The Good Person - On Patience (Sabr)

Reflections from The Risale-Nur  a Qur'an commentary by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi

The Flashes - The Second Flash - Fourth Point

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Transcript

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A'udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem Today, I like to reflect a little bit on patience, sabr, and it fits nicely into our theme about the good person. I think we all can agree that we imagine patience to be a characteristic of a good person. Remember, we continue to discuss the various characteristics or aspects or features of a good person. And one of the virtues that the Quran always lifts up is patience. Patience. And I'm sure, like me, many of you think, oh, I need more of that patience. And if patience would be easy to come by, if it would be so easy to have, I don't think, that the Quran would mention it so often. It is one of the most praised virtues of a believer, of a mu'min, to be patient. And sometimes there is this false notion that patience is somehow a passive endeavor, which, let's clarify it, it is not. Patience is a very active, attitude. Patience, sabr, as the Quran explains, is also withholding negative judgment, not rushing into certain conclusions, not expecting immediate instant results, not wanting to have the results according to your own expectation. And so it's a very active mode. It's withholding yourself, restraining yourself from rushing into false conclusions, from ending up in false results or not rushing into this expectation that Allah has to respond in a certain way to your specific action or to my specific deed. So there's a lot there. And because the Quran centers its conversation so much on patience, I wanted to stress how important patience is, especially in the life of a believer, in the life of a mu'min. And we are, to constantly grow in patience, cultivate patience, and there are ways to do that and to be mindful of that. We know that one of Allah's names is Al-Sabur. Al-Sabur, one of the characteristics of Allah is Al-Sabur, the most patient one, the most patient one. And it is really such a dignified, such an important aspect of Allah. Allah who is observing everything and patiently waiting and giving people time. That is a very high state, I believe, especially as we are witnessing so many atrocities. Sometimes I think, how can Allah have so much endurance and patience with humanity? If it would be me, I would rush into certain actions or certain judgments, but Allah says, Allah delays, Allah postpones, Allah has a certain time, and Allah is so patient, the most patient. And so as we are practicing patience or cultivating patience, we turn to him as the source of patience. He can give it to us. He is that endless source. And he loves those who are patient. So in coming and cultivating patience, my fundamental aim is to come closer to Allah, to attain to his love and to gain his pleasure and satisfaction. That's the ultimate goal. If Allah loves this characteristic, I try to be in that state and mode of patience. I try to immerse myself into it. I try to be that person who practices patience. And patience is such an important virtue. As you look around in the creation, the book of the universe, as always, the Risale-i Nur and the Qur'an, as an interpretation of the Quran, tells us, and the Quran tells us, that the book of the universe, the book of creation, is embedded in the law of patience. Do we see anything, do we see anything that feels rushed? Do we see anything that is created in haste? No, absolutely not. So by by surrendering into patience, by having, being in a mode of sabrun jameel, beautiful patience, I enter into this cosmic and sacred brotherhood and sisterhood of all beings that are in a mode of patience. Everything around me is in such beautiful, slow, peaceful motion. There is no haste, there is no rush. There is no fast speed culture. And this is a challenge for us today in this time, because everything is so focused on making everything faster. And faster is not necessarily making things easier, but Allah calls us to slow down. Because when we slow down, when we come back to this mode of patience and calmness, There's also peace, but also we notice more. It helps us cultivating this art of noticing, paying attention to things. Because if we feel rushed, if we haste, if we are on this fast speed mode, we miss out on so many important moments of wisdom, of learning. And this is where Allah wants us to be. cultivating the art of noticing, being in a mode of patience, coming to a place that it's not about accumulating a lot of things, as this culture always bombards us with. Productivity, do a lot. How much did you do? In Islam, it's not about the quantity of things, the number of things you've done throughout the day, but how present, how mindful, How sincere were you in that act? How immersed and how conscious are you of Allah in that present moment? And if we feel rushed constantly, if we are not patient, then we miss out on these beautiful moments. We miss out on witnessing. And it's harder to be sincere because we are constantly thinking about the next thing, the next hour, the next day. But we know that tomorrow is never promised. The next hour is not promised. So all what I can do with full ikhlas, full sincerity, full engagement to be in the present, which means to slow down, to be in that patient mode, and to pay attention on how I am doing a certain act and how... How am I feeling or how am I thinking about a certain event and experience? And to pay attention to that. And I can only pay attention, I can only practice the art of noticing by trying to hold back a little, hold back, withhold, and let go of the notion that I have to finish 100 tasks today. Because the universe is continuously working. The work is never undone. And the work will not be done with me. I am part of this huge caravan of humanity that Allah sends into this world for a very, very short, brief moment. And then he says, now it's your moment to shine. Show your true potential. Aspire to that best version of yourself. grow in your capacity, show the best elements of your human nature, do some important sacred service, and then ultimately you will return to me. It's a very brief moment. So for us, it's then important to be mindful of the now, to be fully engaged in the now, the present, and to not rush into the next moment. day or next year or into that future that is non-existent. So this whole second flash, I'm sure many of you remember, Ayyub alayhi as-salam is centered around the hero of patience, Ayyub alayhi as-salam, Prophet Job, as he's called in the biblical account. And we always remember him, Prophet Job or Ayyub, peace be upon him, as an embodiment of patience, as his hero of patience, because he went through so many calamities and challenges in his life, his loss of wealth, his loss of health, his loss of children and family. Allah tested him in so many ways, and yet he is cultivating always beautiful patience. he's not rushing into any judgment. And he's withholding any negative thinking or destructive thinking. He simply knows in that mode of patience that he can trust Allah. No matter what the outcome is, as long as he's in that mode of being in full submission to Allah, complete devotion to Allah, the results or the outcome of everything will always be beautiful and positive. So he models it for us. He shows it for us. And Allah narrates his story and experience in the Quran and tells us how he practiced beautiful patience. And there are many prophets who did that. I have you remember Yaqub alayhis-salaam, his sadness and grief over Yusuf alayhis-salaam, Prophet Joseph, peace be upon him, how he then is practicing in beautiful patience. And patience is also related to trust, tawakkul. I don't know what the outcome is. I don't know with my narrow, limited understanding what Allah in His great wisdom has planned or has worked out for me. But I've seen enough of His amazing wisdom and love and generosity and kindness that I can trust that even here, in this moment of pain and suffering and hardship, the outcome will be beautiful. And I will practice beautiful patience even if I don't know right now, if I don't see the instant result right now. So the element of tawakkul and complete submission and devotion to Allah, being a Muslim, becoming a Muslim, deepening your devotion to Allah, this is all interwoven with the element of patience. And by practicing so, we are following the law of nature, the divine law of nature. Patience is the law of nature. Allah has embedded it. And when we are rushed, we skip on important steps. And Allah's wisdom demands that we pay attention to the steps. We cannot skip certain or overrun certain steps or important elements in our developmental journey. And trusting that they are all essential in our development. in our own growth and transformation, sometimes to let things sit or wait is very important because this is then where we mature and where we grow and where we are transformed and changed in beautiful ways. So it's very important that Allah's name, As-Sabur, calls us to also display the attribute in our lives. And it can be hard because we live in this, what we call, toxic achievement culture, where we are constantly forced to produce, produce, and have tangible, visible results that are seen, that are, you know, obvious. But oftentimes the things that... happen to us. We can't expect immediate results, right? So patience, as I was reading in a quote that really resonated, patience is the wisdom to know that things will happen in a different order than you expected. They will still happen, but they are not happening according to your egocentric expectation or order. or sense of order. Allah does not follow your order. Allah doesn't follow my order. The world follows Allah's order. Allah is the master of the universe. He is the Lord of the universe. Everything goes according to his plan and his order. And patience is knowing, okay, this hasn't worked out according to my time plan, but my time plan and my nafs are not the center of the universe. Everything what happens follows the divine framework, and my conduct as a mu'min, as a believer, is to respect that and to show beautiful patience and trust in Allah's wisdom and workings. So I like to read a little bit from the second flesh, which it describes a little bit or tells us a little bit about patience and how to utilize it in a wise way, with wisdom, with hikmah, with purpose. And I always come back to this section because I think it's so important. Many of us fall into the trap and we misuse and misdirect our patience. In the fourth point it says, as was explained in the first station of the 21st word, the power of patient endurance given to man by God Almighty is adequate to every misfortune, unless squandered on basest fears. Such an important, such an important truth here. So Allah has given every human being sufficient Power of patience. Allah has guaranteed enough power of endurance to every human being. It is enough to overcome every misfortune. Alhamdulillah, this is great news. Nothing can oppress you. In no event, you can ever be a victim. Allah has equipped us, each of us, with enough patience. Two, face every misfortune. With the important caveat, if it's not squandered on baseless fears. Now this is critical because many times I have fallen into the trap that I use my patience, that I waste it. I waste it, I squander it on baseless fears. A lot of people suffer from anxiety, why? Because we give existence to, to non-existent fears. We give existence, we create scenarios, screenplays of catastrophe and crisis already in our minds, and that puts us into a state of anxiety, like excessive fear over things that could possibly happen or could possibly go wrong. And so we are already then tormenting ourselves And as it's already stated here, but through the predominance of delusion, man's neglect and his imagining this transient life to be eternal, he squanders his power of endurance on the past and the future. His endurance is not equal to the misfortunes of the present. And he begins to complain. It is as if, God forbid, he were complaining of God Almighty to man. In a most unjustified and even lunatic fashion, he complains and demonstrates this lack of patience. So what is given here is a beautiful analysis of the human being, the spiritual makeup of the human being, that spiritual anatomy. The human being, just because in many segments of the Risaleño we learn that we are tied, linked to the past and the future. Yes, we are present-day human beings. We are in the present existing. But because of our reason and intellect and our ability to think and reflect, we are also tied to the past and the future. So things in the past that happened to us, if we look at the past, and we have experienced a painful past, a painful childhood, a painful marriage, a painful experience in society, in community, many people will have an element in their past that haunts them. And so what happens, we live in the past, the past pain is gone, literally nonexistent, but we constantly, because of our

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because of our mind and intellect, we go back to that painful past and we push replay. We constantly replace the same trauma and pain and suffering. And so even if we are in the present and pain-free, we bring back the pain from the past. And so it's important to work, to do the hard work, to face the past, bravely and with courage to look at it and process the pain and reflect upon the important lessons and the wisdom, but then arrive hopefully with God's help and grace at a state where we say, yes, the past, as I'm looking at my past, they were very painful. hard experiences. But is there a way that I can see my past as an asset? Rather, you know, my painful past as an asset instead of a deficit. Can I see myself turning my past into something that has provided me important wisdom and lessons? It was a chapter in my life. It was something that shaped me. transformed me, elevated me, brought me awareness, beautiful awareness and wisdom and insights on injustice and justice and compassion and very important insights about life. And can I turn that as I'm now in the present, can I see it now as an asset to now say the painful, element in my past will end here, will stop here. I break that cycle and I will take it and make it a life-giving experience for myself and for generations to come. And we all have that ability. We all have that ability. My past was not a rosy past. Just like everybody else, I had painful experiences. And many of the people I know But then I look at them, the most beautiful people are the ones who look at their past and say, yes, this was incredibly painful and hard, but it has given me an embodied experience. Now how can I serve others and be a wounded healer and support them in their journey? For those who have gone a similar path like me. Can my story be their survival guide? And subhanAllah, I see so many beautiful human beings around me. You know, sisters who had a very traumatic refugee experience, who experienced poverty, who lost parents. But then I look at their past and say, I was that refugee child. I was that person who's gone through so much suffering. But now that I have, Allah blessed me with so many skills and the insights and the intellect, and I have so many abilities, I'm going to use that and help others and support others who had a similar experience. And so you then see how their painful past, how they are turning it around, take the important lessons, draw lessons, Draw out the important lessons and wisdom and then make it an amazing survival guide for others and help others, uplift others, because now they have an experiential understanding. They know deep in their bones what it feels like. They have authenticity. They are credible. They know where people come from. They have gone through the same suffering. And it's those people we relate, who have that similar, who experience, who carry the same scars and wounds, but who refuse to be victim, to be victimized. No, I still have agency. I still have ultimate agency to decide if I look at the past and take it as a life-giving experience or not. if I allow this painful past to dominate me and constantly torture me and haunt me and oppress me. We all have that choice to make. And once we are doing the hard work and looking at our childhood and our youth and everything, there is always a way, like the Quran says, that Allah can transform the mistakes and shortcomings and the suffering into something good. That's his ultimate power. And you are embodying that. You can embody that. And when a human being goes through deep suffering, they become whole, fully human and authentic. Because then you've seen the lows and highs of life. And it's just part of the human story, the human experience, that everybody goes through some catastrophe and crisis in their life. At some point, they are shaken. But like I said many times, even in the dark, cold, long winter night, even in the lunar, Allah is present. There's always opportunity for growth and change and transformation and elevation. You are not a prisoner of your past. We are not prisoners of our past. We are not slaves of our past. So many times, yes, we don't have any influence on the beginning of our story. But with Allah's permission, we have this holy opportunity to write a beautiful ending to our story. This is our ultimate choice. Do I want to leave a beautiful ending? Or do I want to be in a state of victimization? I personally decided long ago that I want to write with Allah's rahmah and strength. With his guidance, a beautiful ending. Beautiful ending. Alhamdulillah, Allah has given us the opportunity to make choices. The greatest trust from Allah is our freedom to choose how our responses are to certain events and painful experiences. What is our outlook? How do we interpret it? How do we approach it? And what do we make of it? So Allah has given us enough patience. But if we squandered on the past and constantly live in that traumatic state and replay and replay the suffering, we are always dying. We are torturing ourselves. We are inflicting self-harm. And it's also a misuse of that beautiful trust of patience. Allah says, I have not given it for the past to waste it. to squander it, because the past is gone. The past is non-existent. It will not change. What you can do, what I can do, is take it into the present, take the important lessons, and then define the future, with Allah's permission. Write the future new, break that cycle. Write a new story, a new tale, a new narrative. Doesn't always have to be the same narrative, the same story. Once we are aware of some injustice, that's a blessing from Allah. Now you're aware. Awareness of something is a great blessing. But now can you take that awareness and put it into an action item? Because this is an insight, holy insight that Allah has given you. You've understood something was wrong there. And how do we now shape the future? And the future, we are also related to the future, connected to the future. Let me stay with the past a little bit. Oftentimes you hear people going back into the past and blaming, and I've done that many times. Oh, if my parents would have been different, if my siblings would have been different, if my relatives would have been different, I would have been a better Muslim. or if I would have been born in this country or this society, I would have been a better Muslim. So even in the past, we like constantly trying to rewrite something that is not possible to write anymore, right? Or the romantic past, everything was so much better in the past. When I was back home, people were nicer, Islam was better. It was easier to practice Islam. Community was better. This country, back home, always the shaitan distracts you. You're always back home in that country, that place that you romanticize, that nostalgic past. Everything was great. First of all, that is a very... distorted view of the past. Things were not always great in the past. But because when we are unhappy in the present, we think things in the past were so much better. And back home, everything was better. The people back home or in that country. So we show then a lack of contentment. A lack of contentment with the present. We must arrive in the present because Allah has given us enough patience for the present. But what do we do? We use it for the past and we try to recreate a different story. My husband is too difficult or my children are too difficult. My siblings are too difficult. My parents are too difficult. If they would be this different, that different, things would change for me. Or if they would change everything, I would be a better Muslim or I would be a better person. So here's the news. We cannot change anybody. It's hard to even change ourselves. If we wait for others to change to be better people or better Muslims, that's a waste of our patience. If they don't want to change, we will not be able to change them. And we cannot wait for others to change to be better people. So that is an absolute misuse of our patience, because again, it's trying to create different scenarios of the past and also present. But what do we see, what kind of conduct behavior do we see with the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him? We see this complete contentment, contentment with the people Allah sent, contentment with the community, contentment with his companions, companions with contentment, satisfaction, rada, with the circumstances of his life, absolute contentment. Where does this come from? It comes from this absolute trust that Allah has planted him in this right environment where he can bloom. So you don't see any kind of complaint. You don't see him ever question, Ya Allah, why did you send me to this difficult community? Ya Allah, why are these people so challenging? Ya Allah, why am I being placed in this desert? In this... in this place with scarce resources and limited opportunities. Ya Allah, how can I be a good prophet in this environment? It's not there, completely absent, no complaint, no questioning, no doubts, absolute acceptance, rada, contentment. of the circumstances and conditions that Allah has put him in. And he works with them. He navigates those circumstances. It doesn't mean that he accepts suffering, hardship, injustice. He navigates through it. He accepts the circumstances because this is the conduct of a believer, of a servant, to be in a mode of surrender. I surrender, I submit, I'm devoted to Allah. Because I accept that Allah has created the best framework for me to bloom, to change, to grow. This is the best place. These are the best people. Even if they are difficult, those are the ones that will transform me. And that's why I show beautiful patience, contentment, acceptance. Now, don't get me wrong. It doesn't mean when... I'm in an abusive relationship or experience violence that I show patience and just accept, no. I have to find ways to stop that oppression because Allah has created me as a dignified human being. I'm an honored human being. I'm not here to be oppressed by any other human being. Allah does not allow that. And in fact, it is a disrespect, a dishonor towards Allah when we allow this to happen. If we go to any kind of physical abuse, if anybody intends to do harm, no, we need to find ways to stop that, to end that. Because Allah has honored Bani Adam, has honored every human being, and everyone is equipped and daubed with that fundamental, sacred dignity. Everybody carries that divine spark, that ruh. Allah has breathed into the human being, and He does not allow oppression towards any other human being. So patience doesn't mean to endure suffering, oppression. It means to try to find ways to challenge that, to stop that, to end that. But at the same time, when we are working in a specific community, in a certain country, at a certain place, with certain people, then we say, alhamdulillah, ya Allah, I will make it work because you have created these circumstances for me. This is the divine framework there in which I can flourish and thrive and grow. And to have ultimate trust and not to expect people to change. You just do, you're just engaged in your own service, your own sacred duty. And you find, satisfaction and fulfillment in that. That is the prophetic way. That is the prophetic way. And not to expect instant results, instant changes. My duty, my sacred duty, my sacred obligation is to be engaged and to be active and serve. But I don't miss out anything or nothing is lost or wasted. of my time, energy, even if I don't see any results in my lifetime. To create the results is Allah's responsibility, not mine. He only calls me to be engaged, to be present, to be invested, to be fully invested in the present, to bring my whole self, my whole abilities, my absolute potential to the present, To start where I am right now is what I have. And to also be content and patient, withhold negative judgment if things do not go the way I expect it. Every time I say I or my expectations, there's already, we are setting up ourselves for disappointment. Because ikhlas necessitates sincerity that I solely do it for Allah. I don't expect anybody to change or I don't expect validation or praise or approval from others or, you know, hundreds, thousands of numbers to come out and applaud me. That is a ni'mah, that is an ihsan from Allah, a blessing when it happens, alhamdulillah. But that is not the expectation of a servant, of a believer. So what do we do with patience? We are fully engaged in the present. We do not fall into a nostalgic past. We are fully content and we have enough patience to make it work in the now. And the future, and that will come here. If the day that is past held misfortune, the distress is now gone. and only tranquility remains. Yes, if you look at your past and there were some very hard moments, chapters, rough experiences, suffering, illness, sadness, tears, exhaustion, and if they are gone, alhamdulillah, and you will experience tranquility. You look at your past and say, alhamdulillah, I have survived this. I've come through that. I'm so grateful to Allah. He made me come out of that stronger, healthy, and it ended. It's not there anymore. So why should I torture myself thinking about it in a negative phase? And Allah says that nothing that the mu'min or the believer experiences is ever wasted. our sadness, our tears, our hours that we have worked tirelessly for some important goals, nothing is wasted. As long as Allah is present, as long as I do it for Him, even illness, if I'm completely bedridden or paralyzed or disabled, and I'm in that mode of holy connection with Allah, I'm in that beautiful relationship with Him and I engage myself in always having a good assumption, beautiful assumption about Allah, then nothing is lost. That's the most sacred service to think of Allah, remember Him always in good ways, to have always a positive opinion about Him and trust that He will give you all of that back. You might maybe suffer from physical, illness, suffer from emotional struggles. But as long as you are connected with Allah, as long as you always know He will give you everything back in the best way, like Allah promises, He will give you better than what He has taken. So you can always be hopeful and look with hope into the future. Yes, might be that health has been taken from you in this world. or your strength has been taken from you in this world, but will it not be returned to you? Of course, Allah promises it will be returned in the best way, in the best fashion. But for that moment, if I find myself in pain, I respond with patience. I say, Ya Allah, You have destined this for me. And my response right now, what it demands is, Patience, beautiful patience. And I will stubbornly believe in your goodness. I trust you fully. You can break my heart. You can take my health. Because at the end, it's all from you anyway. I have no right. I am not deserving of any of these blessings. I mean, they were given to me freely. And Allah is Malik al-Mulk. He is the owner of my body, my life. my children, my wealth. He takes and he gives. Allah cannot be questioned, but Allah will question us. And there is always, even in the midst of pain, there's always something to be grateful for. There's always abundance for the believer. Always elements that he can be expressing gratitude for. So if misfortunes have gone, alhamdulillah, I look back sometimes and I say, wow, this was a hard time. It was intense pain. Alhamdulillah, I'm still standing with Allah's grace and strength. And I find comfort in knowing that all what I've suffered too, that inshallah, I will be rewarded, God willing. We know from the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam's holy narrations that he says even if the prick of the thorn, right, it's a moment where Allah sheds the sins of a believer, purifies you, lightens you, sharpens your edges, beautifies you, cuts off some of the weight that might have weighed you down. But that cutting or that shaping and that's all part of making you more beautiful and making you a more beautiful human being more humble more compassionate more generous more empathetic more giving more tender these are beautiful things for a human soul and those rough edges are often taken to the heat, the pressure. We all know a diamond, to become a diamond, you put a coal piece to pressure, to heat, to fire, to pain. You're molded, you're shaped. It's not pleasant, but at the end, Allah will show you what a beautiful human being you are and you say, alhamdulillah, look at me. I didn't know I had this in me. I didn't know I was able to do this. I didn't know I was able to thrive in such pain. Look at me, I'm so beautiful and Allah beautified me. Allah elevated me. It says holy names. Sometimes to go through pain and suffering, makes us aware of some very important aspects of Allah. When we experience the absence of health, we understand experientially the aspect of him being as Shafi, the healer. When we go through emotional pain, we come closer to him by drawing on his name as Shafi, the healer, the absolute healer. When we feel low in our energy or feel impatient, or are in haste, we draw on his name, As-Sabur. When we are, again, facing affliction or any kind of misfortune, we draw on his strength, Al-Qadir. When we feel ignorant, lost, confused, we say, Ya Hadi, oh, you are my guide. You are the one guide. When we feel ourselves in darkness, we hold onto his Noor, his light. Ya Allah, you are the light of the heavens and the earth. Draw me into your light. I feel lost. I feel confused. Like Yunus Alayhi Salaam, sometimes being in that darkness of the belly of the whale, in that dark night, in the dark ocean, in the depth. But then Allah is there. Allah rescues. La ilaha illa ant. There is no God but God. Subhanaka. You are free from any darkness, any deficiency, from any flaw, from any shortcoming, from any mistake, from any confusion. Inni kuntum minal salimeen. Ya Allah, I am in darkness. Ya Allah, I am wrong. I am lost. It is in those moments of suffering and hardship that we are drawing closer to Allah. Through beautiful patience, we uncover so many beautiful aspects about Allah. When I'm hungry for comfort, Allah is the provider for emotional comfort. If you think about the dunya as a place of growth, the place of drawing nearer to Allah, then anything, His fire and His light, both are welcome because they are all both bringing us closer to Allah. If the day that is past held misfortune, the distress is now gone and only tranquility remains. The pain has vanished and the pleasure in its cessation remains. The trouble is gone and the reward remains. Hence, one should not complain, but give thanks for enjoyment. Say that every day before you go to sleep. I am thankful to Allah for every condition in my life because they are truly making me a better human being. Even if it's painful, even if I didn't ask for it, they are all necessary. All the seasons, I welcome them all. All the changes in creation. Like the seasons changes in creation, I welcome all seasons into my life. It cannot be always sunlight and happiness and rosy and sunny and warm. But Allah also makes us grow in the dark, under the moon, in the cold winter night. The solar and the lunar both are needed and necessary for life to thrive. We have to arrive at this understanding, internalize that life can only grow and thrive and flourish when we embrace all of it. The darkness and the light, the sun and the moon, the winter and the spring and the summer, all seasons, all seasons are necessary for life to grow. And let us also impart that into our children, because this is how a human being becomes whole. A human being becomes whole by tapping into all these emotions, making space for them for joy, pleasure, pain, sadness, for loss and pain, for pleasure and enjoyment. Life is not just about instant gratification. The Quran tells us directly and honestly, that the dunya is a place of service, a place of growth, a place of hardships, a place of examination, a place of trials. But somehow we are, we bought into this lie or this illusion that life can, it's only about comfort. It's only about entertainment and instant gratification. But Allah wants us to aim for long lasting, everlasting joy. for eternal joy, for holistic enjoyment. And if we don't go through some of the tough moments, we will also not appreciate the sun. If we don't experience the darkness, we will not understand the light. So one should not resent misfortune, but love it. The transient life of the past comes to be counted as an eternal and blessed life because of misfortune. To think upon past pain with one's fancy and then to waste part of one's patience is lunacy, so wise. So we look at our past and see it as an asset, not as a deficit, something that we can learn from, take insights from, arrive at the present and then shape the future. with Allah's permission. As far as days yet to come are concerned, so now we are turning to the future, since they have not yet come, to think now of the illness or misfortune to be born during them and display impatience is also foolishness. To say to oneself tomorrow or the day after I will be hungry and thirsty and constantly to drink water and eat bread today is pure madness. Similarly, to think of misfortunes and sicknesses yet in the future, but now non-existent, to suffer them already, to show impatience and to oppress oneself without any compulsion, is such stupidity that it no longer deserves pity and compassion. So this is very important, right? There's a lot of people who suffer from anxiety. Anxiety is creating these baseless fears. The future is not existent. You're in the now, and that patience is given to you by Allah for the now. You're only guaranteed the now. You have only the present. And Allah calls you to be fully invested. And you can say to yourself, I can say to myself, I can focus on the next five minutes or this one hour. I can make it work. Even if it's painful, I got this. With Allah's help, I can do five minutes. I can do that hour. Sometimes you're in so much pain. And if you think about the next year or even tomorrow, the next 10 years, and you think, oh my God, if this continues for the next year and the 10 years, and you're just creating more and more suffering. But if you say, Allah has given me patience for the now. I have enough patience to work through this hour, then it's so much easier to endure the pain and the suffering instead of thinking of it already in years and creating more anxiety and more fears and inflicting more harm upon oneself. So that is an example of how we waste our patience to the future. We create scenarios, catastrophes, and catastrophes and crises that are not there yet. What's going to happen to me tomorrow, next year? Will I be still in a state of suffering? What's going to happen to my children, my grandchildren? What's going to happen to this universe because, oh my God, climate crisis is on the rise, global crises? Will my... child be endangered through some gun violence or gun shooting oh my god the influences of the internet and the harms the bad influence and the destructive influences and dangers of society of peers of you name it there are so many things we can be afraid of oh what if the next pandemic happens or this happens or what if we lose everything tomorrow There's no end to that, to create all these baseless fears. We have to make a choice. Either we fear Allah in a healthy way, right? One fear, or we fear the creation, all events, the virus, the sicknesses, the wars, the gun shootings, the bad influences, so much to be afraid of. So, If we have thousands fears and endless fears, we create them by being, creating such a negative future, or writing, imagining a wrong future, this destructive future, we will die a thousand times. But if you fear Allah, a healthy fear, that says, I have awe of Allah. He looks at me in this moment and how I use it, how I, how mindful I am and how conscious I am, how I use my time wisely, if I'm present with my family, with my local community, if I invest myself fully. That's a healthy fear. It's a life-giving fear, life-affirming fear. And that fear is directed to Allah. It's healthy. It's not too much. It's not debilitating, paralyzing. It's actually life-affirming. But the other endless fear, that anxiety, too much into the future, creating these like horror scenarios and inflicting more suffering on us, on ourselves. Let's not go there. Instead, try to be mindful of the present, full ikhlas, full sincerity, trying to pay attention to what's happening in the now, starting in the now with what I have right now and not waiting for, oh, in 20 years when I'm retired, oh, if I'm, you know, this and that or move to this country, then I will start being more active, a better Muslim. If I move to this place, I'll be holier and more giving and more this and that, a better person. No, there is no guarantee of that future. All what you have is where you are now, where Allah has placed you. Again, be content with that and then launch in fully. What you have, it doesn't have to be a grand project. Doing things with great love and sincerity for Allah, that's the goal. It's not about the quantity of products and results. That is something that is a materialistic understanding in our current world that it's all about doing a lot of things. No, it's doing things with sincerity and love for Allah. And that might be a tiny act, but it creates a great impact. We don't know. Allah has the power to create lasting, amazing impact to one sincere act. I mean, look at the life of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. His was all about character formation by being a beautiful person. He made such a lasting impact that he left this enduring spiritual legacy. It was not about building thousands of companies, conquering thousands of lands. So it was not about the numbers or materialistic accomplishments or worldly success. It's about self-purification, cultivating good moral character, cultivating good moral leadership, being a person of integrity, honesty, being open, accessible to everyone, being embracing, compassionate. And it starts here in the now in our small neighborhoods. Because if everybody is invested in their micro world, the world would be a better place. We cannot always change the macro things, but the macro events are are changed to the Michael. It will have ripple effects. And each one of us is the shepherd of their community. Each one of us has been given so much. And we can launch with what we have. We all have something to give. We all have value. We can make a difference in someone's life. But if shaitan tempts us, which he does into overthinking, ruminating too much into the past and into the future, We lose out the moment. Life is in session. Are you present? That's the question. Now. Life is now. It's not tomorrow. It's not in 10 years. It's now. Together with your family, to be invested in your community, to visit a neighbor. There are so many ways people can be giving. It doesn't have to be a grand lecture. In fact, the micro, small acts, those habits create more lasting impact. And so when we think of the future, we should always move with with a good assumption of Allah. Why do we create horror scenarios? Why can't we cultivate enough trust to say, wait a minute, this ship, this universe has an amazing captain. amazing, expanding wisdom. And it has been taken care of for millions of years. Why do I assume that tomorrow will be everything is falling apart? When I look into the future that is non-existent, I anticipate with hope because there's possibility. It doesn't Why do we think that it has to be always negative, destructive, and dark? In fact, Islam teaches us, the Quran shows us, that what will be given to us is always better in the future. The best is yet to come. And if I have a seed in my hand, I plant it in the now, and the future is defined Buy my seed that I'm planting in the now, in the present. And it's an act of prayer that will shape the future. The future is made through the present. And every time I engage myself in a holy act, a holy sacred feeling and conduct, I'm voting for a better future. I'm building it right now. This is my ultimate prayer. But it has come from the inward. this internalizing that the future is shaped by each of us by planting that seed in the now and not creating these horror scenarios or fearing judgment day too much. My death is my judgment day. When the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him was asked, O Prophet, when is judgment day? What was his question? What have you prepared for it? What have you prepared for it? Which basically means, what are you doing right now? What am I doing right now today, in this moment, this Holy Friday? That's the question. And it's one thing, doing with sincerity and honesty, integrity, to show up in all our places as Al-Ameen, as the most trustworthy, like the Prophet ﷺ. this beautiful person of principle, integrity, honesty, of holistic Islam, of being in public and private the same, transparent, beautiful, holistic Muslim, not compartmentalizing Allah, showing up in community, outside, in the family, at the workplace, in the store, in the market, as that one person, El Amin, that everyone felt safe around, everyone felt embraced, everyone felt that they are being in the presence of the source of light, a mirror of that divine light. And that's how we can show up in the world and make a difference. As neighbors, as spouses, as parents, as coworkers, to embody al-ameen, to make people know that they can trust us. And because we know that Allah is watching and being present and we want to honor Him in the best way. We want to be trustworthy. When people know that they are safe from us, from our tongue and our actions and our deeds, that we will not harm or hurt them. If each one of us shows up in the world like that, wow. That is where the macro change will happen. It comes down to that amazing moral character. That's why we reflect on how to use patience. Patience is believing that things will happen in Allah's time in most beautiful ways and trust in that. They might not happen in my time or your time or according to my order or plan, but I'm not the center of the universe. To give up egocentricism, To give up on the ego and this idea that the universe has to surround according to my interests. Yes, I wanted a future with my daughter. I don't have it in this dunya. Allah did not give it to me in this world. But I will have it. I find comfort in His promise that my best relationship with her in the best form, that future is still there. It will be given to me in the best way, in the best shape. And so when we look into the future, not with anxiety, but with great hope and great optimism and positive assumption about Allah and light and life. And by being in the present and planting that seed, I'm already voting for that beautiful future. And I look forward to it with anticipation, with hope. And I trust in my Lord's promise that whatever he creates always has beautiful outcomes and results. I trust in his order. I trust in his plan. I trust in him creating the amazing and writing an amazing future for all of us. Alhamdulillah. So I do not overthink or over ruminate or create ugly scenarios. No, I don't. Even if the world slows us, overthrows us, or presents us with chaos and wars and so many suffering and pain, yes, there are moments where we are low and make space for sadness and grief and pain and guilt. But then we gather, we get up, and we continue the good fight. We continue the work of the Prophet ﷺ, who showed us that despair is not an option. Despair, hopelessness is not an option for the believer because the believer has ultimate trust and hope in Allah's mercy. We do not despair of Allah's mercy. He has promised and we have enough evidence, sufficient evidence to know that his promise is true. So may Allah allow us to be embodiments of beautiful patience, to cultivate the art of noticing, to respecting his wisdom and order and timing, and to grow more, to grow ever more in patience and draw nearer to Allah.