[SPEAKER_00]: Muslims, once the Prophet ﷺ was sitting on one of the roofs of the houses of Medina and two or three companions were sitting with him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he looked to the city of Medina.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a calm and clean and crisp day.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he said, what do you see?
[SPEAKER_00]: They said a beautiful sight.
[SPEAKER_00]: We see the people of Medina, the houses of Medina.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, as for me, I see trials and tribulations falling upon you like the drops of rain.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're unaware, you're oblivious.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I see fitten.
[SPEAKER_00]: I see tests, tragedies, calamities falling upon you like the drops of rain.
[SPEAKER_00]: and this motif, this concept of warning the Ummah, of difficult times to come.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a common thread in so many traditions.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, many of our classical scholars even wrote entire books or chapters.
[SPEAKER_00]: about the chapter of trials, the chapter of fitten, the chapter of impending dooms and warnings of what's going to happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: In another Heiditha'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'
[SPEAKER_00]: In yet another head of the Prophet ﷺ reminded us that fit and or trials will be exposed to us continuously so much so he said like a carpet weaver is weaving a rug one line or one strand after another so two you're going to have to face one tragedy one trial after another and during times like the ones we live in.
[SPEAKER_00]: these traditions frequently come to our mind and we should take comfort and solace in these prophecies.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why do you think the Prophet ﷺ warned us of the impending increase of difficulties?
[SPEAKER_00]: Did he do so in order that we despair or did he do so so that we prepare?
[SPEAKER_00]: He did so so that we are prepared.
[SPEAKER_00]: We understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are facing this reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: And SubhanAllah every single week or every single month.
[SPEAKER_00]: So many changes happen at the international level.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are still looking at the reality of Lazza and the situation does not seem any better than it was weeks or months ago from despair to despair.
[SPEAKER_00]: at the national level and the elections and who is coming in, who is coming out and the rhetoric about this regard, at the domestic level and the city level, and one scandals after another, and no doubt at our personal levels, every one of us is dealing with personal trials, personal tragedies, there's grievances of the heart, there's families that have been broken apart, there's finances that we're dealing with, there's health issues, it is as if the list is never ending.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is where we need to take a step back and take comfort and guidance from the Qur'an and from the sunnah of our prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
[SPEAKER_00]: In today's brief Hothba, a generic Hothba, even though we are speaking in a week full of so many issues, still, the Hothba will be about all and about these specific and beyond this of relevance every single week in shalala ala of our lives, five simple points that we can derive from the Qur'an in the sunnah.
[SPEAKER_00]: The first of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let us take comfort, let us find solace, let us find peace in understanding the wisdom of why life is so difficult, why is there one calamity after another, why is there one tragedy after another, why is there one bad news after another, remember almost limbs, this is not happening from randomness, anything that happens, it is happening from the Qadr of Allah, nothing happens
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a wisdom in the plan of Allah, even if we do not understand that plan.
[SPEAKER_00]: Understand, almost limbs, that one of the most obvious wisdoms is that Allah wants to see how we navigate life through these difficulties.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to understand every single tragedy, every single suffering, every single irritation or nuisance or calamity that happens in our lives.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is, in fact, a mini test or a large test, depending on how big the calamity was.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah wants to see what our reaction is, what our response is.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not happening from randomness.
[SPEAKER_00]: When a beloucome be sherry while khaydi fitna, we're gonna test you with good and with bad as a fitna, as a means of testing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah Subhanahu wa tala says, liya beloucome ayyukum ahsana wa amala, to see who amongst you does the best of deeds.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything that happens to you, there is no randomness.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not just happening spontaneously.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is Allah's Qadar.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is Allah's decree.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take comfort that Allah has the plan.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is all planned out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Qullan yus'i bana illama.
[SPEAKER_00]: Qatab Allahulana.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who amulana?
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing will happen to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Except what Allah has decreed for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Allah is my mullah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah is my protector.
[SPEAKER_00]: He will not put me in circumstances that are meant to fail me.
[SPEAKER_00]: He will not put me in a situation that is meant to cause my tragedy.
[SPEAKER_00]: No.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah as the original mentions in the Qur'an.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah you call if Allah enough sin, illa wa sahab.
[SPEAKER_00]: No one will be tested with something that is more than what they can bear.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so every test that we do, every tragedy that we face, Allah has put us in it, knowing we can pass that test, knowing we're able to overcome the difficulties and come closer to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
[SPEAKER_00]: and this applies to each and every aspect of our lives from the biggest, what is happening in Gaza, to that which is still large, the elections and whatnot, to that which is local and domestic, to that which is happening in your own life, our Prophet ﷺ said,
[SPEAKER_00]: never does a tragedy hit the believer, never does anxiety or stress or any type of grievance hit the believer, even if it is a thorn that pricks him, even the smallest thing except that through it, Allah SWT will allow some sins to be forgiven and his rank to be raised up.
[SPEAKER_00]: If obviously they are patient in response to that, so understand that
[SPEAKER_00]: The purpose of these difficulties is not just random.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take comfort, Allah Azza wa Jalla wants to test us to raise our ranks.
[SPEAKER_00]: He wants to test us to bless us.
[SPEAKER_00]: He wants to test us to forgive us.
[SPEAKER_00]: He wants to test us to give us and shall allow to either the highest place of jannah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Put your trust in Allah, have your clean, that Allah is setting you up to pass you, not to fail you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah is setting you up to raise you, not to debase you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Put your trust in Allah and then navigate through difficulties, having that connection with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
[SPEAKER_00]: This leads me to my second point, throughout all of these tests, throughout all of these trials, as you encounter one difficulty after another.
[SPEAKER_00]: take comfort in another reality, and that reality is to pass that test, to earn a laws reward doesn't mean that that difficulty disappears.
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't mean that you shall attain success over that particular tragedy.
[SPEAKER_00]: May Allah protect all of us as somebody afflicted with cancer.
[SPEAKER_00]: Does passing the test mean the cancer is gone?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, not at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether the test, whether the pain, whether the suffering remains or not is irrelevant to passing the test.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah SWT will judge you, and Allah will reward you, not based upon the output, not based upon the result, but based upon the input and the effort.
[SPEAKER_00]: Once you understand this point, you will tear up, you will feel optimistic, you cannot fail the exam of Allah.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no failing the exam of Allah if you try your best, as long as you put in the effort, as long as you have yakin in Allah
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if the world says you failed in the eyes of Allah, you have passed.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because the only failure, the only failure is when you literally give up and say I cannot do anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is failure in Allah's eyes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Otherwise, as long as you strive, as long as you put in, whatever you humanly capable of doing, we might not solve all the problems of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Allah's not gonna judge us based upon the output.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah will judge us based upon the input.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if we did everything we could, no matter how useless the world, my think it is, even if the greatest engineering, you know, mechanisms come to try to get rid of us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if we lie abandoned in a building, having our hands on our feet blown off, and these instruments of death come, and we are dying, we are starving, and all that we have is a stick in our hands, and we take that stick, and we throw it at that instrument of death,
[SPEAKER_00]: We have succeeded, and we are victors, even if the world doesn't understand, a law will bless that one stick, and a law will bless that one throw, more than a law will bless many dozens or millions of people, because Reza comes in effort, Reza comes in not giving up, Reza comes in understanding and recognizing that a law blesses in this world and most importantly in the next.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will only fail.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will only fail if you don't even try.
[SPEAKER_00]: As long as you try, even until death, then even something like throwing a stick, and you don't even know people are watching, Allah will record, and millions, billions will see, and you will inspire people around the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because you demonstrated bravery, you demonstrated to what cool, you demonstrated real Islamic courage in the face of sheer brutality and depravity and animosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: The only way you will fail is if you don't even try.
[SPEAKER_00]: As long as you try and you put in the effort, Allah will bless and Allah will accept and you will succeed in the passing of Allah's test, understand this point.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether you pass this dunya or not doesn't mean that you have passed.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether the cancer goes away or not, whether you attain political victory or not, all of this, of course we want good in this world, but if we don't get it, then the ultimate success is in the eyes of Allah SWT and Allah will judge you, not based upon the result, but based upon the effort you put in, which leads me to point number three.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is the same thing but put it in a different way.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is that we also take comfort almost slim, there is a judgment day, and there is heaven and hell.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala reminds us of this, when he mentions the difficulties that the prophets, all of the prophets, and especially the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam faced.
[SPEAKER_00]: When he tells us the difficulties of the Sahaba, when he reminds us of the persecution, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala reminds the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, let them be until the day of judgment.
[SPEAKER_00]: on that day they will see.
[SPEAKER_00]: When the Prophet ﷺ was mocked, Allah says, let them be.
[SPEAKER_00]: We will see who is laughing on that day.
[SPEAKER_00]: We will see what will be their fate on that day.
[SPEAKER_00]: Question, why is Allah bringing us in the day of judgment when the Muslims are being persecuted?
[SPEAKER_00]: Why is Allah talking about heaven and hell when the situation is so dire to remind Muslims ultimate success is not in this dunya.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe, maybe the Prophet will get the last laugh in this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe some of the Sahab and many of them did not see the conquest of Mecca that does not make them a failure Maybe some of them died tortured at the hands of the Qur'a ishwa, the Qur'a ishwa laughing We know this happened, but that is not success That is not we are not concerned about the outer image and the PR Point number three, ultimate success is written with Allah through heaven and through Allah's日 Allah
[SPEAKER_00]: and that will only be manifested on the Day of Judgement and afterwards.
[SPEAKER_00]: And ask for those who did evil, ask for those who did wrong at any level, personal level, community level, whether it was people on people, whether it was nations upon nations in this world, they might get away with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's a sad reality of this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: But in the Ahirah, no volume, no tyrant, no predator, will ever get away with the crimes that they have done.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why we take comfort in the day of judgment, and we look forward to Yomel Hesab.
[SPEAKER_00]: We look forward to Yomel Diyin, Yomel Kiyama.
[SPEAKER_00]: We look forward to when the Mizan are brought out.
[SPEAKER_00]: In one series of verses, when Allah mentions the rule of the Vali Min, Allah says, When Allah Almighty Almighty Almighty Almighty, Fala Tudlamul Afsun Shay'a, just wait on that day.
[SPEAKER_00]: The scales of justice will be brought out.
[SPEAKER_00]: So take comfort almost slim.
[SPEAKER_00]: that no matter all the tragedy, all the pain, all the injustice, and sometimes injustice goes unanswered in this world, and that is very painful, but you find comfort that in the ahirah injustice will never go unanswered.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, la yavli wa mithkala dharra, wa interkuha sanatan, even if it is the smallest amount Allah Azza wa jal, will call it to account, wa me yaman mithkala dharra, t'en khayran yara, wa me yaman thkala dharra, t'en sharran yara.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the third reality, once again, we find comfort in believing in Kiyama, in heaven, and in hell.
[SPEAKER_00]: And our goal, our desire is the reward of Allah through Jannah, even if we don't attain ultimate peace in this dunya.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, one can even say bluntly, you shall never attain peace in this dunya.
[SPEAKER_00]: This dunya is not the dunya of peace.
[SPEAKER_00]: This dunya is the dunya of test and trials.
[SPEAKER_00]: Darul Iptila, Darul Ihtibar, Darul Iptihan.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the ahirah that is Darul Jaza.
[SPEAKER_00]: And after Darul Jaza, we want the one abo, Darul Salam.
[SPEAKER_00]: Darul Salam is the abo of peace.
[SPEAKER_00]: Darul Salam, when there is no pain, where there is no grief, where there is no worry.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let him Darul Salam in the end of the abehim.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, Allah, we are the ulyla, Darul Salam.
[SPEAKER_00]: We want Daru Salam because ultimate happiness is only over there.
[SPEAKER_00]: You shall never find ultimate Salam in this dunya.
[SPEAKER_00]: So take comfort in belief in the hereafter and in heaven and hell.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this leads me to my fourth point that we derive from the Qur'an and from the Sunnah.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is a beautiful phrase that our process I mentioned, authentic Hadith, that the Prophet ﷺ talked about fit and trial coming to the Ummah.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a long Hadith.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll take the one phrase that we need.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said when you see this reality When you see people fighting and bickering when you see people not pious and these are the people that are put in charge This is a Hadith that people who are don't have Amanah are given Amanah We seek Allah's refuge or we will be Allah but this is one of the signs of the day of judgment
[SPEAKER_00]: that the people who are not qualified are put in positions of power and authority.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you see people fighting, what did the Prophet ﷺ say?
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, Fadah and Qamir al-Alam wa al-Aqabihal, Satin F-Sik.
[SPEAKER_00]: Leave the rebel rabble of the awam of the masses.
[SPEAKER_00]: Leave the matter that the masses always talk about and concentrate on your private life and your own personal issues here.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a beautiful prophetic wisdom.
[SPEAKER_00]: We can't change the whole world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes when all we do is we get involved in talking about what's happening and talking about global politics and talking about other issues, we do this at an expense to ourselves and our personal relationship with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
[SPEAKER_00]: Literally our Prophet ﷺ said that get away from the riff raf of the masses.
[SPEAKER_00]: The masses they talk about everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't immerse yourself in what the mass is talk about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't immerse yourself in more mentality while Alaykh Abkhaz Satin Fsik and pay attention to your own self.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pay attention to what you can control.
[SPEAKER_00]: I cannot control global politics.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can most definitely control my salah.
[SPEAKER_00]: I cannot control who is elected, who isn't elected.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can most definitely control my wife and my children.
[SPEAKER_00]: I cannot control so many other predators and issues out there.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can most definitely control my own nuts, or I can try to control my nuts.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the prophecy system is advising us, don't become too involved in that which you cannot change.
[SPEAKER_00]: That which is just talk, that which is just rebel-rabble and get involved with that which you can control.
[SPEAKER_00]: Be more invested in your personal life.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, an important disclaimer here.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am not saying that we don't, we're not aware, or we don't be involved in the political or in the cultural or in the domestic realities.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, there's a healthy middle ground.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Prophet ﷺ literally said, the Muqmin who interacts with other believers and his patient at the negativity that comes from them is more beloved to Allah than the Muqmin who cuts off and locks himself in his house.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, we take this head-eath in light of other ahadith.
[SPEAKER_00]: When the Prophet ﷺ said, don't get involved in the rebel rabble of the masses.
[SPEAKER_00]: What this means is, don't overly concentrate on just talking about issues beyond you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't become insensitive and sensitivized to just listening to all of the negativity of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: If all we do is we watch negative news here, negative news, read about negative news.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to cause a negative impact on us.
[SPEAKER_00]: There has to be that balance here.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is another disease that we have.
[SPEAKER_00]: We want to come across every gossip, every slander, every issue taking place.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you gain?
[SPEAKER_00]: How will it benefit you?
[SPEAKER_00]: You need to know what you need to know.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then majority of your time, concentrate on that, which is beneficial.
[SPEAKER_00]: Alayka, Bihal, Satin, F-Sik, Wada, Anka, Umar Al-Awa, Memorize this phrase.
[SPEAKER_00]: Concentrate on your own personality and your own personal issues.
[SPEAKER_00]: And leave what the masses are constantly doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: We do not just ride the wave every few days, every few weeks, and anybody who's involved with social media, well, Allah, you see this, a lot, yeah, line with your eyes, every few days, a new tragedy, a new drama, a new, and then a few weeks later you have no idea what happened a few weeks ago, and you're just riding one wave after another, what did you benefit, what did you gain?
[SPEAKER_00]: So learn what you need to learn, but your primary emphasis should be in your personal life, and what you are doing in the impact.
[SPEAKER_00]: that you can have.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the last point of our five talked today, the last point which is explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, when it comes to trams of tragedy, when it comes to times of trials and tribulations, the Qur'an and the Sunnah and the Sira, they constantly remind us of one thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is no matter how unstable life becomes, no matter how chaotic
[SPEAKER_00]: The external reality becomes, the Quran and the Sunnah remind us, make sure your stability through your rituals and your thicker remains solid.
[SPEAKER_00]: Make sure no matter what happens outside that your ibadah and your ta'alluq with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ada always remains firm.
[SPEAKER_00]: Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala mentioned in the Qur'an.
[SPEAKER_00]: Wa La Kada Na'alamu'u'n Naka'iyadu'i khusadur-kayma'iyakoonoon.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know Ya Rasulullah, your heart is in pain because of the lies and slander.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know how difficult life is.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know what they say about you.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not easy for you to hear what consolation was he said.
[SPEAKER_00]: Wa La Kada Na'alamu'n Naka'iyadu'i khusadur-kam'iyakoon.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fasab-bah-bih-biham-dara-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-bih-
[SPEAKER_00]: So ask for you, then worship Allah, do Thicker, do Sajda and be of those who are constantly doing Sajda and worship Allah until the inevitable end comes to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will find comfort when you turn away from the dunya and you do Sajda to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will find comfort when you do Thicker of Allah, you will find comfort when you establish your heart to Allah, connect your heart to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
[SPEAKER_00]: Our Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu alaihi wa sallallahu al
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you went to Medina, you would be in a safe haven.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you were in Medina, you were cut off from all of the trials and tribulations.
[SPEAKER_00]: Our Prophet ﷺ said, when the world becomes difficult.
[SPEAKER_00]: When there's fit and and trial, when things become very awkward then start worshipping Allah.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will find the comfort of the people around me in Medina.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will find that safe space and so point number five, Allah Subhanahu Wa'Ta'ala mentions very explicitity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Wa'abud-Rabbaqahat-Tiyah-Tiyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kaliyah-Kal
[SPEAKER_00]: no matter how difficult the dunya is, no matter how unstable the world is, and it is very unstable now.
[SPEAKER_00]: The stability you will find.
[SPEAKER_00]: The comfort you will find.
[SPEAKER_00]: The anchor in your life will always be the routine about that and rituals.
[SPEAKER_00]: make sure those are never affected by whatever else is happening in the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you have these five points in Shah Allahu Ta'ala, you will be able to overcome these tragedies one after the other.
[SPEAKER_00]: May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala bless us all in this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the next, may Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala bless us of those who recite the Qur'an and follow to the best of our abilities.
[SPEAKER_00]: May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala make us of the Aha'ala Qur'an.
[SPEAKER_00]: I ask Allah's forgiveness.
[SPEAKER_00]: You as well ask him for his giro for and the Rahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, al-Wahed al-Ahad al-Samad al-Lamil al-Walam yulad wa l-Miyyakulillah, kufuan al-Had wa b'adu.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dermoslam's a part of these calamities that we have discussed is the sad reality that sometimes people whom we trusted, sometimes people who are placed in positions of power, they betray those trusts and they betray what Allah has given them of power and to Allah we complain and in Allah we seek refuge.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dermoslam's.
[SPEAKER_00]: realize that even our own community in Dallas is obviously not immune to this reality and any scandal that happens, any issue that happens, especially amongst people of knowledge, especially amongst people who are supposed to be educators and teachers, it is something that affects every single Muslim.
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of have given a longer talk earlier this week.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is online and you can find it online where I have shared my thoughts in more explicit detail.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to mention for today that our Imam's committee and Dallas, the North Texas Imam's committee, it has released a public statement about a particular issue that happened, I believe last week.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we are very clear in this regard that any type of abuse, any type of predatory behavior can never be excused.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we must call this out and take adequate precautions that such a metric can never happen again.
[SPEAKER_00]: And dear Muslims, we understand emotions are high.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it is true, a lot of blame can easily be assigned everywhere.
[SPEAKER_00]: But in the end of the day, we are responsible for ourselves, and the most important defense is our own defense.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yes, you can
[SPEAKER_00]: point some fingers here and there, whatever it might be, but in the end of the day what are you and what am I doing to protect our own households?
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is where we have to have that awkward conversation of our own to be a to our children.
[SPEAKER_00]: What are we teaching our children?
[SPEAKER_00]: What are we protecting them from?
[SPEAKER_00]: How much knowledge do they have to be aware of the realities around?
[SPEAKER_00]: And one of the biggest problems, and it is a problem that Allah Almighty is even awkward to mention in public.
[SPEAKER_00]: But are not mentioning of it does not change the reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is our uzu billah, our uzu billah, we seek Allah's refuge and may Allah forgive me for even mentioning these realities.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the reality of pornography and its impact on the average mind, Allah Almighty.
[SPEAKER_00]: We live at a time, we live at a place where this filth, this evil, it has affected almost the entire globe.
[SPEAKER_00]: and it has caused even our own protected communities, a stuff for the law to be absorbing these issues and being impacted by them.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have solutions almost limbs.
[SPEAKER_00]: We live at a time in a place people could never have imagined what we see and the accessibility of this filth, the accessibility of this evil, even young children, just two, three searches and next thing you know, they have the most explicit, the most vulgar,
[SPEAKER_00]: how will it change their mind, how will it and brothers and sisters and much can be said here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Go listen to psychiatrists who don't even believe in Allah.
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't believe in the day of judgment.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to their analysis of the harm of this reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to when they say that they have never seen how the brain has been rewired, how so much impact has occurred amongst a new generation that has been raised.
[SPEAKER_00]: Seeing, filth after filth, seeing, nudity after nudity Arudubillah wa l-lahul-mustaan The amount of mental issues that are taking place The amount of marriages breaking up The amount of abnormalities And weird and bizarre fetishes that are rising Because of this Allahul-mustaan
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't even need to believe in God to understand how evil this industry is, how filthy this industry is, how much more so, when we are believers in Allah and we understand this reality, and almost all of them are either below them, but even as a person who is involved in the community, let me say, every one of us imams and shouts, we are fully aware, so many of our own couples, they come to us with this problem, so many of our youth come with this reality,
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of the adults they think that we're immune to this and this is one of our problems We think that our kids are not going to do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: We think that our youth are not going to go down that path No, we live in the same world where if a tech connect to the same Internets, why do you think your son your daughter is somehow more immune than everybody else these are realities You need to understand and there are plenty of programs that
[SPEAKER_00]: Can censor this in your own, you know, households and may I suggest strongly suggest that especially the youth that's O' Parents do not put access to computers in private places put the computer in the living room where they can do their homework Whatever installed these filters that
[SPEAKER_00]: can, you know, there's good filters out there that can make these sites minimal.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the point is no matter what you do, are you with or better than us and they're more technically savvy than us.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: So have conversations with them and bring up not just religious aspects, but which is very important.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also bring up the worldly aspect, the harm that these types of things, you know, do.
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, obviously there are plenty of halal solutions and of them is to make marriage easier for our youth to encourage them to get married, to bless them in halal unions if we lower the bars of the impediments of marriage in Shah Allahut ala.
[SPEAKER_00]: This will be healthy for our community.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the point is.
[SPEAKER_00]: these types of scandals will lie.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are filthy evil.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no covering up at the same time, maybe if they act as catalysts for us to have these conversations, maybe we can try our best to prevent not everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: We cannot prevent all harm in the world, but we can try to minimize, try to put up barriers to make sure that these things do not happen more frequently.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as I said,
[SPEAKER_00]: the best defense begins with yourself and at home.
[SPEAKER_00]: The best defenses you yourself taking charge of your children's that be a you yourself making sure their teachers and what not are much allowed to either qualify that there's never any privacy never any halwa that you take them to the public institutions where everybody's sitting together you yourself have frank conversations with your children there is no defense after a loss of hand with the other better than this defense.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I urge all of you to use this this evil incident
[SPEAKER_00]: to have your own soul searching and to try to find mechanisms in your own household to raise the bar a little bit of protection.
[SPEAKER_00]: Speak to your daughters and your sons.
[SPEAKER_00]: Speak to your children about these realities.
[SPEAKER_00]: When they grow older, then encourage them that if they wish to, we will support their marriage when they're qualified to do so.
[SPEAKER_00]: Help them find spouses so that insha Allahu Tala, they can live Hala lives and other mechanisms in this regard.
[SPEAKER_00]: Realize these tragedies can never be prevented 100% but we can act as in our best in a best capacity to minimize them And we can have policies in place at the public level and more importantly at the private level Most important is of course the taqwa of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala It is impossible that a person who has taqwa can go down that evil path or udu billah And so concentrate as well on the internal spirituality on the taqwa your children raise them upon love of Allah
[SPEAKER_00]: Wanting Allah's Mufra, if your children have love of Allah, then that love will be more powerful than the love of any filth, the love of any Fahhishah.
[SPEAKER_00]: If they love Allah, Subhanahu wa t-ta'ala, if they have Mahabba, if they want to be with the Prophet, the Allah, who alaihi wa sallam, automatically they will rise up above much of this evil and filth.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, instill in them these Islamic values, lots of dua for them, lots of love for them, raise them to the best as you can, and yes, if they make some small mistakes here and there, no doubt they're living in an environment mistakes are going to happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're talking about, you know, mistakes that happen to most teenagers, we're not talking about obviously the very evil stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: If they make these types of mistakes, they'll head.
[SPEAKER_00]: Deal with them lovingly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Try to correct those mistakes and make Allah SWT help all of us in this regard And almost limbs we are one community.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are one.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are one especially.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm speaking to my community here at Epic.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let us come together We are all helping each other out
[SPEAKER_00]: As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, in Shah-a-Lahu Tārā, I'm encouraging all of us to be that village.
[SPEAKER_00]: All of us over here, let us come together.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let us help each other with our own children, because your children being strong is making my children strong.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your community being healthy is making my community healthy.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are one umma together.
[SPEAKER_00]: So let us come together and help each other to the best of our abilities, so that in Shah-a-Lahu Tārā, these tragedies are minimal.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we can work our way to a better and healthier society.