Allah Doesn't Burden A Soul Beyond its Capacity

“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear…” (Qur’an, 2:286)

Being ungrateful - Shaitan's Main Task

Are we among those being ungrateful to Allah swt by following Shaytaan?

One way in which Shaytaan makes us Ungrateful.

Does Ar-Rehman" mean Merciful?

Which of The Favours of your Lord will you Deny? (Al-Quran). A Video about the special Favours , Love and Mercy of Allah swt on Every Human Being.

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You know, we use this word all the time

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We say (Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem)

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We say Fatiha all the time:

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(Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil 'aalameen) (Qur'an 1:2)

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(Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem) (Qur'an 1:3)

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We use the word all the time

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But what does it mean?

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Can anybody give me an English translation that you've read before?

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(Ar-Rahman), anybody?

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"Merciful"

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Some people use "Beneficent", right?

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"Compassionate"

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I don't know, "beneficent", have you ever used "beneficent" in a conversation with anybody before?

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You don't normally use the word "beneficent" in conversation, yes?

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The purpose of translation

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The purpose of translation is so you and I can understand

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And translation should be with words that you can actually use

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That you actually relate to

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If you translate with words that you can't relate to

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Then it defeats the purpose of translation

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It defeats the purpose

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And the other problem is

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The easier word is "Merciful"

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"Merciful" is easy to understand for most people who understand English

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They know the word "merciful"

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But the problem with the word -

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There's also a problem with this word -

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is that it's actually different from the word "Rahma"

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"Mercy" is different from the word "Rahma"

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And I first want to explain that difference to you

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"Ar-Rahma" in Arabic comes from a few things, one of them is "Ar-Rahm"

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"Ar-Rahm" is the stomach of the mother

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When a woman is pregnant, her stomach is called "Rahm"

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And it's called "Rahm" because that baby is taken care of in every way

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"Ar-Rahm" is-

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The child inside the "Rahm" of the mother is taken care of in every way

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Now there's a relationship between the mother and the child

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Does the child know the mother?

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No.

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Does the mother already know the child? Something about the-

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Does she already have love for the child?

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Does the child have love for the mother yet?

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No.

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Is the mother taking care of the child already?

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Yes! In every way.

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In every way!

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The entire world of the child is taken care of by the mother

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And the child has no idea

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No clue

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that he is loved so much

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that the mother is willing to do so much for this child

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and protect it from every danger

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protect it from every danger

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You know, the-

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Normally, human beings when they protect themselves

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When they protect themselves, we protect our head

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We protect our bodies

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But a mother, before she protects anything else, what will she protect?

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Her stomach, when she's expecting

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She's going to be extra careful not to walk in a narrow place

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or to stay away from corners at the table, you know?

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She's going to take extra caution

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That word gives birth to the word "Rahma"

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"Rahma" is not the same as "Mercy"

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Because "mercy" in English is used when you spare someone

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Like, for example, I was going to beat you up but I showed you mercy

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Which means you were expecting punishment

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And when I decided not to punish you, that means I showed you mercy

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Maybe a police officer stops you on the road

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The police man comes over to you

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"Hey! You don't know the speed limit?!"

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"No, I was reciting Surat Ar-Rahman, sorry, I just-"

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"OK, OK, I'll show you mercy, no ticket for you"

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I don't know if that's going to happen, don't try it

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But

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You were expecting punishment, yes?

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You were expecting a ticket

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and then you used the word m- "Oh, he showed me mercy"

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meaning "He let me go"

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In other words, in the English language, most of the time when we use the word "mercy"

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We're actually thinking about punishment

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And then the punishment went away and we thought about mercy

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But the word "Rahma" has nothing to do with punishment

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The word shouldn't even cross your mind, the thought shouldn't even cross your mind

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It has to do with complete care and love

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Someone who has compassion towards you

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Someone who wants to soft and easy with you

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Someone who wants to make things delicate for you

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They understand that you should be handled with care

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You know, there are people who deal with other people delicately, nicely

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And then there are people who are not very delicate, not very nice

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Sometimes you want to get a visa to some country and the person you have to deal with is not very nice

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They don't have "Riqqa" (softness, gentleness)

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But if they have "Rahma", they treat you with repsect

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They start with "Salaam"

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They say "I'll do everything I can to help you"

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And you can notice they care about you

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You're trying to do Hajj (pilgrimage) or something and they care about you

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You know?

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They're showing that "Riqqa" (gentleness), that's Rahma!

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When Allah calls Himself "Ar-Rahman", He is saying that He loves you

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He is saying that He cares for you

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He is saying that He understands that you are very delicate and you must be handled with care

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And Allah will take care of every matter that you have.

How Shaitan Tricks

Shaitan does not necessarily trick into sinning by asking us to do something. He does it little by little. Those little things are not necessarily Haram but they are part of a bigger plan. We must be able to see that and seek Allah's protection

Iblis become Shaitan

How did iblis become shaitan and what mankind should not do to become one of him?

3 Levels of Struggle

3 Levels of struggle that everybody has a choice to make. Which level are you on? :) Whatever good we do is first and foremost benefiting ourselves, the benefit that comes to others is not from us but from Allah swt.

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So three levels of struggle I outline for you at the level of the individual,
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then a little bit past that, tangible goals within a community, tangible
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goals you struggle for and then there is the intangible idea or ideals in a
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society. Those are three levels of struggle. Now, let’s paint those three
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levels of struggle with Islam. Beyond the worldly, and not just in the
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worldly sense, in the otherworldly sense, Islam also asks us to make a
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struggle at the level of the individual. I have to fight my nafs, I have to
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fight Shatan, I have to fight my laziness, I have to fight my anger, I have
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a struggle with myself. That’s the struggle I have to make with myself. I
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have to struggle to become better in my ibaadah, so many duas we make
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are about the struggle of ourselves. “Allah aid me in remembering You;
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Aid me in thanking You; Aid me in perfecting and beautifying my
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worship to You.” That’s a struggle with yourself. Then we go a little bit
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past that, and let’s keep things in the American context, even though this
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is universal value. You say I shouldn’t just worry about myself, we need
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a masjid. We need to have a place where we can worship, where people
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can remember Allah. So masajid got built. And then when masajid got
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built, then there was a bigger concern. We need to educate our children,
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schools got built, Sunday schools got established. Then there were even
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more concerns. We need to help others get the word of Islam. Da’wah
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organizations were created. Right so, these are additional struggles that
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stem from first at the individual level and then at the community level.
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And then even beyond that there are those who are trying, they have an
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open ended target. The target is that one day we want everybody in this
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country to know what real Islam is. That may not be a tangible goal, it
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may be very open ended but they are ready to struggle for it. And they are
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not turned off by the idea that they aren’t seeing tangible results. It’s
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enough for them that it is a worthwhile activity. And any of these efforts
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that we make, for any other human being, they can believe what they
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believe, we believe that every one of these efforts are at the end, more
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than anyone else, benefitting our own selves. They benefit us. They won’t
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necessarily benefit anybody else because we are not capable of that. The
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Prophet (PBUH) benefitted humanity more than anybody else. And yet
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Allah commanded him to say, “Say, ‘I possess not for myself any harm or
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benefit except when Allah should will’…” (Yunus:49). Right, think about
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that. The Prophet (PBUH) is more beneficial to humanity than any other
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human being that ever lived. And he is commanded to say “I don’t
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possess the power to benefit you.” In other words, the benefit the Prophet
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has given us, that we benefit from him, the credit keeps going to him and
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through him to Allah. And that’s the attitude of the believer. The attitude
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of the believer is that whatever good I’m doing, I’m not benefitting
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anybody except myself. That’s who I am benefitting in the end. Me, even
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giving sadaqah is benefitting myself. Me helping build a masjid, helping
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out a school, giving a charitable donation, whatever it may be, is helping
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me. And the benefit that comes to others, is not from me. It is from Allah.

How Shaytaan Attacks

[Satan] said, "Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You]." [Quran Surah Al-A'raf: verse 16-17]

Talk to your daughters - Parenting Lesson

The new society is full of incredible challenges for our daughters and we need to communicate, boost their self esteem and talk to them to enable them to rise and meet them.

Be responsible with money - Maintaining a balance when it comes to spending.....

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Surah Al-Furqan (25:67) The people who spend money, when they spend

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money, they don’t spend too much.

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And they’re not cheap either.

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They are right in between.

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When you go shopping, you say “I make good money, put it all in, I’ll take two of those,

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I’ll take 3 of those, I’ll take 5 of those.

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What’s the biggest TV you have?”

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Allah says, people who spend but they are responsible when they spend, and they’re

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not cheap either.

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You don’t go to the store with your wife with the cereal, and the milk and the vegetables

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and she’s putting in the milk and you’re like, “You’re gonna drink all that milk?

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You need that milk?

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Get the small one.”

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Don’t do that.

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Don’t be cheap either.

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You have to have a balance in your budget.

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Let me tell you something.

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The economic crisis in the world, the fall of the European economy, the fall of the American

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economy, that is barely recovering, you know where it came from?

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It came from people spending irresponsibly and saying, we can just put it on the credit card.

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And people built upon this debt because they spent outside of their means.

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Quran is teaching us that when you spend money, don’t spend money that is not in your pocket,

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don’t take loans, don’t be addicted to your credit cards, don’t be like that.

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Spend within your means, spend within your budgets.

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A lot of you, MashAllah, are doing well financially, so you say to yourself, “I can afford it.”

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Just because you can afford it doesn’t mean you should spend the money.

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Your money has other uses.

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You can help your family.

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You have a lot of family back home who is not doing well, you can help them.

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You can help people get out of debt.

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Your money can do other good things.

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Instead of just buying yourself things.

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“They maintain a healthy, normal, responsible budget in between.”

Quickly Understand & Memorize Surah Al-Adiyat

This illustrated video will help you quickly understand & memorize Surah Al-Adiyat from Quran.

The main points of interest were as follows:

1/ The message of Quran is not just what it says, but how it says
2/ In this surah we learn about the attitude of human being who has fear of nothing.
3/ Word Adiyat comes from 'Ado which means to have animosity. It means running towards your enemy.
4/ Dabha means panting - meaning it is going fast as it can. Picturing some war
5/ Why is Khair translated as Wealth?
6/ Afla Yalamu - Bosira does not mean turned upside down but means to turn upside down to find a thing
7/ Wa Hussila - means to peel, extract and scrape everything out from the chest
8/ Last surah touched on deeds - this surah goes further deep in the heart - intentions

9/ Khabeer is more powerful then Aleem. Khabeer means when someone is full news and every minute detail of the matter.

Bartender who accepted Islam

A mind blowing story of bartender accepting Islam, this made us cry :'( There is so much work to do to help spread the message of Islam and Quran to every human being. We cannot give up on any human being.

The important points in this short video are:

1/ When you look at him you will feel he has no taqwa

2/ Dont put people down. Dont think they are less.

Avoid useless company

The important things in this short video are:

1/ Zoor in Ayat 72 of Surah Furqan means false testimony or company that doesn't have any benefit

2/ You later realize that your sins were a result of your friends

3/ You don't embarass undesirable / useless company but find a dignified / smart way to get out of it.

Importance of Zhikr and Taqwa

Formula for holding onto the Book of Allah swt as given in Quran.

In this video the important points covered are as follows:

1/ In Ayat 63 of Surah Baqarah, Allah took the covenant from you and raised the mountain over you to take the message and the messenger seriously. It wasn't forced. They had already accepted and then they were not serious about it.
2/ Formula for how do you to hold on to the book seriously. 
3/ It is two things - Remember whats in it and mention whats in it. Just remembering it wont help but mentioning will do it.

Quran: A Guidance for Humanity

Quran is a Book of Guidance for EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING, without ANY discrimination.

The important points covered in this short video are:

1/ Ayat 185 of Surah Baqarah mentions that guidance is for all people not just to Muslims but for all people.
2/ When we stand together in Salah it means we are equal

3/ We look like a muslim and just say that you are Muslim. Its like a shell without an egg / pearl.

Intention Only for Allah

Always keep intentions only for Allah swt. ''All Actions depend on Intentions'' - Prophet Muhammad pbuh.

The important points covered in this short video are:

1/ Ayat 77 of Surah Hajj required us to do good to be successful. Good helps who? It helps others  
2/ But these good contribution (in time as well as money) are for ourselves not for them. It does not help by saying / thinking that "I helped them".
3/ You gave them a big cheque and you are thinking of giving some advise and you now think your opinion should be given consideration. Dont ruin your sadaqah by tying them to expectation.

4/ Deposit your sadaqah in your aakhirah account not in some of your wordly account by tying it to some expectation.

Leadership Quality

What are the essential requirements for being a Leader? A timeless lesson from Quran.

The important matters that come under this video are:

1/ Not only did Yusuf (AS)  establish his innocence, he asked for a job to make him  the treasurer
2/ He mentioned that he will be hafeez and aleem (safeguard it and is knowledgeable in this matter)
3/ Leadership is about confidence. Too much confidence, however leads to arrogance.
4/ It is your God given responsibility. If you are talented in leadership you have to take the leadership role
5/ Arrogance is when you are obsessed with your title and you cant let it go
6/ Yousuf (AS) took this position to save lives not because he wanted leadership. Thats true leadership. 
7/ Some of you are natural born leaders and some are followers. Realize your role and acknowledge that as gift. Leaders as well as followers are necessary.
8/ Leadership qualities are Hafeez and Aleem in addition to sincerety which is implied when you think you are and Abd/Slave of Allah.
9/You may be extremely pious, righteous, hafiz, zahid but itdoes not mean you are a leader, because leadership requires seriousness of the job and knowledge of the job.

Honouring The Orphans & Children

An exclusive reminder by brother Nouman Ali Khan for NAKcollection/FreeQuranEducation on why Quran asks us to Honour the Orphans, Children and All Human beings. 

Important things that come under this video are:

1/ As stated in Surah Fajr Ayat 17 that You dont honor the orphan. Make note that it is not saying not sponsoring but not honoring

2/ Every human being is entitled to respect / dignity. Generally orphans get charity but not respect.

3/ First Lessons in this Ayah is to show respect to orphans and by extension children

4/ Children grown in tough environment are many a times incapable of showing campassionate behaviour.

5/ Also refer to Ayah 1 of Surah Nisa  where Allah mentions to have taqwa of Allah as well as the womb of the mother which means to show respect to both the mothers as well as what they bear

6/If cousins are orphans, invite them. Nobody invites them.

I Am Near!

Video explaining The Unimaginable love of Allah swt hidden in the verse: ''And when ask you My servants about Me, then indeed I am near. I respond (to the) invocation (of) the supplicant when he calls Me.'' [Quran 2:186]

Important things that come under this video are:

The word Idha (إذا) means when and not if
The mom will say When my son comes back not if my son comes back
When your heart cannot expect to not return you use When not If
Meaning I am waiting for my slave for just one time not every time
When Allah uses I in the Quran instead of We he is either with lots of love or lots of anger.

Find your Passion & Contribute

We all have a part to play in helping humanity. Are you playing yours'?. A timeless and priceless lesson from Quran by brother Nouman Ali Khan

Important things that come under this video are:

1/ Ayat under discussion is of Surah Maaidah which is the last surah to be revealed
2/ Tawuna comes from Aoun which means serious aid and not some small help which is generally found in the translation of cooperate
3/ Contribute on Al Birr which in Arabic is the most comprehensive word for Good - and therefore includes anything good
4/ Educating children is one project and within there are hundreds of other smaller project
5/ Counciling is another project
6/ Dawah is not one thing. Its a thousand things
7/ We need to ask, How can I serve based on my talents, my experience, my education and my interest and what am I passionate about

Maa Jaisa Koi Nahin

Hats Off to Writer and Director.
Posted by Yasir Aamir Sheikh on Tuesday, June 3, 2014