Yaser Birjas – 7 Lessons I Learned from Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef

			The Brand A chef Muhammad Sharif Rahim Allah really liked and it is the nation builder brand. So the
final story inshallah Tada is with the first and millet of instructor My dear chef and teacher,
older brother and colleague as well now look up to him and he's a mentor a longtime teacher to many
different communities of hamdulillah and is no other than chef Yasuo, they're just hummed a lot of
them in Salalah are selling Baraka Nabina Muhammad and while earlier CIBJO Silla with a slim okay
Theertha my, my bad. I'm standing in front of all of you right now and Malay with a heavy heart for
the fact that they chose me to to be the last to speak on this very specific and very difficult
		

			topic to cover in 1015 minutes really
		

			would come to the nation builder Sheikh Mohammed Al Sharif, I think they chose me to talk about it
because I am probably maybe the longest serving teacher from McGraw vicissitude I'm the first
recruit of Sheikh Mohammed is Sheree for a mother of Institute.
		

			And I think the reason why it's because it's a full circle. It's a full circle after 20 years, that
recruitment happen just right here in Houston. Not too far away from here at U of H to be specific
at the Hilton on campus where Chef Mohammed Shiv and I were in the late 20s sitting there together,
you know, a bunch of kids broke.
		

			I just daydreaming about the future that we would like to plan but it was his idea. It was really
his idea 20 years ago, and I still remember his smile, his dedication, his devotion and his
enthusiasm mashallah unparalleled. And sometimes you look at the guy and says, Is this serious?
		

			Well, I would Is it is it serious? I get that one day in sha Allah, that suckers have a matter of
they're going to be as such and such a devil on stage and you have this and you have that and just
like what is he talking about? We could barely even you know, get a hood with Juma anima. Zina
community without heart that they don't even give you a football. So we had to go and give our
football and the chapel on campus for the MSA students
		

			20 years later, Al Hamdulillah Bellami will live in in the true meaning of a nation builder.
		

			And I want to share with you that experience for them will come to being a truly nation builder. I
think enough the name of it to tell you how Sheikh Mohammed used to think
		

			he was really thinking as a nation builder way beyond himself. How many of us are so visionary that
they can think you know, 20 years ahead before even it comes that close?
		

			Sheikh Mohammed Al Sharif Rahim Allah Allah Allah Allah I think one of his most beautiful things
that really learn from him personally and I think it becomes very addictive in the way you teach the
way you speak the way you did with people. Sheikh Mohammed Rahim Allah Allah Tala, he was so keen on
details, very meticulous. Those have known him closely. You would know that very well. If you give a
talk, or if you try to write something or you give him a product that he asked you to do for him, he
is going to brutally criticize you
		

			about all the tiny details because he would never accept average Rahim Allah Allah Allah. Why
because he learned that from Allah subhanho wa Taala says what I can Khun what up Ben even as Allah
says, Cool note of Benny be among those or Rabbani which means those people of God, why you are
liberal Kitab they teach people the book. And what does that mean? I've been I've been asked to
interpret that by saying, Yep, the onus of oral elmia Cobla Kibera he, they start with a lot of
things before the major ones which means they're always into these details. I will say that from the
Prophet sallallahu wasallam he taught us everything, everything, even the non believers. They were
		

			shocked or surprised they told us a half Rhodiola Duran Hamza Allah ma kumara sulukim kula Chateau
thromb Let your message a touch everything even how to use the bathroom. And they said absolutely
you're headed because details matter. With comes to nation building. Really details matter. And I
want to share with you a few things are shallow. Darla, I would say seven points that I learned from
Sheikh Mohammed through my experience with him as being the first instructor that he really coached.
From the beginning to the end. Number one, Sheikh Mohammed used to put people ahead of himself, he
was a people's person, you want to be a nation builder. That's how you become
		

			where this is coming from, from the Prophet sallallahu Sallam instruction when the prophets Allah
Sam said that have been naset Allah and fallenness the most beloved people to Allah azza wa jal,
those are most beneficial to others. You need to be a nation builder in your own way. You're gonna
have to put people ahead of yourself.
		

			You did to make sure to be a people's person. I've learned that a lot from him. So Sheikh Mohammed
used to be meticulous about remembering people's names he would tell me make sure to memorize
people's names the students name
		

			And he would call them by name. And if you want to ask for someday he would name the person exactly
Rahim Allah Allah And subhanAllah we were talking about this earlier with the other side outside.
		

			He was said that Sheikh Mohammed, we used to like to we used to take a nap during the good old days.
We used to take a nap in one of the students, apartments or dorms just to take a 20 minute power nap
so Sheikh Mohammed sometimes be there and Sergey said the made a sandwich for Sheikh Mohammed. And
whichever Mohammed ate that sandwich, he said, I love that kind of make me another one. Like this
the best sandwich I've ever actually had, and for salad until now he's remembered that story out of
your side of your head, I'm not sure if it was the best sandwich he ever ate, but he just wanted to
make feel good about it.
		

			But the idea is that he really cared about people and make them feel great like the prophets of
Allah Selim, every time I meet someone, everybody feels special to for the prophets of Allah Salam,
and Sheikh Mohammed, he did that to many, many people, including myself. And I want to mention also
one thing special specifically for the sisters. When a time in a time that having a conference like
this, or having a program as big as this one that peace, the teachers knowledge, and invite sisters
to be in the crowd, let alone to be on the stage was like something was unheard of probably, he
actually dared to say we need also to educate our sisters. And he was given a very special treatment
		

			as well to in the classroom, 10 minutes and 10 minutes, they still remember that you 10 minutes for
the brothers 10 minutes for the sisters to ask their special questions. Have they had any questions?
		

			One thing about him, he could about people, he never talk bad about anybody.
		

			Seriously, even when people disagree with him, and people will be able to talk about him, he would
still say it's okay, let's keep on with our data made the best Darwin those words,
		

			we will do our thing, and may the best our wins. Because he didn't care about what people say about
him. rahamallah Number two, what I learned from Sheikh Mohammed, in terms of these details, I had to
learn from him that knowledge is power. And knowledge is happiness. That was his slogan, which
explains why he focused on a mother of Institute to educate people to give them knowledge. Because
his philosophy was very simple, educated, but that's a thesis words, educated people make better
decisions.
		

			To those who are educated, they will make better decisions. You can reason with them. You can talk
to them, you can have some conversation with people and they're educated. So my job is to elevate
the people to the level you can have conversation with them.
		

			And he said that when it comes to knowledge, its power, you empower people with it. And you give
people happiness and joy, you remember yourself when you were sitting in a lecture and then the chef
or the speaker or the lifter, he says something new to you, all of a sudden you learn something new,
what was the most common reaction to it, we smile.
		

			Like you just like learn something new just thought, wow, this is really amazing. Excited, because
knowledge is happiness. Which is why when you've seen a lot of classes, he was focusing on giving
people not just knowledge, given them the experience, so that when you come out of it, you're so
happy that you did something so excited about your deen
		

			you could have read a book about it. But the experience media is so excited, so happy that we will
go pursue more of that knowledge who can benefit yourself and benefit everybody around you.
		

			He was himself a learner, always learning something new. And he was also sharing that knowledge
because he was also an educator, everything every time he learns something he calls me. He says, By
the way, I attended this actually the program such and such read this book, Do this, do that. And he
always teach you Subhanallah because he knows he wants to make sure that you also have that benefit
as well, too. So for you, you guys need to focus on these details. Why you learn in four? What's the
benefit of this? How does it empower you? How can you help other people to be happy when you give
the knowledge in sha Allah to Baraka with Allah?
		

			By the chef, never, he was never scared to share his secrets about his success. Today, many people
when you ask them something about their success, they kind of like they go around. They don't want
to tell you what it is.
		

			Why? Because they're afraid that you're going to copy them.
		

			Right? Who cares? Sheikh Mohammed says shoo Miss Milam that's how we do it. That's how we share
this. And he mashallah spread that knowledge all over the world today. Number three, show that
Muhammad was actually an audit. He was a talent seeker. What does that exactly mean? He didn't just,
it didn't just find you know, people or wants to learn. Now he looks for talents that can teach. And
that's why mashallah at some point he will say that a mother of teachers are the stars in their own
communities in their own fields and so forth because he knew that you will know what these kind of
people can attract them.
		

			hollowed out the next generation of the teachers, the instructors, the leaders and more. Because
these skills gravitate, and that was his actually his principle that we need to gravitate by making
a Charlotte multiply our effort by bringing in the people who become the next generation of teachers
as shallow as those. And today, I guess you've seen many of them. The ones used to be students of a
mother of Institute, and they are now on Hamdulillah, on the stage, sharing the same platform that
one Sheikh Mohammed spoke on.
		

			Number four, Sheikh Mohammed was a connector, you want to be a nation builder, you need to learn to
connect people together. What does that mean, you don't live for yourself, you live for your
community, you do for the people around you. That's why the philosophy of maglev was not really to
establish a chapter that becomes permanent what it is. Instead, our job is to educate the people,
and then let them go out there to their own massage into their own communities, and then share that
knowledge with each other. That's the whole purpose. And that's why he was very important for him
when you go to a community that we have to meet the Imams, the board members, the dignitaries of the
		

			community, the non families, in the communities, how everywhere we go, we have to meet these people
to connect with them. Because our job is to make sure all these people on board so they can all show
no show the hide with each other. You need to be an Ancient Builder. You need to be a connector, not
someone who divides not someone who just you know, his ego kills every possibility to bring the
community together. So you need to learn to connect. So make sure to be a nation builder by bringing
people together and connect them together in sha Allah with a waterco Darla.
		

			Number five creativity. Chef Muhammad Rahim Allah Darla, he believed in creativity, thought
provoking. Every time I bring him an idea, because this is so beautiful. But what how can we make it
better?
		

			I'm gonna just man, I thought that's the best I heard.
		

			Because no, but you know, how can you think of something better? When we were talking about even
naming a class just give a name to our class, all these very fancy class names that you have seen?
We were sitting down there and we give a name? It goes, Okay, let's see. He said, What do you have
today, somebody want to you have to learn, every time you have an idea, trash it.
		

			And think of the next big one.
		

			That principle is amazing.
		

			It makes you an outlier. You're not an average person anymore. You don't think like everybody else.
Because he's dumb. And his philosophy goes, someone must have thought the exact same thing. So
therefore, the first thought comes to your mind, trash it, go to the next one.
		

			And that's something that will help you build a nation around you have thinkers of doers and so on.
		

			Subhanallah we've seen his creativity in his classes and his teaching style. That's why when people
would come to this guy, he was just like, Wow, I've never seen anything like this before. His
philosophy about the way to teach and the way to do it is what he calls it the wow factor
		

			that you need to be to have people being amazed when you deliver that knowledge to them. Number six,
he hated average.
		

			He never liked average. Because average not for us not for the Muslims. That's for anybody else. But
for the Muslim we've been taught to do something not beyond even average to the maximum to the with
their son. So for him, always thinking about nothing average. What comes next. This is what other
people think. What can you say? So you'd never like average so for you my dear brothers or sisters,
if you'd like to be a nation builder, don't think average.
		

			Don't plan for average then always go away and beyond. And the last one I'm gonna share with you
shallow Darla is doing with everything with her son, Sheikh Mohammed, believe in a very simple
principle. He goes excellence is never accidental. I've learned that from him.
		

			Excellence is never accidental.
		

			You can have an excellent idea just by accident have to work so hard to get it there. You will like
to have excellence at work, in school, in una vida in your personal life with Allah subhanho wa
Taala you have to work for it. You have to work for very hard, because excellence can never be
accidental. You want to work on your masjid, when your MSA group in your community in your
organization, whatever that you did in your family, in your marriage. Eximus is never accidental. So
don't go with average. Don't expect this to be accidental. You're gonna have to work so hard to make
it happen. And I want you to remember, stop just being a dreamer. Become a doer.
		

			If you have a dream make it happen. When beautiful things find inshallah that learn from Chef
		

			Muhammad Rahmatullah today is
		

			always dream big, no doubt about it.
		

			And he
		

			He told me that before you even start writing anything, take some time. just dream about it.
		

			Just dream about it. And that's why even as simple as naming a class, again, like the fear of love,
I always remember that because that memory happened right here, Japan, once again, the 20 year, you
know, it's panela, full circle, here, adult and one of the rooms in the hotel, here in that room
discussing what is the next class that we're going to teach for a mother of Institute. So finally,
we came to the idea of the feeling of love. But before that, we thought about physical Ostra. That's
what I told them in my own way that this does feel closer, the physical family or family lawyer,
who's with me goes that that title is no good. says find me someday. So like, what plaque took us on
		

			there. So start thinking and thinking, let's keep squeezing it here and there. And then he goes, I
got it.
		

			I said, What is it? He goes, we're gonna call it the filk of low.
		

			And I'm looking at him and he's like, Are you kidding me?
		

			But that's who he was. He always thought, you know, outside of the box, creativity,
		

			taking his time, thinking about the details, cared about what attracts people was going to excite
them are going to make it happy to do that and come and attend. And overall, he did that because he
truly believed that if you educate people, you're going to create a big and beautiful nation. May
Allah subhanaw taala make you all among those niches with a little bit alameen and Allah Subhanallah
Mercer chef Muhammad Ali, My Allah subhanho wa Taala take care of his family, but alameen and ask
Allah Allah the way we all gathered and displaced, we got it together in genitive, docid Allah will
shave and Mohammed who shall low to Allah, and with all the solder he was to Ramadi Kumamoto, Allah
		

			to Allah wa barakato