Why Your Heart Is Your Greatest Asset

Z.

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Salamu alikum allahar.

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As.

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Sal.

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F.

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Ill for.

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Alhamdulillah has given us another blessed opportunity to come to his Masjid to come to his community and to be together with Prophet wasallam said says that from to is a means of experation of sins and great greater opportunity than this than the holy blessed month of Ramadan so we thank Allah subhana wa tala and we say alhamdulillah for these blessings that he has given us the prophet sallallah alai wasallam he lays out such beautiful principles that give us success in this world and success in the Hereafter and the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam he begins this narration by saying that the one who is successful is the one who has he has completely devoted his heart to IM and to Allah subhah wa taala meaning what meaning that this heart that you have it's a vessel and it only has such a certain amount of space where you can't just keep feeling it and filling with different things from outside no rather it can only be filled with the love of Allah Prophet s and anything extra coming into it will have an effect and will not allow this heart to be completely devoted to Allah subh waala so then continues and Allah he makes this person's heart what he makes this person's heart free from any bolt free from any hatred free from any jealousy free from any dislike where Allah talks about ibraim when came to talk to Allah that he had such a heart that was free from all these different things and he mentions that to his children he gives these his children beautiful advice where he says that that oh my children do not be individuals that are so quick to critique so quick to say something bad that when something small happens that the first out of their mouth is not something that's very appropriate or very kind but rather be individuals whose hearts are completely full of the love of Allah subhana wa taala the love of his prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and such a heart that is full of IM and full of light and he continues and he says that such a tongue that whenever it speaks it speaks the truth and this may seem kind of obvious but rather the tongue is the exposer of the heart where what was the quality of the Hypocrites right was that they would speak what was it in their heart they'd say something on their tongue you know to to go this way but their heart would be going that way this is how they were so this this this tongue of theirs was not a truthful tongue and then he says that this person their soul is such that it is a pleased Soul right right so a successful person is who their their their NPS is pleased pleased with what with the remembrance of Allah subhana wa tala and seeking the pleasure of Allah subhah wa taala that is a heart that is and this is very interesting because the prophet s alaihi wasallam is giving us this understanding of what it means to have a tranquil heart where so many individuals today they search for so many different means so many stimulations so many just you know dopamine rushes just to make themselves feel a little bit happier or feel a little bit you know find some contentment but in the end it's just momentary and it's not something that lasts forever and it's very interesting because the Allah in the Quran he says that man was created in a state of worry and anxiety this is what our natural state is meaning what that we have to make an effort on our heart to make it such that it is going to be pleased with the remembrance of Allah subhana wa tala so there has to be an active effort on this that when a baby is born into this world the baby came from the mother inside the mother it was so you know everything was taken care of it had so much love it had all the the nutrients that it needed and it was in this environment that was cultivating itself and allowing it to grow then it comes out into this world and babies when they come out into this this world they come into the State of shock there's all these people there's all these lights and sometimes situations where the baby is not even breathing and this is how we come into this world and this state of how we begin our life in this world can be the Perpetual state of our life if we are not working on ourselves and making an effort on ourselves so the prophet talks about he says that this person they resolve and their disposition is it's on a straight path meaning what meaning that this person you know know this person will not go to one statement a person may say to them now they don't know what to do with their life they watch one real they no longer want to chase that passion we have individuals that because of you know they're they're so distracted they forget why they got that job in the first place they forget why they were in school they had all these dreams and aspirations and when they get there they get so distracted it's oh what am I doing here and then they start to make bad decisions that will have consequences on their life forever in this world and in the next World and in even a smaller situation where a person you know sometimes may Lo lose a phone or lose a wallet right away they speak to oh where is everything where did it go they come into a state of anxiousness and worry and then they find it oh they feel better but but really something so small got you so worked up made you that angry made you that frustrated how can that be that means there's something that the the heart that the heart needs effort the heart needs work on and so the prophet says and even to such an extent where sometimes we get so distracted that you know you hear like young people that they're still you know in high school or early college talking about retirement brother you think get or sister you need to get a job first right then you can think about that but focus on what you're doing right now focus on what's in front of you focus on the task at hand if you're going be that easily distracted you're probably not going to be able to accomplish what you meant to do and you may accomplish it but it's not bringing the results that you wanted so it's very important to have this have this firm straight path this is in the and the where theam is telling us that when someone comes to you and you hear a doubt of some sort a doubt about a verse or a narration this shouldn't cause you to completely lose your faith or Iman it's okay sometimes you have questions go ahead seek the answer for it ask for help but it shouldn't put you completely off the path just one desire one desire completely takes you off one desire makes you forget about the mercy of Allah one desire makes you forget about the Forgiveness of Allah subhana wa tala how can this be and it's very interesting because he writes this in which he talks about the purpose of every human he says that I've studied and looked at all the people The Young and the old the rich and the poor the Muslim and the non-muslim and I noticed this theme across the board what is this that every single person is chasing or their purpose in life and he said for every single person it's removal of worry or anxiety for example or discomfort so for example a person they become hungry and now the only thing I can think about is when am I getting my next meal a person may be with their friends they're hanging out they're having a good time but then a friend does something inappropriate or says something inappropriate now this person has the choice to either speak up right or allow that behavior to continue but he thinks to himself oh if I speak up maybe I'll lose my friends or maybe it's not that comfortable so they won't say anything because why it brings this discomfort and this is why was you know someone who was so great because one of the things he used to say he used to not just do it he used to say I love it he says that I will speak the truth even if it's sour even if it's uncomfortable and even if it make make the other person uncomfortable I'm going to to speak up right and for us this is more so also about what makes us uncomfortable in when it comes to relationship with Allah.

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That sometimes those first steps may be a little difficult standing up a lot fasting doing these different things they can be uncomfortable right but after some time what happens as the prophet wasam says then this person begins to enjoy and they are motivated by virtues they're motivated for Good Deeds but nothing motivates them more than the pleasure of Allah subhana wa T and so the prophet wasam continues and he talks now he talks about okay what are those things that may have an influence on us that maybe you know we're not accepting it or maybe a little bit in denial he he says that the person who is successful he continues this now he said the first the person who is successful is who makes their heart completely you know devoid of anything else and solely for allaha T and their faith now he says that the successful one is the one whom Allah subhana tala gives his eyes the ability to see and his ears the ability to hear well isn't that what they're meant for aren't the eyes intended to see and the ears are intended to hear okay what else the prophet wasam then continues he says what is the ear he says that the ear is a funnel the ear is a funnel and if for example if you want to pour you know some oil into some kind of container right this vessel that you know is is Big at the beginning and it gets smaller when you're pouring it in it's able to take everything in the prophet describes our ears as a funnel meaning that whatever is around it is going to come in that whatever that whether we it or not the things that we hear will have an effect on us and this has been proven time and time again on the studies of the subconscious that whether a person recognize it or not the things that they listen to and the things that they take in will have an effect on them taking in a lot of you know sad you know things that you're listening to or or or tragedies all the time it's going to have an effect on your mood and vice versa as well well and then he mentions that when you see something as well whatever you see it's going to travel into the heart and it's going to place itself there it's going to place itself there so now when you say that oh it's not something very harmful I'm just watching a small video or I'm just listening to something small something funny but know that it's going to have an effect on you and those things over and over again will change the status of your heart and something that we have that's so precious is our attention so when the prophet says the eyes are meant to see and recognize the signs of Allah subhana wa tala they're meant to see and recognize the blessings Allah has given us so may I thank him and they are meant so that we can see and understand that there is no life worth following or more important than the life of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and then the eyes of the same thing and the ears are the same thing that all these vessels to the heart are some are things that we must take advantage of and take care of and then the prophet sallallahu alai wasallam he mentions that which means protected it's very interesting because when it comes to the things that we take in and our attention and how easily we are distracted there was a psychiatric study done in 2020 in which individuals were placed in meditation sessions for several minutes they're required to sit in a room on their own and meditate no phone no technology no other humans with them it's just them on their own and when they did this for several times they had very interesting results and these are individuals that are from this country and whether you want to accept it or not we are here so we will be affected by these things as well and so the study came out to show that these individuals 33% developed a high level of anxiety 27% developed some form of depression and 6% developed some thoughts of wanting to hurt themselves why because when we're in a state where we're always distracted we don't know what it feels to be in the present and this is why it's so important that we take care of ourselves take care of our attention when we talk about our Salah our is to develop a level of such a level of that inside our Salah we are connecting to Allah subhana waala and not just that our extends to outside of Salah when we're fasting in Ramadan every moment that we remember that hunger that pain that little bit of discomfort that reminds us our purpose and what we are doing and all these things are so precious and need to be taken advantage of and this is why the prophet ends this long narration where he says the successful one is not the one whose heart is protected rather the successful one is the one who's always in a state of protecting their heart meaning this is a Perpetual state that a person is consistent upon that a person is in a state of worshiping Allah coming closer to him until the end of their life this is not something that I'm doing for one month for one day for one year this is something that I'm actively working on and also accepting the fact that at different stages in my life I will have different Temptations at different stages in my life I will have different struggles and circumstances at different stages in my life I have different celebrations but know that I'm always making an effort on my heart to come closer to Allah subhana wa tala brothers and sisters there is a billion dollar industry that is designed to grab our attention they used fancy terms user interface or making the application easier but all these are meant to say that who can keep your attention the most and their industry designed to do this and so much so that now our attention has a tangible value to it has a monetary value to it so we have to accept that we have to make the effort to take back our attention to not ourselves allow ourselves to be distracted to allow ourselves to come closer to Allah subhana wa tala and I want to end by giving example of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam from his life you the prophet s alaihi wasallam we know that when he received Nua that he was calling others to Allah subhana wa tala day and night and he made such an effort such an effort that when this Revelation first came to him he went to of course his supporting and loving wife and said let me take you to my my my cousin and my family member was an individual whom he was always in search of the truth but he was someone who practiced the Christian faith and so when they come to him and they they they present to him the situation that I've been visited by an Angel and I have been given the word that I am the final prophet and then there is one none to be worthy of worship except Allah subhana wa tala he said that what did he say to him he said I hope to be there when your community kicks you out so that I can support you and the prophet he's so confused says they're going to kick me out of the community these people trust me they give me their wealth they allow me to do ar ar arbitration they allow me to help them and they know my good qualities me really and he says and says to him just the prophets just Moses that came before you and they were kicked out of their Nation the same will happen to you and the prophet wasam how do you respond to news like this supposed to be glad tidings and his own Community his own people that he loves his family members they're going to do this to him and Allah subhana waala he gives him the anecdote for this he gives him that that what he needs to hear so that he protects himself and what does he say he talks about that when we opened up your chest and we cleaned your heart from all that filth and all those things he says that when you are free and you are done doing all the obligations and tasks that you are required to do f f literally means to pour something out to pour something out so Allah is tell our beloved sallallah alaihi wasallam oh messenger of Allah pour your heart out to me that when you're going through all these difficulties when you're going through these struggles when you need something more and you need an answer call on to me and I will be there for you and the and the thing about the prophet alam's life is that what was he doing all day he was calling everyone to Allah subhana wa tala day and night so now he go call to Allah again so how is it for us where we have responsibilities and tasks and things that we're doing throughout the day what are we supposed to do now we need to understand how precious our attention is and that before we sleep at night that we are pouring our heart to Allah subhana wa tala and not allowing some organization some app some other person take us away from Allah subhana wa tala and making that that the that relationship strong especially in this month of Ramadan where we have the opportunities to call call upon Allah subhana wa tala so we must understand that the successful one is the one who takes care of their heart and the one who is always in a state of protecting their heart alhamdulillah I I am a visiting brother from Detroit Michigan and I come to you with an a request that supporting our school in Detroit our school it has an institution where we make we develop we have a sevene Al course program and our students also graduate with a high school diploma and this is happening right in our backyard currently we have over 200 students in our school and they are boarding students as well they they come in they stay there they sleep there they get their or their course education and they get their secular academic education we need help in terms of sponsoring our students we have out of 200 students that we have 70 of them are on sponsorship and these individuals we don't reject people based on their financial status we take it all based on Merit so if someone meets the qualifications for merit we accept them right away no questions asked but some individuals do need that assistance and for each student it is $6,000 a year this includes their lodging this includes their food and this includes their education both in the secular studies and the studies this comes out to $500 a month which may be even cheaper than your child at home currently and so we do this why because we try to you know cut off the fat and make it easier for students to come to our school and so we are looking to sponsor at least 10 students from this community M we are told this community is very generous and they love to engage in s these students will be the future of our why because we want individuals who have the knowledge and strong Foundation of Islam and also able to excel in the worldly efforts alhamdulillah I myself graduated from this school and I also was able to finish my masters in physician assistant studies working in Psychiatry and this is off with the of Allah subhana waala and when I was growing up I was always thought I had to go somewhere else but if I go somewhere else how am I going to do my studies here how am I going to pursue a different career but alhamdulillah the option is open here so please we ask for your support we're going to have a table outside you can simply give some cash you can simply use the card or fill out some kind of pledge form but please it's something that you can help with with our school and this will be a for you that on the day of judgment all the efforts that they make will go into your good deeds.

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Mam.

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Allah.

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For forbb.

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Make the rose tight leave no gaps fill in the Rose in front of you.

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Allahar alhamdulillah.

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A.

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For.

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For Sam Allah.

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Allah.

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Allb allar alhamd.

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Am.

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For for.

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Allar allb.

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Allb allar e.

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Asum.

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My dear brothers and sisters Salam alayum the as I was mentioning last night the best gift that you give give us right after Juma is a few minutes of your time and that is going to be generously rewarded inshallah because it will help us talk to the people about getting some donations for our wonderful program RMA Academy brothers and sisters as I have been mentioning the rahma academy is the future of our children in Tucson and we have a beautiful program that has 71 kids enrolled at this point with the 12 member staff alhamdulillah we are making tremendous progress the 40% of the funding is provided by the state different programs another 44% or 40 yeah 44 45% % is provided by the dees and the people you know but there's a significant amount that you are paying the through the tuition program that that you are paying the tuition as a from the parents but 15% is a shortfall that we have so for that 15% we are requesting you to see if you could help us so with that introduction I would to request who would to raise the hand for 10,000.