The Muslim identity

Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah are an early he was definitely he Jemaine I'm about to do a Salam or aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa Medicare to

How is everyone is this thing close enough? You can hear me? Yeah my dear stretch it just a little bit there we go. I want to get in the way that my

hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah Hilah, the Orissa rasuluh who will who the wedding will happily the federal Allah de Nicola Kapha Villa he Shaheed we praise Allah Subhana Allah, Allah first and foremost above all of the things it is he alone, whom we worship, and he alone who we seek assistance to help from and we've ever witnessed that there is no deity worthy of worship, except for Tim. And then Muhammad ibn Abdullah SallAllahu wasallam is his last and final messenger.

The Muslim identity, you know, that's like a, like a huge, it's a huge topic that could be like a, you know, a full collegiate course, right, like full university course. So, you know, I tried to think of the best way to break that down into 45 minutes, which is not doing a lot of justice. So what I what I'm going to do in shot along with to Anna, is start off very elementary, very elementary, which will you are going to realize, hopefully Insha Allah, that even the elementary concepts of Islam are actually very deep, actually very deep. That's the thing I love about the religion of Islam, is that even the most basic things that you think are like, just super simple, if

you actually start looking into the expanse of them, they are so the This is why the more you learn about Islam, is what I've learned over the years, and I give advice to young students of Islam. Don't start talking about Islam until you realize how ignorant you are. That's it, you know, because you have a lot of young students who start learning about Islam, and then they automatically that they think they know things they want to go into. That is I tell them you have you have not even like scratched the surface yet. When you know, you're ready to start telling other people about Islam is when you really realize how ignorant you are. The more you learn, the more you realize you

have no clue you don't know. You know, I'm currently a handler to the facility of Allah working on my doctorate in Islam, which will lead me uneasy, but it's like the more I study, and the more I'm working to my thesis, because my thesis is, excuse me, my dissertation is basically how do we take the Tao of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam? And how do we actualize that in the modern age in a holistic way, in a holistic way? And it's I've been working on that doctor for four years. And the more I write, the more I realize, I don't know anything, you know, I mean, I have to go back now. Okay, there's another principle. I've learned revision rewrites. So if I don't finish it hamdulillah

it's not I'm not really in a Russian and I'm never know that anybody call me Doctor anyway. So, nevertheless,

the Muslim identity, let's break it down. First, I'm going to ask you a question. And I don't ask questions rhetorically, nor do I ask questions to make people feel ignorant. You know, I'm not trying to ask you a question. It's either like, oh, look, you don't know. And I know, I'm asking you a question. Because this is one of the principles that I'm putting in my dissertation. It was from the son of the Prophet Allah Alayhi salaatu wa Salaam. In his teaching methodology. One of his most prominent teaching methodologies to his companions was to ask questions, to ask questions, because we've learned psychologically This is my secular studies in psychology understanding how the

behavior of organisms is this what this what psychology boils down to how human beings think and behave. When you ask someone a question. It opens up a gateway in the mind like it automatically opens a door you can tell someone something and it literally go in one ear out the other you know, you can actually passively be listening how many how many of you are students that oh, you go Sooners, right? You guys are killing Tulsa. This was like the game was even sniper game.

I'm a Clemson fan. By the way. Just Just to let you know. I was born and raised a Clemson fan I grew up going to all the games I am a tiger through and through to the day I die. We were good for a while. I think devil was lost his touch now, this year. But anyway.

You know, you can passively listen in class, right? How many classes have you been to when you leave the class? And like? Would it be what was it what happened? But when you're asked a question, it causes the brains neurons to start firing to listen more attentively. So the Prophet SAW Selim would use this in his discourse. So I'm asking you a couple of very elementary questions, but I want to show you how deep bass can go to the core of the Muslim identity.

What does the word Muslim mean?

or raise your hand at once? What does the word Muslim mean? Yes.

One who is submission of peace in Islam we're getting there.

I submit to the will of God. You're also right. Yes.

Saying the shahada you're also right.

What does it mean? What else does it mean?

All right, linguistically? Yeah, let's break it down. Let's get into the morphology of the word. Because Allah has called us Muslim in the Quran, right? The morphology of the word Muslim. What does it mean? If we were to take away your understood meaning, and let's say grammatically, grammatically What does the word Muslim mean?

Someone who submits Alright, we're getting there You all right, by the way, but let's break it down. Now you what I'm trying to explain to you is you see how simple these concepts can be, but yet how deep they can be. Let's break it down and chulmleigh

the religion that we follow is called Islam, right? Islam Islam and I gotta go through it What is Islam in because it's you're going to come up with a lot of answers and you're going to be right. Islam has been quoted to me and what piece submission, sincerity. There's there's a number of words that come from that root word Salana, right.

The word Islam the way it is constructed and the way we look at it through the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet alayhi salaatu wa Salaam. And this was, this was broken down to me. I went through this with Chef Abdullah and PT, I think a lot. I know, some of the top private sessions I had with him. I had like certain questions I wanted to be answered, because I knew that these will be foundational questions that would go to help me in not only my personal life, but in my Dawa. He said Islam is a process, right? Peace is a correct but also not the best way to describe Islam all the time. Why? Because peace is an end result of something. Right? He said Peace doesn't just

happen. He said. So if you say Islam means peace. Why are Muslims not peaceful? You know, I mean, why are we why are our countries not peaceful? Why are our lands not peaceful? Why are we not peaceful people? Why do we go through many of the things that everyone else is going through so you will find yourself, you know, kind of contradicting yourself? He said, So Islam, the beginning means submission, the beginning the core, when you look in the Quran, it means submission, to what to Allah subhanho wa Taala Ana, submission to the will of Allah, and then sincerely, sincerely that submission has to come with a glass because this is the principle upon which all acts are accepted.

So he said, submitting to Allah sincerely, in order to have peace, in order to have peace in this life. And in the next he said, This is Islam. Islam is submitting to the will of Allah, sincerely, in order to obtain peace, by sincere submission to the Creator. This is how one finds peace. This one finds peace, as Allah says in the Quran, in the remembrance of Allah, but the hearts find rest. He said, It's so through this submission to Allah with sincerity, that we will find peace in our hearts. And then in sha Allah, we find peace in the next life. He said, This is Islam. So explain this to people that Islam is submitting to Allah sincerely in an in order to find peace in this life

and in the next he said, So through this submission. Sincerely, you will find the peace and you'll find that peace regardless of the circumstances that are around you, regardless of the circumstances that around you. He said look at the lives of like him, I'm gonna handle him whole lotta Anna, the piece that he had, he said, Look at Abu Bakr in the cave. We were talking last night. He said that when when when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, What do you think will happen? The two people from the third is Allah. He said a tranquility as a Kena descended upon me, like I had never had before. The night the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam made his escape from his home, who did

he leave in his bed early and toiling late in his bed, what did he say about that night he might know. He said that was the most peaceful night of his life. He has never had such peaceful rest. Then he had that night when he knew he was surrounded with people that would just come in and maybe kill him because of his sincere submission to the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala Allah gave him peace, Abu Bakr submission to the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala making Hijra and Abu Bakr could have left a long time ago, you do know that Abu Bakr had so many chances to leave and may Kindra. He said, No, I wait. He waited for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

So we see that that's what happens when you severely submit to Allah. Look at the life of me and tell me Rahim Allah, Allah, how many times a day in prison for standing up for the truth. And what did he say? He said, If you imprison me, is it again? It's a gift from me. This is decaf. If you exile me it's hijra, and if you kill me, then you only hasten the for me to meet the one whom I love. You only hasten My my journey to Allah

was appended with Allah. So this is the tranquility and Sakina that comes to the one who does this right? So now we break down the word Muslim, grammatically in the Arabic language. Well, first let me go to the English language and I don't pretend to be someone who understands the English language, right? I was born and raised in South Carolina, a southern vote. We don't have grammar, right? We just we just don't we have some of the worst. I say that Southern people have some of the best culture in the United States, but the worst grammar that's it, it's a trade off.

My father, and I left my southern drawl a long time ago because when you leave the South, I moved out of the south. When you leave the South, the southern drawl automatically deduct IQ points when you pay when you pass the Mason Dixon, they start deducting IQ points because of your southern drawl. Do I have it? Can I do it? Yes. When I go back home, I do. Because my father tells me Don't embarrass me when we go out and you sound like a city boy. But when my father talks to my wife, I have to interpret you know, I mean, she has to be on speakerphone and I have to kind of give her some titles.

You know, we take we take a whole sentence and we try to make it into one word if possible. Friend, correct. Like for instance, do you want to? How do we say that myself? Y'all too. It's one word. Super easy, y'all to? I don't understand what that means. My wife was like, because my dads are young too, right? Yeah, I understand. We just put it all if we can fit it in one word, will fit in one word. And also English is the most grammatically horrible language on the planet Earth to be honest with you, the Anglo Saxons, like they literally did a butcher job with the English language.

But in English, if you want to denote a doer of an action, right, there are some rules that make sense. If you want to denote a doer of an action. What how do you do that?

It's an ER at the end of the word, right? If I'm talking I become the talk. Or if I'm walking I become the walk or right if I'm speaking I'm to speak or an out OB and out avec, there is a similar rule, right? A very similar rule 99% of the time, if you want to connote a doer of an action, there's one letter that does it one letter that does it what letter is that? Mean? The letter mean, for instance, the event? The person who calls the event is the more than traveling sufferer, the person who is doing the traveling becomes the massager. Correct. So you add meme at the beginning of the word. So now we understand that Islam is sincerely submitting to Allah, in order to have peace.

If I want to describe myself as someone who is doing this, I want to describe myself as someone who is committing this act. What do I do I take a meme at the beginning of Islam, you smash them together, what do you get? Muslim? So grammatically, what is Muslim mean? One who does Islam?

That is what the word Muslim means. That's what the word Muslim means. It actually is a definition in and of itself is an identity. It means one who does Islam. So it's not just like a name badge. It's not just like, you know, defining yourself as what, I don't know how many different identities we have in the world today. But it means that you are claiming that you are someone who practices Islam, you practice sincere submission to Allah subhana, Allah to Allah. So remember that when you say I am a Muslim, the identity you are claiming is someone who sincerely submits to the will of Allah. And your goal in life is to have peace to that submission, in this life, and in the next, it

is a this is how I told you very simple two words Islam and Muslim. But if you learn how to explain these properly, it's a complete hour in and of itself, it's a complete Dalit in and of itself. So when someone says they were Muslim, then you should never have to worry about anything from them, right? This is what we explained to the non Muslim neighbors and friends, like if someone claims to be a Muslim, you should see out of them certain characteristics. The number one thing is that you should never have to worry about them. Because the Prophet peace be upon him said that one of the definitions of a Muslim is someone whom other people are safe from harm with their tongue or their

hands, right? Correct. Am I incorrect here, he said a Muslim is someone whom other people are safe from harm from their tongue or from their hands. So I said, if you have a Muslim neighbor, you should be grateful you should be happy, because part of his identity or her identity is that you will be safe from them. You'll be safe from them. And if you see people who are opposite than this, right, Mischief Makers, troublemakers, you know, thieves killers, you know, all of these things. They tried to describe us as I said, this is the anti thesis of most

Islam? Is the anti thesis a Muslim, could they be from Muslim countries? Yes. Could they be born and raised Muslims? Yes. Are these behavior Muslim behaviors? No, they're not. They're not. These are the anti these are completely and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam separated them. He said, I'm Muslim is not a Muslim while he is committing the act of killing a Muslim is not a Muslim while committing these certain acts these large major sins, because you separate yourself from the very definition which you claim, you separate yourself. It's like if I want to call myself a duck, I can call myself a duck. I can believe I'm a duck, am I ever going to be a duck? No, I'm not going to be

a dunk. I can't be one. But Muslim is an identity and it is a badge of honor which we live by. We live by

the core of that identity. Because we just said it's about Islam, right is doing Islam, the core of that identity, the core and this has to be

rooted so firmly in you that there is no inkling of doubt about it. Anybody know what the core of Islam is? The core its foundational pillar.

There hate to hate, her hate has to be the foundational pillar of the core of a Muslim, this is the make or break, this is the maker break. There are so many other things after that which you can get away with right Allah can forgive you for Allah can help you whether you can make up for the one that is the make or break which there is no budging room it is to hate, is to hate to understand that Allah Subhana Allah to Allah is one, one meaning one, and that is it. That is all. If that is securely, firmly rooted in a person's heart, then that person is a person of paradise. That person is a person of paradise, beyond anything else, beyond anything else, that person becomes a person of

Jannah as we talked about last night, the Prophet sallallahu wasallam said, Anyone who has the weight of even a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds, smallest of all seeds in it, has anyone physically seen a mustard seed by the way, they're absolutely tiny, they're, they're so small. He said if someone has even that much faith, of letting him Allah in their heart, they will be a person of paradise. So terrain has to be at the center of the core of the identity as a Muslim when people come to Islam you know, I have a lot of people who ask me what should we learn as a Muslim you know, no Muslims coming to me or have gone to massages or that will organizations or what

and I look at the core of their their new Muslim classes and if I see that hate is not the first principle they're teaching, I tried to correct that I tried to fix that. I said that comes even before Salah even before sola and I've had some, you know, I've had some jibber jabber back and forth with some some some people who have been like, no, no, no, no, no salah.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said and why they've been juggled to Yemen, I said, you might be able to argue with me. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Well, I've been juggled to Yemen. He said, You are going to a land of the People of the Book, right? What does that mean? If there are people in the book? Who were they?

Christians and Jews. So if they're Christians and Jews, what is one thing that we know about them?

They believe in prophets, but they also already believe in Allah. They already believe in Allah. But still he said let the first thing you call them to be what? Her hate.

He said still let the first thing you call them to beat her head. Then he said and if you look at the way he structured, he said, once they get that once they understand that if they have accepted that and they grasp it, and they comprehend it, then tell them about salah he's not even mentioned Salah yet. Don't even mention it. Once they get to heed. Then tell them about salah and once they get Salah then tell them about Zika

you see the importance here for 13 years 13 years in Mecca, no Afghan were revealed. No legislation from Allah subhanho wa Taala wasn't known. Allah only talked about Tawheed

Jana Jahannam, the creation, the stories of creation, it was all in an attempt to attach the people to Allah subhanho wa Taala and attach them and this was narrated by Aisha Radi Allahu Allah. She said the first things that Allah revealed were the verses of Jana and Jahannam hell and heaven and to attach the heart to Allah subhanho wa taala. And then when the hearts became attached to Allah, He revealed that cam and they were already so attached that when the cam revealed, they accepted without question, this was why Allah said about them. So now what on earth they LISTEN TO DO THEY

it because they had already had a firm attachment and love for Allah subhana which, in their aid was firmly rooted in their hearts, their aid a women it has to be first. It has to be first. And what do we mean by Tauheed? Their hate in in concepting? What does it mean by Allah being one because we can just say Allah is one, right? That's, that's the basic that's like that's that's a misnomer. But I want you to understand your head so sincerely that when the angels come and question you in your grave, because we will all be interrogated, that is a guaranteed from from from Allah subhanho wa Taala that every soul goes into the ground. As soon as the people who come to your, your your

Janessa leave, the interrogators come, and they sit you up and they're not nice. They're not they're not they're not easy with you. The first thing they want to know, and they're a book, who was your Lord? And do not think that just because you said La ilaha illa long this word, it's going to be very easy for you on that day, the Prophet sallallahu wasallam and the alumni have told us that the only people who are firmly be able to say rhombi Allah are the people whom Allah has given something known as is the amato junan Their heart does not shake, their heart does not move upon this principle of their head. They know Robbie Allah because they understood it and they lived by it, for

instance, or hate alone here. What does this mean? What is this concept when you say Allah is one in terms of his odor here, it means that you say that Allah is the only inner it is the first part of the shahada let in air, because when you concept these things, they come so deep to you. That's why I said I wanted to make big, small principles very big to you today. So you can understand. For instance, what does the word LM mean?

There's a reason why we say telehealth has to be Furman over here. What does the word 11 in Arabic God what else? Meaning anything is worshipped anything that's worship is an elf. Right? I can literally take this cup of water

and make it an elf Yes or No. If I took this home and put it on a pedestal and gave it worship and thought that it could bring me benefit or harm or change the outcome of course of my life. It is an 11 it is what is referred to as an 11. Even if I only said this is an intercessor between me and Allah Subhana Allah because this was the argument that the Meccans made to the Prophet sallallahu wasallam when he told him to get rid of the idols, he said we don't worship the idols What do they say? They are only a means by which with which we speak to Allah subhanho wa Taala This is shook shook.

But this can be an elf. This kibin Illa guess what else most of us make as an internet and either this, us we make our own selves are either we become the most important thing in our universe, we make our own neffs or God.

You can have as many gods as you want, but they can never be Hola.

Hola means el Isla, definite clearly V LA, the only ELAR and when we say la isla, we're saying negation there is no ILA no other Illa exists no other Illa is real Illa Allah except Allah. And this is what the Prophet sallallahu wasallam was trying to get to the Meccans this was all his that was his that what was very simple to them, Go La Ilaha illa Allah to flee hon. All you have to do is affirm that there is no other ILA except Allah and you will be successful, you will be successful. So when we say that Allah is the only ILA that means that everything that is deserving of any let worship any form of a bad, any type of a bad or whatsoever, anything that you do, that you consider

to be an ADA has to be given to Allah alone, has to be given to Allah alone, and giving that to anything else. giving that to anyone else, giving that to anything else, is where you enter shark, you negate the very principle of your head. This is why it has to be understood. This is where it comes to the point. And I say this with the utmost sincerity in love. I say this with the utmost

intensity, when we even speak to our Christian counterparts are Christian neighbors are Christian friends.

Do not say we worship the same God.

Don't do it. Don't do it. That is a problem. Because if we worship the same God, why should they be a Muslim?

We don't Trinitarian Christians is only a small portion that are not they but they still worship Jesus as the begotten. It's a whole long story. They worship Jesus correct even as a mediary even though

was like Seventh Day Adventists and others who don't see Jesus. They don't promote him to the level of deification. They still worship him as a begotten intercessor between themselves and God. So we don't they worship another God than us. We do not worship that which you worship. We don't worship the same thing. We worship Allah subhanho wa Taala alone. This is the point where we have to draw the line that yes, Christianity and Islam we have many similarities Minnie Minnie Minnie Minnie Minnie Minnie Minnie, actually, there are way more similarities between Christianity and Islam than differences. But the differences are like chasms. They're huge, They're massive. And the goal is to

be able to bridge that gap. The biggest chasm is terrain. That's it, that's the biggest chasm. If we can get them over that bridge, everything else becomes very simple after that becomes very simple. So they're hanging in over here means that Allah is not only Allah in anything that we do to worship should be done solely to Him and Him alone, him and him alone to nothing else. And the principle of that, very simply,

is if you do something you consider to be worship, I'm going to give you a small fifth 101 Because this is the core of the Muslim identity. These are actually things that if you study Islam,

systematically, these are things that are known to be the Rura. necessity. Like you have to know these things. These are things you must understand. But I'll give you an easy fit one on one.

Anything that you do, that you consider it to be worship, if it's considered to be a bad, you must have proof for it. You must have proof for it. Proof from where anybody know there's only two places you can get proof for Islam is by the way,

number one, or N. Number two, the Sunnah.

If you do something you consider to be worship. You must find for me either a verse in the Quran that says you can do it or command you to do it. Or you must find for me a narration from the Prophet sallallahu wasallam where he commanded it to be done said it can be done or saw someone else do it in did not object to it. If you cannot find that, guess what? You leave it alone. You don't do it. You don't include it in your worship. Because if you do that you have violated a principle of terrain. Because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam

number one Allah says, and I quoted that in the hook, but Allium ACMA to locum Dino calm this, they have perfected your religion for you. That means if it's been made perfect, you can't you can't improve upon it. You know, I mean, you can't improve upon perfection. Number two, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, if there is anything that would bring you closer to Allah, I've already commanded you to do it. And if there's anything that would dis distance you from Allah, I've already told you to stay away from it. So we can't do any better than that. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that this this religion is is is is clear, it's been made easy.

It's been made by tuna. He said it's days like it's night, meaning that the distinctions are very clear head on, is been made clear Halal has been made clear. The day is like it's night. He said if you stay upon it, you'll be fine. But those who fall away from it fall into destruction. So we have to have proof in our worship, you must have proof in your worship. Now on the flip side of that, this is just a small side segment. On the flip side of that, your daily life, right this is for the for the armchair football ha so you don't always need to go to a fork the for every single thing in your life for your daily life. This means what you eat, what you drink, what you wear the game, you

know, the enjoyment you like, the hobbies, you like things, all of these things right?

Everything is considered hallelujah. Allah has made everything on this earth halal, unless you have proof from the Quran, or the Sunnah, that it is haram.

Without proof, it is by default, MOBA meaning that is permissible, there's no ruling on it. It's by default permissible. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade us from making our religion difficult. He forbade us from doing it like you know you see some brothers May Allah bless them in their intention like I said rewarded for intent. But you know, you go to the grocery store and brothers you know, you should take you 1520 minutes but is there for three hours because he's googling every single ingredient of every single thing he bought and gets off this he's getting a can of peanuts and he's reading you know, like okay, this is mortal danger to me, bro, you're going

way too far. You know, Allah subhanho wa Taala did not put this type of burden on you. There's not a burden upon you. If you look on the ingredients list, you don't see anything that you know to be clearly haram. Just keep it moving, bro Bismillah and go on about your business because by default, it's permissible. It's Cuba, unless you know that it's not. We have evidence from this from the Sunnah of the Prophet alayhi salatu salam,

also going to Halal restaurants, right? This is another big, big issue.

You especially within our indo Pak community, may Allah bless all of you. I'm married into us. I'm family. I understand our xebia You know, February May Allah bless you for grant to goodness. But you know, don't go too far don't don't don't don't. You know, I will. I've seen a brother in the back of a restaurant literally with the owner pressed up against the wall, like interrogating him like FBI about where the where the meat came from, who what was his name? What was his father's name, you know, where are they from? There's too much, it's too much relax. Unfortunately, here in America, we don't have Halal monitoring committees. You know, in Europe, in the UK, they're a lot better at

that. They have Halal monitoring committees that actually certify Halal meats, and there's a few of them. And they have different fit rulings. You know, like there's one which is called head out of monitoring committee, by the way, it's HMC, which is more stringent when it comes to like stunning and things of that nature, because these things get very deep. But here in America, don't have that. Right. You go to the restaurant, you see the Hello, sign up front. Guess what that means? I mean, it's for you. It's head on. I mean, it's for you. It's Helen, we know this because once some new Muslims brought some meat to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in Asia was sitting there.

These are no Muslims. So I showed up the Allahu and our da asked a logical question. She just she whispered to the prophets, Allah Solomon said, Should we eat this meat? You know, I mean, because her thought, Is there new Muslims, they probably don't understand the rulings of Libya. So can we eat this meat? What did the Prophet Salah Salem Sater say Bismillah needed? These are Muslims. These are Muslims. If they give it to you, they don't even have to tell you. It's halal. If a Muslim offers it to you, you just eat it. If he gave you something impermissible that's on him. You You just ate something that is held on you ate something that is hidden. So in our daily life, like for

instance, I've been told basketballs haram. I like to play basketball. Right? I'm actually not bad.

I like to play basketball. I've also been told baseball's around I actually grew up playing baseball I had I had a scholarship to Clemson University until my arrest and incident and then they would do that anyway, I was really good at baseball. I was told that it was haram based on the ruling that it was imitation of the disbelievers. Right because they invented it. My well, they would weed a lot of things cars were invented by them too. But you guys really like those right? You know, there's all these things, airplanes are hot out like that. And this could just get very expensive for you. Because if you use that mentality and I tell brothers this, if you use a ruling to make something

haram, you're going to have to use that across the board. You have to use it across the board you can't pick and choose So you've now cornered yourself into a very weird corner.

If there is nothing from the Quran and Sunnah that makes it impermissible, it is valid. Now is it halal to play basketball while wearing you know, shorts? The you know, all my bits are hanging out? No. Because now we're doing something else. But by its own it's hell if there's nothing in it that's clearly haram according to the Quran and Sunnah. Then it is known in Islamic ruling as MOBA this is nothing upon it small back. So

where was it? Okay, so this is this is how we can understand the Muslim identity the Prophet sallallahu wasallam forbade us from making our religion difficult upon us, you know that he even forbade the Companions from asking too many questions. You know that the Companions used to come and ask him a lot of questions about halal and haram. Is this halal? Is this halal? Is this haram? And he had if they asked he was required and mandated to answer and then he actually told them to stop he said, Stop doing this you know, I mean, if Allah has not revealed it, stop asking you know, I mean, like you're gonna make he said, You're doing like the Jews did. You're gonna make your

religion so restrictive. Because if you ask me, I have to enter and once I answer it's, it's that's it. That's the way it is. But if you don't ask and Allah doesn't reveal, then just let it be just let go, bro. You know, I mean, just let it go. And this is the way we should be in our religion the deen of Islam is is easy. It's simple. It's been made easy and Allah says, I do not wish upon you burden in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not wish upon us burden. For instance.

He one of the Sunon aka so then waka means that these are things that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to do all the time, so regularly, but they are right on the border of being mandatory. They are the closest thing you can get to being mandatory without being mandatory, if that makes sense. For instance, tarawih son in law aka Thoreau is not actually mandatory by the way did you know that? It's an in Makkah, you don't get sin for not praying totally.

But he used to use the wagon before every Salah every every salah the Prophet sallallahu wasallam used to use so

And he encouraged us to do so. But you also know that he said, If I did not think it would be too difficult for you. He said, If I did not think it would be too difficult for you, I would have ordered you to use Slack before every soul.

He said but if I did that, then it would become legislation. But Allah subhana wa Allah because Allah says, I see Allah wa T rasool Allah, obey Allah and obey His messenger. So an order from the Messenger of Allah is exactly like an order from Allah subhanho wa Taala because the Prophet sallallahu sallam said, the what was revealed to me was the Quran, or Mayfly. And that which is like it's meaningless on both of them are on the exact same level in refers in regards to how you should follow them. If there is something of the Prophet ordered in the Quran, you have to do it, there's no there's no way around it. But he said, and he wanted us to understand that concept, he wanted us

to understand not only how important it was that he wanted to use a whack, but also how how important in his words were, that if he said for us to do it, then our Salah would have been invalid without it. Can you imagine brothers running around in the masjid or see like select again, oh man we know so I can or is trying to get I borrow you. So this would be very difficult. It'd be very, it'd be very difficult and unhygenic in most cases. So we have to understand that the religion of Allah subhanho wa Tana has been made easy, it is us. It is us who make it very difficult. There he is the core of what we need to be focused on, especially in the West. It is the core of what we need

to be focused on, especially in the West. So we talked about our Halo here. I'll cover three, two or three more principles, and then we'll answer a question in sha Allah. The next one is what our hate outro will be here.

So he will be here

is something when when you learn what it concepts and what it means. Not only does it give you a more intense relationship with Allah, but it is like the best therapy. And I'm someone who has been in therapy himself, anybody who's watched my how many how many have ever watched my domestic violence tapes on YouTube? You've seen them if you're not today, go to youtube.com/evans Watch the domestic violence tapes, you will understand why I had to go through therapy as an adult. I was Guantanamo Bay Topstyle tortured for 10 years of my life on my stepmother and I got there was a lot of things I had to recover from during the pandemic because I had to face myself which happened to a

lot of us right there in the pandemic, we they had no more escape. There was no more escapism, you had to face the man in the mirror.

But when I learned Ruby, this is what I one of the things I fell back on in my in my therapy is is when you understand and concept what Allah means when he says he is wrong. When you understand what that means. It relieves a lot of stress and tension from your life. And it's an important concept because Allah introduces himself is that right? The first page of the Quran. What is the first verse of sort of the Fatiha Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen. Allah says, All praise belongs to Allah Who is the ROM of all creation? What is the ROM mean? ROM, ROM means everything is what it is because Allah, everything is what it is because of Allah. Like if you were

to ask me, Why is water wet? Let's not get into that. I'm not going to do that debate with you physicists now. Right? Let's not do that is water whether is what water? Why is water the way it is? Because Allah is Rob. Why is the sky blue? There's a scientific reason, right? But it's that way because a lot is why has gravity hold us on the ground and we don't float off in the space because why is the earth position exactly where it is close enough to the sun, but not far enough away so that human beings can exist because Allah is

Why is anything the way it is? Because Allah Islam? Why is the air Allah Islam? Why did you wake up this morning? Allah is why did you eat breakfast this morning? Because Allah is why does your heartbeat because Allah is

Why do you get paid because Allah is.

All of this is because a lot Subhana Allah is in control of everything. Only Shane are the reserve of all things competent and capable. When you understand this, you realize sometimes to let go. This is one of the biggest concepts that I've learned and use in my therapy sessions with Muslims who have been through trauma. I said, look in life, there are two categories of things that you're going to go through. I said there are things you're going to go through that you have control over. And there are things you're going to go through that you have no control over, which once you learn how to categorize them, and what each one of them means your life becomes a lot smoother. If they are

things you can control, then just make a plan.

and start enacting the plan. Right? If for instance, my my health right, my if I'm a little bit out of shape, how many of us are like that? Yeah. Are you willing to aid? I'm working on it? Can you do something about that? Yes, yes, you can. Yes, you can, I'll give you three steps that you don't want to, you want to know the three secrets to health. People who sell courses and make millions off of all these health, it's literally not that difficult. It's literally not that difficult. I'm telling you, number one, eat real food.

Number one, eat real food. What I mean by real food means it was something that grew in the ground or had a heartbeat. That's real food, it needed to grow out of the ground, or it had a heartbeat. This is real food, stop eating processed junk, stop being artificial things. Number two, sleep,

sleep, sleep at the same time every single day. And for the same amount every single day. Your circadian rhythm is so important to your health. So I am the biggest hypocrite in saying that as a traveler, but just really can't I mean, I'm in different time zones all the time. Eat real food, sleep, and just exercise. You don't need a huge regimented exercise plan. He does. Look, just exercise just move, move, walk anything, all you need to do is get your heart rate above 100 beats per minute, and try to sustain that for 30 minutes. And the higher you can get it, the better it'll be if you can get it to 120. Keep it there for 30 minutes. 130. Keep it there. Don't keep it don't

get it above 150 and keep it there for 30 minutes. Unless you're a high grade athlete, you most of you will pass out. But get your heart rate up cardio, and that'll help you with a lot of things. And for men strength training, strength training will go a long way as you get older to keeping your testosterone levels up. It's not very difficult. I used to be a personal trainer. By the way, that was what I did before all this data thing. Very simple. So you can do something about that. Right? Now. Let's say something else.

The weather. Anything you can do about the weather?

No, you can't as it rained in three and a half months in Dallas. We've We've prayed so long, it's difficult again, we never we do about that. So those things that you cannot do anything about what do you do with those things? These are the ones we have the most stress over. These are the ones we lose sleep over. These are the ones that cause all these great things to start showing up. Those are the things we give them to Allah subhanho wa Taala because he is Rob, when you lie, realize Allah is rob the things you can't control he controls, let it go. Let it go. You holding on to it's not going to do anything about it anyway. It's like me being upset about the weather. There's not gonna fix

it, not gonna change it. Just accept it for what it is. And thank Allah subhanho wa Taala for it, because while you're saying that there's not enough rain, there are people in Libya, who would wish for some of that water to be gone. Yeah. So there's always a flip side to every coin, though, is the flip side to every coin. We are very pampered in the West, literally, we are pampered. We are pampered in the West.

I'm a humanitarian at heart. Now I run a charity organization I'll talk about at the very end, and I have gone to refugee camps. And I've seen you know, men, women and children who would literally give a limb to trade places with you, or any of you I don't care what your situation might be. I don't care if you on the edge of homelessness, they would still lose a limb to trade places with you. Yeah, so we have to learn gratitude for ALLAH SubhanA wa. Layne Ceccato loves it. And Allah says if you're grateful, I'll give you more. I'll give you more. And then lastly, tahina el asthma well it's different. Meaning that we understand the names and attributes of Allah. I'm not going to get into

the attributes of Allah because then we get into a whole flip the thing between you know the headings and the machetes and the monetary matter really isn't like going down that route. As long as you follow a sound scullery opinion Bismillah it is what it is. I'll explain that in just a moment. But when it comes to the

names of Allah, this is where you can increase

your depth of relationship with Allah subhanho wa Taala

when you stand in front of Allah and say Allahu Akbar

and you know what you're saying first of all, explain that point in just a moment. But you know, you're standing in front of he who is Elbasy he sees so he know he seen you, he you know he is SME you know, he's hearing you so everything you say he is listening, if you are in in stress, and you know that he is Al Jabbar, you know that he is

working all of these names, you start understanding that the needs you have, Allah has legislated and attribute from himself that is for that need. If you are struggling financially, you are talking to your to elevate money. You are talking to our Razak. You understand what I'm saying

thing and it was the Sunnah of the Prophet Alayhi Salatu was Salam, that he would call upon Allah by the name that corresponded with the need, which he had.

Because when you do that, Allah responds by saying, My slave has called me by my name upon which he knows if he is in need, so I must respond, Allah makes it

wajib upon himself to respond. There's why Allah says Allah has the most beautiful names, so call him by him, call him by them. Learn these names and learn to use them when you need them. Learn to use them when you need them. When you are needing and forgiveness Allah is R Rahman r Rahim Allah for wobbu that love beef, all of these things, all of these things, your relationship becomes more intimate with Allah subhanho wa taala. Learn the simple, simple things. And these are all basics like I am still in the element. We have not even left basics yet. But you see how deep it can go? How this is the identity of a Muslim? Stay with the basics for as long as you can. You know, a lot

of Muslims, we like to learn the five pillars, you know, the six, the six,

the five pillars of Islam, the six articles of Eman and then we're off to studying also, when you do when were you going? Why are you in such a rush? In such a rush, you could literally spend the rest of your life on these things. The more you know about those, the more these other things you study later on are going to make sense. They're going to make sense to you.

When we stand in front of Allah, and I'll explain that really quickly at the end because the vision in the Muslim ummah is what's killing us. And this is my last kind of lecture. Because tomorrow we're just kind of chilling with the youth in sha Allah. When we stand in front of Allah subhanahu wa to Anna.

And we say Allahu Akbar, right? What does that mean?

What does it mean?

Allah is the Greatest, you're very close. You're very close.

What does it mean?

Allah is greater.

Allah is greater.

It's not saying you're wrong, but what it means is Allah is greater, greater than what? Everything. And that's what you should be reminded of. When you say Allahu Akbar, you are making a testimony that Allah is greater than anything else on this planet right now. This is why as no one is able to hurry after that everything outside of Salah becomes haram, because there's nothing greater than that at the moment. Where did I lose my keys? You know, where am I? It doesn't matter. Allah is greater than that the problems that are going on your business, your home, your health, everything else, you have just made a statement that Allah is greater than that.

And shaytaan plays with us by getting us away from that, right? He steals from us he steals from our, the Prophet sallallahu wasallam said we worship on he's a thief.

He's a thief. And he's knows he even said it in the Farewell Sermon, right? He said chiffon has given up on you in the big things. He knows he's not gonna get you to worship rocks and sticks anymore, right? Like he, he knows we've, we've overcame that. He said, So beware of him in the small things. He's a thief. If he can't stop you from praying, he will steal from your Salah. You steal from your Salah, he will say Allahu Akbar. And then you'll think, oh my gosh, did I turn the oven off? No, I mean,

my car, you know, did all of these little things start coming to our mind? Yeah, every time it happens. That's why we say every single time we make a movement and so while we keep reminding ourselves, Allahu Akbar, that Allah is greater than that. And even even if it was a major problem, I am now in in an intimate audience with He who controls everything I'm worrying about everything that I'm worried about, I'm now speaking to the one who can control it.

And he can fix it. He can make a way. And I'm turning my direction towards the thing that is bothering me away from the one who can fix it. It's very, it's very, an oxymoron. Yes, it's an oxymoron. So these are the core identity of a Muslim is that we are people who practice Islam sincerely, to try to have peace. And to hate is the core of our existence, to hate. Why because hate is the only thing that matters. This world doesn't exist without it. I give you two analogies, and we're wrapped up.

If I were to bring 100 people into this masala, not Muslim. Let's say we brought them on a bus from Oklahoma City. And I spent five hours debating with them about hijab. What are the other things that we'd like to talk about pork was another one.

Yes, McDonald's Halal haram beard. There we go. Just you know

Just simple things that we talked about why do men have to wear a beard or whatever? Why do women have to wear hijab? Why we're not allowed to eat pork? Let's say after five hours, I convinced them to all of it. They're convinced they're like, Yeah, you're right. 100% right. And they leave and get on that bus to go back to Oklahoma City. It flips over on the highway and it crashes and burns and they all die. That I save any of them from hellfire.

Is hijab going to take them to paradise? No. It's not important going to take them to paradise. No. Will Appear taking them there? Surely not.

Let's bring them all back. Let's rewind the scenario bring him back. 30 minutes I spent 30 minutes with the same 100 people explaining to them what I just explained to you about her hate the Oneness of Allah subhana wa Tada. And they all grasp and understand it, and they say let you live Allah. They don't know anything else. They all know nothing else. Nothing. The same scenario happens the bus flips and the dies. If they were all sincere about their statements that I saved them. They all go to Jana, they're probably all going to beat us. They would have died with very little sin. They'll probably be higher in paradise. The new is sitting right here today. Do you see why to hate

is so important. It is the only it's the only thing that matters is the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said it is the key to Jannah it is the key to Jannah he said every door has a key. And it can only be unlocked with that one key. And the key to Jana is indeed, Allah. That's it. Without that key, you can't unlock that door. This is why it is so important. This is why many scholars have written books called to hate a woman or he does first to Hades first, leave everything else alone for numerous and leave it all alone. Even Salah does not matter. If you don't understand terrain. I can literally go up and hold a gun to anyone's head until then pray Salah right there. Is it going

to benefit them? No, they're going to be many people who will get nothing out of their Salah except exercise. Because it's actually really good exercise. It's actually no, it's actually medically very good exercise for you. Like we all want to practice yoga, to pray more, it's the exact it's better for you than this Oh yoga, weird things that you're doing, you know, I mean, downward dog, or this, you know, like, just pray more, literally, you're getting to in one, you're practicing your mother and you're doing something very good for yourself.

But without her hade it doesn't matter. It's just exercise, just like fasting without the intention without Tawheed without doing it properly. The Prophet sallallahu wasallam said there'll be some people who will only get out of fasting hunger and thirst. That's all they're gonna get. They'll just be hungry and thirsty, there's no reward for them. So hate has to be first. And when it comes to FIP, I've already given you the 101 If you consider it to be worship, you must have evidence you must have evidence. And we need to start teaching our children why?

The very first question that most children ask is that magical three letter word right? How many of you have children raise your hand? One of their first words becomes why right? One of the first conglomerate like their first question, why? And when they learned the concept of why oh my God is everything. Why do this? Why? Why? Why? And a lot of times we just say because I said so you are teaching your children not to question authority.

Today's world that is very dangerous. Because guess who's going to become their next authority, their friends? And they're going to tell them to do something and they're going to be like, why don't we just just just because we do it, then that's that was good enough for them growing up. So why is it not good enough? Now? The authorities tell us to do it. The government tells us to do it like you know all of these things. Teach your children the why? Because then they will start questioning things as they get older and they need that they need that inquisitive mind, explain it to them. Explain it to them. Let that why become the catalyst for their for their learning and their

education. Show them the evidence to show them why do we brush our teeth like this? Or why do we eat with our right hand because the Prophet sallallahu wasallam said cool Yemeni, tremendous de la RAM all of these things tell them and if you can't find it in the Quran and Sunnah just don't do it. It's not going to don't do it. Just don't do it. Just stay away from it. Stay away from it. And for your daily life, enjoy unless somebody gives you some evidence and when somebody tells you it's haram and they don't have evidence from the Quran and Sunnah or sell them deserve. Okay, then you're going about your business. Simple as that. Now, this is just a small advice I want to give to

everyone because we have people watching live, it's being recorded, it's gonna go on YouTube.

The principles of tear heed, there is no differences of opinion amongst the folk AHA about these things. When we talk about the major schools of Islam. There's no difference of opinion. There's no difference of opinion about what Tauheed means. It's no difference of opinion. Everybody is on the same page with these major things. But when it comes to fit, issues fit issues. Islam is very

hunger for. And that is a beautiful thing. It's nothing wrong with that. It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing. It allows for variation and flexibility. It allows for cultural nuance, etc. And these things need to be understood, especially by our youth because our youth become very fanatical. I mean, they, they learn one way and that's it. That's the only understanding that's the only way

if you can find a trace back to an A scholar, a true scholar, somebody who's really knows the religion of Islam, and they have come to an understanding about a matter that is not referred to in the Quran, and is not referred to in the Sunnah. This is where the the origin of each day this is where the witch the hidden come in, where they give us these rulings, and they have given a ruling on something. Just follow it. Just follow it that you are you're absolutely okay in doing so. But that does not mean anyone who has a different opinion or someone who disagrees is your enemy is your enemy. That's that's the that's the ignoramus in this right there, that is the Aasaiya in us that

the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam warned us about not doing because you know why? Scholars are just doing their best right to give us deductions based on their evidences from the Quran. And sunnah. Like you have the Hanafi madhhab, who has different opinions on different issues, and they might be more strict in certain matters. Whereas, you know, the chef, a mulligan, Hanbali might be a bit more lenient in the matter. And then you have the flip side, other matters where the Hanbali school or the medical school is a little bit more strict where the Hanafis have a little bit more leniency, for instance, like the only issue in marriage, like you know, there's all these different,

you know, issues.

All of them are all good, they're all rights. They're all right. They're all correct, because they were done by people who are sincerely trying to deduce Islamic legislation from the Quran and Sunnah. They're all right for you. And if they are wrong, they're still right that's the that's the beautiful thing about it. Because the monster hit if they do each head correctly mean they've tried property look at the Quran. Look at the Sunnah. Look at the the overall spirit of the message and they use their logic correctly.

The prophets Allah Selim said if they rule correctly, they're given you know multitude of rewards but if they rule incorrectly they're still given a reward because they did it properly but you who follow them you're right you're right. It doesn't mean we fight over it your shift so and so said that this is Halloween, my shirt so and so said It is haram guess what for you it's halal habibi. For me. It's haram doesn't mean we need to fight over it. Who's not going to fight over? It's nothing to fight over. You. He could be right. He can be wrong. It who knows we will find out on the Day of Judgment. Let it be it's not a big issue. We both believe Allah is One. We both believe in

the angels. We both believe in the books. We both believe in the Day of Judgment. We both believe in praying five times a day, we both believe in pain. And we both believe in first in the month of Ramadan. Let it go with that. Let it go at that everything else if you pray with your hands here, and hamdulillah if you pray with your hands here at hamdulillah if you pray with your hands here at your site, and hamdulillah Guess what? There's a valid ruling false.

So we have to learn to have that flexibility within our community. Because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam warned us oneness. And this is my warning to you guys. And he warned us on his deathbed. He warned us many times and one of the things on his deathbed he said I warn you have sob sob I mean tribalism, tribalism. So I warn you of Asada you, it will destroy you.

And what have we done, we've returned back to asabi. We've returned back to it. And stupidly enough that I'm sorry for saying it. It's based on maps, or lines drawn on a map by some other people. That's the crazy part about it. It's it's a lot of times done by lines drawn on a map by some other people. And you know who I mean by those other people. They drew those lines on the map, and now we fight over. We look like you know, we look like idiots. Or it's based upon these fifth rulings, you know, I mean, and that's even more stupid, because they all trace back to the Prophet sallallahu wasallam they all find a thread back to the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam, the Hanafi school finds

its thread all the way back to the Prophet sallallahu wasallam the Maliki school find this thread all the way back to the Prophet Subbable how to send them, so does the Hanafi and the Shafi and even if you go and you look at some of these, like even hasm He could have been a scholar in his own right if it weren't for you know, the era he grew up he was in and loose and how luxurious it was and things of that nature. But you know, there's many things out there you know, that are that are absolutely fine as long as you can find something that traces back to a scholar who really did a intense job to find direction in the Quran and Sunnah. Bismillah led

it'd be there's no need for us to fight each other over we can agree to disagree and still be brothers for it and shot along. Don't make it a means of difference for us because the Prophet peace be upon him. This is my last quote. He said I asked Allah for three things in this life in this in this honestly scares the hell out of me. And sorry for being that that blunt but it does it scares me to death. He said I asked Allah for three things for my ummah, two of them he granted me and the third one he the knots. He said the first thing I asked Allah for was Do not allow my OMA to be destroyed by hunger. My famine, meaning destroyed, meaning wiped off the earth. He said Allah

granted me that meaning that this ummah will not fall off the face of this earth because of hunger and thirst as a whole. He said, Then I asked Allah to not allow my ummah to be destroyed by being overthrown by its enemies, meaning they were overthrown and wiped off. He said, Allah gave me that. So that's a guarantee it can happen. He said, The third thing I asked Allah for is do not allow my own man to become destroyed by fighting amongst themselves, basically destroying each other. He said, an Allah didn't grant me that Allah did not grant me that one. So we are our own destruction. We are our own worst enemy. Literally, literally, we are our own worst enemy. There is nothing

outside of this Ummah that can do any harm to without the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala and the one has already promises but after the honeymoon, we know that we're successful, we've already been given a promise from Allah subhanho wa Taala in one of my favorite Surah Surah to surf. That if you say you took me on a villa he would also leave it to Jay doing fcbd law he BMR they come on Fuji Come daddy come hybrid lemon that if you believe in one's mastering you strive hard and his cause that that in for you is that is better for you if he did but no. And then Allah says the next verse What will he get for his for it? What will he get for it? He says

my brain just melted what's the next verse? Somebody help me

Yeah, I feel like I'm gonna boom we're done with integer remedial and aroma seeking for you but in Fiji and that the underly kafele jewel Amin, Allah will forgive you your sins and grant you beautiful homes in the garden of genital Adam is like the prime real estate of Adam. Then he says that he could fall in. Then in the next verse, he says what will offer to everyone and I'll give you something else which you love. What is it Mussulman Allah wa Fatone Medina. I'll give you my help and clear victory. Oh, but she didn't want me in so glad tidings to the believers. So those promises are already there. We can't. We can't be beaten from the outside. But the inside is where our

weaknesses are, we are the weakness. If we are united as a Ummah, we can't be stopped. And then they know this are the enemies of the religion of Islam know this, they've seen it. They've seen it. They've looked at our history, they know your history better than you know your history. They noticed that even if the Muslims are divided in terms of nationality and fit if they are united upon one principle, just even one than they are very hard to overcome. You know, I mean, it's just it's almost impossible to uproot them at that point. And the prophets Allah said I'm commanded us to stay with the gym I he said stick with the gym. Stay with the body of Muslims, that is your strength, you

are safe and your strength and your dignity in sha Allah