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Is Islam to Blame for ISIS?
Islam’s Take on Modernity and Progress
Prophet Muhammad - The Epitome Of Mercy
Cultivating Conviction (Yaqeen) - Mohammad Elshinawy
Why Some American Muslim Youth Are Doubting Their Faith
Rise up to Reclaim Our Narrative #SupportYaqeen
How Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Dealt With His Enemies - Sh Omar Suleiman
Dr. Jonathan Brown - How to Approach Hadith - Verifying and Understanding Hadith
Religious Minorities Under Islamic Rule - Tesneem Alkiek
Reviving a Lost Sunnah: Adoption and Foster Care in Islam
Reclaiming the Narrative About Our Prophet ﷺ | Part 1
Reclaiming the Narrative About Our Prophet ﷺ | Part 2
Why Do Innocent People Suffer? - Sh Omar Suleiman
Repentance in Islam, Tawbah A Cornerstone of Faith - Roohi Tahir | 16th MAS-ICNA Convention
Dealing with Isolation: Learning from Islam’s Original Converts - Omar Suleiman | Lecture
Does Islam Need Saving? An Analysis of Human Rights | Nour Soubani | 16th MAS-ICNA Convention
Islam, A Coherent Social Justice Tradition | Omar Suleiman | 16th MAS-ICNA Convention
The Pursuit of Certainty - Sh. Yaser Birjas | Lecture
Seeds of Greatness: Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali
Atheism: Doubting Your Doubts - Asadullah Ali | Yaqeen in NY
The Infinitely Merciful and the Question of Hellfire - Mohammad Elshinawy | YM Youth Conference 2017
Appreciating Scholarship: Intro to Islamic Law - Tesneem Alkiek | Yaqeen in NY
Station of Certainty | Lecture
Personal Accountability in Life and Faith - Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy | Lecture
How Yaqeen Works to Educate the Public - Dr. Jonathan A.C. Brown | Making Principled Progress
How Yaqeen Heals Internalized Islamophobia - Dalia Mogahed | Making Principled Progress
Contextualizing the Life and Mission of Jesus | Lecture
An Imam & A Pastor in Conversation on Loving Jesus
How Yaqeen is a Resource for Our Community - Sh. Omar Suleiman | Making Principled Progress
Conversations at The Carter Center: Harmonizing Religion and Human Rights
Meaningful Solidarity - Sh. Omar Suleiman | Lecture
Combating Islamophobia with Marketing and Design | #SXSW19
Racism in Our Ranks | Khutbahs with Purpose
Spiritual Personality - Zohair Abdul-Rahman | 2018 Yaqeen/MAS Academic Conference
Conflict Resolution: The Line Between Justice and Peace - Sh. Omar Suleiman | Lecture
The Flexibility of Islamic Law - Tesneem Alkiek | 2018 Yaqeen/MAS Academic Conference
To Know Him is to Love Him | Introduction by Sh. Omar Suleiman
The Role of Parents in Instilling Faith - Roohi Tahir | Yaqeen/MAS Academic Conference
Perfection and Beauty | Episode 1 | To Know Him is to Love Him
Hope and Potential | Episode 2 | To Know Him is to Love Him
Bonds and Relations | Episode 3 | To Know Him is to Love Him
The Story of Hajar: Uncovering Certainty in Uncertainty - Sh. Omar Suleiman | Lecture
Gracious Dealings | Episode 4 | To Know Him is to Love Him
Gift Giving | Episode 5 | To Know Him is to Love Him
The Generous | Episode 6 | To Know Him is to Love Him
Navigating Adolescence - Dr. Altaf Husain | Reframing the Gender Question
Keeping Masculinity from Trending Toxic - Dr. Jonathan Brown | Reframing the Gender Question
Why Does God Ask People to Worship Him? - Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy | Lecture
Addressing the Topic of Trauma and Faith - Sh. Omar Suleiman | ISNACON 2019
The Impact of Trauma on Faith - Sarah Sultan | ISNACON 2019
The Rising Tide of Atheism - Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy | ICNA 2019
The Duha Approach: A New Model to Treat Trauma - Najwa Awad | ISNACON 2019
How Islam Addresses Grief - Dr. Altaf Husain | ISNACON 2019
Understanding Traumatic Grief - Najwa Awad | ISNACON 2019
Calling Out to Allah With Meaning - Sh. Tahir Wyatt | Lecture
Slavery in Islam - Dr. Jonathan AC Brown | Lecture
The Gift of Receiving Good Counsel - Dr. Hatem ElHaj | Lecture
Roots and Implications of Pop Culture | Firm Roots
Effects of Islamophobia on the Brain - Dr. Jibran Khokhar | Firm Roots
With Hardship Comes Ease | Dr. Omar Suleiman
A Conversation with Afreen Fatima on the Plight of Indian Muslims | Dr. Omar Suleiman
How the Prophet ﷺ Inspired Young People | Dr. Omar Suleiman
When the Qur’an Changes You | Dr. Omar Suleiman
What Does Allah Really Want From Me? | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Fueling Your Faith: A Guide to Preparing for Ramadan | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Be In This World A Stranger or a Wayfarer | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Becoming the Best Version of Yourself | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Abu Bakr's (ra) Rare Speech | Dr. Omar Suleiman
To Love the Prophet ﷺ More Than Yourself | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Grieving Doctors of Gaza | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Did the Prophet ﷺ See You in The Future? | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Is Religion Making Us Complacent? I Dr. Omar Suleiman
Consumerism and The Inflation of Self | Black Friday | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Is Syria Really a Good Thing ? | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Finding Solace Through Patience and Wisdom | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Age is Nothing but a Number | Making An Impact | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Tested Like the Prophets | UK Tour Wembley Stadium Lecture by Dr. Omar Suleiman
Waiting for The Mahdi or A Miracle | Lecture by Dr. Omar Suleiman
Why Did Allah Mention The Number 19? Your Test of Faith | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Finding Resilience Beyond the Illusion of Power | Lecture by Dr. Omar Suleiman
Preparing for Ramadan - Making the most in Shaban | Lecture by Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy
The People of Gaza Are Undisplaceable | Dr. Omar Suleiman
How to Reinvent Yourself This Ramadan | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Kashmir Is Calling: Keynote at International War Crimes Tribunal, Bosnia | Dr. Omar Suleiman
The Most Amazing Wedding I’ve Ever Been To | Dr. Omar Suleiman's South Africa Tour 2025
This Is What Made The Prophets Unstoppable | Lecture by Dr. Omar Suleiman
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What Is Allah Preparing You For? | Lecture by Dr. Omar Suleiman
27th Night Special Du’a Stream by Dr. Omar Suleiman #LaylatulQadr
Khatm al-Quran Du’a 2026 by Dr. Omar Suleiman
Lecture
What Is Allah Preparing You For? | Lecture by Dr. Omar Suleiman
In this lecture, Dr. Omar Suleiman reflects on the power of Tamkeen (true empowerment) and patience in the face of trials. Before Yusuf (AS) sat on a throne, he sat in a prison. Before Musa (AS) led a nation, he wandered in exile. And before the Prophet ﷺ entered Medina, he was chased out of Mecca. These trials were a part of Allah’s tamkeen—preparing and empowering them for what was to come. What is Allah preparing you for through your test?
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
Dear respected Mashayikh, elders, Mawlana Ibrahim, the wonderful volunteers, leaders
that are here, activists, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless you all and honor you and jazakum Allahu khayran for this incredible response. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless
you all and elevate your community and particularly as I said last night in Cape Town, subhanAllah,
ever since this genocide has started, my heart has been yearning for the moment to come to South Africa and to say thank you. Jazakum Allahu khayran for standing with us, jazakum
Allahu khayran for putting forth your best effort, jazakum Allahu khayran not just for your continued solidarity but for being amongst the first to show solidarity in the first
place. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us all to enter into Masjid al-Aqsa while it is liberated and free and to pray together in that masjid without the boots of the occupiers.
I want to give you several images and I want you to memorize a word. Last night I spoke about
ulul azm, those that possess great determination from the messengers of Allah. The word that I
want you to memorize bi-idhnillahi ta'ala is the word tamkeen, tamkeen for tonight bi-idhnillahi
ta'ala, tamkeen. And I'll explain to you what tamkeen is but before that a concept that we
learn from our religion and the stories of the messengers of Allah and the great people of the
past that hard times make great people. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala subjects certain individuals
to difficult trials so that they can be a source of ease for generations after them without
inflicting upon them difficulty because they never lose the perspective that they gained from the patience that they showed in their most difficult moments. A few images for you to consider. There
was a great companion by the name of Utbah bin Ghazwan (رضي الله عنه). He is according to some biographers possibly the seventh person to embrace Islam and they take that from a famous
narration. One of the earliest Muslims and Utbah (رضي الله عنه) is responsible for much of Iraq coming into Islam during the time of Umar bin Khattab (رضي الله عنه). He's the
brother-in-law of Uthman bin Affan (رضي الله عنه), eventually the brother-in-law of Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه). A quiet great companion who puts his head down and gets to work and he was giving
khutbah later on in life as he was the Amir of Basra in Iraq. The leader of a great city and as
he's standing on the minbar he says, I remember when I was the seventh of seven and he started to
recall the moments of being boycotted in Mecca with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he
said and I remember when the only thing that we could find to eat were from the thorny bushes
and when we ate those thorns it punctured our gums and caused our mouths to swell but that was
all we had to eat in the embargo and the starvation that we were facing. This sounds very familiar to
you doesn't it? And as the food was not coming through to the valley of Abu Talib I remember when myself and Sa'id bin Malik (رضي الله عنه) went out and we did not have a garment to
clothe ourselves and so what we had to do was to take one garment, one sheet and tear it into two
and each one of us wore whatever we could to cover our private parts of those sheets and he says and
today there is not a single one of us that is alive except that he is a governor of a city
under the Muslims. Every single one of us from those seven that lived in that tribulation today is an amir, is a leader of a city under the Muslims. Can you imagine because we always think of Umar
bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) this flag bearer of justice but if you were to walk into Basra or
walk into Kufa or walk into Damascus or walk into this city or that city you were constantly seeing
a person who was leading you that spent time in prison, spent time in exile, spent time being tortured, lived through starvation, lived through persecution and now they are the ones who are
making decisions on behalf of an expanding global ummah. That also sounds familiar to you I'm sure in
South Africa with the great Nelson Mandela who of course comes out of prison after over two decades
and what that prison life does to inform the perspective of a leader after is not unique to Madiba. It's a historical precedent that we find that great people are put through the most difficult
of moments so that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can grant them tamkeen, the word that I mentioned that I hope you will all remember from now on bi-idhnillahi ta'ala and Utbah goes on and he says
and I seek refuge in Allah from being great in my own eyes and being puny in the sight of God. I'm not sharing this with you to boast. I'm sharing this with you to say that all of those
leaders that you see under Umar bin Al-Khattab have been through things that you could not imagine and he's saying and as time goes on you will find rulers that will depart from the way of
the Prophet (ﷺ) and that will manifest other than what we learned from our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) and we are living this time right now that will
get further away from the prophetic methodology in every aspect of life. If you think of
Yusuf (عليه السلام), we know Yusuf (عليه السلام) as a leader after all of the trials and the difficulties that he went through but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says
that it was through that that we established Yusuf on this earth. The way that Allah describes it is Can you imagine Yusuf (عليه السلام) now sitting on the throne in Egypt?
What will the policy of Yusuf (عليه السلام) be towards the prisoners under him? What will the policy of Yusuf (عليه السلام) now be towards those who are enslaved?
What will the policy of Yusuf (عليه السلام) now be towards those who have false testimony born against them? What will the policy of Yusuf (عليه السلام) be to the wayfarer and the lost?
What will the policy of Yusuf (عليه السلام) be to the single grieving mother or father who has lost a child? Don't you think that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not only elevated the rank
of Yusuf (عليه السلام) through the difficulties that he went through but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made Yusuf a better leader as a result of what he went through because he doesn't just see
from the throne he has seen life from the well he has seen life through the chains he has seen life through the bars of a prison cell he's seen it from all of those perspectives it made him
something the image of Yusuf from prison to the throne the image of Utbah and those companions from being boycotted to taking Islam through the entire world and being established in positions
as ministers and leaders on this earth the position of the prophet (ﷺ) you know I used to wonder why did Jibreel (عليه السلام) squeeze the prophet (ﷺ)
so hard when he brought the message to him that he almost took the life of the prophet (ﷺ) through the difficulty of that squeeze the messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said that when the angel Gabriel squeezed me I thought I was going to die because of how hard his hug was was it to cause distress to the prophet (ﷺ) no as the
scholars mentioned it was a sign that we are about to impart upon you a heavy word
that what you're about to receive is going to require a certain level of strength it's not going to be easy on your heart to receive the Quran initially but our messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
goes from a place to where initially the revelation of the Quran causes him great difficulty to the point that he starts to miss the next revelation and the next revelation
and the next revelation it was initially a squeeze and then it came with ease Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says
that if we were to reveal this Quran onto a mountain you would have seen that Quran flattened out of the awe of Allah you know what Allah also says
that we proposed this amanah this trust to carry the sacred word to the heavens and the earth and
the mountains and they refused to carry this burden but man bore the burden and no one bore the burden more than our prophet (ﷺ) can you imagine what it was like
for his heart to receive a word that could flatten mountains where Zayd (رضي الله عنه) mentions that one time I was with the Prophet and he was leaning against me and then the
revelation came to him suddenly and my leg was under the leg of the Prophet and the Prophet's body physically became so heavy that I thought I was going to lose my leg
when the revelation came on the messenger of Allah and he was riding a camel one time and the knees of the camel buckled it almost broke the knees of the camel
but it did not collapse the heart of the messenger of Allah you receive with difficulty and then you grow and something happens after that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala trains you for something greater and puts you in a position to do more and to be a source for people Imam ash-Shafi'i rahimahullah ta'ala was asked this question
he was asked is it better for a servant of Allah
to be tested or to be established with power is it better for the slave of Allah to be oppressed
and to go through difficulty or to be in a position of power and you know you ask yourself this question because let's face it sometimes the best version
of ourselves comes out only in the worst of circumstances and we forget once Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala delivers us from our difficulties who we actually are so is it better to stay in a
situation in which you are suffering and struggling and going through great trials and learning patience or is it better to be in a position of ease and power and he responded and he says
he said it's neither or you will not actually be established in power until you are put through
tests by which you endure and he said have you not seen those that possess great
determination from the messengers of Allah Nuh (عليه السلام) was tested Ibrahim (عليه السلام) was tested Musa (عليه السلام) was tested Isa (عليه السلام) was tested Muhammad (ﷺ)
was tested when they were patient with what Allah put them through
Allah established them in power in victory the word is what what's the word
it's a very particular word of establishments and interestingly enough when you look through
the Quran the way that Allah uses that word can be one of warning of a postponed trial or one of reward for a trial that has already passed when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks to the pharaohs
of the world the tyrants of the world that we gave them on this earth but we destroyed them
and why did we destroy them because what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions here of
we delayed their punishment they thought they had power but they were actually being deluded by the idea of power they were not righteously established on this earth
they were given the illusion of power by which they betrayed their human responsibilities
and as a result of that they failed the test and they found that they returned to the one who actually has power being Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala they face the consequences
of their delusion but when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks to the believers
we have firmly established them on this earth in righteousness and everything that you go through in life under trial is meant to prepare you for a moment later on by which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
can unlock something far greater from you but
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not establish you until he puts you through a test of endurance to see what you're really made of to see if you're capable and for many when they're in the midst of the test when they're in the midst of the trial they are focused entirely on surviving the trial and not looking forward to what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has put ahead of them and so their entire existence becomes about how do I get through this
without buckling under pressure rather than how do I channel this to unlock perspective in this world and paradise in the next
to be the best person that I possibly can for my ummah how do I channel this into determination how do I live and exemplify what those people exemplify
so that even if I'm not put through the prison to palace pipeline I'm put through a test that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is giving me an opportunity to have a reward that I otherwise would not have been able to have in the hereafter
and Allah is giving me a lens to this world that I otherwise would have never had I wouldn't have understood it
if I didn't go through it can you imagine the refugee policy of Ibrahim (عليه السلام) and Isa (عليه السلام) and Musa (عليه السلام) and Muhammad (ﷺ)
they all lived life in exile they all went through the most difficult circumstances of those who would then be subjected to their power and so they had perspective
they saw life through that very particular lens Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran
that we made from them imams now by the way the word imam means that you are a leader
you are a leader in evil or in good you are followed in evil or in good you know when we say that Gaza has become the moral compass of the world Gaza has become the moral compass of the world
an imam as an individual and an ummah that emanates from that same spirit is supposed to set the direction for humanity and be followed in good
we made from them imams that would guide by our commands that understand the seriousness of the affair that they have in front of them
and they guide people right but Allah says we gave them that gift of being able to guide right when they were patient
and they were certain in our signs Ibn Abbas says that the two ingredients of leadership are mentioned here number one patience number two conviction certainty
he said that the greatest leaders that have ever walked the face of the earth combine these two qualities let's examine this a bit lima sabaru and in one qira'a lima sabaru
when they were patient or because they were patient the meanings are very close to each other lima sabaru means Allah rewarded them as a result of their patience
because when you are patient in the midst of difficulty Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala builds for you palaces in paradise that you can't see and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives you perspective that allows you to see in this world what you previously could not see
that's why the Prophet (ﷺ) says that no human being is given a gift greater and more expansive than patience patience is the greatest gift that Allah can give you
it expands your perspective and it expands your paradise so lima sabaru Allah gave it to them as a result of their patience lima sabaru Allah gives it to them when they were patient
that Allah put them through a test of patience and then Allah found them worthy of leadership and they were ever certain in our signs
you know when they say that Gaza or that what we are witnessing comes down to attrition what do you believe versus what do they believe where are you pulling from
when you have two people in a boxing ring swinging away at each other
at some point they have to dig deep into something that transcends the physical the material
you all have heard of Muhammad Ali rumble in the jungle Muhammad Ali George Foreman
okay I see Aerosol Ali so I remember you actually drew the rumble in the jungle right Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
and if you read about or watch about that match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman Muhammad Ali's strategy was to basically let George Foreman beat him up until he got tired
let him empty out his tank and George Foreman used to hit you and you would just flatten right away and so George Foreman talks about that fight and he says throughout the match I'm giving him everything that I've got
I'm punching him with everything that I have and when I think I've given him my all he wraps me up and he says in my ear is that all you've got George
so he's like I'm so annoyed by this that I keep pushing him and punching and punching and punching and punching and punching
and then eventually the seventh round comes and he goes is that all you've got George and I said yeah that's it I've given you my all where does that come from
that's that inner strength someone is pulling from a well that you don't understand unless you pull from the exact same well that's why the world never understood the Muslims
the Roman and the Persian empire the two great empires of the day underestimated
the strange small group of bedouin Arabs mixed in with former slaves and former captives and people that didn't factor into global politics
because they looked at them and said really you all want to be taken seriously and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala through this small group of people brought the two great empires of the day to their knees
they didn't get it what is it about you people we have more machinery we have more artillery we have more soldiers we have all of the supports of power and strength
what is it about you people when Khalid bin al-Waleed (رضي الله عنه) walks up to you and talks to you
you're terrified of Khalid not because of the strength of Khalid though he was a strong man but because of the strength of the conviction in his words
these people really are not afraid of us these people really can't be intimidated these people really don't care
when Rib'i ibn Amir (رضي الله عنه) entered into the palace of the most pompous man in the world at his time Kisra
who was the ruler of the Persian empire had the most lavish palace on the face of the earth
was a man who had all of the glamour of a king who not only believed in material wealth but who sought to dominate through material wealth
everything about Kisra represented domination and power Rib'i ibn Amir enters into the palace of Kisra and he sees his carpet and he comes riding a donkey
and he has his spear and as he walks through the carpet he drags his spear tearing up the carpet of Kisra
walks right up to him stands in front of his throne completely unintimidated and he says who are you? and Rib'i says the famous words
we are a people who Allah has sent to take people from being slaves to other slaves to being slaves to the lord of all slaves
to take people from the constriction of this world to the expanse of this world and the hereafter to take people from the injustice of all other systems to the justice of Islam
the biographers of Rib'i they say that when he said that can you imagine the prison guards and the subjects of Kisra that were observing
because Kisra was not the only audience that were listening to Rib'i speak when he said that he said whoa what is that?
you had men that were standing there around Kisra that would say yes sir for 40 50 years and not look up at him who is this man that dares speak to Kisra that way?
you see that was the confidence that Islam put in these people because Rib'i knew that there was nothing you could do to me
if you did to me as was done to Amr ibn Fuhayra where you put a spear through me I would say I have succeeded by the lord of the Kaaba
and if you take heed of the words that I have spoken to you then I am like Umar ibn Khattab when he comes into Jerusalem
also in a place of power subhanAllah look at the contrasting images Rib'i came in as a man in danger Umar came into Jerusalem
as a quote unquote conqueror without shedding blood but bringing justice but he came in the same fashion as Rib'i went into the palace of Persia
stitched up clothes completely humbled not looking to put on a pompous display I don't perform for you I seek paradise I seek something greater than what you have to offer me
so when Rib'i says this to the face of a tyrant he's not just speaking to the tyrant he's speaking to those that have been told their entire lives
that submitting yourself to the tyrant is the only way that you can exist in this world it's like Bilal (رضي الله عنه) in Mecca when he heard the message of Islam
one one his whole life he'd been told even if not in these exact words that your god is the man who holds the whip over your head
one one and that transformed him it unlocked something
they were certain in our signs they had conviction in that which was beyond and so you couldn't crush their spirit in this world because they didn't live for this world in the first place
they had certainty I'm going to put this forward that the enemy still does not understand the people of Gaza
the Zionists don't get Gaza the person that sits in a beach resort in Tel Aviv on top of a graveyard of the indigenous Palestinians who were murdered seven decades prior
does not understand what they're seeing on their screens of the children of Gaza even though they exist only 60 miles away from them
they don't get them the soldiers who come into our lands with the most sophisticated of American weaponry
and seek to psychologically torment physically dismember emotionally destroy don't understand why we won't just leave
they don't get it because they don't act from the same place that we act they don't pull from the same well that we pull they don't understand the lord that we worship and so they don't understand our worship
they don't understand what it means to be rooted because they were brought in on the backs of tanks not grown from the land knowing who the lord of the world was
they don't get us they don't understand the Palestinians and I say this based on this ayah that the people of Gaza are the imams of the world right now
if you say a imam that the word imam means someone who leads they are the imams of the world right now
Gaza is the moral compass of the world the people of Gaza are our imams they're the leaders of khair and you know what's interesting Allah says in Surat Al-Qasas about Fir'awn and his people
we made them two imams who call to the fire Pharaoh is a school whose students have existed in every generation
and just like Pharaoh they all eventually fall they all eventually come to collapse and Allah makes an example out of their evil when they seek to become immune by their illusion of power
Pharaoh is a school Pharaoh was an imam of the people like Benjamin Netanyahu that we see today and those that came before him Pharaoh is their imam
the people of Gaza are our imams because they follow imam al-huda the imam of guidance
is a school of perseverance a school of not losing yourself a school of not losing sight of the people
a school of internalizing hard times in the best of ways you know one of the most beautiful things about the Prophet
is that his character was completely undisrupted by circumstance what does that mean
Imam al-Qurtubi says that the Prophet was tested with poverty he was tested with wealth he was tested with barely surviving
he was tested with power he was tested with oppression he was in exile he was a conqueror opening Mecca once again Imam
he lived through every circumstance (ﷺ) and you know what there is not a Makki Muhammad and a Madani Muhammad (ﷺ)
it's all just Rasulullah (ﷺ) always as beautiful in every circumstance that was put before him
he doesn't change he just manifests a new layer of beauty with every circumstance that comes to him we have to look at ourselves and dig deeply in the moment that we are in right now
and ask ourselves what is Allah showing us in the circumstances that we are in right now and what is Allah showing us through the circumstances that we are witnessing right now
what is Allah trying to unlock within us through the circumstances that we are in
what is my meter of sabr and yaqeen of patience and yaqeen that makes me worthy of being from the ummah of imam al-huda Muhammad (ﷺ)
and I tell you this for each and every single one of us and I'll actually subhanAllah I'll say this and I'll be a bit vulnerable here
every Palestinian in the world that I know has some level of survivor's guilt right now
and wonders why Allah did not put us in the situation that he put the people that are literally of the same blood as us through
I have in my Google search the news alerts when my name is mentioned in one of the articles I get an email that's sent to me that this article just mentioned this article just mentioned you
and it's usually about nine ten Islamophobia articles and Zionists that are writing their next smear piece and subhanAllah I remember Umar Sulaiman a child in Palestine killed
and then another Umar Sulaiman a child in Palestine killed and I asked myself like why did Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala take me out of that situation
my father was born five years before Israel he is older than your state as we remind the Zionists he was born in Palestine in 1943
and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala took him through a journey where he ended up in Houston where he met my mother may Allah have mercy on her who was born in 1951 in Damascus
because of what had transpired in 1948 but had come back to live in Jerusalem for some years my parents met in Houston Texas of all places
I was born and raised in the belly of the empire that kills my people I ask myself that question all the time why why why am I here
and I also recognize that if you're a Muslim and you deeply have internalized the meaning of ummah
and you see your own children your own parents your own spouses and those people that are being shred to pieces in Gaza sometimes maybe you ask yourself too
why am I here what am I doing in Johannesburg why did this become my career path why am I not doing this or that why did Allah put me in this situation
and if you're a human being of conscience of empathy I know that we have some people who are not Muslim who are in this audience that have stood with us on the cause of Palestine and we are grateful to you
you're wondering why them why am I here and I want you to recognize
that Allah has customized for you a path to bring out the best version of you if you don't respond to the set of circumstances that Allah gave you
that's not because Allah gave you a bad plan that's because you did not respond to the plan in the way that you were supposed to respond to it talk about leaders in the ummah and how pathetic they are
the betrayal and the abandonment that we feel and indeed we feel abandoned by those who hold the thrones in this ummah today and we should not mince words about it but I have to ask myself a question
if Allah put me in that circumstance would I do the exact same thing that they're doing? I don't know I could respond with an immediate riveting
no, absolutely not I would never be like them but Allah did not test me like he tested them I wasn't put on the throne of a country near Palestine I don't know
I hope I wouldn't be like them but I can't say with certainty that I wouldn't be like them nor can you you look at someone that has more money than you and more position
that could say something, that could do something and you say if I was in that position I would do this, I would say that are you sure? you look at your imams you look at an activist
you look at a person of prestige you look at a person of means and you say if that was me are you sure if that was you that you would act any differently than them?
you can't be instead you have to look at yourself and look at the circumstances that you have and ask yourself ya Allah
what do you want from me? what do you want from me? but here's the thing it's one thing to ask the question what do you want from me it's another thing to commit yourself to the program
once you start getting answers through sincere inquiry and actually put yourself through difficulty for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and make sacrifices
rather than indulge in complacency and comfort and yell at a TV screen or yell at your phone you have to push yourself out of that Allah will give you answers you have to act upon those answers
I said remember the word tamkeen tamkeen is to be firmly established on this earth true righteous leadership true tamkeen
comes when you have the ingredients of righteousness through difficult circumstances and prove yourself worthy with those circumstances of being different
than those that you challenge today Allah has promised this ummah greatness I want all of us to recognize something that Palestine will be freed
not because of our efforts but because Allah promised it they can make all the AI videos that they want of blowing up Masjid al-Aqsa and they will have their moments of oppression and they will have their moments of suppression
but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says let them know that they are being led
on a path of their own eventual destruction my plan is intact it will be freed in our lifetime I hope so
through somewhat of our efforts being blessed by Allah I sincerely hope so but I don't need that to happen to know that it will happen
because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has promised it when we seek tamkeen in our circumstances to be firmly established in our lives in righteous leadership
we go back and we put ourselves in the situation and say what right now what right now am I doing with what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given to me and you know what dear brothers and sisters
in the story of Yusuf (عليه السلام) there are a lot of other actors there are the brothers who maybe thought that it wasn't the best idea to throw him into the well but they kept silent and they went along with the older brothers
there were those those who when they picked him up out of the well decided to turn him into a possession rather than seek out where he was lost
there are those that chose to slander even though they knew that he was innocent there are those that chose to remain silent when he was being slandered so that they would not put themselves in the line of fire
of the people in power there were those who chose to tighten up the chains or loosen the chains for him in prison give him a little bit more food or give him a little bit less food there were those who were in the prison with him
that came out and either forgot him or remembered him there were those who played supporting roles in oppression or injustice there were those who were in the middle of the battle
and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle
and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle
and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle
and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle and they were the ones who were in the middle of the battle for her life
for her life dear brothers and sisters it's not just David and Goliath it's not just David and Goliath it's not just the Zionists and the Palestinians it's not just the Zionists and the Palestinians it's not just the people of Gaza and the tanks that are coming in
it's not just the people of Gaza and the tanks that are coming in it's every single one of us that will be asked it's every single one of us that will be asked where we stood in this moment of history where we stood in this moment of history and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
has made the people of Gaza has made the people of Gaza through much difficulty through much difficulty and they are of an unimaginable rank and they are of an unimaginable rank partly due to the unimaginable trials that they've been through
partly due to the unimaginable trials that they've been through they know exactly why they're here they know exactly why they're here and that's why they can be patient they see past the bombs that are falling on them they see past the bombs that are falling on them and they know that the skies are full of bombs
and they know that the skies are full of bombs they see beyond the skies they look around them and they can't find food they look around them and they can't find food but they know that there's a sustenance that exists that's far greater than the sustenance of this world they look at their own limbs missing
body parts all over the place body parts all over the place and they know that they are souls before bodies and they know that they are souls before bodies and they live in accordance with that who are they and who are you and
why did Allah put you in this circumstance why are you sitting here and not on the screen it's a question that we have to ask and through sincere inquiry comes divine guidance
and through divine guidance comes prophetic action and through prophetic action comes the outcomes that Allah has promised this Ummah through our beloved Prophet peace be upon him
may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala unlock in us that which is most pleasing to him with the circumstances that he's given to us may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to see what he wants us to see in everything that we are going through
and to act in a way that he wants us to act with everything that he's given to us may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make of us through these hard times a truly great people
and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to be with our Imams, the people of Gaza and celebrate with them in this life and in the next with our Imam Rasulullah peace be upon him
Jazakum Allah Khair
