Prayer in Islam - Part 1: Cosmic Prayer and Worship

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

The Words - Third Word

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For an excellent introduction read Exploring Islam: Theology and Spiritual Practice in America by Salih Sayilgan

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Music credits:  © "Uyan Ey Gözlerim" Duet Guitar And Ney, Vol.1 by Eyüp Hamiş

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:22

I typically begin with the invocation of Allah, and I also offer, as is a Muslim practice and tradition, a prayer of peace and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his companions. just to offer some translation. This is just a very common practice in the Muslim community and has been so throughout Islamic history and in the Islamic tradition. I would like to reflect in future sessions on the spiritual significance of the ritual prayer, Salat, which in Islam is the most important ritual. And the ritual that is mentioned over 700 times in the Quran. Muslim prayer is the center pole of Islam. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, reminds us in a sacred narration that the Salat, the Muslim prayer, the five times ritual prayer every day, throughout the day, performed at certain time intervals, is the center pole of the religion. Quite literally he says, peace and blessings be upon him, The Muslim prayer or prayer is the center pole of the religion. If you think about the center pole of the religion, or if you want to understand how important it is, you can imagine a center pole in the middle of the tent. or in the middle of a construction, and you realize that the center pole is what is the foundation for the building to stand. So if it's firm, if it's a strong center pole, if it's solid, if it's robust, everything stands, and everything is healthy, everything is strong. But if the center pole is weak, is unstable, is flawed, then of course everything falls apart. And this is why it's so important to cultivate a healthy and strong prayer life. It's so important, so essential to be diligent and vigilant with one's prayer life. And this is a never-ending journey. It's not something that you say, I know how to pray. I know the elements. I know the different features. I know the different movements and motions, the content. And so I'm all good. There's nothing more to learn. Learning about prayer and deepening prayer, our prayer life is a lifelong journey. And that also means to be patient with ourselves, to to be persistent in our prayer and worship, and to continue regardless of the lows and highs we experience in our lives and during the day. Because the human heart changes. The human heart, as we know, and the Quran says, the qalb, the heart, is subject to change. The heart always change, goes through different motions and emotions, feelings and states and conditions. So it's important to keep at it, to keep consistent at prayer, at salat. and to make sure that one has a solid connection with the Salat, and that we constantly learn and deepen our understanding and our practice of prayer. But it's the most beloved act of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and it's also the most beloved to Allah. We know in so many narrations that Allah says that a servant draws nearer to Allah, to the Creator, by performing the obligatory acts of worship. And so as we move on to reflect about the spiritual meaning and the spiritual depth about the salat, the ritual prayer, we understand that is something that we... that we intend to do just for Allah, just for the sake of Allah, just for His love, to attain His love, to attain His pleasure. And it is one of the symbols of Islam. So when we see somebody performing certain motions in standing, bowing, and in prostration, we understand this stands for Islam. The ritual prayer has become a symbol of Islam. And it's also... something that represents in a nutshell everything that Islam stands for. And I will talk, inshallah, God willing, more about that in the future. But I wanted to reflect on the third word in the Risale-i Nur collection, which I've been reflecting and reading for the past two weeks and, of course, for the last 20 years of my life. I've shared that before. I've been reading and reflecting as a spiritual discipline, the Risaleh Nur Collection, for over 20 plus years. So sometimes people approach me and say, how do I... how do I gain the sacred knowledge? I'd say invest 20 plus years, be persistent, be patient, be content with your learning and accept that it's a slow and it's a deep engagement of Quranic knowledge and the Quranic treasure and it takes time. It takes commitment. It takes consistency It takes discipline. And in our time where so much is so fast-paced and people have not so much patience and want sacred knowledge in a two-minute video, then this is not for you. I'm afraid this is not for you. This is for people who are... really eager sincerely to dive in into the Quranic ocean because it's not at first an easy text to get into. It takes time. And I've been a student of the Risale-i Nur for more than 20 years and I'm still reading every day. That is part of my spiritual exercise. I read at least two, three, four pages every day because I believe that it has nourished me and sustained me, kept my connection to the Qur'an stronger and intact and just brought me closer to Allah. The Risale-i-Nur for me was an entryway to a closer relationship with the Qur'an. I read the Qur'an every day. Alhamdulillah, thanks be to God, I'm able to read it every day, recite it every day. I read the Qur'an every day, three pages. Then I read the Risale-i-Nur and then I read the Jashan, which is a collection of supplications and prayers, which has come down from the family of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his great-grandchildren. So those are my spiritual practices and exercises, and I do not share that advice without practicing it on my own in my daily life. As many of you know, I've had my my own share of trials and tragedies. And alhamdulillah, I think I'm standing today because of this healing and secret knowledge of the Quran. The Quran is shifa. The Quran is healing. The Quran is a source of strength. It gives us perspective. It gives us a secret outlook on life. It gives us purpose and meaning and how to navigate the lows and highs. And the Quran calls It calls itself al-Huda, guidance. It's a sacred map, it's a sacred holy GPS system, if you will. How to approach life from a Quranic lens, how to make sense of life, how to think about the difficult stuff, how to reframe the events and experiences in your life from a Quranic perspective. And it has helped me personally, immensely. What has sustained me through tragedy and loss and grief and sadness and in my own periods of darknesses has been the Quranic light. The Quranic light. So I urge everyone, this needs to be in your spiritual toolbox. And I've shared that before. An unattended mind makes the most noise. An unattended mind makes the most noise. Excuse me. So what that means is if we don't feed our minds and hearts with nourishing thoughts and ideas, and wisdom, then shaitan and negative thoughts will come in. We spend a lot of time in our heads, we want to make it a happy and good place, a healthy place, a place that is free from distress, a place that is free from extreme sadness, a mind and heart that is free from negative, destructive and unhelpful thoughts. That doesn't mean that I'm constantly walking with positive thoughts, but I always return to the Quran in helping me to keep up hope, to have a sense of purpose. to focus on the things that are in front of me because at times we can all get overwhelmed. And so the heart and the mind needs to be nourished, needs to be nurtured. And what better way than nourish your heart than with prayer and supplication and Quranic readings. And as you will see in this portion of the Risale-i Nur, and it will come up in many other places of the Risale, Those are things that we need to keep in our spiritual toolbox. Daily Quranic reading and engagement is necessary, absolutely essential for human flourishing and for the human to thrive in the world and to keep their heart strong. Then prayer, salat, literally means connection, connection to to our Creator throughout the day, and healthy companionship, healthy fellowship, healthy sohba, healthy community. We are social beings and we cannot live life alone, and we are not supposed to live it alone. Coming together regularly in intimate, small circles, and I intentionally say small, because it is not in the big crowds that we deeply connect. But we identify two, three people in those neutral places and say, oh, these are the people who share the same holy vision on life, who are good servants of Allah, who share the same ideals, who want to better themselves like I do to become a good human being, to become a beloved servant of Allah. and to make an effort weekly to get together, to process life, to process the joys and the pains, the struggles together. Because when we came into this world as little children, as infants, as babies, we relied on human connection to thrive and flourish and grow. And this has not changed. We are... Beings that rely on each other, that are existentially connected to one another. And loneliness, we know from so many studies, is something that... results in decline, mental decline, spiritual decline. And I've reflected on this in the past. Healthy community is strong community. Two, three people, families around you, those are your people. They will help you and you will help them to walk this universal human journey of life. So let go of that kind of unhealthy egotism and excessive individualism and to say, I need support. I need families around me. And Allah loves those who are in community. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has always prioritized social relationships, had always time, was always accessible, but also had time for healthy solitude We also need to be alone. We need to embrace and be content and be happy to be with ourselves. So it is going the middle way, the way of moderation to make sure that both individualism and communal relationships are both accounted for. The reason why I opened the third word, I wanted to come back to Oh, and if I might add another element in my spiritual toolbox, which will also appear throughout the Risale-i-Nur and throughout the Qur'an, the Risale-i-Nur follows the model of the Qur'an, is engagement with the creation, strong relationship with nature, with the creation, making sure that we spend time in nature, in creation, because the creation is in constant worship and glorification of Allah. And when we are with the creation, with nature, their prayers and their worship make us stronger, make us healthier, make us come more into peace. So those are the things that I'm constantly employing in my own life daily. Engagement with the Quran, through recitations and reflection with the Risale-e-Noor. And then, Prayer, ritual prayers, of course, to really make sure that we have those healthy disruptions and moments that center us, bring us back to the purpose of our lives and then a healthy community. And community can mean two people, three people, somebody you can share life, like I said, in the lows and the highs, but be where you can be. and be with people who are also raw and authentic and real and who do not shy away from discussing difficult topics. And to reframe those experiences in our lives together from a Quranic lens, from a prophetic perspective. And lastly, again, my humble advice to spend time daily nature, to have a walk, to be surrounded by the healthy and beautiful, as God, remembrance and glorifications, praises of the universe. This is the true reason why nature is so good for overall mental well-being. And honestly, those are the things that have sustained me throughout these past three years after my daughter died. And Alhamdulillah, I credit it to the Quran and the prophetic teachings that showed me how to be in the world, how to orient myself in the world, and how to navigate the joys and trials. The third word engages with the larger concept of And what I found so beautiful about the third word that it helps us to situate the ritual prayer, the salat, into the larger framework of cosmic worship. And I'll explain what I mean by that, but it's really important that we understand from the Quranic perspective, worship, prayer, and service or servanthood, are the factory settings of the cosmos. I repeat that again. Worship, prayer, and service to Allah is the DNA of the universe. How do we know that? We look around us and we see the galaxies and the cosmos constantly in motion. in mobility, in activity, and in a mode of worship. The Qur'an tells us the way the beings are created are engaging in the activity is their distinct and unique way of worshipping Allah. That means there is nothing in the universe that does not worship, glorify, praise, and connect to Allah. Every being every tiny creature is engaged in ibadah, in worship. In their own distinct disposition that is their prayer language their prayer disposition this is really important because it's not just a human being who stands in prayer five times a day perform certain movements no prayer is basically remembering coming back to the reality to the fact that all in the cosmos everything Nothing in the universe is engaged in sacred worship and prayer and glorification of Allah. That's why Ustad Bediüzzaman said, Nursi always starts with the famous verse in the Quran, There is nothing, there is nothing in the universe that does not praise or glorify Allah. Everything is in a mode of glorification. So cosmic prayer, cosmic worship is the default of the universe. Everything that we experience around us, every being is engaged in a certain type of prayer, rituals. And you see it, there is a certain, a very distinct, a very... very delicate type of prayer ritual at place. But they are all, every being in the universe, everyone together, birds, mountains, stars, sun, moon, minerals, atoms, rivers, oceans, insects, flowers, plants, trees. The Quran tells us this reality that each of them and all together collectively are engaged in ibadah. That is the mode, the foundation of the universe. You will not see anything, we will not see anything that is some outside of this mode of worship. This cosmic worship is the DNA of the cosmos. It's the default. It's a factory setting if you want. It's intrinsic to the universe. But here it is. The distinct position of the human being is they can get to decide if they want to be part of this collective community of worshippers, of this cosmic brotherhood and sisterhood, or if they reject and step out. But that, in a way, is also a disruption. When the human being decides or, let's say, revolts against this cosmic call to worship and glorify Allah, then what we have as a result is sadly chaos, anarchy, confusion, disruption, imbalance. The reason why everything, when we step out, is in so much harmony and peace and a symphony is because everything engages together collaboratively as a community in prayer and worship. But it's only the human being who has the greatest... responsibility and the blessing of freedom, the power to choose whether to step in into that cosmic community of worshippers or leave and reject it. But the consequences are dire because once we do that, we are completely out of sync. We are completely disconnected. We feel alone and disintegrated because everything in the universe is in the mode of worship. And by doing so, they are attaining peace and harmony and happiness. That's the message, and we know it. We just need to go witness. So if we are not diligent with our prayer life and with our life of worship, and worship is a very, very, very, very expansive concept here. It's not just simply making five times or making times And that's it. It translates into our... our larger life outside the salat, outside the ritual prayer, that we understand that we are part of this cosmic community of worshippers. This is really important, and this is something that is Quranic, and the Quran always describes to us that all beings are engaged in salat. Everything prostrates to Allah. Everything bows down to Allah. There is no equal. But the human being is created with this entity, the nafs, the lower self, the lower equal. And Allah has given the human being the freedom to choose. And sadly, there is a perception to think that when we are refusing to worship Allah, that we are somehow free, that we attain freedom and liberation when we distance ourselves ourselves from Allah but in Islam freedom of the self results in destruction, self-destruction self-harm and and also of course it's to reject Allah's call and to reject to be a member of this cosmic brotherhood and sisterhood so there will be accountability on judgment day. Because if everybody in the room is engaged with full discipline and attentiveness and sincerity and dedication and commitment in the sacred act of worship, and we somehow... we somehow refuse to be part of it and instead cause chaos in the classroom, then we will be held accountable and all the members of this community will complain. because it is somehow insulting them, it's just degrading them, it's dishonoring them, or lowering their true value. Because all the beings in the universe are not simply acting without meaning, or without purpose, or without some sacred cause. But if you say something, everything just functions perfectly and everything just acts without any deeper meaning, then this is also an accusation and degrading of these sacred beings. Because they are not simply moving and serving Allah for nothing. They have a sacred purpose. Allah has created everything for this. sacred purpose and also to be in that very special relationship with Allah and with each other I wanted to explain that because Ibadah then I have a tendency to repeat but I hope just like the Quran that repetition yields results because the concept of that Ibadah and worship is the very essence of the universe our default setting. And it's already, we witness that in our bodies. Our bodies are designed in a way by Allah, the greatest creator, the greatest designer, in a way that perfectly functions by certain regulations and laws following a certain established script. And so that in itself shows us that our bodies are not our own. They belong to Allah, who is the real owner, al-malik al-mulk, the real owner, the true owner, who's the only one who has established this amazing and awesome system in my body, the digestive system and the immune system and whatnot. All these intricate systems within me, without me knowing what's even happening, that is a state of worship. They are following, all my limbs are following, Allah's sacred call to worship. It's not me who pushes a button and tells them how to function. I have little control over my body. All what I'm given is the duty, sacred duty, to take care and maintain this community of worshippers. My internal and external limbs, my body parts, are all created for worshipping Allah. But like I said, I get to decide how I use or abuse or misuse. these elements, these beings in my body and in the world. So it helps us now to understand why prayer is so essential, worship is so essential, because it's the only response, the only moral, the only ethical response to Allah is to be in a state of worship. Worship meaning in a state of gratefulness, gratitude, thankfulness, That's what worship is, Ya Allah. You have given me this life, this existence, this body, with all its awesome and amazing, extraordinary, miraculous aspects. My feelings, my emotions, my brain, my heart, my soul, they all belong to you. You have created me in such a way. And what an amazing blessing that I'm not able to pay back in any way. But to be in prostration in this state of utter humility and acknowledgement of Allah's greatness and my own nothingness, my own weakness, my neediness, That's what the sacred narrations tell us, that the closest a servant can get to Allah, the most intimate moment, is when you are in this complete, free, conscious surrender to Allah, submitting yourself fully. When you are in prostration and sujood, declaring, Ya Allah, You are the One. You are the One and Only. You are my compassionate creator. I belong to you. You are my first priority. You are my goal. You are my purpose. You are my reason that I exist. You are my reason that I live and I die. Many of us might remember when Ibrahim a.s. says, He says, He says, That's the beauty of salat. It's this complete embodied expression of tawheed, of the oneness of Allah, declaring that everything belongs to Him, alhamdulillah, nothing belongs to me, and that I surrender all my feelings, all my thoughts, all my actions, all my heart, all my soul, all my body and my life, my time to Him alone. That is a continued, renewed promise we make during the Salat and a promise that we make to the creation that we will be always part of the sacred community of worshippers, that we will not disconnect ourselves. from this cosmic brotherhood and sisterhood who is constantly engaged in ibadah, that we will always prioritize Allah, that we will take joy and pride serving Him in all our state of affairs, in all conditions, in sadness and joy. and sorrow and pleasure, whatever Allah decrees, whatever happens in our lives, that we say, Ya Allah, we are content with your decree. We submit. We accept. We trust your wisdom. We have given ourselves fully to you. We have surrendered our egos. We have surrendered ourselves. We give up on egotism, on selfish desires, on our own rationalizing of things. We trust you and we surrender to you. Salat and worship is this embodied expression of tawhid, of the oneness of Allah saying, That whatever I do in my life, whatever I think, whatever I feel is in your name, not in my name. I do not want to be a slave of my ego. I do not want to be enslaved or chained by my lower desires. I do not want to be imprisoned by my own narrow ideas of how life needs to look like or proceed. I, just like everyone else in the universe, I will simply follow in sacred servanthood and submit to your call, Ya Allah. And when we are doing that, we attain liberation. We are freed. We attain true freedom. That's why the notion that when we worship Allah that we are somehow taken away from our freedoms or that we are somehow slaves of a religion or somehow limited in our lives, that is completely, completely untrue. It's the opposite. When we are connected to Allah, we are free. Free from distress, free from sorrow, free from free from any anxiety, free from any begging for approval and validation or seeking praise and self-esteem in others or other things. And that's the purpose of worship, to free ourselves from the shackles that keep us back. Sometimes our egos keep us back, sometimes cultural pressures, cultural ideas. peer pressure, whatever it is. But when we are connected to Allah in sacred worship, we know we are part of the strong sacred community that has been constantly engaged since the existence of the world in sacred worship. And the reason why everything is in so much harmony and peace, it's because they are connected to Allah. That little ice cube, called the ego, the nafs, that lower self, once you throw it into the ocean, you become the ocean. You melt. You are free. You are expansive. You are so much larger. And so it is in that light that we understand worship. And Allah says here in the Quran, يَا أَيُّهَنَّا سُعْبُدُوا talking to all humanity, all humankind. Worship Allah. Be in a state of ibadah, in a mode of ibadah, in a mode of worship and prayer and glorification. Constantly, like the universe, like creation. Because as the verse continues, it says, Allah is the one who created you, so worship Him. He's the one who created us, provided for us, continues our existence, nourishes us with all material blessings and spiritual provisions. He gives us a heart, a brain, a body with amazing feelings and emotions and skills and abilities. He has given us love and people who love us. He has given us support, protection, created the world in a way that enables us to thrive and grow and flourish. Why would I not worship the compassionate Creator? Why would I refuse? Why would I not constantly be eager to glorify His name in every situation I am? at home, outside, at work, in my community, on the street, I would be in a constant position of ibadah. That is what a true mu'min, a true believer aspires to be, in a constant mode of worship, glorification, praise, remembrance of Allah. Meaning, whatever my state is, like the Quran says, if they sit or sleep or are on their sides, they always remember Allah. And Allah says in the sacred narration, that if the servant draws near to him with these beloved obligatory acts, Allah becomes The eyes with which he sees, the ears with which he hears, and the speech with which he speaks. I'm paraphrasing, but we know this hadith. It's a beautiful hadith, Qudsi, secret narration, which Allah tells us that when we come closer to him, that we become transformed. That we are in constant presence of Allah. There's no way that we can disconnect ourselves and fall into complete heedlessness because when you love someone so much you want to be in a constant state of remembrance and if somebody has given you or sends you millions of boxes of gift boxes to your door every day wouldn't we turn around and express our thanks be curious who this person is be eager to also reciprocate, to say thank you, to write thank you letters, to send gifts. And this is the mode of the worshiper, just trying to express their gratitude towards Allah. And so when the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him, would stand in prayer all night. And Aisha, Sayyidina Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, his wife, would see him. She would say, why are you in constant prayer and prostration? Allah has already blessed you with paradise, with eternal happiness. He has promised you eternal happiness and joy. Why are you still burdening yourself? And what did the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say? Shall I not be a grateful servant? Subhanallah. What an amazing response. A response, an answer that gives us pause to think. He who lived... such a difficult life, a life full of trials, a life of misery and agony and anguish, still is able to see the endless blessings in his life, still feels utmost gratitude towards his Lord and wants to express that constant adoration and admiration and prayer and worship in all of his life. daily affairs. There is no personal opinion. There is simply praising and glorifying Allah and expressing His will, responding in a way and conducting yourself in a way that is pleasing to Allah and being His sacred soldier in the world, His sacred servant, and to take honor and pride in that. That's enough for self-esteem. So subhanAllah, then. Worship is an expression of gratitude, the only ethical, moral response to someone who has overwhelmed you with goodness in your life. And there is so much if we just sit down, our ability to breathe clean air, pure air, our ability to consume clean water, pure water, which is accessible to everyone, to think about the vast mercy and compassion of Allah, that is enough of a reason for us to worship and glorify Him and praise Him. That's why you witness the eagerness, the joy and the activity and the sacred barakah in movement in the creation. They rush to worship Allah and glorify Him. Why wouldn't we want to join them? Why would we refuse to be part of that? It's our loss. It's our loss if we disconnect ourselves from Allah. Because then we're just on our own. And relying on our own, to whom do we rely? Ourselves? Flawed, ignorant, unstable little egos? who tomorrow might have Alzheimer's or dementia and then forget even who they were. Their sense of personhood gone, their sense of identity gone, their sense of self gone. We witness it all around us. Allah tells us, don't rely on yourself, that little self that you rely on. You're trying to be self-sufficient, but tomorrow that self even leaves you. So worship is... Excuse me, it's the mode of the cosmos. All activity, all movement that we witness, all the joy and the harmony is worship. And to read a little bit here, because I've done a lot of introductory remarks, but it helps us to understand the paragraphs or the reading. If you want to understand what great profit and happiness lie in worship, and what great loss and ruin lie in vice and dissipation. Listen to and take heed of the following story, which is in the form of a comparison. And this is so true. Every time I... follow allah's call and worship him in a way that he calls me to worship i always experience great benefit and happiness nothing that allah has declared impermissible or haram or or nothing that Allah declared obligatory has ever somehow burdened me or harmed me or put me in a disadvantage. No, alhamdulillah, quite the contrary. Every time I do things the way Allah wants me to do or think or feel, and remember, ibadah is a comprehensive concept. It means feel. Feeling, thinking, imagining, dreaming, acting, saying and doing the way Allah wants us to do. That's what the profound explanation of ibadah is. It's a wholesome understanding, approach to life. To say that all of my life, all aspects, my speech, my thoughts, my feelings. All are dedicated to Allah and I want to use them in sacred worship. When I feel, when I think, when I dream, when I imagine, when I speak, when I walk, when I touch. I would love to do this all in the name of Allah. بِإِسَّمَ اللَّهِ That's why the first word talks about بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ this invocation of the basmala as a cosmic declaration. Everything, once you act in the name of Allah, you are secure, you are safe. And here too, when we act in the name of Allah, when we think and feel and use our bodies, our lives, everything as a trust of Allah and try to worship Him in a way that is pleasing to Him, to our Lord, then we will always experience great benefit and happiness. Everything, individually, on an individual level and social level. I mean, you think about, for example, consumption of alcohol. Allah says, The harm is greater than the benefits. Don't consume even a drop. And there are, of course, exceptions when it comes to medical emergencies, but that's outside the discussion. But when you look at this, what did I miss in not consuming alcohol? Nothing. I have kept my body intact, my health, preserved my health, my well-being, my mind. I have saved money. I have not harmed any family member. I am not in danger when I'm on the highway. So there is no great benefit in consuming alcohol or taking in intoxicants. that cloud your mind. Anything that is haram means that it's harmful. Anything that is haram, impermissible or prohibited, is basically harmful for us. That's why Allah, out of His mercy, said, don't do it. And every time I don't do it, Allah rewards me. So every time we stay away actively from certain things, We gain profit, benefit, and happiness. And we also gain reward from Allah because we conduct ourselves in the world that is befitting to His Lordship, that is honoring Him as a Creator, saying, I don't do this because Allah doesn't love it. Simple, period. That is my mode of worship. I don't think, I don't use my speech for backbiting or gossiping because Allah dislikes it. That's a mode of worship. I don't listen... or I don't watch harmful, indecent, improper things because Allah dislikes it. Allah loves for me to look at uplifting, beautiful, aesthetically pleasing things that is all within the framework and outlined in the Prophet's life who is a mercy to all of us because he shows us how to be a good human being. He has been sent to show us what good character, a person of character looks like. And if we love Allah and emulate the Prophet, imitate the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him in all of the aspects of life, in all affairs, in all our different roles, then we will always experience great benefit, profit and happiness. Because our hard side is, we know we are doing this Because Allah loves these things and actions and thoughts. So when we engage our entire selves and when we engage our lives in a way that honors the sacred or the cosmic worship that we are essentially created for, then we will always be on the side of safety, security, peace, and happiness, truly, on an individual level and social level. Anything that Allah has declared as harmful, harmful, or encouraged us to do, and we do it, we will always experience individual benefits and social benefits. But if we do not follow Allah's guidance, which in His mercy He has laid out for us, then what it says here, we will experience great loss and ruin, of which lie in vice and dissipation. So listen to and take heed of the following story, which is in the form of a comparison. Every time I go Going astray from Allah's guidance. I'm harming myself. I do not harm Allah. Allah doesn't need my worship. I harm myself. I destroy myself. So everything that we can think of in Islam, any kind of private or public elements of worship, Right? Always has benefits. I mean, you just look at the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam's recommendation to not waste water, even when you are at a running river. Isn't that beneficial for us, for all humanity and all the creation? Now we see it, of course, especially in the light of climate change and environmental challenges. But 1,500 years ago, who would have known that? So that even when Allah says, through the Prophet ﷺ, even when you are engaged in the most sacred ritual, like ablution, taking your wudu for salah, you should not waste water. Because in that process, you're also respecting the sacred worship of the cosmos. All beings are engaged in salah. And while I'm doing my salah, while I'm doing my worship, I don't want to disrupt theirs. I want to make sure that the sacred resource of water is accessible for me, for next generations, for the entire universe, for all beings. Because we are all brothers and sisters in the sacred community and we need to embrace one another. Ustad Bediüzzaman always tells us, to know one another, says the Quran, to know one another. Who are we? Who am I and who are you? To know one another. To embrace one another. To embrace one another. To respond to one another's needs. and ta'awun, to help each other. But if my ethical lifestyle or if my lifestyle is not informed by the Quranic principles and the prophetic teachings, then I create loss and ruin, not just for me, but for the entire creation. That's why starting with ourselves and healthy spiritual self-discipline is so important. Subhanaka la imma lana illa ma'alamtana innaka anta al-alim al-hakim wa ahru da'wan. Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alameen.