What’s Your Goal

Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.

Hamdulillah. How are you guys doing in Ramadan so far?

hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah. You know, I have a rule by the way. You guys know this when I used to live here. I don't travel in Ramadan, I always stay home. I refuse all invitations, no matter where it is, I want to stay home. Somebody said to me, but you're traveling to Memphis. I said, No, I'm coming home. So I haven't broken my rule and Hamdulillah

I looked at my

emails about moving to Memphis a few weeks ago. And subhanAllah it was in March of 2010 13 years ago from right now, when the discussion began for me to seriously start thinking of moving here.

And that same year, we had our first fundraiser as well. And in that fundraiser, we broke I think national records everywhere. 345 million pledged Alhamdulillah. By the way, how many were in that fundraiser in Germantown?

Mashallah, Mashallah. I can't see all the hands raised but I see at least 4050 hands.

It's been 14 years since that event.

1516 Since the vision of MRC, you all know the story. I said this multiple times, that division of MICC when I heard about it, I wasn't involved with it. Right. I was teaching here for the mothership. And you know, at nisi Montes, house the ALLAH forgive her May Allah grant agenda for those, you know, the famous story of putting it on the napkin that took place more than 15 years ago.

In the course of the next 1415 years, I have been with you every single fundraiser except for the last two. And I have seen this masjid and community grow from nothing but a seed until it is now Alhamdulillah, the largest facility and center in the entire tri state area, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee. You guys are number one at hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah.

Because I'm an insider, and I'm still an insider inshallah. I know that the process to get here wasn't always easy. I know the grumblings and frustrations I was a part of it. I know the feeling of exasperation, like we're doing this again. And for how many years we kept on wanting to pray in this facility, a blessing that I didn't get until I moved to Dallas then came back here which is fine, I had nine years and hamdulillah all my memories over there. Every year we kept on hoping next year, next year next year. And I remember those frustrations because I was a part of it. And I say this because in sha Allah hota Allah

once all is said and done, it is not the sweat and tears and frustration that remains. It is the legacy that has been built. After years and years and years of consistent toil and struggle. This is our legacy that we are just beginning brothers and sisters. This is the legacy that every one of you has had a role to play in. And as we look back and we take in and we stand in awe at this mashallah, I mean, I could never have imagined Wallahi this, I could never have imagined this 15 years ago, it wasn't even in my mind how beautiful this hall would be. But here I am. Here you are. And I want you to remember every single year those negativities that mean you will also have the Westwater of che

THON and I want you to remember that why because that was wasa is gonna get you nowhere, is gonna bog you down is going to impede you in your progress. The only way you're gonna build a legacy is if you consistently put in every single bit of effort that you can. And when you look back when the years turn into decades, as they have already turned into decades, these are now 15 years since the vision began. We are already looking at the second decade, the third decade.

We need to realize that we have the potential to go much more than this Alhamdulillah you guys all of us I'm a part of you. We Allah has blessed us we have done something amazing. We have done this amazing family life center. It was always our goal how many times I stood not on this stage but in stages in Germantown and stages in in color right next to my house over there, how many times I stood and I kept on pushing on you the vision of a family life center the vision of a massive banquet hall attached to a masala with all

Have our parks and all of our playgrounds, guess what? By and large, we've achieved that vision. And yet here I am, again, asking you for more money. And if Allah gives me life, I'm going to continue coming asking you for more money. Do you want to know why? Because our vision is not going to be finite, because our goal is not going to be stopped simply because we have a beautiful hall. No, we're going to keep on building we're going to keep on adding to that legacy. Because this is how legacies are built brothers and sisters Subhanallah I look back and Allah has blessed me to have met with many of our pioneers in the American Dawa scene. And in his own small way, my father was also a

pioneer as you're in this in his own small way in Texas. And Allah has blessed me to grow up with, you know, the likes of Sheikh Mohammed sucker would come share with Jamal Badawi now I'm still in touch with him. These are the pioneers and visionaries and you don't when you interact with them, you humanize them, you see them, you realize they weren't angels. They weren't superhuman. They weren't created out of a different cloth than me and you. They're the same flesh and blood. They're the same people struggling with their daily lives and their families and their, and frankly, their struggles were far more difficult than ours, financially, socially. But what they did was they made

the best of their circumstances, what they did, there were all average people that came here. But they weren't satisfied with being average. They weren't satisfied with mediocrity, they wanted to do something more. And so whatever opportunities they had, they kept on pushing forward pushing, pushing, pushing, until finally, they all established the legacies that they did, because of their sacrifices. And here in Memphis, as well, you've had a number of pioneers that have come before me before all of us, you have a number of pioneers, some of them no longer with us, they did whatever they could, they laid the foundation. And because of that foundation, whenever you moved to Memphis,

there was something for you, must you the salam, or MRC, if you were already here, or whichever community and now it's your opportunity, and if every single generation that moves here, if every single batch that moves here understands, you have a role to play as well, and you can make your own legacies and what we are doing, then in sha Allah to Allah, we will be able to trampoline off of every single effort. Those that came in the 60s, if they were to simply have a house that they convert to a masjid, that is a big deal. They did it those that came in the 70s and 80s. They made a purpose built masjid, those that came in the 80s and 90s. They made it a bigger facility. Now here

we have a mega complex a Family Life Center in Shaolin. The next stage after this is going to have a mini school, Mini University Mini, you know, old people's home, whatever it might be a mini Ummah right here in Memphis, and we have the potential and the land and the means and the resources to do that. So I make no apologies about standing here. 15 years in a row asking for your money, I make no apologies. Because collectively together, look at what we have accomplished at Hamdulillah. Look at what has happened. I've Oh, after all of these years, Al Hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah. The future is bright, the future is bright. And we have in this generation, the opportunity to establish a legacy

that is going to last not just our lifetime, but many, many lifetimes. Brothers and sisters, my time is limited and shallow. I'll be here for the rest of the story. But I just want to leave you with one simple point. One simple point. And I gave similar sentiments a number of years ago when I was when I was out, you know, had to leave this beautiful community which is always going to be in my hearts. But I said something then and I'll say it again right now. Never forget our institutes. Our masajid never forget the religion of Islam is above any Institute. The goal is the religion the goal is of the deen the goal is the pleasure of Allah subhanho wa taala. So the religion is always above

any Masjid Foundation, any Institute's and if we have that in mind, then the petty issues that happened, the frustrations that happen, the complaints that happen you shall have the Eman to swallow them and move on. We're not doing this for our egos. We're not doing this because somebody says something that hurt my feelings. We're doing this to establish the religion of Allah in this land. We're doing this to fortify the Eman of our children to protect our great grandchildren after us. That's why we're doing it. So remember the religion is above any Institute, any board, any group of people and the community and remember the institute's and the masjid and the foundation is above

any one individual no

One individual is going to dictate the entire foundation or Institute, people shall come and go, I had to leave this community, some of our elders, Allah azza wa jal chose them and return them back to us. May Allah azza wa jal accept all of them for the good that they've done, people are going to leave, some of you are going to have to leave this community. It doesn't matter, the Institute, the masjid, this community is bigger than individuals, and the religion of Islam is bigger than this community. If you keep that priority, if you keep that hierarchy in your minds, if you always understand where do you fit in the grand scale of things, and you realize, if I do my bit, if I do

whatever little I can do, I can actually impact a change in the global scene in the state of the OMA, I can actually do that, even though I myself cannot coming together 700 800 people in this audience, all of us together in this community, I can actually do something that will leave a lifetime of a legacy that will allow me and my name in the eyes of Allah to remain long after I've done I've gone. That's the point brothers and sisters understand me and you individually are nothing coming together, we have this blessed community, and even the community will come and go bigger than all of us is the religion of Islam. And every single one of us, we have an important role to play

you do you you rise to your role you do the max you can do and if you do so, you have established your legacy on this earth Subhanallah brothers and sisters, fact of the matter is, most of us our legacies are not going to be remembered by mankind. Most of us after a generation or two, our names are going to be forgotten. That is the reality. But Alhamdulillah Allah subhanho wa Taala does not forget, and that Hamdulillah, the Kitab that is with him, and all of the things that are done in our lifetimes. Alhamdulillah Allah preserves, so if we create for ourselves a legacy in that book, if we are able to construct a mini onma for our children, and you know, this has been my plea from the

beginning. What we're doing here is not just fancy halls, what we're doing here is fortifying emotions, what we're doing here protecting the fragile natures of our children, allowing them the opportunity to see what it is to be a Muslim making them proud of their identity. That's what we're doing. And we're going to do this at every level, educational, physical, psychological sports, every level we're going to do that if every one of you understand you have a role to play, and if every one of you lives up to that role, then inshallah who to Allah your legacies will be carved out and Allah azza wa jal will know your grace and sincerity and Allah will know you did what you could do

for the sake of a greater good I might not know every one of your names people around you might forget you and 20 3050 100 years but Allah azza wa jal will know and the good that you have done will literally be a sadhaka Giardia we used to say this 1015 years Bill sadaqa jariya Bill sadaqa Giardia people of Memphis mi see you have built a soda, kajaria, Masha Allah, Masha Allah, you have built a southern Nigeria. But there's more to do. This is just the beginning. You have already done phase one. And I'm telling you from now, I don't know what the board has in mind. But I hope that whenever this phase finishes, they have another phase in mind. And when that phase finishes, they

have another phase in mind, because that's how legacies are built. That's how the standards are raised. We should never be satisfied with mediocrity. We should always strive to be number one in every field that we do. So I encourage all of you to rise up to your greatest potential to understand when you come together you can accomplish much more than if you are all alone and Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah when all is said and done when all the last 15 years are looked at who cares about the naysayers who cares about the West was out of shape on where is all your frustration now it's all gone. So tonight as well get rid of the West wasa get rid of the frustration get rid of

all the naysayers and do your bit for the sake of Allah subhana wa Tada May Allah azza wa jal continue to bless this community. May Allah Subhana Allah Allah protect all of you and all of us and our loved ones. May Allah subhanho wa Taala allow MICC to be a shining beacon of Islam of Eman of Taqwa of the message of our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam for many, many, many generations to come. May Allah subhanaw taala accept our meager efforts may Allah bless whatever little we do to make it something that is perpetual and permanent for many, many generations to come. May Allah protect our children and their children after them. May Allah allow the legacy of na Ilaha illa

Allah to be passed down from my children or your children to their children after them until the Day of Judgment. May Allah Allah was to live as righteous Muslims to die as Mormons and to be resurrected with the prophets and the martyrs and the seduce the initial head on Sonya in what has sunnah would I cut off here?

Cough which is Aqua Mala who can understand why they come to LA here we're about to catch up