In this khutbah Sh Yaser Birjas discusses the necessity of trying to bring change to the community irrespective of age. Opportunity is something that you make, it doesn’t necessarily just come to you.
Jan 6, 2017 at Valley Ranch Islamic Center
Yaser Birjas – Bringing Positive Change In Difficult Times
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of positive change during difficult times, including the challenges of success and the importance of taking action. They stress the need to stay alert and pay attention to small details, as well as building trust in oneself and avoiding harming others. The speakers also advise individuals to pay attention to small details and avoid giving up on their actions, and to learn the skill of seizing opportunities to make the most impact.
AI: Summary ©
wanna stay steady? Who wants to throw around the Villa ministerium fusina Molina, Maya De La La La La La La La La La La La La La ilaha illallah wa la sharika washer ana Muhammadan Abdul hora pseudo. Yeah you Allah Dinamo. Takahata toccata wala tomahto nylon to Muslim moon yeah you anessa Takara Bakula de la comida Holloman Hello Jehovah sama humara Jalan kathira manisa pataka la la la, la la, la la, la cumbre de la. Yeah you holla Deena ama taco la kulu Colin Salida ustelecom American
monitor la hora Sula, who foccacia 1000 Allah.
Allah Allah, Allah, Allah Allah, Allah Allah.
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Mashallah muramasa to Hakuna Matata, Tabitha Bakula de la la la la la la la, la la Suma Madiba de la Mati brothers and sisters, bringing positive change in difficult time is not that easy. And many, many people when talking about positive change, they always think of someone else taken care of that. Because for them, their circumstances never ideal to make that positive change. We spoke about this subject many times during the heartburn. We spoke about what does it mean to be positive in difficult times? How would you do your part in difficult times, we spoke about always trying to make some sense of achievement according to your capacity and
never attach yourself to the results. Instead, always attach yourself to the effort you're responsible to do your part. That's it. As a result, Allah Subhana automate tests for us sometimes in our favor, unnecessary all the time. But we will always attach ourselves to doing our part. Many people they wait very, very long, and when the weight is too long for them, they lose hope that they will ever change or even become agents of positive change during this lifetime. But look at the examples from the Quran and the Sunnah of the prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Yusuf Ali Salaam,
Yusuf alayhi salam, before he came out before he became who became afterwards as the treasurer of Egypt, before he became such famous and such bring a such impact and change in the entire region, not just in Egypt, he spent in prison few years for no crime that he committed other than just being handsome.
spending several years in prison, you might consider this an idle time.
wasted opportunity. You spent several years in prison Doing what? But the opportunity came one day for him. When the king come looking for help. And they found that helpful use of Allah, his Salaam, the moment he stood in front of that king, he told him his journey, Allah has
said, Listen, I can take care of things for you. Make me the treasure of Egypt. I'll take care of it for you.
But before he got that opportunity, and he captured that opportunity, he had to wait.
And that way, even though we consider this to be just waiting for nothing, probably just for maturity, or maybe for the right time, for the golden opportunity when it comes that you never miss.
Look at Musa alayhis salam.
Musa alayhis salam. He spent 10 years in the desert, doing what? Shepherd,
dog after sheep, with his staff, feeding the sheep and taking them from right to left and up and down and so on 10 years
and then after that, when he was on his way back to Egypt, what was the call that he got?
Allah subhanaw taala told him yeah Moosa in Mr. Facebook Allah Naseby Salah to be kalami, moto Kuma, Shakira, Allah subhana wa tada says, yamasa I'm selecting you. I'm choosing you over all these people. So that you carry my message. And the precious words of Allah subhanho wa Taala that Allah spoke to him directly without clergyman without interpreter in a manner that suits His Majesty. So he made him a very special person. But before that, what was Musa Jima in the desert?
You might consider this time, idle time, by a waste of time. But with Allah subhanho wa Taala, no time is wasted. If you capture that moment, when it comes to you. Look at the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
He was 40 years old when he received this miracle that he
imagined lived for years, looking for the truth. But then when Allah sent him, Accra, he spent 23 years half the time he lived before that changed the face of history.
So it doesn't matter.
how long you've been waiting
is how much effort you put in the time that you have when that opportunity comes to you.
And that's what the prophets, Allah Larson did. And that's what we all should be doing. You might say, but they were ambia. They were messengers. Well, they were sent as example to us. And Allah subhana wa tada commanded us, that he Muhammad Sallallahu, sallam, Kerala, was Ratan Hassan, that he was actually a great example for us to follow. So we follow his example. We see what he did, how he managed things, how we deal with difficulties to Allah, Allah was the land, you say our time is very difficult. What was it more difficult than his time? sallallahu wasallam when he was sent to his people, his people believed in the stones and the rocks and the mountains and they believed in the
trees, bone, and they believed in anything else,
to come and convince them to believe in something other than that be like a miracle. And the miracle happened.
It wasn't overnight though. took a while. But eventually it did happen. Now my question for you, how long have you been living in this life? What is the impact that you leaving behind you when you live and depart from this world? Or raffia Rahim Allah tala one time says Allah irlanda che and other dunya content other than Allah. If you haven't added anything, if we did not add anything extra in this life, you will count as extra on it.
Like, you'd be just an extra on the side.
So what is it exactly that you leaving behind? When you leave? You might say, Well, I don't know, my circumstances are not where they should be. You know, when it comes to the word opportunity, if you look at in the dictionary, the word opportunity, it means actually, a set of circumstances, set of circumstances that would make something possible
set of circumstances, they will make something possible. A lot of people they take opportunity exactly to that letter, which means they wait until something possible to happen.
They don't realize that opportunity can be manufactured, that you can steer, you know the events of your life, with good planning, and effort. And then telecoil, and have you trust in Allah subhanho wa Taala, you can make a lot of things happen. And I've seen this a lot, you know, on a personal level reading and books of history, and many, many actually ways things can happen. But somehow you need to be smart. I need to put some effort in there and understand what you could do in this life. You see, when it comes to opportunities, they're just like this word is your mind. It's an opportunity.
What kind of particular can you get from this, some people want so that's not a part of the cycle is getting depressed, oh my god, I'm not gonna do anything today. I'm gonna say this or that, because it's getting too cold, and we're not used to it, you're afraid to drive. Other people, they might take this a golden opportunity for them, whatever that is. But you look into it, and you can see something positive that might come out of this. So opportunities when they come, they do not necessarily look 100% obvious. You need some time to look through things. So you can find that opportunity for yourself. When opportunities come. They actually they don't wait.
They're not slow, they pass by and they're not going to wait for you until you make up your mind.
But you need to be smart enough to see it and take it and capture it. I live in a bit thought about it a lot. And it was reported that he said voluntary do for us I'll hire in tomorrow mersa, hub,
you know, capture these golden opportunities, these good opportunities come your way, because they pass like the clouds.
Which means as they travel, they don't stop for anybody, do they?
They won't stop. And that's I guess the exact same thing to you as well. And when these opportunities come, because many people they always, you know, sit down and whine about their circumstances and why this person did better than me and this person did you know more than me and dissenter Subhanallah they sit down, they start whining and crying about it. You see when these opportunities they come they come equally for everybody. But people they make the decisions to capture them or not. So what did you do in your life, to sit down there and just keep whining about an opportunity that you probably you lost? And when these are procedures they go away, most likely,
they never come back. That's part of our test. This is part of our test. So we need to learn a few things about opportunities. When it comes to success in any opportunity. You need to realize it's a test from Allah subhanho wa Taala. Many people they think that success is something like you know, it's instant. You just kind of have some that will just be overnight. That's a myth. But it's still a test because some people might be tested with an instant success. What are you gonna do with it? Some people their success will be delayed, like use a valid salam, or musala. Sir, it took a while.
It's still part of their test as well. But again, it doesn't matter how long they waited. It's how they did when that opportunity came their way. Would it
to being successful, we have to understand that actually, you have to travel a road that not so many people travel,
which means you're going to need to be like an outline or someone who does not have the ordinary people, you're gonna have to make some efforts and they're gonna request from you to take again, the longer priority path that will get you there and shout louder, Baraka, what Allah and learn that you must take an action for something to happen.
Otherwise, if you don't take action, nothing will happen. Let's see from the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, how he handled opportunities. And what did he do in order to achieve that success? We've seen him his lifestyle the last time and I mentioned this for us, because I know we are actually going to be living a very difficult time. We don't just sit here in America, by the way, if you ask people who are all over the world, everybody is now looking at the future to be kind of like gloomy.
They look at it as getting darker and darker. They don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. And everybody's just kind of becoming now skeptical. How are we going to go How are we going to go about things? It is going to be difficult and there is no doubt about it. But we can always ensure loudhailer benefit from this time to create the best opportunity. And here are a few things we learn from the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam some habits that he adopted or he, he said about the loss that he showed in his practice and his Dharma, that will give us hope and how we can seize this good opportunity to show on life. Now first thing you need to pay attention, pay
attention and stay alert. You see the Prophet sallallahu wasallam. He was paying attention to everything around him in Mecca and Medina. He knew what was going on around him salatu wa salam Ali, he was paying attention to the news even. So, when things happen between the Persians and the Romans, the Prophet sallahu wa sallam, he, he was kind of like again he was going to be bringing the attention of the people to this. And Allah revealed to him that they shall prevail after that a few years from now, and it did happen. I wonder Sahaba compared to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in Mecca, how difficult their time was how they the difficult that their life has become the
prophets that are some suggested to them to go to Abyssinia why, because he was paying attention. Then in a Be seated there was a just King you should go there to this man and you should worship inshallah freely with Allah zoan. The prophet SAW so much pay attention to these things. Sometimes you pay attention to little details.
If you read the story of the of the Arabia, the agreement of the prophets, Allah semi signed with the metcons when he came for the umbra, and they refuse to leave the prophet SAW some come in, they start sending him one delegation after the other one delegate after the other one. And if you read the seal of the prophets, Allah salam, every time a man comes in, he would give a remark and a comment on this person to the to the Sahaba around him.
So when someone cases this man is a very religious person is very pious. Make sure to show him you know the animals of the sacrifice. He will change his heart and he did change his art. Another man came the proposers, this man is actually facile is no good. Which means there is no need for us to negotiate much with him. He was paying attention to details and wants to help and armor came and the professor semi says the essential suheil Sahara Morocco is going to get easy now.
You pay attention to some tiny details sometimes it would worth it and will lie in Dawa, you should always pay attention to these things may look around you pay attention to the people around you. Pay attention to your workplace. When you drive around, when you go and you shop pay attention because it's very crucial for you might see that opportunity in every possible moment that you do go through maybe the person sitting next to you on the plane can be an opportunity for you pay attention to these little details and hopefully you can see a good opportunity that come out of it inshallah Baraka Allah develop that habit of paying attention staying alert. The second thing, just like we
asked you to pay attention, you need to understand that people pay attention to
what does that exactly mean to me. That means to me, I need to think of every word and every action I do as important.
Some of us we say things in public, that we say whatever, who cares. Now you should care. As a person of mission in this life, you should really care. You do something, you need to pay attention to it, because your action you reward might be magnified 10 times. Why because some people might take opportunity of it that we're on against.
So just like you need to pay attention, you develop the habit also of making sure you always consider every word and every work that you do something that is very important. So develop this habit of making sure to pay attention to what you say and what you do. Even Allah subhana wa told us that limit Hakuna Matata follow, why do you say something and you don't work against it you so basically you don't do what you preach. So you make sure that everything you say and you do is very important to you. The third thing
you need also to understand and need to pay attention
Be aware of the potential that your actions and your words have an impact on other people.
You see the process of Arsalan Khan actor and NASA man, he was most smiling of all people. Every time people meet him, he would smile, so a lot of us and even he said to us that Asuka Bua de casa de, when you smile in someone's face, that's an act of charity. Why is that? Because he knew the impact of smiling. You could even see that in the seat of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam when he was, you know, around the people, and people come to see who that man was. They would say Carla will love
the love and Salaam Raja laughter and he was a rabbi. in Medina, when he heard the people talking about this man who claims to be a prophet, he went to see him. And then when he went there, and he looked at him, then he said to himself, well, I had my heart, he kept up, this cannot be the face of a lawyer.
There is no way there's an imposter.
And he gets your head around the laughter and your behavior, that's what it means your behavior will mean a lot.
And make sure that you keep yourself at a higher standard of character. Even if you claim to you're not at that level. But you know what, again, it's an opportunity when you hold yourself to a higher standard of character. And you can see a lot of golden opportunities and make great change in life of many, many people, including yours. The first thing that I want you to pay attention from the life of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam, is recognizing that these golden opportunities for bringing positive change in difficult times in your life and other people's lives. They're actually all over the place. And they're waiting for you to come and discover them.
Where they will learn this from the prophets of Allah Solomon, he was commissioned to become the daiya and the Messenger of Allah. Do you think you were in Harrison in his house, depending on his reputation and his lineage for people to come and ask and just get that wisdom from him? No way. He was going every single day, every single day to the public places, like the markets.
And whenever there was like a convention, and there was a like an expo in the desert, he would go out there. He would go and present themselves to listen to the people. And he was looking for these opportunities. He wasn't waiting for anything to happen. He was actually going there to see if he can make something happen. axolotl, I was at Armani. And I want you to do that as well. Don't wait for something to happen to change around you. You go and look for opportunities to change.
If you get a chance to speak with someone while you're waiting for a cup of coffee to be presented to you in a coffee place, make a conversation with them.
Take an opportunity. If you see something wrong happens in front of you. If you can change, you can say something about it, do it. Just don't wait for the party to come. You can create that opportunity by the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala. And then the Prophet sallallahu wasallam. He made himself magnet. He made himself resourceful to the people basically he was well known as a trustworthy man. That's why his reputation was what a surgical I mean, a trustworthy person, a truthful person. Are you that magnet in your workplace? When people want to want some help? Do they come to you?
Did they come to you because they know that you are you help, that you can provide service and help and so on. I know a lot of us in a competitive world like ours right now. They hold on of helping other people because they think if I help that they might actually pass me to the next level and promotion. And I stay where I am. You know what, if this is what you're after, in this life, that's fine. But if you have a higher goal, I guarantee you always having the higher you know, manners and as luck will have a good result in this dunya before even the ACA. But you're gonna have to have a trust in Allah subhanho wa Taala in that regard. So remember, to build a reputation to become
resourceful for the people who around you. Next, whenever you see an opportunity,
count that opportunity. And make sure that you take it regardless how major or minor that opportunity might be. Some people when something comes by, they think it's too little to start with, therefore, they pass it and they let go of it. Wait for the bigger one.
If this job is you dreaming about is not coming your way. Just take whatever is available right now and then move on to the next level. You know, Rasulullah sallallahu sallam.
When a man such as a brother, a brother or a family, he comes from a tribe called the Father. The father was a very tough tribe in the urban peninsula. He came into the city of Mecca trying to look for this man who was calling to Allah subhanho wa Taala. And he was afraid to expose himself and ask publicly otherwise it might be beaten because of that, which he did actually, you know, got cut that
the chance with the people in Mecca, but when he became Muslim, the prophets of Assam told him he says I want you to
Go back home, and wait for me. When you hear that I prevailed, come and join us.
So I borrowed the law when he left the professor. But before he left, he says, You know what, I'm not leaving too far until I go and pronounced my Islam in public. And he did. The people of mica pulled him down there beating him down the ground until over close a deal. He came, he says, Man, this is from afar,
this guy from afar, which is be careful, you can lose your business for them. And for that, just because of this, that people stopped beating the lawn, but what I'm saying is the Prophet Allah Sam didn't see this man to be insignificant. Now. He said, Listen, become Muslim. Now go back home, we prevailed come,
your time is going to come for us. Maybe not now. But it will come. So whatever it is that you see, don't say, I don't know what I'm going to benefit from this, just do it and take care of it. The benefit might come actually sometime later. And finally, whenever an opportunity comes to you one quality that is very crucial, is to be decisive and making the right decisions, or at least what you believe to be the right decision. The outcome is not in your hand, is in the hands of Allah subhanho wa Taala. One of the greatest examples that we see from the seat of the process. So the last column in terms of decision making, is the hydro.
The heat or the migration from Mecca to Medina, for many people living Mecca, live in your own hometown to another country. One other actually place is just like, you know, constant power removing your soul out of your body. But that decision was crucial, and needs to be done. It took a while. It took actually about three years before the decision was made. He first met the six young men whom the prophet SAW an opportunity with them. Maybe it wasn't that big at the time. But you know what? He gave them Dawa. They accepted Islam. They went to Medina, they came back the following you with 12 people that you're after with 80 plus and said we have 100 more, they're waiting for
your Salalah. And then the professor has a man that is has a decision. Time for the agent.
So as we see here, a lot of opportunities come your way. And we have the profits that are what allow us that Imani as an example for us. Bringing positive change is not just a matter of opportunity, wait for it to happen. So you can become you know the person who bring that change. No, you manufacture that change. But you're going to have to learn the skill of looking and seizing these opportunities. We have lots of homemakers among those who listen to the speech and for the rest of it. A colo Cody Hi. That was tough. rolandi they were Kumasi University of Nevada for one
Alhamdulillah Allah Allah May Allah wa Salaam baalak anabaena Muhammad wa ala alihi wa salatu salam, Sleeman kathira mama but mighty brothers and sisters, when we talk about positive change, even on personal level doesn't have to be in our lives, even in your personal level because of highly educated Muslims. And successful Muslims in business and in life. They can make great influence for the entire committee and probably the entire society. If they've done everything the proper way shall have the Baraka wattana. So on personal level, even if you have a small opportunity, don't just look down at that opportunity. Seize It. Probably that will grow to become big and shallow to
barakaatuh. I know personal as a personal story that I bought with a friend, this friend when we we left Kuwait and we went to Jordan right after the war back in 1991. And I remember walking with another friend of ours in the marketplace in the middle of the streets, Panama and suddenly we see this guy, he was very well nice dressed Mashallah. But he was actually pushing a cart of nuts,
selling nuts in the streets. And just like we looked at each other, me and my friend like, oh, man,
what is he doing? We felt shy, that he's putting himself in position like this. And he's not dressed for the occasion, was actually looking overdressed for it. So we came in, we talked to says, Well, what are you doing? It says, I'm selling nuts. Like it could have found something else. And we were young at the time, but he's holla he saw an opportunity we didn't see at the time. Later, we realized that this young man what he was doing, he was just testing the market. He saw an opportunity. He tested the market. And then a few months, a few weeks later, he actually he purchased for more of these cards. And now he actually he is hiring other people. And he was even
paying for certain locations for these cards because he knew after testing the market himself for so long, what works what doesn't you know how much it brings back to him, there's a profit and so on. And soon, you know, a few years after that, you go back there right now to see him Mashallah. He's one of the great business people in that area, not understanding cards is a provider and now he's actually one of the great merchants in that area.
But he saw an opportunity. We didn't see it. He saw it. He's very successful person and a pilot
person. So what I'm saying is that whatever opportunity comes your way, don't look down at it. You don't know where the highest gonna come. Allahu taala what I'm asking from you inshallah tada today, remember, maybe you had to wait 10 years like Mozart, I said, I'm dead before your opportunity comes your way. Maybe you had to wait several days like use of Allah His Salaam, but when the opportunity comes your way, etc is that I want you to go home and sit down and think about it.
What is your calling?
What is it? You waited for so long? So what is it today that you can do that will make positive change around you for yourself or your family? And for those who are actually surrounding you
will find it my Atlanta in Atlanta. lollywood Hakeem allama fusina taqwa was Atlanta hi romantika Antonio harmala Hi by the law in allama Lakota saloon Allah nubby yeah you alladhina amanu sallu alayhi wa sallam Otis Lima Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa de la Mancha Rashida Viva la Mora