What Makes Us Human
Date:
Channel: Zaid Shakir
File Size: 30.42MB
Episode Notes
Imam Zaid Shakir gives a lecture to the ICOI Youth Group at the Islamic Center of Irvine on 10/30/09.
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AI Generated Transcript ©
smilla rahmanir rahim
al hamdu Lillah
wa Salatu was Salam Alessi city sagina Mohammed wala, and he was sad he was selling testing makira salam aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.
hamdulillah. I'm not gonna ask you to do it again.
Louder. No, no one person responding for the group is sufficient. So it's all good.
Next time you better have some energy though.
And hamdulillah is a great blessing to be here. great honor to see so many young, energetic people, some not so young, but still energetic people, that Allah subhanho wa Taala Bless you, bless your community, bless the center. Bless your efforts, bless your studies, bless those of you who are working, bless you and your professions, your careers, that you've chosen a lot of time and make everything you do a source of benefit to your fellow human beings. So I understood this is a talk directly for the young people.
But this not so young people inshallah, there will be benefit. We're going to try to focus on the young people. So I'm going to ask by start by asking a question that I'm sure will get a lot of responses. How many of you saw the Lion King?
Most of the young people?
Yeah, let's start there, you know. So remember, the part was Simba. He like ran away from the kingdom. And then when he was chased, he then actively leave. But there was the stampede. And then the hyenas were after him and ended up in the desert. And then he ended up he met Puma, Puma, and was the Meerkat was his name.
Timo yeah Timo and then he proceeded to begin to Hakuna Matata his way through life is chilling on the pond miles Can I guess Vyas can swim is swimming had a nice swimming hole, learn to eat slimy but satisfying little morsels that he was finding out there.
And then there was the night of his real awakening. What happened?
What what snapped him out of the Hakuna Matata phase
huh
what happened?
No, go ahead.
Yeah Mufasa his father appears in the sky. Somebody You are my son
is like Hakuna Matata for the rest of my day.
Then Mufasa appears and what does he say to him?
No, what's the most if you could the one sentence that really snaps him out of it?
Yeah, remember who you are. And why we start with this why do we start like this? Because knowingly or unknowingly so you know pointing any fingers any blame?
But a lot of us as Muslims which is like somehow they're at the pond with Pumbaa and tomorrow which is Hakuna Matata it how do you make Hakuna Matata into a verb to Hakuna Matata? How do you get the present continuous
chill but we are stuck with Hakuna Matata we just Hakuna Matata when our lay our way through life. And we've forgotten who we are.
And because we forgotten who we are.
There's a job that needs to be done. That's not getting done in this world.
And we want to talk about that. And because
we might think that, you know I'm not gonna make a difference in this world is so big. It's so complicated. There's so much out there. You know, what can I do? I'm just one person. I shouldn't be like everyone else make as much money as I can and pretend that I'm living happily ever after. But there is something
Each and every one of us can do.
But before we can do it, we have to believe we can do it, we have to believe that we can make a difference. We have to believe that there's something wrong. How many of you think just based on your brief experience exposure? To think that something is wrong with this world? Raise your hand. How many? So allow not everybody. I have I have our to ask you. What are some of the things you think are wrong? Anybody?
Yes.
materialism. materialism is a huge problem. And it's not just a problem, because it dehumanizes us. What makes us human.
Yes. No, you? Yeah, you had that? Like, I know that. I know.
Israel makes us human.
Are you are you miss? Lina? Okay, I'm sorry. I apologize. One second sister. Let's get a brother. Over here. Yes, sir.
She was, excuse me.
imperfections make us human. But let's put that in a positive sense. That's that's a negative answer. Not negative in terms of no good. But in terms of focusing on the lack of something.
So how would you reword that? To make it a positive statement? Same idea.
How about let's go back to the perfection. How about our ability to strive for perfection?
Can Can you accept that?
We have the ability to strive for perfection we can strive to perfect our character will never be perfect. But we have a prophetic model to aspire towards. We can strive to perfect whatever profession are, how many of you study martial arts?
Okay, are you satisfied to just be a brown belt? You want to be a black belt? Are you satisfied just to be a black belt? You want to be eighth degree? eighth Then why? You know, so we always we have the ability not all but we do have the ability to strive for perfection? How many of you are currently enrolled in university? university? You have one university student will? Why didn't you stop after you finished sixth grade? Why did you even go to junior high?
Why
know the sister
because you want it to go to a higher level. So we don't stop sixth grade hamdulillah I can read Michelle law.
Someone will hire me. You know, sooner or later, condoms will pick up again. I heard they're taking applications in the store room at Walmart. No, we want to go higher. So as humans we can strive for perfection. So material as humans, I will posit for your consideration. One thing that makes us human is our ability to strive for perfection. You know, here a cow practicing his moves.
Right?
Stuff LA. Mo out villa. Let me see more grass.
Whoo.
Kauder practices moves by people their practice, musical instrument. They'll practice their singing, right? Because a cow has no idea of perfection.
But a human being does. And that's something that distinguishes us from a cow.
A human being we have the ability and something in us that pushes us to try to understand what's behind all of this and to try to worship so you never you don't find animals building altars. And that's one of the proofs against the theory of evolution.
Because if we evolve from other
life forms. Is evolution a sudden or slow process?
It's a gradual process. There are mutations and then over time those mutations that species differentiation. So if we evolve from apes or whatever,
how come there are no apes out there even building primitive churches and masjids? altars in a primitive way, trying to worship something? Why
would you delete look at the distance, if we evolved gradually from other life forms from apes, how come there are no apes out there
that can build a cell phone that can bounce the signal off a satellite of a few 100 miles in space and a visible signal, and then the device picks up the signal with an image. And then you can respond by sending an invisible signal back to the source, the best, the best they can do is a chimpanzee or an A Ranga. Tang is to take a stick and dig the meat out of a nut.
That's the best they can do with tools. Why is this such an incomparably huge gap between us and everything else out there if we gradually evolved from them. So we're unique, and we have to understand that we're unique in this creation. And our Creator has placed us in a unique place. And that uniqueness is what makes us human. That ability to learn for the divine is what makes us human, that have the ability to strive for perfection is what makes us human, that ability to use this incredible mind, to do good. And to do evil
is what makes us human. So
we have to begin to look at those things that rob us of our humanity. And one of those things, is materialism. Because when we start to measure our virtue
based on material things, we're forfeiting and giving up those distinctions that have been given to us. So I'll give you an example. What was the first in the court and what was the first manifestation of materialistic thinking? things?
There's no there's no wrong answer. So take a few guesses. The first manifestation of materialist thinking.
Yes.
Okay, but that is a manifestation. So that's an excellent answer. But the first one, so go back to the beginning. What's that? What's the first story in the Quran chronologically?
The story of
Adam
Adam, how're Eve? shaytaan? What is shaytaan? Say? How did he argue with the law? concerning his superiority? Over Adam?
Yes.
No,
but let's do the foreign claim outstanding. His argument. A lot of Tyler addresses in memory NACA and lead has to the mark two.
So what prevented you from prostrating yourself point out or did you to do so odd? He said, and hi woman. I'm better than him than him. Hello, Dr. Nieman lor wahala. The woman you may live from fire while you made him from clay. What are these moral characteristics firing clay? The physical? He Are you my physical nature being from fire like I am. I'm Shay Todd. I'm from fire. I got it going on like that.
Mike melted Suhana Allah.
I'm better than him because of a visit and you made him from clay.
So he didn't make a moral argument.
When
Annie Anna Ozeki mellie Oh, I am better than him I give charity at a sub taco pmle am terrible. He didn't make a moral argument, which would have been something that is rooted in a distinctiveness that makes us human. We can make moral arguments. He didn't make a moral argument. He made a materialistic argument. My physical nature makes me better. And this shows two things. Number one, it shows that racism is rooted in materialistic thinking.
My physical characteristics, I'm white, I'm black, I'm Brown. I'm yellow. I'm whatever. I have polka dots. So I'm better than the rest of you people. You solid people. polka dot people of the world unite.
It's our time. Our time has come. The solid people have been dominating us for too long. And now, the spotted people will usher in a reign of spotlessness, analog,
materialist, materialistic. And when we start to make those arguments we dehumanize ourselves, because, God, a lot of times, our Creator is calling us to something higher. And so this world where people based on their physical characteristics, based on the money they possess, which is material wealth,
based on how many planes or tanks or gunships, they have
assert their rights to the detriment of others, or that is rooted in materialistic thinking, that is wrong. Because there will always be material differences, physical differences, some of us will have different skin tones than others, some of us will have different hair textures than others, some of us who have different eye colors than others, some of us will have more wealth than others, some of us will have bigger cars than others, some of us will have bigger houses, some of us will have smaller houses. So that diversity which exists in the world and in human society, is elevated to a point of virtue
is dehumanizing. Because, God a lot of Tyler's telling us your virtue is based on things that you share. Not on things where some of you are naturally different than others. So a lot of times I mentioned in the course, yeah, you have next. Oh, humanities dressing, addressing everyone is not addressing the Muslims.
The believers Oh, you believe is not addressing the non Muslims. Yeah, you had cast your room, or to be more politically correct. He's not addressing the members of other faith communities.
coffer is not a faith anymore, because there's the nosara faith community and the faith community, cafe rune. That's something else, but just to be safe. He's not addressing members of other faith community. He's addressing all of us. Yeah, you had NASS in a nap.
We made you in created you all from a single pair. Has that been proven scientifically that we all come from a single pair?
Any takers?
It's been scientifically proven. There was a National Geographic special that came out a few years ago how many people saw that use genetic mapping to trace all of us back to a single pair?
scientifically proven. We know a little Korean, a lot of toads in the Philippines that can remove that. We made you from a single pair with janicoo shoe Ruben wakaba, Isla de Dara foo and we made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another that we may know what about each other.
Anyone venture that will lead to our food. Some of you know Arabic, Lebanese and Syrians and Algerians Palestinians. Gibson's
didn't say Gibson's in English.
In Gibson's Egyptians sorry.
There's a gyptian joke like
this the Egyptian guy flew to America to spend some time with his friend this one they were still giving Egyptians visas
so
so so he flies in and his friend Mr. Matt Jeff case, you must be starving on a long flight. Let's go get something in the restaurant right here in the airport. So you go into the restaurant. And so the waitress comes and she says, sir, what would you like? So he knew what English he can understand. He went to college to say I like a hamburger
she said what is a hamburger?
What I don't think we have hamburgers. So he took the minutes is right there hamburger. Oh, she says Oh, a hamburger. Oh, he said Oh, excuse me, I'll miss drinker.
Moving right along.
So moving right along, so Lita food, the Tarot that you may know one another for Falah is with the prosity terrassa they wrote back and forth, Tara foo, they know each other.
So in order that you know and each other and recognize in each other, the creative power of a lot, Tyler, that from that single pair, he could create all of this diversity. And that so when you look at each of these, say land, hello, la la, like a bar, that a la from that single pair, he can create all of this diversity. And it's all beautiful. It's all beautiful.
And in a Chromebook, mendola at home, but those physical differences, those are the basis of your superiority. Those because those things are random, you don't choose them. You don't go to a machine and select how tall are you going to be?
What skin tone you're going to have, you know, select those things, those are random. So things that are randomly distributed amongst people can never be the basis of any virtue. So a lot of Tyler says in a Croma commando lawyer at the courtroom. She says these differences are real, but not to serve as the basis of oppression and denying each other's rights but to recognize the power of Allah tala. But the best of you is the most noble and the crumb crumb creme de la at korakuen. The one who has the most consciousness of God, the most taqwa that is the best one in the law Halima.
So, usually when this versus mentioned, commentators will bring a Heidi from the Prophet sallallahu wasallam. In Nova la jambu era
there are a lot of them look at your physical forms nor your wealth. He doesn't consider that because that's when
some have it. Some don't.
Well, I can yanbu rather he looks at your heart and your deeds. Now that's something we all share. That's something none of us can be denied. Some people might say, well, I can't write a million dollar check, like brother so and so at the fundraiser. I write a $5 check that $5 might be more with a lot of Tyler than the million dollars, the one who wrote the million dollar check, he might have 50 million in the bank. So he gave a small percentage of his wealth. The one who, right who gave $5 that he might only have $10, he gave half the half is weightier than the 150.
So, a lot Tyler doesn't look at the wealth. He looks at our hearts, and he looks at our deeds. So the challenge for us as we move down the road of life, is to make sure that our hearts are pure. And that's something we lose with materialism because materially we don't even associate any non physical properties to our hearts a lot. Tyler mentioned the core and your Malayan for metal 11 Moon in
a day, no amount of wealth or children will be of any benefit except one who comes before
With a sound heart We are convinced selling materially what will we say?
Physically what would a sound heart involve? Physically?
There's there's no skips in the beat so doesn't beat like this
listen this you need to go see a cardiologist fast
How come because you have an irregular heartbeat
components
is just funky like that.
No, you better go see a doctor physically convinced Saleem no enlarged valves. nice, smooth heartbeat. No irregularity in the heartbeat.
excetera physically sound is that what the verses talking about? The Paladin silly. Why? Because like every
ancient, traditional civilization, Chinese, Hindu, Native American, we associate non physical properties and characteristics with the heart. This is scientifically proven.
There is a study, you can go online, it must be true because you can Google it.
Where people have had heart transplants, the personalities changed. And if you familiar with any other people this is there's been studies documenting actual changes, taking on some of the likes and dislikes of the person who had the heart that was transplanted into the recipient, the donors characteristic so in the study, you read things like people were interviewed. I never liked pizza before I had my heart transplant and then the talk to the donors family. Oh, Bob loved pizza.
No, seriously.
So there there are non physical qualities associated with our hearts. So one of our challenges as we move through this life, is to try to identify those and then strive to perfect them.
So qualities such as courage, when we find ourselves hesitating, and not standing up for what's right. So we might be in school. what might happen in school that regularly happens that's wrong.
In like high school, how many of you are in high school? or junior high school? What happens regularly in any high school junior high school? That's wrong? happens every day.
drugs
that great that's your that's your own fault.
Bullying How about bullying?
You see people bullied in school made fun of every day.
That happens how many how many times you know something's right but you don't find the courage to stand up and then lose kids are in a gang. Maybe they'll shoot me.
Maybe they down with the Bloods? Or the Crips
or we were in Orange County the Klan
started
the skinheads
so we don't say anything.
How many of you saw the type runner
saw that came on her some use of sing that song?
Cry
sisters were crying because it was sadly they didn't care. What do you say?
stock for this is don't get Don't Don't beat me up says I'm just kidding.
But the the the guy the store was centered around was that one painful moment he had to live with for the rest of his life. That that young is serving the family servant, who always protected him when he needed someone to help. He just he held shy back. Remember, we chasing the kite and then the bullies caught up with them. And then they violated him. And he heard all this going on and didn't do anything.
We have to always strive to be more courageous. Because as we move down the road of life, right now, it might be the neighborhood bully, or the classroom bully. But once we mature and we're adults, it might be the national bully. That's bullying other nations. And someone needs to stand up and speak a word of truth,
to that bully.
And that there's a lot of talk about Jihad nowadays.
If anyone is recording for the wrong purposes, give me time to clarify what I'm talking about.
The best jihad is not blowing things up and killing people.
After boo boo jihad in
Kelly motto has endless autonomy,
that the best jihad is to speak a word of truth in the face of a tyrannical ruler. That's the best jihad. And that is the Jihad that made this nation green. In the face of British tyranny. You had brave patriots like Patrick Henry standing up and proclaiming give me liberty or give me death, speaking a word of truth, in the face of tyrannical rulers. So these are the qualities that we as young people have to try to cultivate. Because as we move through life, unfortunately, the bullying doesn't stop. It just goes to other levels. And our opposition to it has to be strong and principled and firm and uncompromising. That is what makes us human. Because that is the manifestation of a
sound heart to be charitable. Some of us don't think
about the food that we waste. Our if tars, we give a big speech, right. So we get up, I can move around there filming. So I'll see here. I was gonna be more animated. But we get up and we give the speech and the fast of Ramadan, brothers and sisters, one of the wisdoms of the fast of Ramadan. It allows us to empathize with the poor people
that we share this planet.
How many of you heard that speech? We are. It's like the standard part of the standard Ramadan speech. And then we have our community of stars. And we haul the food out by the ton.
You don't scrap and then put the bags and throw them in the dumpster.
We're poor people do that. We're people, some of our countries we come from that food we throw out there the fighting for
that'd be fighting for how many of you watch films on youtube?
Everybody?
Oh, God. Oh, you do? Did you see the one about the was in Thailand or the Philippines? Where there when the restaurant two girls were in the restaurant. And they didn't finish all of the chicken. And then they scraped it and put it aside. And then at night demand came with a bag and collected all the scraps? How many of you saw that? You saw what happened after that?
Yeah, no, he went home. And he showed his kids like the scraps and they were lit up and some of them started eating the noodles and slurping it all over. And they had huge smiles on their faces. And then he set the table for the family dinner. And he dumped the scraps in the plates and everyone was so happy their faces were beaming. And we don't think that this food we throw away can be feeding someone. So what is the point?
The point is that we have to have charity in our hearts. Our hearts have to be charitable, a spirit of sharing and understanding that a lot of the privileges we enjoy in this country.
They come at someone else's expense. I'll give you a small example. You're here in Southern California. There's still a little agriculture left down here. A few still a few oranges growing in Orange County.
When is strawberry season? No, I did the strawberries before, when is orange season something you can relate to?
When is orange
it's in the winter, how many of you from Syria or Jordan window the orange is going to the market. In the wintertime when we need the extra vitamin C, there's wisdom in that, right? But we get oranges year round.
So somewhere in the world where it's winter, they're growing oranges to ship to us.
And they're growing those oranges at the expense of their own nutrition. Because they can eat the oranges. The people grow on the bananas on the banana plantations, they can eat the bananas, they the bananas will probably get fired. Anyway, don't don't allow them to ripen they beat in greenheart bananas, like that's it. Forget the fat Americans, I mean a banana, I'm hungry.
A bit into a hard green banana and broke three of his teeth.
Bananas aren't that hard, but you get the point. They can eat the bananas, they're going to bananas to shipped us. And because they're going to bananas, their best land, which could be growing food to feed their own families is out of cultivation for them. Because they're going bananas on these big plantations. We don't like bananas that have marks on them that got nibbled by an insect. So we have to spray these fields, we're massive amounts of insecticide. What happens is those pesticides, they go into the groundwater. So not only can they not eat the banana, not only is the land the bananas are growing on their denied access to their best land, but it becomes a source of fouling and
polluting the groundwater. Now their children have birth defects, because they're drinking pesticide laced grown water, they don't have running water, they have to get it from the well. Right there the well water has been affected by the pesticides. And so there's a cycle of sacrifices being made by somewhere on this planet. So we can have bananas and oranges and strawberries and pineapple and Kiwis, gotta gotta have Kiwis year round, year round, someone is sacrificing for us. So it behooves us to have a greater spirit of charity in our hearts. So we can share the world with all of this planet with those who are sacrificing for us to be able to benefit we have to share. And again, this
is something a lot harder, causes us to Wolfie and William omalu. In their wealth, there's a well known right. It's not a privilege, it's a right, let's say in the one room for those who are forced to beg, and those who are deprived.
Those who are deprived, our activities are depriving people, so we shouldn't get guilty about it, we should be motivated to be more charitable, we should be motivated. As we think about our careers to begin to think about ways we can share some of these resources. Think about ways we can have a more equitable distribution of the world with our on this earth. This is an Islamic imperative in Islamic call. And as we grow as we mature, for our hearts to be sound. These are the quality characteristics and qualities we should try to instill into our hearts. And we should never be afraid. Never be afraid to be different. Never be afraid to question what we see and recognize as being wrong. Never
be afraid to ask why is it like this? And if it wasn't always like this, how did it get like this? And how can we get back to a more humane system? How can we get back to a more humane system? How can we become more consistent? How can we take the innocence of youth that prevents us from being hypocritical?
a young person cannot be a monastic unless they study adults very carefully for a long period of time.
I'll give you an example. This is an actual example I witnessed. There was a young five year old boy
And his mother didn't want to be bothered with the certain person.
So she told him, if so and so comes, you go get the door, as to the door, tell him I'm not home. So lo and behold, so and so comes knocking on the door.
Had a distinctive knock isn't.
So little kid went to the door opens the door.
Mr. Jones, my mother said, If you came to tell you, she's not home.
That's the innocence and the honesty of a child.
We have to preserve that. One of the characteristics of our prophets, Allah Selim, his heart always had that youthful innocence sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Because he strove to preserve it. And we have to strive to preserve it. Don't let this world change your heart, even if your heart gets broken from time to time.
That's part of being human is not a human being shouldn't be so jaded by the world to become so hard and cynical, that
we won't expose ourselves so we won't be vulnerable. No one will break our heart. Because we won't share our heart with anyone. We shouldn't get like that. If you share your heart, you being human, if you build this shell around yourself, fortress, me
impenetrable fortress,
that's not being human. Because at the heart of our humanity is our heart.
As we mentioned, or alluded to, we have to protect that childlike innocence, our Prophet sallallahu sallam, he always had it. And that's why he could have races with Ayesha, he's in his 50s.
She's a teenager, he's having races.
He's playing with the kids, the children, he would roll on the ground with the children, you let them ride on his back, he would line them up and have them have races he put them on his his mount and have them ride into the town with them when they return from an exhibition, all of these expedition, all of these are characteristics and manifestations of real humanity. So in conclusion, then we have discussion question and answers. Sisters got a chance to throw something at me for the comment I made earlier about semi usage.
So I'll say this in conclusion.
Never think if you're doing the right thing, you're alone. So therefore, to be with the crowd. I have to do the wrong thing.
No,
never think you're weak. So long mentions the companions of the cave. They will young people, nano knockoffs why they can add that
in fifth year to an MMO be rocking him, was it now
we're about to be him in the combo for callooh rabona Rob Buscemi where he will land net Irwin dooney Ilaha. Now for the
shout out. We will relate to you something of their story. And they were young people in
Europe,
who believed in their Lord and we increase them and guidance. Here's the part we want to focus on what our buttons are, either obey him his arm, and we straighten their hearts when they stood up and took a stand. If you stand for the truth, Allah will give you give you strength. Don't think I'm the only Muslim in my school where he does.
Stand up, be proud, and Allah will strengthen you. And your strength will be contagious. People will see your strength. And they'll come and ask you Where can I buy one of those? Not even a Muslim? Where can I buy one of those? Because they see the Willa Hilary's rasuna. He will invoke meaning when I can and Muna
Allah has the dignity and the honor. As this is messenger as to the believers is the hypocrites who don't realize it. Stand up, be strong the law was strengthen you. So those young people, Christianity has spread and at the time Christianity was Islam. It was a model theory.
Stick in that part of the world, there was the Unitarians in the Trinitarian. These are the trinitarians. They were the Muslims. But the Roman Empire was beginning to persecute the Christians, feeding them to the lions, etc.
So they were being persecuted. So all of these people in this one town, they turned back on the religion by a group of young people, they banded together, and they said, we're never turning back.
So when they took that stand a law strengthen them, even though they were isolated, and a small number amongst the wider population. They took a stand. And they said, Our Lord Rob buena, Rabu Salah where they will argue, Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. And then when done, he
will never call on any guy besides Him. They'll come in and shout out. If we were to do so we would have gone beyond all acceptable limits. So brothers and sisters, stand up for the truth. Stand up for what's right. A lot of time. If you're alone, he will strengthen you. If you feel weak, he will give you strength. If you feel humiliated, he will give you dignity and honor. He will uplift you stand up for what's right. Because there are enough people standing up for what's wrong. Some people mentioned the drugs. That's wrong.
But enough people caught up in that we can mention the sexual
inappropriateness that's permeating our society. There's no there are enough people who are swept away by that convinced the lewd and indecent way of dressing. That's wrong. There are enough people standing up for that. Less than that for the right thing. The decent thing, the moral thing, the thing that brings honor to human beings, people are debasing themselves. People are acting like animals. People are debasing themselves, we should have the dignity of real humanity. And that should be our defining characteristic, and is very easy.
Very easy. One word summarizes beer,
righteousness, so comprehensive word that embodies all of the manifestations of good and obedience to our Creator. But it's rooted in simple things. And they're O'Meara de la Juan. He said in the Bureau, Shay on Hey yen,
wedge Han Tolly on McCallum on
that beer righteousness is rooted in very simple thing
in the bureau shame on Hagen very simple things. Watch on Polly
a pleasant face where calaman ladies and gentle speech So start with that. Have a pleasant face brothers and sisters. Don't let all this negativity Don't think like on young Muslim Brothers don't think you have to be against getting close.
We'll get
in more talk to me today. sample from me and my boy rolling like that. That's how we ride. We grew up in here. You know I'm saying stop for a while. You're Muslim, smile.
Smile, read people with a pleasant face. You start a good trend as someone violates your right. Start taking the karate class. You smile have a pleasant face office. I don't know what happened. He just was picking on that for the little guy there and someone just came by and it was very quick. I didn't even see it.
But I have a pleasant face.
So it started the question answer were hamdu Lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala say you know, Mohammed said, you know, some of the Lavalle was send them
no questions. No comments. supanova.
Okay.
There's no questions or comments. I can ask you guys questions.
Your question? Are you ready for my question? Are you ready? All right. Okay.
If you
are a
excuse me, trolley
driver in San Francisco
with me,
your trolley driver in San Francisco they have hills and I like Orange County's everything's flat to go to the mountains
and your brakes go out
up ahead on the tracks so the train is going straight down the tracks.
Up ahead on the tracks the four guys working on the tracks who don't see the train and the train is going to wipe them out is going straight towards them.
There's a side track,
turning off veering off where one guy is working, so you can steer the train to that side track.
So what do you do leave the train alone and through no action of your own the brake cable snapped. You had nothing to do with it. Four people died or through your conscious action of turning the train. To the left onto that side track. One person dies. What do you do?
He says he'll jump off the train.
See, I told you we need to work on our hearts.
There's the proof. He was just kidding.
What do you do? Is Just kidding. I'm just kidding. Don't take that personally.
People get mad, you know? I was just kidding.
His heart is okay. He was just kidding. Yes.
brakes have gone
no horn horn doesn't work.
Horn doesn't work. Leave it as I presented it. The brakes are finished. You can't like reach under and fix the brakes. brakes have finished.
The horn doesn't work.
Yes.
They're all working on the tracks. So they're right on the track. The train is going to hit them.
Now the trains not flipping Oh, these are like non flippable trains. These trains are made by Acme yo see the roll run the coyote like all the Acme stuff the coyote will get her that's the company that made the train is an Acme non slipping train.
Send the roll run up ahead. You're in San Francisco. Unfortunately, there are no Road Runners in San Francisco. That was a noble effort.
This is this is called This is called a moral dilemma.
And the point is
as we as we live our lives we are encountered with such dilemmas and
prophetic guidance gives us principles. So some people find this to be an irreconcilable conundrum. A conundrum is a complicated issue that defies a solution.
But as Muslims we have guidance and because we have guidance, we have an answer. So as as a Muslim
whatever
one does,
you have a justification in this situation, because when a loss is mentioned in the Quran, manage the delicate Khattab neither venues other than he is wrong ILA and No. Man catalana next in the array the next offset and Phil are perfect and in the mount Katahdin, NASA Jamia. So
unnecessary killing is a grave wrong. It's like killing all of humanity.
But the verse doesn't stop the woman. Yeah. And NASA Jamia, but whoever saves an innocent life is as if he or she has saved all of humanity. So
if the person refrains from any action
and for people perish
then that person has not
engaged in an act that has led to someone leaving, losing a life.
If the person chooses to view this, they're trying.
That person has saved
four innocent lives, even though their action has led to the death of a person, but that person's death
was in to save the lives of others. So that action
save lives here, even though life was lost there. So is still a deep dilemma. But that person can say I saved
three lives. Four lives, even though that action costs the life but it's difficult, I would say
alone, most on that
it will be better
and alone knows best because there's no right answer.
To not actively engaged in killing a person, because those people everyone's going to die coolness, and there are two modes.
If there is a question of saving people without killing people, it's a different issue.
But when we meet a law, we won't have the blood of anyone on our hands.
Those four people who perished their bloods not on our hands, and by whatever standard Allah judges them by inshallah, they'll be martyrs. There'll be people who died be due to circumstances beyond their control, we're all going to die due to something.
An example of this, give me an example of this moral dilemma to bringing into an Islamic context or for men rhodiola Juan, when he was assaulted, a sailed by the rebels who came to Medina to kill him.
He could have given an order to wipe them all out.
And by wiping them out, he could have saved his own life.
So not only and kept the leadership of the Muslims intact, because a fractured and fragmented after that,
but he chose not to give that order there were approximately 2000 rebels. The population of Medina at that time minimally was at least 10,000 and all 10,000 with men while the other hand, including Imam Ali, the last two guards to leave Earth man's door, well, Hasson will Hussein
when their father ordered them to leave.
And Earth man told him that just leave them because I would rather be Abdullah and McCool. Then up to La alacati I rather be the servant of a law who, who is killed than the servant of a law who kills so
this is a tough question. There's no right or wrong answer.
So we're gonna stop here. A lot. I'll give you coffee. I think did they bring the books
now?
No one knows. Organizers.
Okay, so they didn't bring them now.
Okay, is the table setup?
Now brought some books I will sign the books before a shot. If someone purchased the book, oh, we can do that. All right. So I'm going to go back there if you want to buy a book, the author not the latest one, the one before that. Which includes my brief biography in there.
I'll sign the book for you if you want if you want I could put a thumbprint in it if you brought your ink pad if you want I could just look at it inshallah. So we'll do that before he shall mulata Allah bless you bless this community is a wonderful community. Very positive community but a lot protect you. By Allah tala bless all of the young people may Allah strengthen your hearts will not give you vision. May Allah give you a sound vision loss upon Watada as you Hakuna Matata your way through life. May you always remember who you are. And we are this the
heirs, the sons and daughters of prophets, military Abbey comb, Ibrahim, the way of your father, Abraham, were the spiritual heirs of prophets. So sooner or later, I'm not saying just drop everything, go back. Now, sooner or later, someone's going to have to go back to save the kingdom. Because the hyenas are having a field day.
You know what I mean?
So sooner or later, someone's going to have to go back and save the kingdom.
Might as well be you guys.
Tony,
Tony,
this is from Juma. This is as relevant to the youth because this is something where
you can leave.
But if you want, I want to share this. This was part of a letter that Abigail Adams who was john adams wife, and the mother of john quincy adams, to American presidents, wrote her 12 year old son, after he'd gone to France with his father, his father was the first American ambassador to France.
And she was just telling him how fortunate and blessed he was to live during that period of revolutionary struggle. So the point is, brothers and sisters Don't run away from the challenges of the time dose. I was born before 911.
It was so much easier to be a Muslim than now say 111 born today. Because great
and trying circumstances produce great people. So this is part of for the letter. Now she wrote this to a 12 year old. So I want you to reflect on these words.
She's a revolutionary war.
She's holding on the farm by herself, her husband has left her oldest son has left. She's there as long as she writes these words.
These are days in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still column of life, or the repose of a Pacific station that great characters are formed with Cicero has shown so distinguished and oratory had he not been roused, kindled and inflamed by the tyranny of cataline Varys and Mark Anthony. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed by contending with difficulties in the mile in grocery, use the wrong the habits of a vigorous mind are formed by contending with difficulties. All history will convince you of this, and that wisdom and penetration are the fruits of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure. Great necessities call out great virtues, when a mind is
raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, the vins those qualities which otherwise lie dormant, wake into life, and form the character of the hero and the statesman. So these are times in which genius
would wish to.
And from these times, brothers and sisters, if you rise up with pride, with dignity and with courage and conviction, and meet the challenges of the time head on then from your ranks will arise heroes and great and she rose and great statesmen and states women believe that it will be it will come to pass. I'll give you a Jesse jaaxy ism. Now we have bush isms. We have jesse jackson isms Jackson isms his a Jackson Jackson. So first let me tell you, Jesse Jackson.
All of these problems we have now could have been solved in 1990. When saddam sent Iraqi army into Kuwait, all we had to do was send Jesse Jackson
and saddam would have gotten killed Jesse would have rhymed. saddam, Saddam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, you've caused a lot of pain. You've taken Kuwait it's an unknown, it's an unlawful game. And furthermore, bushwood even the score
So no need to set up, I leave, I need to stop climbing. So all the problems could have Miss off if we just sent in Jesse Jackson. But here's something Jesse said on a serious note, I'll stop you for real because it's almost time for a shot. If your mind can conceive,
and your heart can believe it, I know you can achieve. Always remember those words. If your mind can conceive, if you can conceive of a better world and a better way, and more justice, more equity, equity in this world, and your heart can believe it. And you can have firm faith in that and know you can achieve it. So believe it, conceive it, believe it, work hard, you will achieve it. sha Allah Salam Alikum warahmatu love