Yasir Qadhi – Bringing About Change in The World

			One of the things that overwhelms us is the sheer quantity of projects that we can do for the OMA.
And we don't know where to begin, there's so much going on at the global level national level at our
own community level. So some comments, some thoughts for your own reflection, one of the things that
I like to do, I'd like to categorize the areas that I can contribute to five and ask myself, What am
I doing in each one of these five areas. The first of these is at the global level. The first of
these, the OMA as a whole, what is happening to people far and away, but they're still a part of our
OMA, the second of these at our nation state level. In the end of the day, we're all living in one
		

			land. In our case, it's America, okay, we have responsibilities and hook to this area to this region
as well. The third level is my community, my message it my people that I'm interacting with on a
daily basis. The fourth level is my immediate circle, family and friends, especially family, and the
fifth level individually went on life.
		

			So these are the five primary areas where you contribute not just to Islam, but to anything,
humanity, anything. So think about what are you doing in each one of these five categories, and make
it your goal that at least some things should be done to help and to benefit and to try to effect a
change at each of these levels? Of course, the global one is the most difficult because what can you
and I do for the Uyghurs for the fall asleep for the Kashmir? What can we do and we feel usually the
most helpless. And that is the one that is always in the news all the time, right? The domestic one
as well. This very daunting so much going on in this country, right? Islamophobia is happening,
		

			issues of violence issues of you know, godlessness, whatnot. And then community of course little
gets easier, because we are interacting with not family and friends is of course, always very easy
access. And then myself is always the most. Now the irony here is that generally speaking, when we
start thinking about change, we think in this in this exact area 12345 How can I change the OMA How
can I change benefit? But the irony in the eyes of Allah azza wa jal, the this the list is actually
reversed. This list that I gave you, you need to flip the script around in the eyes of Allah, the
priorities is the exact opposite. We get bogged down and we get depressed actually. And we feel a
		

			sense of exasperation, frustration, look at the state of the Ummah, what can I do? But we forget
that on the Day of Judgment is the exact opposite, the questions will come, you are responsible
primarily for yourself. That's number one. And then right after that, your family and friends,
right. And then after that your immediate community, and then whatever little you can do at your
nation level, and then at the global level. And here's the interesting point. If every one of us
actually did flip the script, if every one of us actually did begin with ourselves, and then our
immediate families and friends, right, and then our community, well then what is a nation built of
		

			except building blocks of communities? And what is a community to build up except individual
families and what is the family built out except individuals and what is the OMA built of except
every one of us still does doesn't mean we don't contribute at the Ummah level, we do whatever we
can, the least we can do is to be aware of what's going on. The least we can do is to not turn a
blind eye when that news item comes up. And it's really awkward to read, read it so that it should
impact us to do what to be better at levels. 234, especially five. You see level one, we'll talk
about the OMA factor. The matter is not much we can do, but we can use it to incentivize us. We can
		

			use it to make us feel Subhanallah look at my brothers and sisters of the Rohingya. What is going
on? Well, I look at the Uighur situation, how sad is it? Look at what's happening in Kashmir. And
then we realize you know what, I Allah has blessed me I'm not being tested the way they are. I'm not
living in those circumstances. Well then how can I not show that appreciation right? So we take
those global issues we're aware of them not much I can do to change yes maybe you know public
awareness do our fundraisers as whatever little we can do. But we can use those global levels to
motivate us to do what to change at the individual and at the communal level. So now that I made a
		

			New Year's resolution about to come we're not going to go down there don't worry okay. I'm not going
to say New Year's verdure Shala. No new year's resolution Inshallah, but we should have this notion,
how am I contributing? What am I giving back number one to the OMA number two to the broader society
I live in number three specifically
		

			My community number four, my family, my friends, what am I doing with them? How am I impacting them?
Number five myself. And then we begin with ourselves. And I conclude with this beautiful quote. It's
very famous quote, they say it's Mark Twain. They say a lot of people say this, they say when I was
young, I thought I needed to change the whole world. And when I became older, I realized I only need
to change myself. That's actually a very valid point. Not that we don't change the world, but where
does change begin? It has to begin within us. So we ask Allah subhana wa Taala to allow us to effect
that change in ourselves and then our families and friends and then our communities and then our
		

			broader societies and that will shallow to impact the entire globe Zakouma.
		

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