Note: The following transcript was generated using AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Every single person will make a difference. Every single person who seeks knowledge with the will of Allah will make a difference in this nation. Don't say we have scholars, we have knowledge seekers. No, we never have enough. We never have enough. And look at the type of questions that we get.
It's sad, but this is the truth. Hate me or love me, this is the truth. It's drama. It's pure entertainment nowadays. Where is the ilm? Where are the books that have been studied? Where are the masaa'il that have been learned? What happened to seeking knowledge and understanding the principles of this religion? You're listening to me. Don't listen with your ears. Listen with your heart.
This is an opportunity to make a difference. This is an opportunity for you to be someone who is close to Allah. Someone of honor. You'll be honored with this path. Indeed, the scholars did not inherit a dirham or a dinar, but only the wealth of knowledge.
Every Muslim that takes his religion seriously, whether you're a knowledge seeker or you're a person who wants khair for this ummah, this is a message for you. We're living in a time where knowledge is the most important weapon you can have. And we feel that every Muslim should take the responsibility for this nation and should protect this nation.
And your true weapon is ilm. Is knowledge. And if you are serious in attaining the high levels of paradise, and if you are serious in reaching Allah's approval, and attaining as much of Allah's mercy as possible, and becoming close to Allah, and becoming one of the awliya of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then there is absolutely no path without proper knowledge. There is no path to reach Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala except with knowledge.
In our current time, this troubling time where subhanAllah we have so many misconceptions, ignorance is spreading like wildfire. Hearts need to be purified. People are doing acts of worship that seem to be for Allah, but there's definitely a lot of nafs in it. And there's a lot of desire for oneself to be out there. And this is a problem. We should go back to the basics.
We should go back to how the messenger Muhammad sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam was sent for the people and what was the sacrifice that he had to give alayhis salatu was salam to spread this message. He carried this message for this nation from 1500 years ago, starting with the companions all the way to the end of time. His message is preserved. He sacrificed a lot alayhis salatu was salam.
So many things were offered for him in terms of wealth, in terms of status. It was given to him for him to leave this da'wah. He alayhis salatu was salam left all of this for the sake of Allah. And he wanted nothing but the approval of Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has aided him because of his sincerity and truthfulness. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has aided the companions after him because they were a nation that just wanted the name of Allah to spread. La ilaha illa Allah. They wanted the religion of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to be the ruling religion, the religion that overcomes all other religions.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has aided them. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has made this the truth, the haq that stayed after them. All nations at their time realized that this is a nation not to be messed with. What changed them? What was the factor that made them the men that they are? It's not who they are. They're Arabs. They were nothing. It's that man that was sent to them with this new religion that made them the true men that they are, the men that carried this religion. They were aided by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
They are the ones that protected this religion to the final moments of their lives. Every companion wanting what is best, subhanAllah, for this religion. Many of the companions, the rulers, wanting what is best for this religion. They might sacrifice many things for this religion. All they wanted is the approval of Allah.
So my brother, my sister, if you're serious about this religion, you want to be the best Muslim that you can be. I'm sorry brother and I'm sorry sister. This is not possible without being serious in terms of knowledge. This is one point. The other point is that right now there's a huge need for ilm. And it's an opportunity.
The sad thing is many people are preoccupied. Even subhanAllah, I'm sad to say it. Even in the dawah scene. Who are the people who are preoccupied with knowledge? It's a minority. It's a minority. Then where are all the people? Most of the people are behind what did this person say? What did that person say? What's happening behind this drama? And what does this have? Does this affect your worship? No. But it's entertainment. At the end of the day, it's sad but this is the truth.
Hate me or love me, this is the truth. It's drama. It's pure entertainment nowadays. Where is the ilm? Where are the books that have been studied? Where are the masaa'il that have been learned? SubhanAllah, what happened to seeking knowledge and understanding the principles of this religion?
Yeah, it might not feel fun. But it's not about fun. We're doing this for the sake of Allah. We're doing this as a worship. Worship, we do worship. Worship, we feel calmness and tranquility because of the worship. We're not looking for something that is fun and entertaining. This is real ilm, ilm ar-rijal, as some of the scholars used to say. Nobody stands and subhanAllah, stays firm in this path of knowledge except true believers, true men and true women who have sacrificed this dunya for the sake of religion.
Yes, their parents, their husbands, their wives. But subhanAllah, they might say normal people, but in reality, they are very cautious regarding their time. They are very cautious regarding their worship. They do not want to waste time. Their time is used in beneficial knowledge. Why is that? Because they know that there will be a time where people will depend on them. People will seek the knowledge from them.
And nowadays, subhanAllah, this has become a reality. I've seen many people who started with no knowledge, who sought knowledge for a short period of time. Now, alhamdulillah, Allah azawajal has benefited many people with them. Many of the sisters, many of the brothers, subhanAllah, where they were talking about times of hajj. In hajj, this is an example. In hajj, some of the brothers who studied alhamdulillah how to do hajj properly, at times of hajj, there is no time to search for a scholar. You could be at the time of minna and someone is asking you a question. Where are you going to find a scholar now? And people are pushing you from the back, and people are pushing you from the front, and the security is pushing you. There is absolutely no time.
So people are desperate, asking anyone, anyone for anything. So here, subhanAllah, where you will make a difference. You could have the knowledge that will change this person's worship. You could have this piece of information that will validate this person's worship. You could have this word, maybe you'll be the person who will say this word, that will protect this person from invalidating his worship. Where did you get this word from? This is ilm, this is knowledge. You have put effort in taking this knowledge, in seeking this knowledge, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has benefited you now.
So this is something very serious. And why am I serious regarding this topic of knowledge? Well, subhanAllah, the closest thing that you can compare knowledge to, in terms of the other worships, is fighting for the sake of Allah. Is fighting for the sake of Allah. And subhanAllah, when you look at Surah Al-Qital, Surah At-Tawbah, Surah At-Tawbah, where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said to the believers, يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ مُنْفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِذْ ثَاقَلْتُمْ إِلَىٰ الْأَرْضِ
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying to the believers, يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ مُنْفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ Fight for the sake of Allah. إِذْ ثَاقَلْتُمْ إِلَىٰ ٱلْأَرْضِ You held tight to the ground, you fell to the ground, subhanAllah. What is the ground here? The dunya. Yani you leaned toward this dunya, you do not want to abide by this command, obviously because you see hardship in this command, طيب إِذْ ثَاقَلْتُمْ إِلَىٰ ٱلْأَرْضِ
Then Allah subhanAllah is telling you this, أَرَضِيْتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ SubhanAllah, are you pleased with this world? Do you favor this world over the hereafter? أَرَضِيْتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ
Then Allah subhanAllah is giving us an admonition, فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ SubhanAllah, this dunya that people are killing each other over, طيب compared to the hereafter, Allah is telling you, والله it's not worth it. It's little. It's nothing. It is something that is short term and it will end soon.
Well, the hereafter is worth it. In itself, it's greater and it will last forever. It's not worth fighting over this dunya. يا أخي, whatever you missed in this dunya, as if it didn't happen. Easy. الحمد لله. But the hereafter, if you missed out on the hereafter, you have truly missed out on everything that is precious and valuable.
مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ وَمَنْفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِذْ ثَاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ أَرَضِيْتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ فَمَا مَتَاعُوا الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ
And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says something even more important. It's like a threat. إِلَّا تَنْفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا وَيَسْتَبِدِي الْقَوْمَنَ غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُوهُ شَيْئًا It's like Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling you. إِلَّا تَنْفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا If you do not comply with this command, you will be tormented, a severe punishment. يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
Not only this. وَيَسْتَبْدِي الْقَوْمَنَ غَيْرَكُمْ You will be replaced. Your brother, your sister will be replaced by someone else who will be noble enough to accept this path. Who will comply and will obey what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commanded him with and will be honored to go on this journey and to start this journey seeking the approval of Allah, sincere to Allah, truthfulness to Allah, going forward, taking this knowledge, knowing that they will sacrifice a lot.
Knowing that a lot is at stake. Knowing that this is an important mission for them. They want to be serious in seeking knowledge. They want to be people who will defend this religion. They want to be people who will preserve this religion, continuing the objective of the companions. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sacrificed a lot for this religion, the companions did the same. The followers did the same. Every generation of scholars, the best of this generation, went forward and preserved this religion with every generation.
Now it's your time and it's my time. What will be put forward? This is why I want to remind you of this. This is a great opportunity. If you're not willing to do this, wallahi there will be someone else who will take this opportunity. The religion won't stop if we all decide not to go forward with this. If we all decide to stay and lean towards this dunya, the religion will still go on. But Allah will choose better people, noble people, who will accept this invitation and will go forward and take this knowledge.
They know that there is a lot of effort to put forward. They will put this effort, they will seek the approval of Allah, and they will go forward protecting this religion from the innovators, protecting this religion from people who want to change this religion from the inside. They will protect this religion and they will preserve it for those who seek it. They will be the ones who will connect the people to the Creator. And with this, they will gain the ultimate reward of Allah's approval.
And subhanAllah, you don't need me to tell you of the status of the scholar in Islam. But these verses that I mentioned in Surah At-Tawbah were regarding what? If you look at the style of the verse, it's like Allah is telling you, it's as if what you're going to be doing is something simple and easy, which is fighting for the sake of Allah. This is what it seems, and it's something easy. When in reality, if you know the context of these verses, you'll be extremely surprised on what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was talking about here.
Do you realize that this command was for the Messenger of Muhammad salAllahu alayhi wa sallam and the companions to face whom? Who do you think Allah azawajal wanted them to face? Allah azawajal wanted them to face Arun, the biggest and strongest nation at the time. Basically, in our time, going against the world. Where? Like where? Are they going to come to Medina? No, they're going to come to Tabuk.
So you're going to be meeting them at Tabuk. And where are they now? They're in Medina. So you're telling me they're going to be traveling from Medina to Tabuk. And subhanAllah, this weather, no ACs, no cars, no planes. All they have is their faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Literally their faith in Allah. Their weapons might not be anything compared to what the room has, the superpower at that time. They're going to be facing them.
So imagine, yet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is mentioning in this time, What's wrong with you? How can you not go forward with this? It's as if, how can you say no? Even though when you look at it, it's something extremely difficult. Yet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling us in this time, How would you say no to such an objective since Allah azawajal has commanded you to do this? Not only this, it's because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows that paradise and his approval is much, much, much more valuable compared to this lowly life and subhanAllah leaning towards this life.
And also the honor of being chosen by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to go forward. This is subhanAllah something that you should not imagine. This honor could have been yours, but it was given to someone else. Why? Because you leant towards this dunya. How many opportunities we had to do something for this ummah, but because of this dunya we decided not to do so. And subhanAllah we lost out on a lot on this opportunity.
So this is about striving for the sake of Allah. This was for true battle, but knowledge is the same. Knowledge is the same. If you're not going to take this opportunity, Allah will choose someone else to do this. The religion won't stop if you decided not to go forward. Allah will choose other people who will take this path, seek knowledge, and become subhanAllah beacons of light for the people.
So you should be wise. You should think about this opportunity. Stop being lazy. You've wasted a lot of time. I've wasted a lot of time. It is time that we come together and be serious and start seeking beneficial knowledge. The intention is to benefit ourselves and to benefit the Muslims. If we pass away during this journey, alhamdulillah, may Allah grant us the intention of going forward with this.
And Allah will give you the reward of taking this path and reaching your goal and spreading the knowledge. Because actions are by intentions. وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ مِرِئٍ مَّا نَوَىٰ And everyone will get what he intended. So if you did intend this khair, and you decided now to make a change for the best, and you were serious to seek knowledge, so alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah for this blessing.
It's not you who decided. It's Allah who has given you the opportunity. It is Allah who aided you to make such a decision. And subhanAllah, in the same chapter, Surah At-Tawbah, after mentioning verse after verse regarding fighting the enemies, striving for the sake of Allah, before subhanAllah, at the end of the chapter, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says clearly, وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَةٌۭ فَلَوْ لَا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍۭ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌۭ لِيَتَفَقَّهُ فِي الدِّينِ
It's like Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying, it would have never been the case that everyone should flee, everyone should strive for the sake of Allah completely. And not all of the Muslims together, no. A group of them should stay, should leave this group, fighting for the sake of Allah, wait for another type of striving for the sake of Allah. Look at the words, وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا
The word نفير or ينفر, here is going for battle. وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَةٌۭ فَلَوْ لَا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍۭ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌۭ لِيَتَفَقَّهُ فِي الدِّينِ, to seek knowledge. طَيْفَ لِيَتَفَقَّهُ Clearly Allah SWT said, even this group, going forward, striving for the sake of Allah for battle, they should not go all. A group of them should leave, why? To go and do another important mission. A special mission for dedicated Muslims who are qualified for this mission. To do something very important, which is as equally as important as the other people who strive for the sake of Allah.
What is this other mission? لِيَتَفَقَّهُ فِي الدِّينِ To gain the understanding of this religion. Understanding the Qur'an, understanding the Sunnah, why? So that when people come back, when they want to know the rulings, Alhamdulillah, these people have invested their lives into finding and understanding this religion so that they may help the people. They may help the people.
So every single person will make a difference. Every single person who seeks knowledge with the will of Allah will make a difference in this nation. Don't say we have scholars, we have knowledge seekers. No, we never have enough. We never have enough, subhanAllah. And look at the type of questions that we get.
Sometimes we wish that, subhanAllah, the scholars that we have, even if they are multiplied now by 5 or 10, we still won't have enough. The people are in need. The people need guidance. The people need proper knowledge seekers who build their knowledge on strong foundations. And they have sincerity and truthfulness. At the same time, they have wisdom. And they're patient. They're not looking for this dunya. The dunya will come and go.
They're not striving for this dunya. If you give me, I will do it. If you don't give me, I won't. No, we want a new breed of knowledge seekers. Those who truly want what's with Allah, subhanAllah. If the dunya comes to them, alhamdulillah. If it doesn't, it's not going to make any difference. I'm not striving for this dunya. I'm striving for the sake of Allah, subhanAllah.
And I want what's with Allah, subhanAllah. So I think that I have said enough regarding the importance of this mission. And so you have to ask yourself, are you willing to join? Are you willing to make a change? Do you want to stay the way that you are? And if you're a knowledge seeker listening to me, ya akhi, are you doing enough? Are you being serious? Just because you're on a noble path doesn't mean that you're doing enough.
Doesn't mean that what you're doing is proper. We should all go back to our intentions. Are we really doing enough for the sake of Allah? SubhanAllah, we might be lacking in so many things. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah At-Tawbah, لا يستأذنك الذين يؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر أن يجاهدوا بأموالهم وأنفسهم والله عليم بالمتقين
It's like when people started making excuses for this whole journey that we mentioned to Tabuk, many people started making excuses. Saying, oh messenger of Allah, excuse me, pardon me because I have this excuse, I have that excuse. And many of them were hypocrites. Many of them were hypocrites.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying that the true believers, they're not going to find excuses. The true believers, they won't find excuses and great opportunities. It's like the true believers, the Ahlul Taqwa, لا يستأذنك الذين يؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر أن يجاهدوا بأموالهم وأنفسهم
And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, والله عليم بالمتقين Allah says this out of knowledge that those who are truthful in their intentions and their efforts, they want what's with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They sacrifice their wealth, they sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah. These true believers, these true متقون, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said they won't be making excuses.
The true people of Taqwa, they won't make excuses. Stop making excuses. Stop saying, no, I'm too old. No, Allah, I don't have a good memory. No this, no that. I have many stories, subhanAllah, of people who have nothing to do with knowledge. Who became, subhanAllah, so blessed, so blessed. They benefited so many people. They started in a very simple way.
طيب, they had nothing. They literally had nothing. Intelligence is average, their hifdh is below average. طيب, they had nothing. What they had was a strong will. They were serious and they understood that this path will take years. It's not this one day motivation that once you sleep you wake up, it's no longer there. No, no, no. They had a will of steel that was inside their hearts.
They wanted to go forward. They knew that they had to sacrifice a lot of their time. They left the things that mean nothing in their life. They stopped wasting time. Anything that is not necessary, خلاص I'm not going to waste time with this. I have something much more serious. طيب, to seek. Instead of reading nonsense online, I have the Qur'an, the word of Allah to read. I have the Qur'an to ponder and contemplate.
My Qur'an is my companion in this journey. It's going to be with me from the start and it's going to be with me at the end. Serious people. How many times have you heard stories of people who are 50 plus, 60 plus memorizing the whole Qur'an? I personally know many. I personally know people by their name who did this. They started saying, Allah, let me try, what am I going to lose? Alhamdulillah, I just want to be of the people of the Qur'an.
And I'm going slowly, but at least I'm on this path. Alhamdulillah, let me go. They ended up finishing the Qur'an. And I was told by one of, she's an old woman. I was told by one of her children that, subhanAllah, one of her kids said, once one of my brothers had a big problem happening. My mom stood up and did qiyam. She recited all of Surah Al-Baqarah. I know because she didn't sleep. And I can listen to her recitation.
She finished Surah Al-Baqarah and qiyam. Old woman, who memorized the Qur'an. Became of the awliya. Nobody knows anything about her, subhanAllah. In this world, she's no one. Allah, in the heavens, she's one of the awliya of Allah. A person who is serious about seeking knowledge. And Allah, subhanAllah, has benefited her. And she has benefited so many people in her family.
With proper knowledge, with the Qur'an, with the knowledge of the hikam. By knowing this religion. So, how many times have we seen grandmothers, and mothers, and aunties, who learned some of this religion. And, subhanAllah, Allah has given them wisdom. They have become the problem solver in this family. Because they have some proper knowledge that they acted upon.
Alhamdulillah. And their whole life is in knowledge. When there's something that they don't know, they wait for the classes that they have with their sheikhs. And they ask the sheikh, how do you deal with this problem? What is the answer to this problem? They're always connected with knowledge seekers. They're always connected with sheikhs. Because they understand this world.
I love being part of the group. And how many people we know started by, I'm happy to be there. I'm happy to be part of this journey. And they end up, subhanAllah, just being there. Just being serious in these classes. They ended up having a lot of knowledge. Whenever someone asks, oh yeah, this matter, by the way, I heard sheikh so-and-so mentioning this point. And mentioning that the opinion of the majority is stronger. Because of this hadith.
How did he know this? Because they attended classes. And they used to revise whatever I studied. I revised. They become, subhanAllah, people who benefited, alhamdulillah, the ummah. And inshaAllah, this is an opportunity for everyone. And Allah, subhanAllah, the messenger of Muhammad, salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, is telling you, just taking the path will make a difference.
What is the solution to this problem? You don't need to be a scholar from day one. No one is a scholar from day one. And nobody says, I want to be, wallah, a scholar. It's not a tag, a name tag that will be put on your chest. No. What you should intend is to acquire the proper knowledge. Every day should be an increase in ilm. Every day should be an increase in ilm.
Either revision, either acquiring new knowledge, every day should be a step forward toward your ultimate goal. And the messenger of Muhammad, salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, when he said, when he talked about the reward of seeking knowledge, he said, man salaka tareeqan yaltamisu fee ilman. So, he took a path to seek knowledge. Salaka Allahu bihi tareeqan ilal jannah. Allah, azawajal, will put him on a path of paradise.
He didn't reach the ilm. He just took a path. He just took one of the paths of ilm. And, subhanAllah, Allah, azawajal, because of his intention, Allah, azawajal, has put him on a path to paradise. And, I remind you again, that just because you're striving, you're going to be put on that path, there should be some seriousness from your side. Just because you're on a path to seek Allah's approval, doesn't mean that you'll get Allah's approval.
Be careful. You'll be tested. You will be tested. There is no scholar that you see in front of you. The scholars that you see, the ulama, except when you look at their life and their biography, they've been tested with severe tests, literally. Do you think that the honor will come without a test? You think a person in this world becomes honorable without going through the difficulties and hardships of the tests that Allah, subhanAllah, puts forward for you?
Knowing that you're true, how would you know that this certain metal is precious or not? It's rusty. I don't know. Is it copper or is it gold? How will we know? We won't know until we put it in the flames. Once the rust burns down and is removed, then it will become clear. You know what? This wasn't copper. This is real solid gold.
The same thing we see with people. They start this path and they take this path. They have different hearts. They have different intentions. Once the tests come, many people end up being copper. Many people, subhanAllah, end up leaving this path. Only a few stay. And these few that pass these tests become noble, blessed worshippers of Allah, subhanAllah, that Allah, subhanAllah, aids them.
Look, it's Allah that chooses them and Allah that aids them. And you find them, subhanAllah, having steadfastness. They're always willing to take on whatever challenge is given in front of them because they understand that this path to Allah, subhanAllah, requires sacrifice. Remember when we said that the Messenger of Muhammad, salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, sacrificed a lot? It wasn't just him, alayhi salatu wa salam.
This was the case with all of the Messengers of Allah, subhanAllah, When the man asked the Messenger of Muhammad, salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, اي الناس اشد بلاء يا رسول الله؟ اي الناس اشد بلاء يا رسول الله؟ قال الانبياء. That's the Prophets. Their test, their worship, what they had to preserve in terms of knowledge, acting upon this knowledge, spreading this beneficial knowledge, guiding the people, protecting the people from the misconceptions and ignorance and the enemies of this religion, by making sure that the followers understand the importance of this path and the responsibility that goes with this ilm.
This was definitely something extremely important. And this was the mission of the Messengers, making sure that the rulings are understood by mixing with the people. And then they had to deal with, subhanAllah, the Messengers were human. They had to deal with all the challenges that their followers had to deal with. They ate like others ate. They drank like others drank. They fasted. They married. SubhanAllah. They had problems, you know, family problems. Disputes happened. We're normal. We're human.
Yet, subhanAllah, Allah azza wa jal, because of their sincerity and truthfulness, Allah preserved them. And Allah azza wa jal has given them, subhanAllah, the iman and ilm that they wanted. And the followers took that from them. The followers of these Messengers took that from them. And they preserved their messages after them. SubhanAllah.
So, dedication must be there. And you must understand that you'll be tested. Actually, every person in this world will be tested. Where are you from the verses, for example? Many verses, like Surah Al-Baqarah, لَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ لَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ It's like Allah is saying, وَاللَّهِ يُلْبِي تَسْتِدْ By many things. وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصِ مِّنَ الْأَبْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ Many things will happen.
So, should we feel sad? Should we be afraid? وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ There is good news for those who will be patient. If you are patient for the sake of Allah, لا لا لا. Only khair will come. فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا With hardship, there will be two eases. فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا The same عسر, another يسر. With every عسر, there are two يسر.
Yes. You find a knowledge seeker, subhanAllah, putting a lot of effort, memorizing something. He has a family to deal with. Maybe he has family problems. Just like a normal human being. He has financial problems. Just like any one of us. We all have problems, all kinds of problems. But لا, this is only a بلاء that will be short term. My main objective is to concentrate on this knowledge. I take care of my family the best in my ability. I do what is واجب.
I have a source of income. No matter how much. It's something that will give me at least an opportunity to seek knowledge. الحمد لله, I'm taking care of my family. I give them the time, but there is something that no one can touch. It's this path. This is between me and Allah. No one is going to come between me and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And you find Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala testing them with this. Testing them with lack of wealth. Testing them with family problems. Testing them with, subhanAllah, many kinds of problems that occur. Health problems and so on, so on. But this does not last. After the test ends, what happens? We find that, subhanAllah, something is shining here. There is something special in this heart. What is special? There is light. This heart is a radiant heart.
This metal turned out to be gold. This person turned out to be sincere and truthful. Expect the aid from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah azza wa jal has raised him levels because of these tests. taking this path, understanding that there will be tests. This is part of the journey. This is part of the journey. SubhanAllah. This is part of the journey.
And subhanAllah, in Surah Al-Baqarah, when we talk, again I mentioned this, that's fighting for the sake of Allah. It is the most comparable worship to seeking knowledge. So many things are similar. So many things. And in reality, in reality, when you're seeking knowledge, you have weapons. Your knowledge is your weapon. You're going to be fighting innovators. You're going to be fighting people who want to change this religion. You're not going to be fighting necessarily people. You're going to be fighting ideologies, ideas. Misconceptions.
You might be protecting the Muslims. You might be teaching the Muslims something. It doesn't mean that you're out there refuting people. Many of this, subhanAllah, it's really sad. I don't even talk about this. It has become about I am fighting for me and not Islam. I'm talking about fighting for the sake of Islam. Not refuting an idea that came, a misconception that is there. It could be you with your neighbors, with your children, with your family, telling them. And this refutation could be by explaining what Islam says regarding this.
This in itself, in many of the cases, is more than enough. But if this you do not know, how will you fight for the sake of Allah? How will you protect your religion? How will you go forward? An opportunity has arised. But how will you do anything if you don't have knowledge? So, please, knowledge is crucial.
In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when this group of people from Bani Israel, min ba'di Musa, as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, قَالُوا لِنَبِيٍ لَّهُمْ اِبْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ They wanted to fight for the sake of Allah. اِبْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ Their messenger said to them, قَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّمْ هَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُذِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِ تَالُ أَلَّا تُقَاتِلُ Are you sure? Are you sure you're willing to do this? Because, if the time comes, if the command comes from Allah, are you sure you're strong enough? Not physically. Are you sure you have strong hearts to go forward with this? What did they say? They fought for all the wrong reasons.
Look at what Allah said. Describe what they said. قَالُوا وَمَا لَنَا أَلَّا نُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ أُخْرِجْنَا مِنْ دِيَارِنَا وَأَبْنَائِنَا It's like, how do we not fight for the sake of Allah? And subhanAllah, we've been kicked out of our land and our families.
Did they mention that they're fighting for Allah? This was their cause. This was their cause. They didn't mention that they wanted to fight for the sake of Allah, for the sake of his religion.
فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ تَوَلَّوْا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ When the time came, subhanAllah, and the fighting for the sake of Allah was, they were commanded with this, obligated on that, they fled. Directly. SubhanAllah.
They fled directly. So they weren't strong enough. They made claims that they wanted to do this for the sake of Allah.
But at the end of the day, they were not able to withstand the challenge of Allah subhanAllah. The test of Allah. They were not pure and sincere, wanting this for the sake of Allah.
And of course in the next page, when Allah subhanAllah chose for them Talut Malika, in this verse, as Allah subhanAllah said, فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَطْعَمُهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي إِلَّا مَنْ يَغْتَرَ فَغُرْفَةً بِيَدِهُ
So Allah subhanAllah is saying here, Talut told them, Allah will test us with this water supply. You should not drink from this. So whoever drinks from this will not come forward with me. Except those who take a handful. That's what you're allowed to take. SubhanAllah, some people mentioned that this is how, it's like, even though it's not, regardless if it was intended in the verse or not, it's just like dunya.
Take what you need, this handful. If you jump into this river, you'll drown. Same thing with this dunya.
If you jump into this dunya, seeking dunya, you'll drown. Take what you need, take this handful. So then, the next verse, فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ
So even this group, so this first group were tested with this water, many of them failed. And then this other test that came, فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ So now this group who passed all these tests so far said, لَا طَاقَةَنَا لَيَوْمْ بِجَالُوتَ وَجِمَلَ They say, oh even this, you know this, Jalut and his army, we cannot take them, they're too much.
SubhanAllah, even them, look again, they required motivation, they required words of wisdom to make them firm so that they face their enemies. Same thing with seeking knowledge.
Look, I'm not going to tell you that if you seek knowledge, you'll become wealthy. No. Chances are it's not going to happen.
I'm not going to tell you if you seek knowledge, next week you'll be a scholar teaching the people. الله أعلم Who Allah chooses for his religion. But what I can tell you, that this is a path that requires serious people, that requires serious Muslims, by wanting to make a difference in this world, wanting to change this nation, and especially those who are watching me right now, of the youth.
I'm talking to you specifically. All the other brothers and sisters, this is something that we must take seriously. But the youth, it's even a bigger responsibility.
We might not be there for the next generation. We're looking to create and mold the scholars of the future. The scholars, the men and women who will carry this religion for the next generations. You people are the priority.
So, you're listening to me. Don't listen with your ears. Listen with your heart. This is an opportunity to make a difference. This is an opportunity for you to be someone who is close to Allah, someone of honor. You'll be honored with this path.
As the messenger of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said, إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْفَعُ بِهَٰذَا الْكِتَابِ أَقْوَامًا وَيَضَعُ بِي آخَرِينَ With this book of Allah, the Quran, a group of people will be raised levels. They'll be honored because of preserving the Quran, acting upon the Quran, reciting the Quran. Another group, they'll be thrown down. They'll fall into the depths. Why? Because they missed out on this opportunity of being part of this great book, being of the people that held this book in their hearts.
This is definitely part of knowledge. Part of the solution that I have for my brothers and sisters, Alhamdulillah, with the blessing of Allah, the aid of Allah, we have launched a new program by dedicated brothers, knowledge seekers Alhamdulillah, that we have good opinion regarding them, Allah that they have put out, sacrificed their time, they have put efforts into making new programs, new levels, different sciences that will be taught for knowledge seekers.
They want this knowledge to be practical, applicable by everyone, accessible. All you need to do is to be sincere and truthful. If you join this, there'll be people who will be helping you, making classes with the intention of creating a proper knowledge seeker. Starting from zero, starting from scratch, by building you up, molding you to be a proper knowledge seeker.
We're all striving for this. We all want to increase in knowledge. The teachers and the students. So I'll be teaching, Inshallah, I'll be responsible for two subjects. I'll be teaching Tafseer and I'll be teaching Fiqh.
We're going to be concentrating on Fiqh, the sciences of Fiqh. We're talking about Usul Fiqh, Qawa'at Fiqhiyah, and Fiqh itself. And Tafseer, the sciences of Tafseer. We're talking about some of the Ilm Qur'an, some Usul Tafseer, and Practical Tafseer, as in applying these sciences into Tafseer.
My intention, brothers and sisters, is to create knowledge seekers. I don't mind starting with people from scratch. We want to take you step by step. From the ground, building you up to be proper knowledge seekers to benefit the Ummah.
This is something that we want to stay after we leave this world. This is something that we want to put forward for the sake of Allah. This is our intention. This is our intention.
Please, brothers and sisters, consider this opportunity. Alhamdulillah, Allah Azza wa Jalla has given you this opportunity. Knowledge is very accessible nowadays. We have brothers and sisters. We have brothers who are sincere and truthful who want to benefit you. Each one will be teaching a different science by making lectures.
There will be some live events to make sure that the students are coping with the material. We'll have live classes to understand the struggles of the students, to make sure that we're not going too fast, that the pace is proper. You'll get the opportunity to interact with us. You'll get the opportunity to interact with us, and we want to hear from you.
At the end of the day, you're part of this journey. We're not going to do this by ourselves. We need you also. You're part of this. And you're going to be, with the will of Allah, a very important part for this Ummah. You're going to be an important person that will help this Ummah.
People might not recognize you. That is okay. Alhamdulillah, that's one fitna out of the way. That's great. That's amazing that nobody knows you. Alhamdulillah, that's great.
What's important is that you do something for the sake of Allah, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accepts this deed from you. And don't worry. All it requires is a proper intention. This is the first step. Sit with yourself. Say, do I want to take this first step? I just need this proper intention that I want to give.
I want to make a change in my life. I want to be a proper knowledge seeker. I want to take these sciences. And me teaching you these sciences, inshaAllah, what I want is, I'm expecting you to be someone who's just starting out. And I'm ready with the will of Allah to teach you and take you step by step to build you up to become a proper knowledge seeker.
And I ask Allah for you even to become someone better than me, and more knowledgeable than me. Why not? Why not? So that you can benefit the Ummah. All that is required from you is a firm stance, a proper intention, some sincerity and truthfulness to take this first step and go forward.
With this we will end. هذا والله أعلم. وصلى الله عن نبيه محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم. جزاكم الله خيرا.
