Waleed Basyouni – A Lasting Legacy
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
As salaam alaikum.
You know, I was thinking, how I'm gonna get people, get, get you
guys to be active and engaged, but Zala you know, coming after Sheik
Hussam. You know, it's fantastic. It's hard to match, but at least
he wakes everybody up, which is excellent. May Allah reward him
and keep that energy. I mean
legacy,
how to leave behind an outlasting legacy, or a legacy that will you
will leave behind you as an individual, as a community, as an
organization, as a family,
legacy is a situation that has developed as a result of past
actions and decisions. Someone sitting in the shade of a tree is
a result of someone long time ago have planted that tree in this
place, so now you're enjoying the shade of that tree,
if you would not, if you would not be forgotten as soon as you are
dead.
It was said, either write something worth reading or do
something worth writing about.
That's right.
So legacy, I looked at this word. Do we have any word in Islam
equal to the word legacy?
Like, what will be legacy in Islam, if you translate this to
one word in Islam,
Sira? No, Sira is not legacy. Sira, it means biography.
So it's actually we don't have in Arabic or in Islam, Islamic
tradition, a phrase. It's called Legacy, but the concept is 100%
exists in our religion
because Islam teaches us to outlive our life, and that's what
legacy is about.
Islam is fundamentally talking and, you know, addressing the
issue of to outlive your life.
For example, we talk about Asad jariya, a continuous charity after
your death, something will continue to contribute goodness to
others, and you will benefit from it as well,
the concept of responsibility towards others. The Prophet sallam
said, all of you responsible, and all of you will be asked in the
day of judgment and legacy is, what is you feel the sense of
responsibility to contribute something that it will continue to
benefit people after your time.
You know we have the concept of Rahman Al Alameen, mercy to
mankind. We have the concept of khayru NAS and far hum li NAS, the
most beneficial and the best of people, though, who are the best
to other people.
You know, we have a concept in Islam
Hua and jak bin al Ardi was TA. Allah created you from this earth,
put you on this earth, and have made you in charge of Imara Tula.
What's Imara Tula? This word in Arabic, it means you're
responsible of making this place good. This place is full of
goodness. That's what legacy is all about.
And I know it's late, that's why I don't want to go into details, but
I want to lay down some important points to keep in mind about
legacy.
Making a legacy doesn't mean you change the world,
and that's important thing to start with. A lot of people think
legacy means I'm going to changing the world. I'm going to change,
you know, there is this guy here always want to change the world.
After a while, he downgrade his plan to change the continent, then
he downgrade a little bit to change the country, then downgrade
a little bit himself to change, you know, the city, then downgrade
it to changing the neighborhood, then changing his own community,
then his own house.
Then you realize it starts with changing himself.
So when you talk about legacy, you don't need to think about
something that will change the whole world. Might some of you,
some of us, will come with an idea that would have a global impact.
But that's not the only legacy.
Also, making a legacy does not mean necessarily to see the
outcome of the foundations and the seeds that you planted and
established as a matter.
Fact, most of legacies, or most of legacy makers did not witness
their legacy, and sometimes it takes years or generations to
appreciate the groundwork that has been done.
You know, so many scholars. You know they were not appreciated
until they die. You know, when you look at Ibn Taymiyyah, for
example, Ibn Taymiyyah put in jail torture, you know. And guess what?
Upon his death, people realize the value of this man and what kind of
giant that they have missed.
You know, imam in nawawi. That's very famous Imam. You know, imam
in nawahima, Allah, at one point in his life, you know, he
basically or not, no even Imam,
the one scholar in Arabic language, very famous, Ibn Aqil
Ibn Aqil Ibn Manik, sorry, and ibn Abi, these great giants in Arabic
language at one point in their Life, they don't have much of
students.
You know some and Imam Al Bukhari, Rahim Allah, do you know that at
one point in Imam Al Bukhari would go to Baghdad, and nobody will
open the door for him?
Nobody, nobody appreciated him. Imam Al Bukhari had a great man,
and in the name of his time, people appreciated his work after
his death. What's the best book in tafsir?
What's the best book in tasir ever written?
Ibn jirit Tabari. Bin Kathir is just one of the fruit of Ibn jirit
Tabari. I remember ja Tabar Rahima Allah. You know, when he died,
they could not even take him to the cemetery. He died. He stayed
in his home, and they were worried that the smell of his body will
come out and it became rotten.
They was the his family could not dare to take him out his house
because of the people of Baghdad was so angry at him, people used
to sneak in the night to the Al mew bin JIRA Tabriz house to pray
janaz on him in a well known story. But guess what? The best
book we have today in tafsir in Qur'an is the tafsir bin jarud
Tabari,
hand down. Hands down. No one can. Can argue this fact, no one
but it was not known in his time, so many legacies and so many
things were appreciated way after your time, would you put the seed?
You put the effort and not necessarily to witness it.
Making a legacy doesn't mean that you have to be famous. You at
least at that time you have to be with the big titles ahead of
organizations or, you know, well known or a speaker, or anything of
that nature.
There is a lot of legacy makers in this conference. They never step a
foot on the stage, never give a talk, but you know what they have
been doing and making a legacy for the last decade, 10 years, may
Allah accept from them,
and also for Shala years and generations to come.
You know, I give you an example. Abdullah bin masroud is a legacy
maker. The legacy of masroud is unbelievable. A whole entire
school were built in Al Iraq after IBM is rude teaching Ibn ms Ruud
did not have a title in the Islamic State. He's not the
Khalifa. He's not the vice Khalifa. He's not Amiri, even
among the Sahara, the Allah Abu Asmaa. He was just a young man,
but he was able to build that legacy.
No one I heard of born into success and legacy. They simply
did and continue to do things that help them realize their full
potential.
Making a legacy does not mean you have to build it alone,
and that's an important concept to keep in mind.
Legacy can be made by individual or community. Collectively, we all
contribute together to build that legacy, and that's something we
should of concern. I give you an example.
Let's assume I'm not going to give a specific name, but a community
here in Calgary, a masjid or a organization name it. Think about
it, if today or tomorrow, Allah forbid this organization ceased to
exist, ended disappeared from Calgary,
what Calgarian, I don't you guys call them,
yeah, worlds miss something.
An average person in Calgary said, You know what?
Life is not the same.
There is something missing.
There's a lot of people impacted by that. You.
Know, disappearing of this organization.
You know, Imam Ahmad Rahima Allah, upon his death, has a doctor who
was a Christian
came to him and he said, My priest would like to come see you before
you die.
That's his doctor. Then I Muhammad allowed him to come. Then he came
to Raheem. He said, Yeah, Imam, I want you to know that your
existence is not a blessing only for Muslims. It's for all of us.
He recognized that priest, that the impact of that Imam is not
limited only to a small circle, it's to the whole entire society
about that.
Would our Imam today have the same level of impact
that not necessarily determined they might have legacy limited to
certain area, but what I'm saying see how what in our community
and so forth. So the most important things is basically, you
ask yourself, how you know you build that legacy, and you either
alone, or not necessarily alone, collectively were all together,
something I was wondering,
what's the legacy that Muslims will leave behind,
or not leave behind, will put up in front for the coming
generations?
What do you think the people of can the Canadians and the the
people of Canada, when they think of Muslims, they think of what,
what kind of contributions that we have done as a community to the
world
or to the Canadian you know, society at large, this is
something it should be of a concern. If you think about legacy
as a community, we should start have this conversation, and
sometimes this conversation can be hard
in a level of a community, it must be easier in a level of
individuals. I know some sisters, for example, run a very successful
organization in Toronto to help women who are refugees and have
experience *.
That's her specialties,
help them to rebuild themselves.
I know, for example, another institute or another group of
individuals, they focus on searching and made a huge amount
of progress recognizing the national level.
So when we talk about this kind of legacy that that you will
basically leave behind you as an individual or collectively, as a
society or a community.
Legacy can be made in different areas, and the more impact it has
on people, the better it is.
But it can be very specific, very niche
legacy is to succeed in making lasting positive change in the
society
and to be a source of inspiration to generations to come.
That story to be told,
a name that will be recognized, a contribution that it will be felt.
Many people don't differentiate between fame and greatness, with
associated with leaving a legacy.
What's the difference? Lot of young people, and a lot of people
actually young and old, they don't know the difference between fame
and greatness.
Fame is based on what you gain in life. Greatness is based on what
you contribute to life.
I'll say that again, fame is based on what you gain.
Greatness is based on what you contribute, what you leave.
Building a legacy has nothing to do with your age or gender or
ethnic, but it has everything to do with the hard and sincere your
actions are.
A lot of people build legacy sisters and brothers, young people
and old.
Pamela.
How many of you guys heard about Omar Al ghazis?
He is a legacy maker. That's really kind of if this is true
that most of hands had not raised their hands about Omar ghazis. You
should check him out.
He's, by the way, an old man in old days, like died long time ago.
Omar ibn Al ghazis, when you look at his biography, you will see
that he said one of the things that he made him the way he was
the man. He was the.
His own Son.
Many people never heard of his son, Abdul Malik,
but his son contributed to that, to building that great man, which
is Rahima Allah.
Those who want to build a legacy,
there are things you need to keep in mind.
And I just want to share a couple of things before I end my talk for
tonight.
Number one,
it's all based on your attitude in life.
You know what they say? They say your attitude will determine your
altitude.
Your attitude will determine your altitude, how high you go.
So make sure you have a good attitude, positive attitude,
because that will contribute directly to the legacy that you
will leave behind you.
I never get that shirt. I do have a cut. I have, I have the shirt at
home, even though it's old. Now, when my son maybe 15 years ago,
when I was going to the hospital for his treatment for his cancer,
and I saw this shirt in the back, it's written on it, the only
disabilities in life is bad attitude.
That's really, absolutely true. That's the only disabilities in
life about attitude. Good attitude, enable you, elevate you.
And let's look how attitude directly linked to the concepts
would like this. For instance, look at the way, the manner you
live your life. A lot of people, a lot of hardworking men and women
that I know, I asked him, What do you do? And he said, I do this.
And he do this, Sheik, so hard. You guys talk about the nice
things, but you Sheik, I work so hard, and I don't have no I have
no doubt about that, that is so many people
working so hard to making to make a living,
but while you are making a living, you forget to make a life,
which is very sad.
While you're working hard to make a living, you forgot to make a
life. That's called attitude to life. What's your attitude? Are
you trying to build a resume to impress people, or are you trying
to build a legacy to impact people?
Aren't you trying to make money, or are you trying to make a
difference?
Resume is about accomplishment, while legacy is about
contributing,
resume is always about results,
while legacy is about relationships,
it's about career, your resume, and your right to resume, but your
legacy, it's about your family. It's about your community. It's
about the organization that you're associated with.
Resume is start and end with your life.
Our legacy start with your life, but it will not end with your
life.
It will be something way much bigger than you. Last longer than
you.
It's not about how you improved as much. It's about how can you
improve others and help others. When we build a resume, our life
is short as a number of years on this earth, but when we make a
legacy, our lives become bigger and longer as the as the concept
and the legacy we're part of
another attitude determine your legacy. It is how you live your
life. Are you living like a victor, or are you living like a
victim?
Will determine what kind of legacy we be. How we leaving behind Are
we just want to live like a victim, crying over, looking for
pity, looking for handout, looking for, you know, you know, because
of a minority, because of my color skin, because of my ethnic but I
need a pass. I need someone to pat me on my shoulder. And that's the
life I want.
Or, you know what I want to be, Ali Abu Aliyah, the upper hand. I
want the one who give, who contribute, who make the change.
You know, Safiya Radi Allahu anha, the Prophet sallam's wife.
What's her religion? Before Islam,
she was a Jew. Her father, her uncle, both killed while they're
trying to kill the prophet of Salam and to fight the Prophet.
Her loss, her family, her uncle, her father, her you know, you
need.
Also her ex, her husband, she's a widow,
so her family remember, known of animosity to the prophet of
Solomon, to the sahaba. Now she became a Muslim. What did she
bring with her? Look, one day somebody told her a You're the
daughter of a Jew, you're a Jew. And she kind of get, you know,
offended by that. You know what the Prophet saw them said, See, he
want to change your attitude in life. He said, The Jew. You know
what you are, a daughter of a prophet, and your uncle was a
prophet, Musa and Harun. None of these Arab womans who saying this
to you their grandfather, they can claim that their grandfather and
their uncle was a prophet.
Wow, she was so boost and happy. I'm proud of that heritage. That's
a big difference between how you live your
life, you know when you see these opportunities in your
difficulties, versus you always see difficulties in your
opportunities.
It's attitude, I pity
the man who inherits a million and isn't millionaire,
because being a millionaire is an attitude. It's not about the
money, only
it is when your income grow and you don't,
you know attitude. We talked touch about this earlier in the morning,
the mental positive attitude. And
instead of saying it cannot be done, say how it can be done.
The Prophet sallam said, if all people bad, he have destroyed
them. Mankala Halak, a nurse
all another nation, he's the worst of them. If somebody said, All
people are bad, all people, he sees the worst. The Prophet said,
you know when a man was brought to drunk? And in some narration in
Ramadan. In Ramadan, drunk
people curse him. Somebody said all was he brought drunk. Always
he drink alcohol. The Prophet, see the positive mental attitude. The
Prophet said, Don't curse him. Don't help the shaytan against
him.
You know, when you curse this person, what you do? You're
helping the shaytaan against this person, isolated and pushing this
person away from you. So he became what an easy prayer for the
shaytaan. The Prophet saw him, said, should you say better than
that? Say, may Allah have mercy on him. May Allah forgive him. Asta
of your Allah. That's that, that what the sheik was trying to tell
you earlier, accept forgiveness. Accept the responsibility of
forgiveness, because if ALLAH forgive you, it means you will
change yourself.
So he said, say, may Allah have mercy on him.
He loves Allah, and His Messenger salad is Ali, but he become he's
weak. He looked at the positive area.
Sometimes we focus so much on the thing that people do wrong.
You know what somebody told me once about my own because part of
your legacy is your own family.
Somebody a wise man told me,
Don't always try to catch your kids doing something wrong.
You know what? I found that do that a lot. He said, try to catch
your kids doing something correct and right
and make a comment on it. Don't just focus on catching them doing
something wrong. Don't try to catch your husband or your spouse
doing something wrong. Catch them doing something good.
You know, sometimes we need to have this positive attitude. And
instead of saying, no, no, no, no, what can I do? Yes, Sharia. Some
people think, you know, the Sharia is nothing. Some young people,
teenagers, of me, they think Islam is a long lust of no's
why that's not the truth.
A man came to a sifuan authority said, Is it true? If I really know
about Allah on the Day of Judgment, I would be always sad.
He said, No, if he truly know Allah, man arafallah mount, you
will be every beer will be so happy.
Positive attitude. Legacy makers concentrate on the positive. They
look for the silver lining in every situation. They know that it
is their positivity that will take them to greatness. If you want to
be successful, if you want to build a legacy, you need to have
positive outlook toward life. I can't imagine us building a legacy
in Calgary, and I just see the society as Doom and gloomy and
bad.
And I don't see any good in it.
Somebody earlier or any
with what's all going on in the world. Somebody said, How come
you? We live in America, in Canada, we should migrate. We
should leave. You know, this is bad. You know, do you see how
these countries support you know, what's going on in Raza? And I
said, Where do you want to go?
So let's go to Muslim country. I said, which one
do you in some Muslim country? In some Muslim country, my wife was
wearing a shirt
in it that I know, the hijabi sister with the Palestine. You
know, hijab, you know, it's a very famous, iconic, you know, t shirt
these days just or a kuvy like has a Palestinian. You know, our
friend, family of us told us, told my wife, take it off. Don't walk
on the street like that. You can be trouble.
Government can't stop you for it. Then she said, I'm an American. I
don't know what that means. Said, you don't want to find in the hard
way.
They were terrified.
You can't even prove you can't. You think protest will put you in
jail.
You can't speak up. Why?
Alhamdulillah, we're living in a country we Yes, we not happy with
our politicians,
but you know what? We are happy that we are in a place and a
system that allowed us to speak up, that allowed us to express
ourselves.
So don't give me that negative look. And you know, as of the
whole entire world doomed and nothing good in this society,
I pay tax. You know, you know, nobody gave the tax with the
intention I'm giving this money so some more innocent people die. No,
you get taxed because, you know what? You get a free health care.
You get taxed because of so many other things, and it's the sin of
how this money be used in the wrong way fall into the hand of
the one who using it. I have no intention of harming anyone,
so don't give me that negative, you know, and make me feel live
and go where Muslim will go.
Tell me one country will open its floor and and place for for
millions and millions, what 200 millions Muslim live in India
or more? Where are they going to go? If you can open that door to
that conversation? So what I'm trying to say here, you know,
positive attitude is very important, because if you have
this attitude, you'll never build anything. I'll never forget I
wasn't in San Diego in a masjid and they were fundraising. So
somebody asked me about, is it permissible to live in a non
Muslim? Guy said, Yes, it is permissible. I live here. You
know, you live in the place where you find yourself closer to Allah
and more beneficial to the creation of Allah. That's where I
live. Simple as that. The Imam got so mad at me, and he said, Oh,
your shield doesn't believe in that, and you should not say that.
I preach in this Masjid. Am I teaching this message is based on
not allowed to live? I said, he is from he's a refugee. And I said,
Habibi, you come from your country as a refugee, you know what? With
all due respect, not a single Muslim country opened its door for
you and your people. You went to show him being your own people,
how they live in Egypt, how they live in Saudi Arabia, how they
live in many other countries, versus you living in these Western
countries, sharing the goodness and they sharing with you their
income, their money, their he said, not what, I said, what they
sharing it because, what? Because? Masha Allah, yeah, and you come
with the genius idea, the change in the world. No, they do this
because there is a system that allowed, you know, there is some
soft heart, like the Prophet said about the people of the Rome, you
know, one of the reason they dominate the world.
They have the soft spot in their heart towards people who are
suffering, not all the time, not for every cases, but in general
that exists. There is a system allowed you to flourish, to shed
the citizenship, to take a citizenship, to have a passport to
travel. And I said, if you really preach that Imam, why are you
making a fundraising to build the second floor? You should downgrade
the size of the mustard, because you're going to ship everybody
out.
So positive attitude towards society, it will allow you to make
that legacy,
you know a positive attitude towards mistakes.
You do need to do an imam or an organization because they lack or
they made a mistake,
mistakes and opportunity to improve.
The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do
nothing.
Simply because you're too scared to make a mistake.
Hang on with this.
In order to build a legacy,
you is to want to have one. You can't mean to build a legacy, and
it is not part of your plan.
It is not something you think about, you're not going to
do it. Wa jal nali, muttaqina, Imam, Oh Allah, make us leader for
the muttaqeen, not for just the people, for the mutaqin. The best
of people.
You know Muawiyah and was walking with his mom, hind
and me look intelligent. So somebody said to Hind, he said, Is
this your son? She said, Yes. He said, Take care. Good Care of Your
Son. I think your boy, if he grow up, he will be the king of the
Arabs, Qlik Arab. You know what hind said, and the boy listening,
she said, What a loser. If he be the king of the Arabs only,
I'm not preparing him for that, palahas, I'm preparing him to rule
the world.
And he ruled the world. Ra,
that's, the difference.
And when you you know what Ahmed zeal is, a is a recipient of Nobel
Prize and science.
Do you know his mom when he's in elementary school? Used to write
Dr Ahmed and his lunch box and his name,
she called him doctor before. I remember my dad used to call me
she Walid when I was still
maybe in high school, just first year in college,
and after I started studying Sharia, he never He treated me in
a very different way. He said, You're a sheik. I said, I'm not
yet. Said you will be. But that's had a great impact on me. Rahima
Allah,
you know, self assurance, confidence, courage is essential.
Is to build that in you.
Unfortunately, a lot of people don't have that on them. They
don't see themselves capable of thou doing that.
You know, it's sad when someone even don't want to be who they
are, to wish to be someone else is to waste the person you are. The
last person one wants to be is themselves. Sadly, that is the
best person to be.
You know, Confidence comes not from always being right or
perfect, but not from afraid or fearing to be wrong or less,
accept yourself, for others to accept you love yourself in order
for others to love you, have a confidence in yourself in order
for others to do so
doesn't mean to be arrogant. Doesn't mean to be not realistic,
doesn't mean to be, you know, foolish. No,
this means that you are Abdullah, the servant of Allah.
So I invite you, in the end of this conference to reignite your
faith, to empower yourself with an imam bila, believing in Allah,
accepting your Muhammad, sallAllahu, alas, and in Islam as
your Deen, have that confidence in Allah, because you always say
this, the most common door of the Prophet. Do not let me rely on
myself, even for on a blink of an eye. Like a
we live while we always say La, hawla, wa Ta. Illa, Bella.
We live while we are saying Wa, Ma, Taw, Fi. Illa, bila, my
success comes from Allah. We live while we are remembering what
Allah said in shakartham, la azidan, naqum. If you're grateful,
I will give you more. We live while we'll believe in Al Qadr, in
the predestiny, that Allah will not decree upon us something
unless the good in it more than the bad. We live while we know
that what happened to us? It happened because Allah planted and
Allah wanted for a great wisdom.
I believe, if you keep your faith, you keep your trust in Allah, you
keep the right attitude, if you are grateful, you will see Allah
open a new doors for you.
Let your life reflect the faith you have in Allah. Fear nothing
and pray about everything. Be strong, trust Allah's word and
trust the process you come from a society a his.
Three and a nation of strength. Life is full of happiness and
tears. Be strong and have faith, because Allah promised a safe
landing, not a calm journey.
And I'll say that again,
a safe landing, not a calm journey.
Lata, Sabu, HUD know, my brothers
and sisters,
there's a lot to be said. But I hope with these words,
I leave you with that big concept, which is an imam Bellah, something
that it will inspire you to leave, something that it will impact your
family and generation to come impact the society and the
community that you're living in, and to be a force of good,
contributing a little bit
towards a bigger goal. It means a better future for us all. And I
will say the people ask me
if,
if I'll be able to handle the last talk after a long night of
talking,
that's why I'm going to ask you all to stand up
see if you can handle this, can you stand up please? If you can,
and I want you to take one step to the right,
one step to the left.
Move your hand a little bit. Sit down.
I can tell you Danish Radwan shahnaved Alhamdulillah, as the
last session of the night I was able to move the crowd.
Thank you very much, and may Allah, I ask Allah, by His names
and attributes, to accept our good deeds, to bless this gathering and
to bless the brother and sisters who organized us, and to keep
something that lasts and will continue for use to come. I ask
Allah subhanho wa Taala to forgive our sins, forgive our
shortcomings, and to make us among those who will always do good and
contribute good. And ask Allah to Allah to give us this positive
attitude, that positive mental attitude, to give us SABR, to give
us a strength, to give us confidence. And I ask Allah
subhanahu wa to help our brothers and sisters in Palestine, those
who are suffering in azer and everywhere in the world. We ask
Allah subhanahu wa to bring a good relief, to bring peace and lasting
peace and justice for those who are suffering from injustice. And
I ask Allah subhanahu wa Sala naval, you alidi, now on your
Hamana. Allah AJ walikram and tal pabia, Huanan, Mustafa, seed of
your hammer. Rahim in ahasa, Allah makula, hum Yahi aka yum. Allahum
in a