷺ is the ultimate role model
		
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			for mankind.
		
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			لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ
		
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			لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرِ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ
		
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			كَثِيرًا There is indeed in the message of
		
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			Allah the ultimate example for the ones who
		
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			seek Allah's pleasure.
		
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			They're looking at the afterlife and they remember
		
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			Allah with much remembrance.
		
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			What did he do?
		
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			He integrated the youth.
		
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			He listened to them.
		
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			He was very receptive.
		
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			He was emotionally intelligent ﷺ.
		
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			He didn't have this concept of, hey, you
		
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			know what, the elders are talking, you guys
		
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			all leave, go and play.
		
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			It was usually bring the youth into learning
		
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			from these experiences, even if they are listening.
		
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			What helps them mature more than showing them
		
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			how to respond to crisis, showing them what
		
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			you're going through and planning and strategizing as
		
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			a family and as a community for the
		
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			ummah.
		
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			And of course, there are exceptions to this.
		
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			But the point is that as they grow
		
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			older, one of the things that aids them
		
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			in their maturity and responsibility and leadership and
		
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			tarbiyah and development is to show them that
		
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			they are valuable, even if they are just
		
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			listening to this.
		
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			With this as well, we emphasize the Prophet
		
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			ﷺ.
		
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			Never do we find that a young person
		
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			came up to him asking about a taboo
		
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			topic in the culture, and he like shunned
		
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			them and turned them away, made them feel
		
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			like their questions are weird or bizarre.
		
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			You can't be talking about this.
		
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			And so oftentimes, many youth feel a disconnect
		
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			from their parents, from faith, from culture, from
		
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			identity, because they feel there are many topics
		
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			that their parents will never address with them.
		
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			But everyone in the world is talking about
		
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			them.
		
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			Social media is rampant with them.
		
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			And if they don't hear about it or
		
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			learn about it in the home or from
		
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			their parents or qualified mentors, they are going
		
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			to be talking about it regardless.
		
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			And many times parents are shocked to find
		
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			out that their sons and their daughters are
		
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			exposed to conversations way before the parents expected,
		
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			way before they knew, because this is the
		
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			state of the world today.
		
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			This is the state of social media today.
		
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			And this brings me to the second point.
		
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			We recognize that we are living in the
		
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			era of fast paced videos with very short
		
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			kind of attention spans spreading worldwide.
		
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19
			And there are a lot of studies now
		
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22
			indicating that there's a really harmful effect on
		
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			adults, on adults when they consume too much
		
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			of social media, short form videos, basically reels,
		
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			10 seconds, five seconds, fast paced action, cut
		
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			off all the silences.
		
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			And so if it's affecting adults, sociologists and
		
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			psychologists are saying there is no doubt it's
		
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			affecting the attention span and self-discipline of
		
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			children.
		
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			And it's preventing a lot of children from
		
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			being able to sit for a moment and
		
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			read a book to get through a topic,
		
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			to have a sense of curiosity.
		
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			Everything now has to be fast paced, instant
		
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			gratification.
		
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			So in this era of social media, of
		
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			clicks and likes and follows and reels and
		
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			everything else that comes with it, a lot
		
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			of the younger generation amongst Gen Z and
		
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			amongst those who are Gen Alpha up to
		
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09
			the present moment, this is what they are
		
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			exposed to.
		
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			And if there are no guardrails, there is
		
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			no supervision, there's no building of trust and
		
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			responsibility with every age of life as they
		
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			pass through puberty and adulthood and into many
		
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			stages of responsibility, they're going to struggle with
		
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			it, perhaps more so than their parents, who
		
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			also in many cases have become addicted, have
		
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			turned away and become glued to these devices.
		
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			And the families who are gathering for meals,
		
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			as they used to, the families who are
		
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			gathering for meals are no longer talking, they're
		
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			no longer connecting, a lot of interruptions, a
		
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			lot of other things happening, there's a sense
		
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			that, you know what, I have to get
		
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			back to my device, I have to see
		
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			what's happening in the world.
		
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			And of course, I cannot give and no
		
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			psychologist will give a specific age in which
		
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			parents should start teaching their children how to
		
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			use these devices.
		
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			Every child is different.
		
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			Every device has its context, its use, its
		
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			time, its supervision.
		
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			And there's no doubt that you cannot shun
		
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			it altogether after a certain age, you cannot
		
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			ignore it and the reality of utilizing it
		
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			for education, other things after a certain age.
		
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			But as we use these devices, we really
		
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			have to think about what we are filtering
		
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			out and what we are allowing in.
		
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			And we have to demonstrate this before we
		
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			are preaching it to our children.
		
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			Because if they are constantly coming to their
		
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			parents and talking about things, and the parents
		
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			are glued to their devices on social media,
		
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			they're going to pick up on that.
		
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			And it starts to teach them that social
		
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			media is very important to their parents, perhaps
		
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			at times more so than their children.
		
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			And with this, the reminder, the Prophet ﷺ
		
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			used to make dua.
		
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			So here's practical advice for everyone who does
		
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			use smartphones and social media in any form
		
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			responsibly.
		
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			The Prophet ﷺ used to ask Allah to
		
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			protect him from useless knowledge.
		
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			اللهم إني أعوذ بك من علم لا ينفع
		
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			And he used to ask for the opposite,
		
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			اللهم إني أسألك علما نافعة Both of these
		
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			supplications are important for every one of us.
		
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			And as we make this dua every day,
		
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			hopefully, and we teach our children this dua,
		
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			then we have to follow through with action.
		
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			Filter out the things that won't help you
		
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			intellectually.
		
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			The many psychologists have found are destroying the
		
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			minds of people.
		
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14
			They can't focus anymore.
		
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15
			They can't be disciplined.
		
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16
			They can't have patience.
		
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17
			They can't persevere.
		
00:14:18 --> 00:14:22
			We cannot see long-term civilizational change when
		
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			it comes to علم and تربية if we
		
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			are constantly moving every 20 seconds from one
		
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			real and one topic to the next.
		
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30
			And we are accustomed to this as well
		
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			and teaching our children that this is a
		
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			normal thing, when in reality, it's not.
		
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			May Allah ﷻ grant us self-discipline and
		
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			patience.
		
00:14:37 --> 00:14:40
			اللهم آمين I watched a video recently, as
		
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			many of us have, a young child in
		
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			Gaza.
		
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			He's talking about the fact that every school
		
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			building is at risk, as many have been
		
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			bombed, and every university has been destroyed in
		
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			Gaza.
		
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			May Allah ﷻ protect our brothers and sisters
		
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			in every land and place.
		
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			And he's saying, I wish I had the
		
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			ability to go to school.
		
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			I wish I had the ability to learn.
		
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			And we think about the struggles of Muslims
		
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			in lands with more freedom, and their struggle
		
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			is one of distractions, one of temptations, one
		
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10
			of materialism and consumerism.
		
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			May Allah ﷻ protect us all and grant
		
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			us the ability to prioritize and to follow
		
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			through.
		
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			اللهم آمين Another of the challenges we have
		
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			to address is that for a lot of
		
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			parents, they don't recognize their children are exposed
		
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			sometimes to more cultures.
		
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			And there's a culture of fluidity to social
		
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			media.
		
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			So for those who are already using devices
		
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			amongst the children of the communities, they are
		
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			exposed to a lot of different views, a
		
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			lot of different ideas, a lot of different
		
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			identities.
		
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38
			This could be good in broadening the horizon,
		
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41
			and this could be extremely destructive, depending on
		
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			the context, from a spiritual and moral lens.
		
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			So when Allah ﷻ commands us, and there's
		
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			a context to this, ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَى شَرِيعَةٍ
		
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			مِّنَ الْأَمْرِ فَاتَّبِعْهَا The Prophet ﷺ is being
		
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			told, we have given you basically a religion,
		
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			a final revelation, so follow it.
		
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			وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلُمُونَ Do not
		
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			follow the whims, the ways of those who
		
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			are ignorant.
		
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			They don't have truth.
		
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06
			And there is a reminder for us when
		
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			it comes to broadening our horizons.
		
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			It doesn't mean that you take from every
		
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			influencer.
		
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			It doesn't mean you take from other people,
		
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			even if they are the most famous of
		
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			people in the world.
		
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			Because they may not be giving you something
		
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			good.
		
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			And you want to protect the most valuable
		
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			thing that you have, which is your spiritual
		
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			heart.
		
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			And that means what?
		
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			Choosing what you allow yourself to consume, what
		
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			enters into your heart, your eyes, your ears,
		
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			and what you filter out.
		
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			May Allah ﷻ protect us all.
		
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			This means Muslims, young and old, have to
		
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			know with the broadening of horizons and cultural
		
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			globalization, if you will, what differentiates Muslims from
		
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			others?
		
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			What differentiates you from others?
		
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			What makes you different?
		
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			What is it that you have?
		
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			And this brings me to one of the
		
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			most important points, the moral challenges.
		
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			With the rise of globalization and ideas spreading
		
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			easily and quickly around the world, a lot
		
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			of Gen Z Muslims do not know why
		
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02
			they are Muslim.
		
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			And a lot of Gen Alpha Muslims have
		
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			no idea what distinguishes Islam from every other
		
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			religion.
		
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			What makes Islam truthful from an intellectual standpoint?
		
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			Now we know, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen, we have
		
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			the richest intellectual tradition in the world.
		
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			What does that mean?
		
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			We can prove that Islam is true, not
		
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			just intellectually and historically and rationally, psychologically,
		
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			empirically, and in every way.
		
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			We recognize this.
		
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			But it also means that with that responsibility
		
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			that we see in terms of social media
		
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			and globalization, with that responsibility, you're going to
		
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37
			find a lot of challenges arise.
		
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39
			A lot of Muslims asking questions we already
		
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			have resources for, we have answers about.
		
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45
			But with the use of technology and with
		
00:17:45 --> 00:17:48
			the spread of ideas worldwide, you will notice
		
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51
			sometimes when foundations are missing, youth will feel
		
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54
			like moral issues are different in this generation
		
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55
			than my parents' generation.
		
00:17:55 --> 00:17:59
			So what you think about gender constructs, it's
		
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00
			different for us.
		
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03
			What you think about SSA, and I want
		
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			to be cautious with my words, it's different
		
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			for us.
		
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06
			What you think about sexual ethics, different for
		
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			us.
		
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			When in reality, some of these moral issues
		
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			are timeless.
		
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			They are not different.
		
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13
			The things that are different may be cultural
		
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14
			in terms of Urth, in terms of slang,
		
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16
			in terms of words, and so on and
		
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			so forth.
		
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18
			And we recognize these have a role in
		
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19
			the Sharia.
		
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22
			But the moral challenges for many young Muslims
		
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			are the most serious.
		
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			And this is why we encourage those who
		
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28
			are young Muslims when they use social media
		
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30
			to be extremely responsible.
		
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32
			There's no need to expose yourself to useless
		
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35
			loud debates between people of different religions or
		
00:18:35 --> 00:18:38
			those who are attacking Islam with satanic statements.
		
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39
			There's no benefit in that.
		
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41
			First, build up your Islamic foundation.
		
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43
			Utilize the sources you already have.
		
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45
			Yes, there's controversy.
		
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46
			There are loud voices out there.
		
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49
			Build your foundation, your trust in Allah, your
		
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51
			knowledge of truth, as then you start to
		
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52
			share with others.
		
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			May Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala guide us and
		
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55
			protect us and our children.
		
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55
			Allahumma ameen.
		
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58
			We live in a time in which calling
		
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00
			people out is easier than calling them in,
		
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01
			than redeeming people.
		
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04
			Cancel culture has become a norm in this
		
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04
			generation.
		
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06
			For many of the youth, this is the
		
00:19:06 --> 00:19:09
			norm for a person to post something or
		
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11
			say something controversial and get canceled easily.
		
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12
			This is the norm.
		
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14
			But working hard to redeem people and help
		
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16
			them come back to Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala
		
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17
			takes a lot more work.
		
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19
			And so turn to what Allah has said
		
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22
			as the reference point morally before you start
		
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23
			to consume the things that are out there,
		
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26
			just so that this is practical and beneficial.
		
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28
			And there are many other things we could
		
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30
			share and have shared over the years.
		
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32
			But just so there's some practicality in this,
		
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35
			there are at least three core principles in
		
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38
			terms of Tarbiyah that apply to every generation,
		
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38
			old and young.
		
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41
			And Tarbiyah, the concept of being nurtured or
		
00:19:41 --> 00:19:44
			developed, has a lot of foundational elements to
		
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44
			it.
		
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46
			But if I could only mention three for
		
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47
			the sake of time, it would be the
		
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			following.
		
00:19:48 --> 00:19:51
			Number one, from an Islamic lens, is that
		
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53
			the Tarbiyah is centered around the oneness of
		
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53
			Allah.
		
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54
			Who is Allah?
		
00:19:54 --> 00:19:57
			And with this, I mean an Islamic Aqidah
		
00:19:57 --> 00:20:00
			that does not get into the controversies, that
		
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03
			is not sectarian and extreme and problematic and
		
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05
			causing divisions and chaos in the world.
		
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07
			The Islamic Aqidah is so simple.
		
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09
			Who is Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala?
		
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11
			Why does he deserve to be worshipped alone?
		
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13
			What are his names and his attributes?
		
00:20:13 --> 00:20:16
			What are his words that he's shared with
		
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18
			you as a miraculous, preserved, timeless revelation?
		
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21
			So the concept of an Islamic Aqidah here,
		
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24
			in the simplest manner possible, does not get
		
00:20:24 --> 00:20:27
			into the differences amongst movements and groups and
		
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28
			confusions and controversies.
		
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30
			Know who your Lord is.
		
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32
			This is what most Muslims need.
		
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34
			The advanced topics can be studied in advanced
		
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34
			settings.
		
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36
			But as for the majority of the Ummah,
		
00:20:36 --> 00:20:39
			it's to understand who Allah is and how
		
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41
			to have unshakable trust in Allah.
		
00:20:42 --> 00:20:46
			إذا سألت فاسأل الله وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله
		
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47
			If you ask, ask of Allah.
		
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49
			If you seek help, seek help from Allah.
		
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51
			So this is the reminder from the Prophet
		
00:20:51 --> 00:20:54
			ﷺ to Abdullah ibn Abbas, to our Ummah
		
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55
			by extension.
		
00:20:55 --> 00:20:58
			But who Allah is and you find and
		
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00
			you found in the last 14 months, one
		
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02
			of the sole reasons so many people have
		
00:21:02 --> 00:21:05
			converted to Islam is the Tawheed and the
		
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07
			resilience and the Iman of the people of
		
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10
			Palestine or Syria or Lebanon or Yemen or
		
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11
			any other land.
		
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13
			When they are attacked and they respond with
		
00:21:13 --> 00:21:16
			حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل When they are bombed,
		
00:21:16 --> 00:21:19
			martyred, killed, occupied, and they respond with, we
		
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21
			trust in Allah سبحانه وتعالى They respond with
		
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23
			إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ What else can
		
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24
			we say?
		
00:21:24 --> 00:21:27
			And you see these young children and the
		
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28
			video that I was shown just a few
		
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			days ago amongst others, these young children who
		
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			are all orphaned in Gaza and many of
		
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			the children of Gaza are now orphans.
		
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			May Allah make it easy for them and
		
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			for all of our Ummah.
		
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			And they're talking about how with all that's
		
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			happened in the last 14 months, they did
		
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			not stop memorizing the Quran.
		
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			They did not stop learning and growing.
		
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			Young children, 9 and 10 and 11 and
		
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			12, their priority, their ambition as they are
		
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			being killed and butchered is to keep memorizing
		
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			the Quran, stay connected to Allah.
		
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			Memorizing 500 plus a hadith from Riyad al
		
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			-Saliheen, memorizing and learning the Arabic language and
		
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			its rules with eloquence.
		
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			You look at this example and you find
		
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			that their tawheed, their oneness, their trust in
		
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			Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, their resilience, it
		
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			doesn't just protect them as they've openly said.
		
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			They said, we're not surrendering, we're not losing
		
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			hope, we're not giving up.
		
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			Is it easy?
		
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			No, it's not easy.
		
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			It's torture, it's pain, it's severe, it's heavy.
		
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			But you find that their trust in Allah
		
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			subhanahu wa ta'ala stems from their connection
		
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			to Him.
		
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			And we ask Allah to keep us consistent
		
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			with the Quran and our families and our
		
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			youth as well.
		
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			So the first is aqeedah, the second is
		
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			character building, akhlaaq and adab.
		
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			The Prophet ﷺ told us hundreds of a
		
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			hadith about character.
		
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			Innama bu'ithtu li yutammima makarimal akhlaaq, I've
		
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			been sent to perfect, confirm good manners and
		
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			to complete them.
		
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			In another narration, salih al-akhlaaq, the things
		
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			that are good, Prophet ﷺ teaches us amongst
		
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			the heaviest of deeds on the day of
		
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			judgment.
		
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			As Al-Bukhari reports, amongst the heaviest of
		
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			good deeds you could have on the day
		
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			of judgment are good manners.
		
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			So we obviously take from this the importance
		
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			of teaching etiquettes to our families, our youth,
		
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			our children.
		
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			And etiquette does take into consideration the culture.
		
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			But what are some things that are considered
		
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			sensitive in this culture that you have to
		
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			word differently, address differently, approach with more sensitivity,
		
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			compassion?
		
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			These are things we have to consider even
		
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			if we don't relate to them.
		
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			Even if one generation or one land does
		
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			not understand it, we take into consideration the
		
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			customs of a land.
		
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			And of course we teach them etiquette as
		
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			far as their character goes with every individual.
		
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			How do you practice Islamic manners with the
		
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			old and the young, the Muslim, the non
		
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			-Muslim, your friend or your foe?
		
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			What are the rules that you adhere to?
		
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			And finally, number three, in terms of tarbiyah,
		
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			concept of development and nurturing, is critical thinking,
		
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			intellectual growth.
		
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			You have the foundation of belief in Allah
		
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			and you see the world through that.
		
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			You have the foundation of how you live
		
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			your life and deal with other human beings.
		
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			And then number three, your critical thinking.
		
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			Our ummah today is growing and reviving, but
		
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			is in need of a massive emphasis on
		
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			raising the standard of our intellectual pursuits.
		
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			The Muslims from all spheres of life, every
		
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			industry possible, have raised the standard for themselves
		
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			and their families and their communities in terms
		
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			of understanding some basic things about Islam and
		
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			as well about the ummah and the needs
		
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			of the ummah, the needs of working together,
		
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			of collective strategizing, of utilizing resources in an
		
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			effective manner, of building our own financial institutions,
		
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			our own economic growth, our own intellectual pursuits.
		
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			We have the richest intellectual heritage, alhamdulillah, but
		
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			it's a matter of reviving it.
		
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			We have resources like no other, but it's
		
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			a matter of taking advantage of it.
		
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			When people ask today, where do I begin?
		
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			Alhamdulillah, we have so many resources.
		
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			But always start with your local community.
		
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			Start with the things you have access to.
		
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			Let us keep making our cities in this
		
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			country hubs of Islamic knowledge, hubs of growth,
		
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			hubs of great attendance and gatherings and congregations,
		
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			more so than our protests and more so
		
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			than our social gatherings.
		
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			That we show up to the seminars, the
		
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			classes, the conferences, when they come to our
		
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			cities or nearby states, that we join together
		
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			and we bring our children and learn with
		
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			them.
		
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			Amongst the most beautiful of examples are the
		
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			many parents here and around the world who
		
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			sign up for seminars with the sole thought
		
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			of showing their children how important knowledge is,
		
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			but making sure that they are present as
		
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			well.
		
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			I'm busy, you're busy, we're all busy, alhamdulillah,
		
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			we have so many things going on.
		
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			We will always have excuses.
		
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			You see some of the busiest of people
		
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			in the world blocking off time because it
		
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			matters to them, showing up with their children,
		
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			their families to educational functions, to raise the
		
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			standard of Islamic knowledge.
		
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			May Allah grant us beneficial knowledge and protect
		
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			us from useless knowledge and protect our children
		
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			here and in every land and in every
		
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			place.
		
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			And may Allah guide us and guide others
		
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			through us.
		
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			Allahumma ameen.