Podcast #3 Rise To The Level Of Excellence

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that was cinema, let's say diversity scene 101. And I mean he was he was selling Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah Bearcat. We want to talk about domestic violence but not in the typical way, it's used the approach that we're not going to try to determine.

Because mostly you have read about these things, what does the doorbell mean and for the reboot home,

what does it mean? etc, but we want to talk about it from another angle, and to remind all of ourselves not to sleep from this or other controversial topics, to deal with them, because these are issues that are real. And they're issues that are eating away at our community, such as domestic violence.

And many, many other issues, drug addiction, we have drug addiction, amongst some of our youth. We have

illegitimate sexual relations, we have some of our girls coming up pregnant, we have all of these problems that we find in the wider society, and we're not going to deal with them by pretending or denying their existence. So abuse is inextricably associated with violence. It's usually the result of violence. And violence is more than physical force. violence can be neglect, violence can be shouting. violence can be subtle means of intimidation, violence can be psychological manipulation. violence can be many other things. But violence has another meaning that a lot of us don't pay attention to. And that is to distort something to such an extent that we no longer recognize it for

what it is. We know this many of you study literature, and you've seen the phrase that the editor, for example, the editor did such violence to the text, that we can no longer recognize the author's original intent. How many of you have heard or usage something like that? Okay, so we have people who are familiar with that. The reason I say that, is that when we allow abuse to exist in our homes and our family and our relationships, many times as a result of the violence that we perpetrate against each other. We in turn, do violence to Islam, so that it is not recognizable for what it is. And this is consistent with what Dr. Yasir qadhi was saying, when these people in the name of so

called Jihad inflict violence on innocent people. The majority of the Muslims inflict violence on people who have nothing to do with harming Islam or Muslims in any way. They in turn do violence to Islam. So that is not recognizable for what it is. And as Dr. Umar Castillo, Cassie mentioned, that distorted image of Islam that Muslims in some instances are responsible for and term becomes the basis for people hating Islam. And for people seeing Islam as something vile, and something ugly and something despicable. But it is not Islam. It is that distortion. It is that caricature that is a result of the violence that's been done against this land itself. And when we allow abuse and

violence to exist in our home, we are distorting Islam, we're distorting Islam, and the people that suffer the most as was mentioned this morning by more than one of our speakers are our children. Our children. How many of you are from Vancouver? Vancouver? Are you familiar with I think I hope I don't mispronounce Dr. Gabrielle naughty, who runs the free needle distribution clinic. You're familiar. He's an expert. This is a Hungarian Jew in Vancouver.

He runs a clinic where is the only clinic in North America Canada or the United States where heroin

and addicts can come and shoot up with clean needles.

And if they overdose, they can be revived because their medical staff and some p n Islamically. We can discuss this, this will be a good case study as to the objectives of the law

usually say alcohol and drugs affect the mind. And Islam has been instituted to preserve the mind. So it's been instituted to preserve religion. And these things are ranked in a priority prioritize scheme to preserve religion, to preserve life to preserve the mind.

So the drug addict is affecting their mind immediately. So drugs are forbidden. But when they use dirty needles, they're affecting their life. So by giving them clean needles, he's preserving their lives, by bringing them into an environment where if they overdose, they can be revived by train medical and competent physicians, he's preserving their lives. And that has a prior a higher prioritization than preserving their intellect.

So I'm not saying we should have noodle clinics, I'm just saying we should think about these things at a deeper level. He also has a program to get them off of drugs, which doesn't work when they're in the streets, because in the streets, no one has shown them compassion. And this is the point I want to make. His his expertise is on the effects of abuse on children.

And his research has shown that abuse is the primary in childhood is the primary cause of addictions. And addictions take many forms for some people is drugs. For some people is shopping. There are people addicting to shop the addicted to shopping, to some people, is sexual relations. Some people are addicted to that. For some people, it's eating, they're addicted to eating. But he does his research shows in every case, via addiction, as far as his research is concerned, results from violence that was afflicted upon that child during their formative years. And that violence creates a void in that child that they subsequently tried to fill with these various addictions,

when he creates an environment of compassion, and for many of these people who have been abused in their childhood, for the first time, they're in contact with compassionate people, he begins to create in them the security and the sense of self and confidence that they need to escape their addiction. And he finds that many of them go to the detox program, and are freed from the addiction to heroin or other destructive drugs. Now the point brothers and sisters, when we are engaged in arguing, when we're engaged in insulting, belittling and berating when we're engaged in physical violence in our homes, our children are affected by that violence, and it creates a void within

them. It distorts their development, it distorts their personality, and their violence.

Doesn't have to be direct. Another thing he found in his research, and as published his experience, as a Jew, in Nazi Germany, he was constantly crying. His mother took him to a doctor. And she said, My child is doing something very strange. He cries all the time. The doctor told her is not it's not It's not strange. All of the Jewish children are constantly crying. He says, this environment that they're in, in Nazi Germany is so stressful for the parents that the children are internalizing the stress of their parents. And as a result of that, they're crying because they don't know any other way to express that internalized stress. Our children internalize the state of our homes and this is

why it's so important that the love and mercy that was talked about by Dr. Omar and others Dr. Muhammad and

shear and others, it has to be present if we're concerned not only for our well being, but for the well being of our children because just as our children internalize the stress and the tension from the arguments from the the, the disputes from the anger and frustration they internalize the positive energy that's created by the love and the mercy with Gianna then

in the field Adicolor area to call me at effect guru. He's made between you love and mercy surely in this are Signs. For those who reflect, we have to reflect on the teachings of our religion, Allah Allah tells us to reflect, He tells us to think he tells us to use our intellect. And this is a vital part of our religion because our religion is not a system of do's and don'ts. The do's and don'ts in the Quran compared to the verses that contain of moral and ethical spiritual import are very, very few and we all know that the same thing for the Hadith, this hadith of legislative import, compared to the entire corpus of Hadith are very few. But we sometimes forget that Allah

Tala mentions as was mentioned throughout the day while covenant Nukem without convert Eva, they've taken you with a weighty covenant.

The women the bonds between you are established on the basis of a weighty covenant. Allah Tala reminds us is Dr. Omar gave a beautiful beautiful explanation I've hunted the vessel in the coma into the vessel lagoon, their their garments for you and your garments for them. And he elaborated far more eloquently and far more powerfully than I could but these are things for us to reflect on as how the nature of our relationships with our spouses should be. Allah Tyler reminds us why she wound the bill mouth and dwell with them in goodness. And as it was explained goodness that you would show to a member of your very fair family you're very kith and kin, the same affection you

would show to your sister.

The same affection you show to your mother to your auntie's. That's the level of affection. That's the level of tenderness that's the level of gentleness you should display to your wife.

Women at hand Hello Carla Camilla,

the test guru la wa jalla

wa rahma in the Fidel Nicola area to call me at effect the room from the sides is made for you spouses from yourselves, for what? To dwell with them in peace and tranquility. And he's made between you love and mercy surely and this assigns for people who reflect

this is our religion. Allah Tala mentions Yeah, a baddie Hadith Potsie not Quran. Yeah, he daddy in the haram to Vermeil NFC, watch out to banal coma, Haryana fell out of volume on my servant, I forbidden oppression for myself, and I've made it forbidden amongst you, therefore, Do not oppress one another. This is our religion. And this is what we have to bring to life, in our homes, in our schools, our massages, our institutions, our relationship with each other, we have to rid them of any oppression. And this becomes the basis of our power as a community. This is what will speak for us. This is what will delegitimize all of the negative things that are put out against our

community. We don't we won't have to speak a word because our actions will be more powerful than any words that we could ever speak. But our actions will never be powerful, they'll never be meaningful, they'll never be able to repel all of the negative words until they're real, and they're deep and they're sincere. And they're inspired, inspired actions that are motivated by a desire to articulate to embody the lessons the teachings of our religion, in our lives, in our families, in our homes, and our institutions, and our relationships with each other. Our coming together. This is an articulation of what Islam is all about. Our ability to come here and share with each other

To speak with each other to address each other around common issues, despite the fact we might have different orientations in terms of how we see the religion. This is what United for Change is all about. And this is what is going to change our Ummah, when we realize we might differ on some particulars, but on the universals, we are totally united. And that only by being totally united on the universals, are we going to do our part to hand this religion on to those who will come after us because this is a communal project. It's not an individual project, it is not the project for individual groups or organizations or institutions. It is a project for our community, just as it

was the project of those communities that preceded us, collectively, they handed the religion on and collectively, we have to take the responsibility to hand the religion on to those after us.

Hydro the Ascalon he mentioned is in fact on Barry the his commentary on Sahara remembered Bukhari. The phrase of related by my best believe was from the Prophet sallallahu, it was send them bendy who only want to deliver this message for me even to the extent of a single verse you might know, he said, if everyone conveys their verse, or two or three, the Hadith, or two or three, what they know about this religion, collectively, we will pass the religion on. This is our communal responsibility. Brothers and sisters. This is Islam. This is Islam. And if anyone wants to report back, because there are people at the conference, who are doing reports and have to report to their

superiors, what were they calling the people to put this in the report, they were calling the people to be greater than what the world has made. This is what we're calling people to, to use this lens to empower yourself to become greater than what the world has made you or me or us, the world might have made some of us drug addicts,

not our parents, the world, the conditions, the circumstances that we find ourselves in might have made some of us drug addicts, the world might have made some of us racist, I can't stand people of that race.

The world might have made us races, the world might have made us so materially greed, that we can't even begin to think of the rights that other people have in the material wealth of this world. We want it all for ourselves, we want everything we can get our hands on. And if we you serve someone else's right, to clean water, or to clean air, or to clean or to non genetically modified food, we don't care we want everything we can get. That's what the world might have made us but religion. And in our case, Islam is calling us to rise above what the world has made us is calling us to seek the forgiveness of our Lord and Paradise. And if we really understood what that means, we will be

empowered to overcome whatever the world has made us. All of us. This has been summarized in two verses in Quran and we relate these verses to bring us back specifically to the topic of domestic violence. Allah Tala mentions in the Quran was said he wrote in the mouth unity, Marathi comm where Janet and Abu Hassan were to work out that theme hasten to forgiveness from your Lord, and a paradise whose expense is as is greater than the expense of the heavens and the earth that has been prepared for those who are conscious of Allah.

So hastened to forgiveness and Paradise. And then he says,

As

a lady you will feel coolness to so raw, what Barack the first thing he mentions in terms of what that hastening involve, what are the keys to forgiveness, enter Paradise, those who spend rather it is easy or difficult.

Now why is this important? What is the relationship? The relationship is until we let go of the world, it will be difficult for us to

Word, the deeds of those who are the people of paradise. Because until we let go of the world, the world will not let go of us. And as long as we're holding on to the world, the world will hold on to us. Spending is one of the immediate ways we let go of the world.

This is set spinning. And our scholars mentioned this. When we spend our wealth, we're letting go of the world. And when we condition ourselves to let the world go, we empower ourselves to do things that are beyond our physical capability. We empower ourselves to do things that are predicated not on physical strength, but on spiritual strength. This is the key. So when we spend when we let go of the world, we're able to overcome our anger. So Allah Tala mentions and leadin use your colonists to sell raw a Dora will kill the meaning of life and those who restrain their anger, because now the world has let go of us. We see this in Ramadan and Ramadan, we let go of the world. How does the

world hold on to us it holds on to us through sleep. It holds on to us through eating, it holds on through us, to us through the connections we have with other people. It holds on to us through talking.

Ramadan, helps cuts down on our eating obviously, it cuts down on our sleeping, if we're staying up late, especially this time of year, as Ramadan moves into the summer for taraweeh. We're not getting home until after midnight, then a couple hours later, we have to get up for support. Right? It cut down on our talking we don't have the energy and if we assert observe the etiquette of the fast we know that we can't speak the way we usually speak because there's closer and other unacceptable forms of speech that are against the etiquette of the fats. And if we're really serious about Ramadan, we tried to do and take half 10 days, preferably two or three days a little bit in reviving

the sunnah of our Prophet sallallahu Sallam and that cuts down on our worldly relationship and that releases our spiritual power. So we find the energy and strength to do spiritual deeds we can't do outside of Ramadan. Some of us we pray Taraweeh an hour and a half, two hours depending on the speed of the Imams recitation outside of Ramadan, we can barely squeeze out five minutes pmla We start one or contoura cards we start dozing off we go to bed, we read the Quran, two or three cartons in Ramadan and the only thing restricting us we have to stop and go to work. If we had time we could read Quran all day in Ramadan because we're cutting down on those things that chain us to the world

and to our physical self. Outside of Ramadan, one page two page we're nodding off, we're drooling on our phone and we close the most half we go to bed or turn on the television. So when we reduce our connection to the world, and let them feel corner,

then the world civility to hold us in restrained us is limited and then our spiritual energy comes out and we can control our anger will count the meaning of life and how many how much violence and abuse is exist in our homes, our relationship because we cannot control our anger. When I feel and the nests and they pardoned people again, how many of our problems come because we can't pardon? We were holding a grudge against our wife for our husband for something they mistakenly said 10 years ago

when I seen on the nurse will love who you bill Mycenae and Allah loves those who strive for moral perfection. To use the translation Dr. Omar used earlier in the day for SN A beautiful translation, moral perfection. We won't get there but we strive for it.

And Allah loves those who strive for moral perfection. So if in our homes, were striving for moral perfection, the man the woman, the children, the parents, if then our relationships with each other, we're striving for moral perfection and our communities and our organizations and institutions. We're striving for moral perfection, what kind of community what kind

of marriages, what kind of relationship between parent and child, child and parents, friends and neighbors? What kind of relationships will we have brothers and sisters, if we're striving for moral perfection, knowing that this is something Allah subhanaw taala, something that he loves. So brothers and sisters, this is our religion. This is Islam. Islam doesn't want us. As was mentioned, I forget who said it to come to the minimum standards that the law introduces Islam. Islam wants us to rise to the number of

people who are striving for moral perfection. This is what our religion is calling us to. And when we take this call seriously, we will be reformed, our families will be reformed, our communities will be reformed and who our position in the world will be reformed. And it is not easy. It is not easy. And that's why it's called the jihad to bring up the J word again. We mentioned it in Juma. Yes, Dr. Yasir qadhi mentioned it and I'm going to mention it again. Jihad is a beautiful term that we should reclaim it's been stolen from us. And not just by irresponsible, reckless and downright in some instances, stupid Muslims. It's been stolen by some narrow minded bigoted people who want to

paint Muslims into a corner that we cannot even speak in our own language. We cannot even take pride in our religion, we have to reclaim and Allah Tala mentions in the Quran, when Medina Jahad, you fina, then the unknown.

Those who engage in jihad for our sake, and this jihad, one of his greatest manifestations is the jihad against ourselves, to overcome the base inclinations of our soul to overcome those things, our worldly circumstances have made us so that we can be those people striving for more excellence. It is a jihad, and it's called the jihad because it is difficult. It is hard, it is intense. It requires sacrifice. It requires energy and effort and focus. It requires knowledge and study and commitment. But those who engage in that struggle, Allah Tala says that the unknown spool and we will guide them in our paths, the paths that lead to a lot of time. And those are good paths. And if

we're on those paths, and we're grabbing a husband or a wife, by the hand, if we're you're grabbing our children or parents by the hand, and pulling them along with us, as we move down that path, brothers and sisters, we're going to be a powerful community, we're going to be a beautiful community. And we pray that this conference, we can solve the problems of the world in a conference, but we pray that this conference has motivated you to look for the things that will help you to move on those paths. We pray that this conference has motivated you to look at the religion as far more than just a series of do's and don'ts, rules and strictures, but as something that is desirous of

cleansing us and purifying us and elevating us and bringing out the best of who we are as a human being and more importantly as a servant of Our Lord, and as a follower of our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam aka Darwin Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa sallahu nscd no Muhammad while early he was so happy you were sending testament cathedra Assalamu aleikum wa