Your Life Has Meaning

proximately, seven or eight years ago, I received a message from a college student who had just entered law school.

And her message to summarize, she said her entire life

was about getting into law school, her parents emphasizing for her to have this amazing, remarkable career, her friends all on the same track, some in law, school medicine, other fields as well.

She studied really hard, she made it into the program she wanted. And then she was caught cheating on an assignment, and threatened with a suspension or rather sorry, an expulsion, she would be expelled from the program, if the investigation went through. And she was in fact, concluded to have been cheating. And she would be basically expelled from the school with some marks on her academic record. So she can't apply again, and she can't get into another law program. She said, I feel up to this point, that everything about my life was to have this career. And now I feel like my life has no meaning. I feel like I have no purpose. Everything that I identified with is gone. What am I

supposed to do with my life, and my friends are all continuing my family. It has expectations. This is what I felt define me. And now I feel like I have nothing.

And it's very interesting when these types of questions arise, and they are common. And often times they are not posed, but they are internalized by many people.

It's very important for us to always go back to the foundation of what really gives us value and gives us meaning. Our topic today is your life has meaning your life has meaning. But that meaning should never be attached to a very small, temporary worldly plan. It should never be attached to a material thing that you identify with having a particular career. Yes, you may have that career in life. And you're known for such and such a job, or such and such specialization, you maybe are a mother or a father, you're raising a child, maybe you're single, maybe you're married.

But all of these worldly states that we go through and worldly things we encounter and worldly things we are tested with of blessings and wealth, they do not give us meaning.

And the reason we emphasize they don't give us meaning is not to take away something that you find fulfilling, but rather to say these temporary things that we have, could be a milestone and could be one form of pursuing the greater purpose in life could be one way to connect to Allah subhanaw taala. That yes, through your job, you want to serve a particular purpose, through the raising of a child through your marriage and other things that you may experience, that you want the pleasure of Allah.

But when that thing is taken away from you, it does not take away your identity or your value, it does not take away your purpose in life. So for someone who believes in Allah subhanaw taala to think, now what is my life worth? Now what value do I have Wallah, he you have the most noble value. And the most beautiful thing about this value that you have in this purpose and higher calling that you have is that it cannot be taken away from you. It's a choice that you make. It's not a material thing. It's not your job or your studies. It's not your marital status. It's not a child or no child. Those things give us fulfillment and they are blessings from Allah and they are trials. But

as we all know, they are temporary things as a part of our journey in this life. And it's okay and encouraged to pursue these things for the sake of Allah. But do not attach your entire T of value and self worth and purpose in life to these things. Because at times when these things are taken away, for whatever reason, you should not then think and say, I have no purpose and my life has no purpose anymore. Well, Allah, your life always has purpose. But you have to fulfill that greater purpose. And really, when we take a step back, we all know as believers, when you take a step back and you look at the larger circle of life, the entirety of your life really is for Allah. The

entirety of why you exist should be for the sake of Allah. As for every worldly thing in this world, everything we experience in this life, they come and they go, they're impermanent, they are temporary. And we all have different circumstances. We all have different trials, we all have different journeys. So what gives life meaning is what Allah subhanho wa Taala from his mercy out of His mercy told us about not only is it your natural disposition, your fifth law to know that it's not about physical or material things or desires, but Allah subhanaw taala out of His mercy created us as human beings with freewill with a trial and sent a messenger SallAllahu

While he was sending them a message that is timeless and preserved until the end of times, making it so simple and clear, a young child can understand it. Making it so simple and clear. You can always reflect on it. I exist we exist for the sake of Allah, wa after ginawa insert in learning our balloon, while subhanaw taala says in the verse we all hear often, and I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Allah subhanaw taala Hola, hola. Hola, como el Hyah, Talia bluer Kuma ucommerce. And Ramona, the One who created death and life, he brought you into existence out of nothing, in order to test you to see what's best in their actions, your actions, you're a buyer that

cannot be taken away from you. So your value your self worth your identity, your purpose is so magnificent and remarkable and greater than any worldly thing. But also it cannot be taken away from you. That's a choice we all have to make, to stay connected to Allah subhanho wa taala.

Oftentimes, when you think of the idea of a mission, that you're focused on one main thing and obviously along the way, there are many other things we experience. We're here on a mission. And we should reflect on that often we are here on a mission and we have very limited time. We are here to worship Allah subhana wa Tada. And our values our morals come from Allah subhanho wa taala. So they are factual, they are objective. You automatically have value and purpose. No matter what happens in this life, no matter what hardships you go through. But if your heart starts to become attached to something worldly, and you become distant from Allah, and you're no longer fulfilling the actual

purpose that you were created for, and then that material thing is taken away. Then you might start to suffer emotionally and mentally and wonder why am I here? What is my life worth anymore? What will people say? When in reality, none of those things really matter at the end of the day. Yes, we pursue well being and we ask Allah subhana wa Tada as the Prophet salallahu Salam used to ask for our Alfia for well being in this life, and in the next life we ask for goodness we ask for all that is beneficial. But at the end of the day, your purpose is connected to Allah. So always channel your emotions back to Allah subhana wa Tada.

And hustle bustle yo la mala one of the great scholars of the early generations. He said May Allah grant mercy to some people who use this life as if as if it was a loan, ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada entrusted them with their souls with their time with their lives. And then he says they give it back to him, the one who entrusted it to them, and they went away they departed they died with a very light weight, meaning they had no burden on the day of judgment to deal with sinfulness and consequences of their actions. Allah subhanaw taala reminds us so that our hearts and our minds are not distracted. Marrying the commune Fadwa in the law Heba. What you have with you is going to

disappear. And what Allah has is eternal, it's lasting. What this means is everything you have a dunya will end what Allah has Subhana wa Tada of reward for you is lasting. So seek that which is permanent over that which is temporary. strive with your priorities with your day to day balance of your job and your work and your family and your children and everything else. Strive to ensure that your heart is prioritizing that which is lasting over that which is temporary. And if you look at the psychological impact of thinking this way, we start to realize very quickly, that emotionally, psychologically, mentally, in terms of our states, when we attach ourselves to Allah subhanaw taala

and to actions deeds have an eternal return, may Allah subhanaw taala grant us all an abundance of good deeds and protect us from sinfulness and forgive us along the Amin, when your heart is attached to that which is permanent, your heart starts to have a tranquility and a piece that cannot be attained through anything that is temporary, anything that is material. And this is why Allah subhanaw taala reminds us in the Quran that tell kabuna acaba can on top of you will experience stage upon stage in the detail to see it and commentary and to the boat on this idea. We find a number of beautiful observations that help us they liberate us from being shackled to something that

is temporary or something of this world,

that you will experience everything of this life, but it will always be temporary. And we're not just talking about the minor things. You're a child, you grow older, you're an adult, you go through experiences as a child, you see them develop as they start to learn to talk and walk and all of this. And as you go through stage and Season of Life replacing the last season you know, no season of life is permanent. You know, no stage is permanent. What you have today is not always going to be there. The people around you and your own life experience will not always be the way it is today. And that reminder, frankly, is constantly surrounding us. It should not frighten us. In fact,

When we embrace this reality, we're liberated we're detached from a dunya. This is a type of Zuid, a type of asceticism where you are not renouncing the world but it's not controlling your heart. You're not identifying with it. Everything we have now is temporary. Miranda commune. Fadwa Marin de la Heba. When you attach your heart to Allah subhanho wa Taala you realize even that major stage of life, meaning life itself, will depart and will be replaced with a permanent life will be replaced with an eternal journey and eternal place. May Allah subhanaw taala grant us a place of peace Allahumma Amin.

And when we think about that departure again, it should not frighten us to the point where we are uncomfortable dealing with it, rather channel that discomfort towards preparation for what's coming next. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam described the most intelligent of people is the one who controls or controls himself or herself meaning they hold themselves accountable while I'm in that email validation mode and they prepare for what comes after death. That's wisdom and foolishness is for you to follow your desires with no boundaries. What to Munna Allah, Allah and then to have false hopes and Allah. This is the like the example of someone who plants a seed

expecting a particular type of tree. You ask, what did you plant? He says an orange tree? What are you expecting a banana? What do you mean, you planted something completely different? You did not study for a single exam or a complete a single requirements for your university class. Did you really have false hopes that somehow you're going to get 100% in this class? Absolutely. Not. With a dunya we don't do this. So then why would the greater purpose with life itself with a reason that Allah subhanaw taala created us for? Do we plant false hope thinking what everything will just be okay? I'll just be forgiven. I don't need to worry about it. I'll become religious later. I'll

repent later, I'll change my life later. When we know that if we're planting the wrong thing, today, we are going to be repaid for what we planted.

And in the final revelation, the last idea to be revealed i a 281 of Surah Al Baqarah. According to him in Ibis this was revealed Nine Nights before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam passed away.

Allah subhanaw taala gives us a summary of the entirety of the purpose of life. And a final reminder what tuck will reopen to Raja ona fie it Allah be mindful prepare for the day in which you shall indeed return to Allah. Thelma to offer could Luna Fatima cassava to whom now you have Lamone every soul will be repaid for what it did. And no one will be treated with injustice. No one will be treated unfairly by law. You will be given what you worked for. May Allah subhana wa Tada increases in goodness. One time, the same scholar al Hassan basilica from Allah was in the graveyard with some companions of his and as they were about to leave, he gave a beautiful short reminder he said May

Allah have mercy on the man who works for the likes of this day. For today you are able to do what these brothers of yours the residents of the graves cannot do. So make full use of your health and your free time before the day of distrust and accountability comes upon you. In the very next idea in the Surah that we were referencing Allah subhanaw taala says when I'm email Sonya Hammond Decker in our own way, who are Macmillan fellow North Korea Janna who hired them for either whoever does good, whether male or female, and is also a believer in Allah subhanho wa Taala we will surely bless them with Hayato employee Eva. And if you look at the commentary of these two words, Hi, I'm Paul

Lee. But a good life has several connotations, several understandings one of the reports from it, it only Allahu on is that this means you will be content in life, you will be happy with what you have. Another of the meanings is general happiness, Asad. Another of the meanings is for you to be content with good deeds and the worship of Allah subhanahu, WA Tada and even Taymiyah Rahimullah, he says Allah subhanaw taala links in this area to things he links and Armano Sada, the righteous action that you do with a good life with happiness with contentment. A good life does not necessarily mean a lot of wealth, for you might have wealth and be the most depressed of people, you might have

wealth and never be happy and satisfied with what you have. There are people who have a lot of money, and we all know they're not satisfied. They're always looking for the next thing. And also, they're always increasing their expenses. So they're always feeling like they're on the state of poverty. And other people have a lot less and they are content, they are satisfied with what Allah gave them. And the reality is the pursuit of a good life. At the end of the day is what most people are after. But sometimes they look for it in the wrong things. Sometimes people look for happiness in material things and they're never content. They're looking at someone who has more. She has this

and he has that and they're watching and following people on social media and TV shows and reality shows. People are showing off worldly things and this person

always feels what? I'm not happy with what I have, I want more. And the reality is you'll never feel content if you're always looking at someone who has more and wishing you have that rather than being grateful for what you have, and looking at those who have less than you, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam advise us in an authentic report from amateur Ignace, while the Allahu on the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said by the IFLA Herman who do evil Islam, he has truly succeeded the one who was guided to Islam and is content with the risk that ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada gave him. And the reality is, once again, people are given so many blessings, and they don't have

gratitude towards Allah subhanho wa taala. So they end up finding depression through those things rather than happiness and contentment. May Allah subhanaw taala protect us guide us forgive us and elevate our ranks. Indeed, in our religion,

we emphasize that we can never lose hope, hopelessness is not a part of Islam. Because so long as your heart is attached to the purpose of life, you know, that you have value that cannot be taken away, you know, you have something to be content with, that cannot be taken away, but other human beings. And if you feel like even that is not something you have choice over the reality is we cannot blame other people. You cannot fault other people for not pursuing ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. You can't even fault your own parents, if they did not raise you upon Islam or righteously, you can't blame them. Because we all get to a certain point in life in which we really have to be responsible

for all of our actions. And the longer we blame society, or people or friends or parents, the longer it's going to take us to turn back to Allah subhanaw taala and really accept responsibility for the actions that we are doing. So glad tidings glad tidings to those who fulfill the purpose of life and glad tidings to those who fulfill the purpose of life and glad tidings to those who fulfill the purpose of life and those who repent and seek to fulfill it today. Allah subhanaw taala tells us what Elisa did in Sony Illamasqua the human being will not have except that which he or she used to strive for your actions matter, what do you rush towards, at the very beginning of this pandemic, we

saw in 2020, when people felt a sense of urgency, and fear, people were rushing to certain things, people were rushing to buy certain supplies and sources, and so on and so forth. The fear and the reality of death makes us act causes us to take action, which is why it's embedded in Islamic theology. It's embedded in every Jews of the Quran, a reminder that we are mortal that we will leave that we will depart. And it's not a sad one, it's one that should cause us to channel that reminder into something of productivity. The Quran is all action based. There's an internal action of the heart, and then there's the external action. But very few times do you see an emphasis only on you

claiming to be something righteous, and then not acting upon it? Very few times, will you ever see a reference to a parent advising their child, but then the parent is not acting upon it? The reality is we need to be a people of action. And as we see reminders every day of people departing before us, our brothers and our sisters, locally and all around the world, our relatives and our loved ones, may Allah subhanaw taala have mercy on them. We need to take action. And we need to be really conscious and mindful of that action because we have limited opportunities, limited time. So if you're wasting that time, you're missing out on something greater. If you're distracted, you're

missing out on something greater something that is lasting, of hustle and bustle de la mala he says how strange isn't that person whose departure of meaning from this world to the next has been announced and whose predecessors the people before have departed and this person is still playing around. The steward this person is still wasting time. This person is still killing time. How strange is it to kill your time when you know you're going to meet Allah subhanahu wa taala. And as we work hard, and we strive there's a time for this and a time for that there's a time to rest and socialize with family. And there's a time to strive and certain about that. But don't ever get too

confident or too proud of the good that you've done but rather keep moving forward knowing what ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada constantly in the Quran is giving us promises that are linked to the actions that we perform in this world. That is the Promise of Allah and the Promise of Allah is always true. The promise of Jana Abdullah bin Masaru Radi Allahu Allah and he says, There is no true comfort, true comfort, arrested aha for the believer until he meets Allah. Yes, this life is difficult. Yes, this life requires a lot of striving but there's a lot of good we have to focus on and the difficulty itself should be something we find sweetness through. And we ask Allah subhanaw taala for

relief and for wellbeing for us in our brothers and sisters around the world. Just remember at the end of the day, the saying of Allah subhanho wa Taala and the authentic hadith Where are my servants who worship me without ever see me? Oh people of Jana, where are

Are My servants who worship me without ever see me? May Allah subhanaw taala guide us forgive us and elevate our ranks and forgive us for all of our shortcomings seek forgiveness from Allah. He is the Ever Merciful The oft forgiving a poodle Cody ha that will still fit Allah and you want to confess to Pharaoh in whoever photo Rahim.

hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah while early he was so happy woman Wada.

If you feel disconnected from ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada know that as you look into the Quran, know that it always requires you to take some action. If you want to feel connected to Allah starts with you turning to Allah, you raising your hands because Allah subhanaw taala promises if you raise your hands and you call upon Him, He will respond. Allah subhanaw taala promises you take one step towards him, he takes many towards you, you walk towards him, he runs towards you in his own way. subhanaw taala In other words, you turning to Allah is the first step and Allah subhanaw taala has already turned to you he's already welcoming you he's already waiting for you. So if you feel

disconnected from Allah, and you feel distant, you feel like you're struggling with the purpose of life you feel like you're struggling with many distractions in this world or many temptations or any other hardship. Turn to Allah subhanaw taala consistently and if you don't know what to do and where to start, start with dua start with just calling upon him, emptying your heart out fears empty your heart out temptations Yola helped me your weaknesses call upon him and ask Allah for strength as the Prophet sallallahu Sallam taught us after the incident of Paul, if so, call upon Allah and ask for help. Ask for guidance. Ask Allah subhanaw taala for guidance as well and clarity about what to ask

for. Ask Allah subhanaw taala for the purification of the heart, at the very least Lomasa honeybee. Oh Allah purify my heart, correct. My affairs.

There was a scholar of recent times, she embezzled como la, one of our teachers who studied with him. He said one time some students came to ask him a question, maybe in his office or in a room and he was making dua, and he didn't notice that they had come he maybe did not hear them. So he's making dua, he was alone. And so when they entered and he was making this dua, they waited a few moments thinking it was temporary, and it seemed like he kept repeating it and repeating it and repeating it. So the students left the room. They came back in a long time after this, and he was still making the same drop. So we asked the teacher what was the DUA he was making? He said Allah

must call me Oh ALLAH purify my heart. Oh Allah purify my heart. If your heart is purified, your spiritual heart is purified, you will find contentment and as well it will purify your actions. May Allah subhanaw taala purify our hearts and guide us and forgive us. And may Allah subhanaw taala make us wrong. So through constantly seeking to fulfill the purpose of life, I do have an advice here for all parents, and all soon to be parents Inshallah, to Allah. Remember how important it is to emphasize as we emphasize to our children in abundance, to have good grades and aim for a good career or whatever else we aim for. And it's good to have high standards, I don't feel like that is

a reminder that we are always in need of in fact, that's usually the default. Emphasize to them that will give them value and purpose and worth is their relationship with Allah subhana wa Tada. First and foremost, what gives them purpose is not whether or not they failed an exam. Yes, they should aim not to fail. But that does not define who they are, that does not define their entirety of life. For there are many youngsters there are many youth who have lost their lives or taken their lives, because the only thing they thought about their identity and their self worth was their success in a material state or the hardships that they are going through. And it was never embedded in them or

enough emphasize within them. That what gives you value is your relationship with Allah. And that's a choice you can always make. So if you feel disconnected from Allah, you can turn to him today. The pursuit of Jannah is one that does not end and our lives are entrusted to us. Our children are entrusted to us. And one of the greatest rights that children have upon their parents is not for you to tell them get a 4.0 and become a successful lawyer or a doctor. That's great Alhamdulillah. But one of the greatest rights in Islam, that our children have upon us is that you teach them what the purpose of life is, not once or twice, but throughout their lives, that you emphasize it and you

showcase it as a role model as well, because there are many people who are struggling mentally and emotionally young and old, because this is not embedded within them. So I encourage myself and everyone here for us to be a little more supportive and vocal and reminding ourselves and others but why we are here, why we exist, what our mission is and what gives us value because at the end of the day, once again, your calling is not a worldly thing. That could be a goal that could be a milestone towards Allah subhana wa Tada. Your calling is La ilaha illallah your calling is Allah

pinata, your calling is to worship the One who created you. And that mission does not end until our last breath. May Allah subhanaw taala grant us fulfillment as believers and protect those who are struggling mentally and emotionally all around the world and may Allah subhanaw taala forgive us for all of our shortcomings and make us a source of guidance and optimism and hope for others. Allahumma Amin

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