Know Your Why!
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Channel: Yahya Ibrahim
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All right, so I'm on a call. I'm just about to log on to a zoom call with our brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom. Four focuses which is the Federation of Islamic schools and councils, university students. So if you're watching online, live on my social media do let us know where you're watching from in sha Allah. Give a little bit of a shout out let us know where you're watching from in sha Allah
just waiting for a brother who's going to come on and recite for us recite the Quran inshallah.
If he doesn't come with him next few minutes and we'll just get started.
For those of you on my Instagram and my Facebook, do let me know where you're watching from and this is a program for pharmacists for the Federation of Islamic schools and council and you can listen along inshallah Sorry, I have it streaming on other channels. So I was just talking to them, my brother has said and then once the portal and is ready this mme happy to begin with you guys in sha Allah. So for those watching on my social media, do let me know where you're watching from we got people from Belgium from Australia from KL, India. All right.
So, basically, she is very inspiring role model, we look up to Mr. forces. And so his journey started by memorizing the Quran in his teens, he's continued his studies in Egypt, then he's been traveling the world and reaching 1000s and 1000s of lives
and initiatives in Australia as well which include diversity training, cultural sensitivity programs, educational lectures, the law and although not always, you know, spiritually uplifting discussions and addressing topics of pseudonym tradition, he's very passionate Mashallah also presenting on social topics including domestic violence, we suddenly gender discrimination, Child Protection, I could go on and on respectful relationships, disability mental health, the list goes on. Mashallah. So, yeah, that's pretty much the intro and I don't think you're my brother and my this year so you can take care away inshallah.
We'll give a little bit of Quran in our presentation as well in sha Allah, a library.
All right.
And hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu was Salam O Allah say you did more study and so you didn't want to be you know, heavy now Mohammed Ali Abdullah Saleh attempt with a slim Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik is easy now have you been and whenever you know Mohamed infidel welline well suddenly was selling was into abetik Allah say he didn't want to be named Mohammed into the ethylene a lot more suddenly was selling was into a vertical so you didn't want to be you know Mohammed in film Allah Allah Allah or camera Rahim Allah Linda murgia Hindi Amina for an AVI with a kidney I mean human will see that a lot of them abetik linear females often I will say now I've ever
now Robin I have learned I mean as well you know whether Leah Tina burrata or union, Athena imama. Robin alayka tower can now aikka and have never elected Marcy robina data john Neff in attendance calm Ivana mean, when a Gina metric, or hamara mean less either Illa anticipate Anika in equal to me, nobody mean it's a pleasure and an honor that I have an opportunity to connect with all of you across the different parts of the world that haven't done a lot. It is one of the great blessings of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah that we find ourselves in different lockdown situations due to this COVID Scourge that has
been a part and parcel of life with us for the last year. We pray that Allah Subhana Allah to Allah lifts from us it's plague, removes from us its harm, and grants us in sha Allah, the reward of being of those who are able, in sha Allah to live through it and be examples of righteousness and good to others. A lot of them I mean, it is, sadly one of those
moments that is bittersweet, where Alhamdulillah we can connect with each other virtually, but at times those who we love who live in our city who are best friends, we can't just get in the car and drive across and be with them and, and you know, just just experience that physical connection that we normally do. And I wanted him to be allowed to acknowledge
All of those who have come together, both on the zoom and through that focus channel, just like Kamala Harris, to the student unions across the United Kingdom, for all of the perseverance and the hard work and the charity that you've put forward, all throughout last year, I read so much about some of the incredible impact that you guys have had, both in your local spheres and across your country and internationally. And it is incredibly inspiring. May Allah Subhana, Allah strengthen those who are holding positions of service or leadership, I guess, but really, it is service of the Muslim community and the broader community at the various universities. I mean, Allah Subhana, Allah
to Allah, make them able to bring about in their place in their stead when they move on those who will carry on the mantle and fight forward, the good battle of seeking good and justice and righteousness for all Allahumma Amin. So the topic that was chosen, for me was chosen for me by a young sister named Laila Hello hair. And she said, you know, we'd like, you know, she kind of framed it in a very nice email, where she said that there is a significant amount of burnout at times. And sometimes we kind of lose track of the bigger picture of why we do the things we do why we put in so much effort, so much
hard work for the service of others and for leading others, and that the discussion that was asked for me to carry with for the next 30 minutes in general, so we can open space for q&a is to speak about to know our why to know why we do the things we do. And I wanted to begin, you know, speaking in a very plain
way, a loss of Hanna who went to Allah, he has set for us an important principle in life. And this is something that as Muslims, we come to discover through our faith in Allah subhanho wa Taala. But the generations that came before us, were those who were ordered also by a lot to come to learn this very same principle of life. And that is that the more you become acquainted with who you are, and what you love, and what is important to you, the more able you are to be able to provide and to assist and to serve others into the future. And we have this colloquial saying in the Arabic language in Egypt, for example, where we say falcoda shakila, y'all see, the one who has nothing can
give nothing. And the one who knows nothing can teach nothing. And the one who has no possessions is not one who can deliver to others, their needs. And I think that's a really important mindset. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam frames it in a much more eloquent way. He says that the medulla earlier how you don't mean earlier, the souffle, the hand that is above the hand, that is giving is much better than the hand that is receiving it's much better than the hand that is outstretched to receive something in return. And for you and I becomes really important to kind of think about the strength that we seek to establish in life, the clarity that we seek to establish, and what it is
that we want for our future selves. And I speak directly to those of you and Hamdulillah, who's still waging that educational battle at university, across the United Kingdom, and attached through your different eyes, socks, and MSA is in different parts of the world, that this is a time of sprouting of the seeds, you know, your seed is there. But now you're irrigating. And now your shoots are beginning to spread, and you're going to inshaAllah begin to bloom into the world. So we want to channel that energy into understanding one of the key aspects of my life in your life is to put into mind put into practice, that yes, your aim is to become self sufficient. And yet your aim is to
become a giver, not a taker, a provider, not one who is dependent. You want to become the one who gives not the one who receives you want to be the one who is offering not the one who is asking, you want to be the one who is the Beneficent to others, not the the one who is the recipient. And that is a very powerful framework that we as Muslims have always had and have always been trained to have. And Allah subhanho wa Taala mentions this in the Koran and the prophets. I seldom mentions it in different ways, through his tradition, so I want to begin in sha Allah after having given that introduction, your aim and my aim is personal salvation and personal strength, personal affluence,
Personal influence, personal social commitment and status. We want to exemplify the best version and the best person that we can put forward for our own benefit first, but for everyone in our circle of influence and circle of, and the sphere of our influence insha Allah. So let's talk about that question. And let's talk about that statement. What do you know of yourself? And why do we do the things we do? Knowing your why becomes a very powerful motivating factor? What is it that causes you to fulfill the acts of worship that you do? And what is it that causes you to get up and do the things you do? So I'd like to share with you something that I actually shared with my students here
in Perth in my Friday.
So I'm a high school teacher. I'm an assistant principal, and I function at universities as a chaplain at University of Western Australia, and Curtin University. So I'm in charge of a school as an assistant principal that caters from kindy all the way to year 12, and then matriculation into university. So I kind of meet young people all throughout the different stages. And the topic that I had for my high school boys who were seated in front of me, I asked them, What makes the lion king of the jungle? And I want you to just think about that, you know, why is the lion known as king of the jungle, he's not the biggest. He's not the fastest. He's not the most ferocious. He's not the
best team team cooperating teamwork member. What is it that makes the lion The one who dominates every other species in the jungle, you know, the elephant is bigger. But when it steps forward and sees a lion in its present, it steps back. Although it's larger in size, the elephant looks to the lion as being the king and it being subordinate being unable to meet that challenge to face off against the lion.
The lion is outpaced by the cheetah, it's quicker, it's more agile, it's more stealthy. The lion is not as clever as you know, chimpanzees, and monkeys and some of the other animals that roam the jungle. But what makes the lion the night lion is that he knows why he is the lion. He knows why I'm king of the jungle. When he steps forward, he has no doubt, he has full confidence in himself that I rule this land and everything in it is mine. I am there to fulfill this wheel to do what it is that I seek in it. And that that sense of confidence, that knowledge of why, of what of how and of who that you can almost see within that persona of a lion is something that is very powerful. In the
Arabic culture, lions were always seen as something that was regal, right? They were always King, they were always observed and in Arabic culture when something is, you know, important and is been given, you know, a high place in its culture, they would give it off in many different kinds of names. So some of the names of our of my viewers at the moment is all in reference both male names and female names to names that describe lions in their different stages of youth and maturity. So you get Hamza, right? The word Hamza, you know, the uncle of the prophet SAW Selim, he was an ESA de la he was referred to as like the Lion of God, but the word Hamza actually means line, the word s
and of course means lion, leaf, Lion, soufiane, Lion, right. All of the Huff's and hafsa all of those words, they are different labels, shibley, they all mean the same thing, Lion.
And that kind of shows you that mindset. You know, it was something that was all inspiring to the Arabic people to the Sahaba of the prophets, I sell them and they would give their names, names of the personality traits that they want. So what makes lion king of the jungle, it's not a size, it's not a speed. It's not as intelligence it's not as cooperation and teamwork. It's his mindset is that he knows why he knows what he wants, and why he wants it. And he makes a determined effort to attain it. In common pedic illogical studies, you know, when you study education, you will see that they will talk about growth mindsets, and allowing people to kind of think about some of the things that
they go through to attain the successes that they want at the end. And this is something that's really powerful.
There was an experiment that was done in the late 50s, early 60s, it's referred to as the marshmallow test. And you can go and Google it and read about it later to get a, you know, a bigger picture to it. But I'm just going to summarize it quickly. Because this kind of shows the importance of endurance, self determination, and knowing why, why I want something. So they would bring young children four years old, five years old, they'll sit them down at a desk, there's a camera filming, they don't know what's filming them. And they're without their parents. And they said, Listen, sit here, we have this, treat this lowly, this Marshmallow, that we want you to that that belongs to
you, we're giving you this, this is yours. And they put it on the desk just a little bit out of their reach. And they say, But listen, before you reach out and eat it, this is a little bit before lunch, all the kids are hungry, they do this multiple times, we want you just to know that if you can wait until I go to my office and come back, I'll give you another one. So you'll have to, I'm going to double your marshmallows. It's up to you though. And the examiner leaves the room. And there's this kid that cameras beaming. And you know, some of the kids they instinctively before the guy even walks out the door before the sentence is finished impulsively. They've gobbled it up. It's
eaten, it's gone. And that's it. That's the end of it. For others, they are a little bit duplicitous, they'll take a bite of it, the liquid, they'll sniff it, they'll you know, and they'll alter it, of course, they'll have little bits of it, half of it is gone. And then they put it back they fought but they just couldn't get there. And the third type of category about 10 to 15% of young children naturally have this innate power that's being taught to them by parents who are like them, who were able to restrain their impulse for achieving what they wanted in that moment, and to defer gratification to defer themselves until the second one arrived. And then they could have to,
and they waited. And sometimes they push to see how long these kids would wait five minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes an hour, some kid just sat there. And they would do things to kind of help themselves, they draw or they push it to another side of the desk, or they turn their body completely away from it, and so on. Why is that important because they track these kids over the next 30 4050 years of their life. And they found that those who were very impulsive, most of the time they trained it to be those who didn't finish their schools didn't, you know, keep a good job, they bounced from one relationship to another and they were the most prone likely to and didn't
divorce. Now I know all of you are going to rush home and give your little kids a marshmallow or your little brothers and sisters that say, let me see what you're going to do. Right, I'm going to predict your future. Now, of course, there is bias. Because if you were born in a family that was poor, and the first thing that was put on the table, everybody's hand reached for it, you've been trained to just take it while you can. Now of course, if you you know account for that bias, the standard is still accurate, you know, the mindset becomes really important. Now, those young children on the other spectrum who were able to restrain themselves, they kept their job, they were
happily married, but more importantly, they were able to pass on those traits. And that discipline to their children.
That's powerful. The thing that was most engaging about this whole research was that when they asked the children why they said because if I waited, I could get more. So the understood on a cognitive level on a conscious level, that I can Max, I can get something for being patient. And if you look closely at all of the five pillars of our faith, you know, you know the four actionable pillars leaving office, head to La ilaha illAllah, WA shadow, Allah, if you look at the four pillars of Islam, all of them seek to teach us that mindset of deferred gratification. So you stand up and you say, Allahu Akbar, you know, the overall sort of measure of Asia, nobody's gonna pay anything, you
know, nobody's gonna slip $5 into your wallet, five pound into one and say, well done. That was a great measure of martial law, you read, you know, martial law, that was great. Here's 10 here's $10 brother, nobody's gonna give you anything that the gratification of it, the understanding of it is that you're seeking something in in a deferred state. And you wake up and you're tired and you're doing all of that but you believe that there is something that will see you through into the next stage. And that becomes very powerful of the month of Ramadan. Subhana Allah 5958 days away. For us. The whole concept of Ramadan is shadow sub, one of the name that would give it is that it's a month
of patience. It's a month of endurance.
You know, it's the month where in ma you have four Slavia una jombay. SAP, those who are patient will get a reward that's limitless and that reward is the same reward as the one fasting. The same wording is used in both instances so that we do not make that connection
that the two are synonymous with each other. Right? That becomes really powerful. The third act of giving zeca is a very powerful thing. You know, giving Zakat is something that's, you know, you're deferring you're giving from your real material wealth now, for the hope that it will read be returned a laugh and lava returned to you many times over in this life or it could be into into the next life, but your you know that you've given it out into the void, which is the father and the reception of a love that its color will return to you. Many, many fold over in a more positive way in your life. Had you may Allah subhanho wa Taala return us to the sacred lands, is a mission of sub
it's a mission of going and enduring and pushing forward to discover why why I'm there and you know, Allah subhanho wa Taala says, in a hammock, taco kulu it is entirely an act of sincerity from the hearts that allows you to give magnificence and to esteem the Sacred Rites of the Hajj and that which Allah has appointed for us. And we ask Allah Subhana whom went to Allah to allow us to have that mindset were to know our why. For each and every action becomes
troublesome, but to know our why in terms of our purpose in life, becomes the greatest aim that you and I have. And this is where I'm going to taper off my discussion chat London next five minutes or so, to open the doors for questions that you know, within the next next few minutes, I do want it to be something where we go back and forth with with discussion inshallah. So if you have your questions, put them through in the chat service and chat a lot in the zoom service. Or in the way our brother has said, sister Layla will recommend for you in sha Allah. And those of you following on my Facebook page, you can put it forward in sha Allah, I'll try to track through the evening. But
I wanted to end with this
with this final message, the concept of a growth mindset. So we spoke about, you know, be the king of your own jungle, each of us we have our own jungle, right? Be your own Mufasa, right, be your own line. Number two, you know, marshmallows are sweet, but they're sweeter when they're doubled up, right? They're sweeter when they're doubled up and think of your a bother with Allah soprano to Allah has not just doubled or tripled, but much more through. The third is I is this concept of a growth mindset, which is a really revolutionary kind of concept in western education. But it's been a standard within our Islamic tradition, this concept of going back and fixing and what is called
hyper correction, and allowing yourself to know that although I made a mistake, that that mistake is actually just a stepping stone to success. So, you know, when I first went out for my driver's test, I was 16. And this back home in Toronto in Canada, and I can clearly see it, you know, I can picture in my mind right now there was this female driving instructor. And I was like, 16 years old, I got my permit my letters, and six months later, I was allowed to sit for the test back then at 16. On the day you could write, and you can do your driver's test within the next day or two. And I'd taken two or three driving lessons with someone but I was driving with my dad and this and that, and I
thought I was hot stuff, Mashallah. And I got in the seat buckled up. I did everything right, except one thing.
When I would signal like, I still remember what I did wrong, right? It was so impactful in my life. When I signaled I actually signaled in turn while I was like signaling and turning rather than signaled, waited for the two clicks, flash flash and then turned. So it's like I had already committed to the turn and then signaled, which is, to me was a minor mistake. I was like, ready to go, man, I was ready to pass that test. And
the lady she said, You drove very well, yada, yada. And she got my name, right. But I'm going to have to fail you. And when I heard those three words, I'm going to have to fail you say you don't have to do anything like in my mind is nobody's nobody's forcing you. Nobody's got a gun to your head. You don't got to do nothing. You can pass me if you want to pass me. You want to fail me. And then she said something that was profound, she said, but but you will never make that mistake again. And she told me what my mistake was and the reason that I failed because it is something
That they do look for, you have to look over your shoulder signal, look over your shoulder, look, again, a double, you know, look in your mirror and then go. And I never forgot it obviously never forgot it, because it's hyper correction, right? It's something that was corrected in a way that would net that you would never lose sight of that again. And I went back the second time pass the test. And you know, I've been driving ever since. But she said something profound that she said, this is just part of you passing, you got to look at this, as part of you passing. Don't look at it as you failed, and it's over. But this is just like a dry run of you passing your next test. And
that's growth mindset that in your mind, you believe that every hurdle every strumble, every illness, every rejection, every missed opportunity that you thought was your opportunity, your the thing you wanted that that the thing that is going to make, you know, everything I my dreams come true, every step along the way, each and every one of those is just making you prepared and preparing you for that which is actually yours. And you and I as Muslims, we have this way of looking at the world, where we understand that everything that is provided for us, is provided for us by Allah Subhana Allah. So the water that I've drawn into this cup Bismillah
you know, the sick that I've just taken there, that's mine. Like, that's my roof. There's no way that that water, even if you lived in my own home, it's not my wife. So this is just a few meters away from me. It's not my children's rose, who's in their bedrooms now getting ready to sleep. It's not theirs, it's mine, that sip of water traveled from for millennia to be mine. And that's how we look at it. That's why you say Bismillah. You know, as I said, Bismillah. As you drink it, you you understand this is deaths destined for me from Allah, nobody else could have that sip of water, but me. And that water 500 million years ago, it could have been an iceberg in the Antarctic 100 million
years ago, it could have been melted into saltwater. 20 million years ago, it could have, you know, rain down in Indonesia. And over the last 10 years, it's been trickling in underwater freshwater aquifers, to be, you know, bottled in Australia or piped in Australia into my tap, that when I turned my tap these drops of water were what entered my cup, not my neighbor's cup, because it's my risk. Nobody can contest it. Nobody can take from you what is written from you for you, and nobody can give you what is in yours. And that's the growth mindset that was inspirational and delivered to us by the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And he says, half of the law half of guard Allah
guard the rights of Allah upon you your worship of Allah, He will guard you. And be can't be, you know, be careful with how you approach your understanding of fate for if the whole world gathered to give you what wasn't destined for you, they can't provide it. And if the whole world came together to take from you, what was written for you, no one can strip it away from you. And the pens have dried and the scrolls have been rolled, right? So understand that each and every aspect of your life, each and every step in your life's purpose, has a purpose, has a reason has something that can lead you towards greater things, have that growth mindset and let it influence your Why? Why has
this happened to me, because this is something that's allowing me to get to the place that I seek to be this is just another step along the path to the greatness that I will assume and receive in this life and in the next. And I hope that that's something that has come clear in this discussion. So there were three essential elements that I wanted to share with you today. You know, be the king of your own jungle, see yourself as King, see yourself as the one who is there to master their domain and be a person who's in control and in charge of their life, who is ready and willing and able to put forward an honest effort. It is not, you know, scared off and is not timid by the challenges
that that lay ahead and is willing and able to serve those who are within their vicinity. Number two, recognize that the sweet things in life are not always those at hand. And that your desire and the things that you want immediately are not necessarily the things that are best for you in life.
It's not going to be that in terms of your consumption terms of your relationships, in terms of what your heart funds for, and our eyes met across the room. And you know, all that, you know, there was fireworks in the background, it just happened to be the fourth of July. And, you know, that kind of thing. You know, that's not usually what is best, that there's a temperament that is necessary for myself in you to appreciate and to assume. And number three, is, whenever you stumble, get up, dust yourself off and move forward, step after step, day after day, week, after week, month after month, continue to push forward and improve in your relationship, and in your commitment with a lot with
your family, with your friends with your community, and set upon that precedent, where you are a person who is functional in the best in the capacities that you can be. And I ask Allah Subhana, Allah to Allah, to use you, as a conduit of good in the service of others, that you become a person who opens the door for others, as much. So as you see, for others to open it for you, that you're a cornerstone for foundations to be built on top of your contribution, that you're the one who is willing to put their need for people to stand up and, and get to a higher agreement to a higher place than they could have reached on their own, that you are remembered not for who you were, but
for what you left behind and did for others. And that'll last depend on what to add, gives you the honor of being one who is able to serve others in life, a lot of them I mean, so this is where I'm going to bring my contribution. Or that you know, I guess the primer to a discussion, I'll give you a few minutes in chat lot to get your questions in. And I'll just look through my own links here on Facebook. And if there aren't any that are coming through the chat service with you guys, I'm happy to share some of the ones that have come through my social media insha Allah. So let me let me hand it over to my brother Hudson once again.
That was honestly amazing. And super, super beneficial. And you know, there is just just before we move on to the q&a, I just want to say that there was one point that really stuck with me now is, you know, the risk that we're gonna get is it's rain for us. So we shouldn't worry too much about the little things in life we should, you know, be happy where we are and you know, accept dates or risk and they reminded me just before we move on, he reminded me of the way that we read after salonu a long email.
No one can hold back what you give and no one can give what you hold back. And no one can help them against you. Yeah. And that really stuck with me. So
the questions so guys get your questions through inshallah.
Lots of articles.
Be here. Again, thank you so much for sharing the spirit
of the Sisters of shed. So we have a sister from Indonesia. Mashallah. She said, so microtia? How do you overcome the anxiety about future? Although we have determined the purpose of life, sometimes our Eman is unstable. Alright, how do we overcome the anxiety of worrying about our future? So there are three points, I think that that become really important. First, have an understanding of what Muslims believe about cover, what is our creed? And what do we believe about fate? And once you begin understanding how fate works, that so for example, let me just summarize it in these two minutes in chat law. There are three important aspects in how fate reacts to you. One at two of them
are beyond your control. The first of them are things that happen to you that you cannot prevent. It's not because you did anything wrong or you committed a crime so less punishing, you know, it was just it is just intended that this was going to be for you. And even before you were brought into this world this challenge was going to be given to you that Allah knows in his divine wisdom is going to result in something down the road in your life or into the next that is better for you than without
the second the second era.
things that are happening within you, and the things that happen within you our genome, as I'm sitting as I'm standing in front of you, and as you're sitting there at home, wherever you are, there are things that are happening within your body health issues, there are things you know, that that that are there that are not in our control, and you cannot prevent them. It's genetic prepare, you know, dispositions, all of these are different things that are there. The third aspect is how you react to the first two things that happen to me externally from me and things that happen from within me, how do I react and do I show ribba contentment in whatever life throws at me that is a no
is determined by a laws authority. So am I able to be worshiping and thankful of Allah, when things go well, in my life that I acknowledge it's a law that's the source, I may say, Masha, Allah, this is only by the will of Allah, that allowed me to attain what I attained. And am I able to say Alhamdulillah, I'm still remain thankful, praising to Allah, when things don't go the way I want them. And in both instances, it shows a completion of our belief in color. So that's the first step learn more about color, take an opportunity to study a classical understanding in a contemporary practice of what it means to believe in fate. Number two, is don't focus on the pixel. rather look
at the big picture. So in your phone, or your tablet that you're watching me on, or your TV screen, or whatever it is, it's made up of millions of pixels. If you look at one place in it, it's like a black dot, it's a dark section of that area. And if you were to just zoom into that place, you would assume the whole thing is just dark. But if you pan out of it, if you zoom out of that collection and cluster of a dark spot of a dark day of a bad moment of a terrible experience, if you zoom out to the tapestry and the beauty of the totality of your life that has been lived in its positive moments, and what yet is coming, you will see that there is so much greatness in so much facility
that has not yet arrived, and gives you optimism and hope. Number three, is look towards those who are in a struggle in life. And not just those who have it made as so you would think which which are wrong in thinking, don't look to those who you aspire to be only, but understand that there are those who are aspiring to be in your situation, and to know that you are from the privileged in life, and May Allah Subhana, Allah to Allah, give all of us a contentment of heart, a rainbow of our purpose, and allow us to understand our belief in color in a way that is meaningful in this life in the next alarm.
clock here, once again, I hope sister that you are pleased with the answer.
We have another question from another sister.
She's asking how can we thrive in our faith on a day to day basis? And live work in the West? All right, how can we thrive in our faith on a day to day basis, irrespective of where you live west or Northwest? It really doesn't matter. So there another three simple rules just for the brevity of time. First, it's, it's about the small things, not the big things. It's about doing the regular small habits consistently, each and every day each and every week, each and every month. Rather than doing the one off big deeds, right? It is far better for you as a believer, to be regular, in a foreign circle where you're Li You know, reading just, you know a page for a week or something, then
to try to read all of Jews, all the Jews in one day and do that once in Ramadan, right? You see a lot of people they put in effort in certain periods of time and then they they fall back in others. The prophets I seldom says it is more beloved to Allah, that you do good deeds, even if they're miniscule, but consistently over an extended period of time. So if you want to thrive, plant a lot of seeds, because the more seeds you plant, the more likelihood you'll get a strong tree on one tree is gonna bloom. While if you put everything in one basket in one tree and it gets cancerous and it becomes you know, infected then you will find it difficult to thrive. The second important thing is
to understand that the student of the prophets I send them is always better said
I always try to reflect on what would the Prophet do? And how would he handle this situation? How would he respond to this person, you know, that can only happen if you become familiar with his life if you take, you know, an opportunity to, to look a little bit deeper to what his character was and the things he said and how he lived, the belief that he taught. So become acquainted with the tradition, the soon that it's not, you know, Arabic clothing. So I'm wearing a Juba today, you know, I'm wearing my Arabic clothing, because an RV, that's my national dress, right? Other people might be wearing something else. So it's not the clothes, this isn't Muslim clothing, it's not Muslim,
physical things that you want to see on the outside that matter. It's about the suit of the prophets. I said Lim that internal that had that effect of the heart. And that's why whenever the Prophet would warn about extremists, he would warn that their tongue had so many words of literal and Hadith, and so on on it, but that it never passed through their trachea through their throat, meaning it never went into their chest and touch their heart, because it's the inside that matters more. So become more familiar with the sooner because the sooner is ease and mercy, you will find that the sooner is not one that obligated to excesses. Number three, is it's easier to do things
collectively, it's easier to be on it. When you're with people who are on it, it's easier to be regular in your prayer, when people in your life are regular in their prayer, it's easier to commit to a job or whatever it is, when the influence around you kind of does that now doesn't mean you can't struggle to do it on your own. If people in your family don't pray, you don't say Oh, nobody pray, so I'm not going to pray, you can be that power for change, that can change other people towards the better inshallah. So those are three important things small but consistent. Discover the love you should have for the prophets, I sell them by becoming more familiar with who he is. And
number three,
be a person who tries to have good company and to assign you know,
you know, a lot of effort and emphasis in curating your friends, you do it for so many other things, it behooves you to do it for your friendship as well. And Sharma
Thank you so much.
The next I'm gonna put two questions together because they're very similar. And I feel like they relate as well to the work that we do.
So the first one is, how do you handle the issue of taking control when everyone around you tries to bring you down in every step of the way? And the second question is,
a member in our team is struggling with burnout, and wants to leave the whole scene completely due to negative experiences with people they are serving, or do you advise, so
people that want to go, I'm not the type of person to say Hold on, like, Don't go, don't leave us, I would definitely try to redeploy them. So if somebody's struggling to work in a particular team, or with a particular group of people, and they voice that opinion, I don't want to be with the with this group or with this team or on this project. It is very toxic for you, it's not good for them. And it's not good for others, that they are held into it. Rather, you want to pivot and give them an opportunity to distinguish themselves and to do something that they feel is is is great that they can contribute in. And it could be as simple as saying, Listen, I hear exactly what you're saying,
what, what do you think you would like to do? Because you know, we can't let go of you completely, you're too important for what, what it is that we want to do here and you know, you love being with us. But you just don't love being with us with this project or with this, you know, opportunity. So where do you think that you can do something that is more impactful? Maybe even something on your own that you think that you can build something or do something what what what what do you have to offer? Got backtracking to the first one, how do you deal with, you know,
people, you know, that negativity and that toxicity.
Okay, so I'm going to be real with you. You're going to deal with that all the time. You're going to deal with that at school, you're going to deal with that at work, you're going to deal with that, you know, just about everywhere. So learning how to
adapt to the situation and have an empathetic
understanding of why people act the way they act even though they shouldn't be acting that way. I'm not condoning it. And I don't
wanted to come off as you know, victim blaming that you know, you're the victim and but I want you to understand that one of the key skills that universities don't teach high schools don't teach that people sadly, they don't learn until it's too late, is understanding that empathy is allowing another person to, to know that you understand what they're what they're feeling inside, even if you haven't experienced it, and that's the difference between sympathy and empathy. So when you find somebody acting out of turn, and just giving other people a tough time, you need to kind of put yourself in a state of mind where it's not reactionary to that, but you need to come to understand
why that person or why that circumstance keeps coming up in the way that it does. And how is it that you can leverage that so that they can talk it out in a more positive way that can defuse the situation, or allow them to make a choice that will defuse the situation for you. It's an incredible skill to have, and it's the art really of negotiation, and everything you're going to do in life is going to be negotiation. As you move forward, you know, whether it's in your, in your home life in your public life, it's all going to be sets of, you know, moments of seeking negotiation, in your behavior with and in your dealings with others. But the moment you put that as a part and parcel of
your habit and of your way, you will find that there is going to be a much greater opportunity for you to bypass those toxic moments.
I hope that answers both legal questions. We have one more question, inshallah. And if you have any other questions.
So, so I can show you here, I'm a student, and I haven't memorized anything, I believe they're talking about the Quran.
How do I overcome this problem?
I can offer you
a really quick solution. The really quick solution is to get yourself listening to somebody you enjoy listening to, and to find the short sutras So, you know, short sutras like Eva's zillertal adduces kuliah, Johan capital, Calvo, Allahu Ahad and just make a playlist. And as you're drifting off to sleep, and when you wake up in the morning, have that in your ear, your pods, have that in your headset, and just listen to it, and enjoy you to rhythm, enjoy it sound, find somebody who's your heart melts in their, in their projection of their reading. Now, it doesn't mean you're going to sound like them, none of us do. But you want to be able to kind of get a tune in your head of the
reading of the Koran. And the more you listen to it, the more you'll be able to resonate. And the easier it'll be for you to pick up. It's memorization. So I will definitely tell you, I want you to start memorizing, start memorizing the sutras that are going to be short and come to terms to understanding their meaning. Now, I don't mean to be,
you know, I don't want I don't want it to come off as self promotion or anything. Would you allow me, sister Laila to share my screen? Do I have that privilege to do a share screen? Yes. Oh, oh,
okay. Yes, I think I can share my screen. So I have a website.
And I'm sorry for this promotion. It's terrible. But I think it's important for this particular question. So I have an online Islamic school. And
if you go to Yahoo, abrahim.com
in that online, Islamic school, if you just go to school, and yeah, abraham.com forward slash school.
It's done by season. So season one, season two. And in season one, you can memorize certain solos, but some of the rather mentary beliefs that we have as Muslims, I've kind of done it in five minute videos. And they have little assessments that you can do or not do, but they relate to an understanding of the totality of the Quran. So it's called a juice a day. I have a book that's published in it. So this is just it's a summary of the poor and in lectures actually, the book is, is here so it's terrible self promotion. It's horrible. So it juice a day. It's actually
This lecture series is there that you can actually listen to it.
There is a section called Living online, which is 30 Hadeeth, for how you should adjust your online persona from guidance from the Prophet. There's a day where you could memorize a dry day and understand its context. And then it's memorize salted milk, which is one verse a day, and over the 30 days, or as many days as you like, I repeat the verse with you, and you can kind of hear and get the right sound for it. Then season two, there's about taharah. There's about prayer, there's a whole section called prayer fool, how to make art my prayer full of actual prayer. So it's part one of my prayer course. And it's a three, three program than the one that I wanted. This is the reason
I'm going through all this is as soon as we read most often. So I go through about 20 of the suitors that we read most often in our salon, that gives you a little bit of an understanding of them. So as you're memorizing in that art, a natural counselor, you can listen to that five minute eight minute video that I've made on it, that gives you an understanding of its meaning, why it was revealed, and so on.
So both programs have a section called me myself in law. And then the second part is you, me and a law, it's about our social responsibility. And, you know, if you sign up for it, you It's a very simple registration process. So you just, you know, register, you click on the registration button, it only asks your email and
for you to confirm, and I want you to know that, for those of you who can afford it, there's,
there's a fee that you're very happy to pay, that's fine, or you can choose free, and there's no obligation if you can't afford it, you can't afford it. It's meant to be for broke students. No problem. I'm happy to have you along. And there's, you know, 2000 students that are enrolled in it, you know, who are taking the course, it's not meant for profiteering or anything like that. I want it to be something that disseminates knowledge, season three will come out soon. And it just builds on that knowledge. So each and every step of your way it you know, you can just listen to something good 10 minutes in your day, 10 minutes in your evening and memorize a few verses. And you You got
it, you got it made in sha Allah. So hopefully that's something that could be a benefit to to others be in a data.
Okay, let's see what happened in sha Allah.
All right.
And let me look through my Facebook messages very quickly. Insha Allah.
I think there might be another question coming from the zoom, I think our time is actually up. So just like Kamala hair for watching online, I hope in chat law that you enjoyed it the evening lady to Allah. And I'll just finish up with them in sha Allah. All right, is it still sharing the screen? I apologize for that.
Okay, there we go. I'm back.
Sorry.
To hear my question. No, no, I missed that. I apologize. It can't be out there for a second. Sorry. I just wanted to say that we just have one more cache question that everyone saw is around the same topic. So sure. I'm not sure if you know, but in in the UK, where we're in a third lockdown.
So we basically like we've been stuck at home, like for the third time, and I think we're going to go for about three months
of staying at home. So students especially, we're all feeling very down.
And we like we don't have any motivation to like, you know, like football what we want to do, like every day, and we can't even like see our friends or anything. Everything is online all the time. Even just to bring people to come come to see events. Yeah, it's very hard because they like they don't want to log into another zoom.
Sorry. So so what what what, what would be your advice for students who are currently going through this sadness or, like, you know, drop in mental health? Yeah.
First thing that I will say is you don't have to do anything, anything significant. Like you know how some people are like, Oh, you know, I'm so I'm so productive. I got this done, and
got that done. Listen, some people can do that other people can don't put overly an over amount of pressure on yourself that isn't asked for. Number two, find the things that give you joy. You know, my wife, she's got this weird, you know, just looking around my room. I don't know if you could see, but there's like candles and stuff. She loves candles, she loves lighting candles, and she loves like dimming the lights house and just turning on candles. And it gives her joy. She learned that when we traveled to Copenhagen, they like to light candles, I don't know, to me, it's not you know, the biggest thing but she loves doing that. So find something quirky that you like doing and do
something that gives you a little bit of joy that might be different to what you've been doing previously.
Number three, you can still make meaningful connections, even if you're not able to be physical and in in the presence with each other.
So, you know, my brother He lives
what maybe about 800 kilometers from where we are at the moment, and he offered me food ones, right? So you know, do stuff that can kind of build love and and and make hearts together and you can, you know, find ways that are meaningful to you to be able to connect meaningfully with other people. Lastly, know that there is no harm that befalls a believer except that it's something that gives them something better in this life and in the next. And as you build your resilience as you build your motivation as you find strength in strengthening others. You will be able in sha Allah to push through this. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he was the happiest of people, even though he
lived a life that from the outside historians would say should have been a miserable life he buried five of his children lost wives and parents and uncles and was an orphan and all these what we you and I would say horrible things happen. But in Arabic culture we have a saying as sad that ness men sadness, the happiest of people is the one who's brought happiness to others. And may Allah subhanaw taala bring happiness to other through you. And I pray that Allah subhana wa Taala assists you in all that is good. I'm sorry to add another yet another zoom presentation for you guys. But I hope in chat love that it was worthwhile. I enjoyed my time with you and I look forward to doing it again
inshallah. Feel free to ask at any time but even in Lahaina And may Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us ease and purity and healing and remove this harm a lot. I mean
honestly, we we enjoyed your presence so much and I'm appreciate everyone that came today. absolutely loved it. Like it was really is what we needed. So Barack lotek
and I hope everyone enjoyed the presentation and I mean the lecture sorry and benefited.
And just a reminder inshallah, like whoever is interested in joining forces, or you know, who needs any help or support with the forces work, just please try just message me and inshallah I'll guide you on how to join it or what to do, etc. Get involved get involved. Definitely. Yeah.
Thank you so much.
If anyone has any
if anyone has any last
words of any just last words that they want to say before we end
Okay.
All right to those of you online set up.
All right. Welcome, everyone.
I leave you in the protection of Allah subhanho wa Taala said I want to live our cat