Part of The Muslim's Treasure (series completed)
· Lesson 3 of 11
Muslim Treasure - On the Virtue of Calling to God | Episode (3) | Calling to God is the best of words and deeds
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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We are pleased at the Sheikh Hasa Islamic Center
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to present to our esteemed listeners
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a reading of the book
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*The Treasure of the Muslim*
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on the virtue of calling to Allah.
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By its author, John Yar Bamarni.
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Calling to Allah is the best of speech and action.
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Calling to Allah
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is the best of deeds and the finest of speech.
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Allah the Exalted says:
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"And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah?"
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“And who is better in speech than him who prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who are muslims (surrender unto Him).” (41:33)
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Al-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy upon him, said
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in his Tafsir of this verse:
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"This is an interrogative form implying a definitive negation;
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meaning, there is no one better in speech,
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that is, in words, methodology, and state."
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“And who is better in speech than him who prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who are muslims (surrender unto Him).” (41:33)
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By teaching the ignorant,
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admonishing the heedless and those who turn away,
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and debating those who follow falsehood,
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by commanding the worship of Allah in all its forms,
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urging others toward it, and beautifying it as much as possible,
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and by restraining others from what Allah has forbidden,
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and making it appear repulsive by every means that necessitates abandoning it.
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Especially regarding this:
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calling to the foundation of the religion of Islam and refining it,
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debating its enemies with that which is best,
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forbidding what contradicts it of disbelief and polytheism,
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and enjoining good and forbidding evil.
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Al-Hasan al-Basri said regarding this verse:
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"This is the beloved of Allah,
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this is the ally of Allah,
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this is the chosen one of Allah,
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this is the most beloved of the people of the earth to Allah.
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He responded to Allah in His call,
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and he called the people to that which he responded to in Allah’s call,
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and he acted righteously in his response."
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“And who is better in speech than him who prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who are muslims (surrender unto Him).” (41:33)
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"This is the vicegerent of Allah."
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Good speech requires wisdom.
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Allah the Exalted says:
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“Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright.” (16:125)
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“Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright.” (16:125)
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Great reward and abundant recompense.
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Among the virtues of calling to Allah is the great reward,
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because the caller guides people to the truth,
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directs them to their Lord and their Worshipped One, glory be to Him,
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and distances them from the causes of His wrath and punishment.
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Allah the Almighty loves that and rewards it.
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It has been narrated in the two Sahih collections
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that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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said to 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him:
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"By Allah, for Allah to guide a single man through you
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is better for you than the best of camels."
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This includes, in its generality,
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guiding the non-Muslim,
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and guiding the disobedient among the Muslims.
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So where is the seeker of high stations?
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Allah’s mercy for the caller.
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Calling to Allah is a cause for the mercy of Allah the Exalted.
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Allah the Exalted says:
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"The believing men and believing women
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are allies of one another.
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They enjoin what is right
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and forbid what is wrong
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and establish prayer
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and give zakat
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and obey Allah and His Messenger.
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Those—Allah will have mercy upon them.
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Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise."
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So observe how Allah has made mercy
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for those who possess these qualities,
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through calling to Allah, enjoining good, and forbidding evil.
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Our Ummah became the best of nations.
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Allah the Exalted says:
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“Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most of them are evil-livers.” (3:110)
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"You enjoin what is right
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and forbid what is wrong
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[You] enjoin what is right
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and forbid what is wrong
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and believe in Allah."
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Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
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"Whoever among this Ummah is characterized by these qualities
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enters with them into this praise and commendation."
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'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, read this verse,
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then said:
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"Whoever is pleased to be of that Ummah,
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let him fulfill the condition Allah set for it."
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And whoever is not characterized by that
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resembles the People of the Scripture whom Allah condemned by His saying:
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“They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily evil was that they used to do!” (5:79)
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"Wretched is that which they were doing."
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Mujahid said:
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“Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most of them are evil-livers.” (3:110)
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"Upon the conditions mentioned in the verse."
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And the conditions mentioned in the verse
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are enjoining good, forbidding evil, and belief in Allah.
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In this verse is the praise of this Ummah as long as they uphold that and are characterized by it.
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Imam al-Qurtubi said:
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"If they abandon changing [evil] and collude in the forbidden,
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the title of praise is removed from them,
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and the title of condemnation is attached to them,
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and that becomes a cause for their destruction."
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The scholars said:
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"Enjoining good and forbidding evil was placed before faith [in the verse],
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because faith in Allah is limited to the one who believes,
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whereas the one who enjoins good and forbids evil is a believer,
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and his faith extends beyond that,
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for he spreads what he believes in.
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Therefore, it was placed before the rest of the believers,
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just as the expiation of sins is also achieved through enjoining good and forbidding evil,
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as in the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman."
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The caller is the best of people.
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It is enough that the caller lives for Islam,
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and carries upon his shoulders the greatest mission,
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to be thereby a successor to the prophets and messengers,
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and not one of those who live an empty life,
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with no concern, no goal, and no mission.
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Success in this world and the Hereafter.
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Calling to Allah is a cause for success in this world and the Hereafter.
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Allah the Exalted says:
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“And there may spring from you a nation who invite to goodness, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency. Such are they who are successful.” (3:104)
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"And it is those who are the successful."
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And if they undertake it, they become among the successful and the elite of the believers.
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Steadfastness upon the religion.
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Calling to Allah is one of the causes of steadfastness upon the religion.
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Allah the Exalted says:
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“O ye who believe! If ye help Allah, He will help you and will make your foothold firm.” (47:7)
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So let everyone who walks in the caravan of calling to Allah rejoice
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that Allah will grant him steadfastness upon the religion,
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strength in adhering to it,
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increase in faith, and perfection of certainty,
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uprightness, and a variety of righteous deeds,
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and that Allah will honor him as a reward for his efforts in calling to Allah.
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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
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"Indeed, a servant’s guiding others, teaching them, and advising them
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opens for him the door of guidance,
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because the reward is of the same nature as the deed.
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So whenever he guides another and teaches him,
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Allah guides him and teaches him,
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and he becomes a guide who is guided."
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A letter from Ibn al-Qayyim to one of his brothers.
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Callers are the strongest of people in steadfastness over the passage of time.
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This is something we see in our reality with the great scholars,
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and we read in the accounts of the scholars and callers,
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such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal,
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who supported and served the religion on the day of the tribulation.
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The fruit for him was
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that Allah kept him steadfast upon the religion,
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and granted him patience during the tribulation of imprisonment and flogging.
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And this is Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah,
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who supported the religion
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through his writings in refutation of the followers of false religions and sects,
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and supported the religion by spreading knowledge in all fields.
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The fruit for him was
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that Allah kept him steadfast when he was imprisoned.
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They are the strongest of people in steadfastness over the passage of time and changing circumstances,
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and in the most difficult situations.
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The Rabbani caller,
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who cares for his spiritual cultivation,
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balances between worship and calling to Allah,
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and between knowledge, action, and teaching,
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and gives every aspect its due right and entitlement
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of time, effort, wealth, and attention,
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Allah will take charge of the rectitude of your affairs.
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By the consensus of those working in the field of calling to Allah,
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the more you exert yourself in this call,
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the more your religious and worldly affairs will be rectified,
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because you are living for Allah, not for yourself.
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This is the pinnacle of sacrifice.
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Therefore, you will notice, if you work sincerely,
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the ease and simplicity of life.
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Perhaps you remember the words of Dr. Al-Sumait’s wife,
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while she was in a frightening place in Africa,
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she said, "O 'Abd al-Rahman,
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is the happiness of the people of Paradise like our happiness now?"
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So accustom your family to humility and sacrifice for the religion of Allah.
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Yes, it is sacrifice for Allah.
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So what have we offered?
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By calling to Allah,
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you gain peace of heart.
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Do you find the delight of life?
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If you do not find it, then hurry
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and cast yourself into this call.
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And the days will not pass
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until you find solace and great comfort,
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and you will regret the days that have passed.