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Talk · al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem | 2024 Ramadan Series, part 8 of 32

Mercy To Mankind | Al-Sirat Al-Mustaqeem EP.6 | A Journey With Shaykh Alauddin ElBakri

Shaykh Alauddin ElBakri

Transcript

  1. Assalaamu 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh “Peace be upon you”
  2. and welcome back
  3. to this Ramadan series about As-Sirat al-Mustaqim "The Straight Path"
  4. the second and third goal that Allah set for us on
  5. this planet is, number one to establish mercy,
  6. and number two, to establish excellence on this planet.
  7. Mercy is a central theme in Islam
  8. and in the Quran and in the teachings of the Prophet
  9. Peace Be Upon Him (PBHU)
  10. It is almost in every Surah
  11. because every chapter in the Quran starts with
  12. "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim"
  13. In the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate
  14. Also Allah SWT called the Quran in the Quran, as it is a "Rahma"
  15. "A mercy" and Allah said about his Prophet PBHU that
  16. "We have not sent you (Prophet Muhammad) except as a mercy to all the worlds"
  17. And then Allah expects from us
  18. to be merciful, to one another,
  19. to be merciful, to Allah's creation, to mankind,
  20. to the universe that surrounds us, and to make that our mission.
  21. My dear brothers and sisters, mercy
  22. is not just a feeling, nor it's just a lip service.
  23. Sometimes, all what a person in front of you needs
  24. is an encouraging word or a merciful word
  25. that will put them back together, make them whole and complete again.
  26. But many times, people are in need for our giving
  27. mercy is an action of giving,
  28. and if there is no giving, there is no faith and there is no honor.
  29. As a matter of fact, the word "Kareem" in Arabic
  30. has two meanings: "Generous" and "Honorable"
  31. as if, if there is no generosity, there's no honor or nobility,
  32. my dear brothers and sisters, Allah SWT
  33. in The Noble Quran, asks of us to be people of mercy.
  34. And this is the month of Ramadan where we show mercy in every possible way.
  35. Not only we eat, but we make sure that the others eat before we eat.
  36. We give charity, we support one another.
  37. We make sure that our neighbors and anyone in this world
  38. who does not have a shelter, food, water,
  39. electricity, and security. Subhanallah “Glory be to Allah” the whole world was watching
  40. and still watching what's happening to our brothers and sisters in Gaza,
  41. and we're feeling like
  42. a sense of helplessness.
  43. But we shall never feel helpless.
  44. We shall only do our best and leave the rest to Allah SWT
  45. The second quality that Allah SWT ask of us is Al-Ihsan "Excellence"
  46. Al-Ihsan "Excellence" in the Quran comes in three meanings.
  47. First, referring to doing something good, and in that Al-Ihsan "Excellence"
  48. is related to mercy, because mercy is doing something good and merciful.
  49. But to do something good,
  50. to do it to the best of your ability, meaning aiming for perfection
  51. and to do something
  52. with beauty, to put the element of beauty in it.
  53. This Al-Ihsan "Excellence" has become the hallmark of Islam.
  54. When you travel the Muslim world and you see the Mosques
  55. you see all of these three meanings in one place.
  56. And it has become the hallmark of Muslims. Throughout my life,
  57. When I ask people, Why did you convert to Islam?
  58. Almost nine out of ten say, Because we interacted with a Muslim
  59. and we felt that they were different.
  60. Right now, the whole world started reading the Quran
  61. and many people started converting because they saw something different
  62. in the people of Gaza and in the people of Palestine.
  63. Ihsan "Excellence" is what makes us unique,
  64. beautiful, aiming for perfection,
  65. and always doing something good.
  66. Allah put us on this planet exactly
  67. to do that, to establish a civilization of goodness, a civilization of mercy.
  68. Because justice and fairness
  69. are not enough, beside justice and fairness,
  70. you need mercy and you need excellence.
  71. And the final point I want to make about excellence is that
  72. there is a great emphasis in the Quran and in the life of the Prophet PBUH
  73. about that moral excellence
  74. that Allah expect from us to be decent people.
  75. That Allah rewards for morality and for kindness.
  76. The Prophet said, He doesn't reward for anything else like He rewards
  77. the most to be kind, gentle,
  78. not weak, not unconfident, not helpless,
  79. no gentle, kind, with moral excellence and with mercy.
  80. While you stand up strong for justice and for fairness and equality.
  81. Allah SWT expects from us moral excellence.
  82. And I feel that as the world progresses, it's going in a direction
  83. in which people are starting to hate one another for their religion,
  84. for their race, for their look, for their language.
  85. My dear brothers and sisters, may Allah SWT
  86. restore all of these qualities in us, and make us from
  87. the people who stand up for what is right, what is good, what is merciful.
  88. Ameen Ya Rabb Alameen
  89. God bless our Prophet Muhammad

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