January 23, 2025 • 47 mins
Reflections from The Risale-Nur a Qur'an commentary by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi
The Flashes - The Fourteenth Flash - Second Station - Third Mystery
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
A'udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
(00:25):
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem Asyou know, I typically begin with
the sacred formula, the Basmala,which basically is an invitation
(00:52):
or reminder to begin everythingin the name of Allah.
And this whole treatise or thischapter, as you remember, is
related to the sacred formula ofBismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim, in
(01:12):
the name of God or with the nameof God, the most merciful, the
most compassionate.
So last week we had alreadystarted with reflecting on the
deeper meanings, the mysteriesof the basmala, how the cosmos
(01:34):
or the book of the creation,which we as Muslims calls the
UNKNOWN (00:00):
,
SPEAKER_00 (01:37):
the book of the universe, basically invites us
into a close reading of Allah'smercy.
And there are moments in ourlives, certainly right now,
where we sometimes feel, is thisworld even, Guided by mercy.
Is there compassion in the worldwhere we are witnessing so much
(02:00):
suffering and evil and injusticeand atrocities?
Everyday things are happeningthat are cruel and cause us
anguish, quite frankly, wherethe heart feels overwhelmed.
So there is a question thatpeople ask themselves.
Is there an all-merciful God?
Is there an all-compassionateGod?
(02:22):
divine creator who is ultimatelyin control, who has agency over
this world, who acts withcompassion in the world.
And the answer to that question,and this question is an
important one because a lot ofpeople reject faith in God
because of that moral question.
(02:43):
If there is an all-loving,all-compassionate God, why is
there so much suffering?
Why is He not intervening?
Why is He allowing for that?
So in this section, we'vealready reflected that divine
mercy is evident in theuniverse.
We have to simply engage in acloser reading of the universe,
(03:05):
of the creation, pay closerattention.
Actually, so many things are soevident and obvious But because
our minds and hearts and eyeshave not been trained that way,
we are not seeing it, right?
Like the Quran says, they haveeyes, but they don't see.
They don't pay attention.
And that's our ultimate duty, asacred obligation to engage in
(03:34):
the art of noticing, of seeingrahmah.
constantly around us.
And yesterday at anotheroccasion, I shared an example.
I was looking out on my desk andI was thinking, these are very,
very frosty, cold weatherconditions for us right now,
(03:56):
here especially in Maryland.
Unusually cold and the minuses.
And I was looking out of mywindow and I saw these birds And
I thought to myself, and thisbeautiful cardinal, red-colored
cardinal, in his amazinggarment, libass, in his
(04:17):
beautiful clothing, looking atme and just simply invited me,
do you think that mercy is notat play?
Do you think that my life is notpreserved by mercy but by
Allah's rahmah?
How else am I able to survive inthis cold if it's not for
Allah's mercy?
(04:38):
Because you look out and you seeall these billions and billions
of animals, creatures, beingprotected, being sustained,
being provided for, being caredfor, being clothed in amazing,
beautiful garments.
Their colors are unique.
But a layer of feather, a layerof feather on the cardinal
(05:00):
looking at me and saying, mymerciful Lord protects me.
Even in this frosty, icyweather, I'm protected, why?
Because Allah's mercy iscovering the universe.
It's vast, that mercy isevident.
And in that moment, I felt somuch comfort.
(05:22):
I felt that my merciful creatorwho takes care of this tiny
little bird in this freezingcold and protects it will surely
not neglect me.
If it would be me, that cardinalwith these tiny feathers, I
would be dead by now.
I can't sustain.
I can't be outside in thatfreezing cold.
(05:43):
Yes, but Allah constantly, byhis vast expanse of rahmah, his
mercy, is sustaining, raising,fostering the universe.
Every tiny little being is caredfor.
No, none of them is forgotten,neglected, abandoned.
(06:04):
None of them.
That's the mercy that we need tosee.
And that's why I'm so gratefulfor this spiritual treasure that
has taught me the closer readingof the book of the universe.
What does it mean to read thesigns of Allah in the cosmos?
Especially if this treatise orthis section tells us in a
(06:25):
Quranic fashion that all beingsare miracles of Allah, signs of
Allah, speaking to us constantlyabout him.
but we neglect to read and payattention.
Similarly, a whole group ofCanadian geese, when it's very
cold, they have this internalinbuilt GPS system where they
(06:49):
orient themselves in the worldand then fly to warmer regions,
pass through our lands here.
I saw a group of them.
And I thought to myself again,who equips them, endows them
with that inborn GPS system.
I'm lost without the GPS system.
I can't find my way.
Yet you have these incrediblebeings who are flying around for
(07:13):
centuries and who are alwaysable to find their way back
home.
This is incredible.
This is how Allah tells us inthe Quran that rahmah, mercy, is
there.
It's evident.
Why are these Canadian geeseequipped created with an inbuilt
GPS system, orientation system,that they are able to navigate
(07:36):
their flight route.
It's because of Rahma.
Somebody thought, somebodycared, somebody knew what they
needed and sent them accordinglyinto this world, ready to
navigate life, to deal with allthe challenges, with the
hardships, I found it amazing.
(07:58):
And as a human being witnessingthat, bearing witness to Allah's
mercy in this moment is soimportant because the whole
world might look at you and say,there is no mercy because the
whole world is immersed insuffering, there's evil,
injustice.
Yet the overwhelming evidenceshows us that Rahmah is at play.
(08:22):
If the human being actsaccording to divine guidance and
according to that divine mercy,he too will be a vessel of mercy
and Rahman.
He too will bring more mercy andcompassion into the world.
And so another example that Igave was the example of bears,
(08:46):
the bears.
And I looked up how many salmonsdo they eat every day?
See, this is the curiosity thatthe human being needs to
cultivate.
The only reason why I'm here isto bear witness to Allah's mercy
and existence.
I looked up how many, because ina documentary I saw that bears
(09:09):
are eating salmon.
And I thought, subhanAllah, theyare eating the best food.
Wild-caught salmon is the bestfood, right?
I'm not talking about thefarm-raised antibiotic one, but
somebody goes out there, fishesfor you.
Wild caught is the best healthysalmon you can get.
Try to buy that one becausethat's the healthy, wholesome
(09:30):
one, not the one that is, youknow, the salmon that is raised
in factories and was hormonespumped.
But the one that Allah providesis the most pure, the
healthiest.
And a grizzly bear, hold on, payattention now, pay heed, because
I'm talking about divine mercy.
A grizzly bear, eats 30, morethan 30 salmons per day, 30
(09:55):
fish.
And I looked up how much is asalmon today, at this moment
today, in the close-by storethat's 11% off today,$8.
$8 for a wild-caught salmon.
Salmon is very expensive, weknow.
(10:15):
And then multiply that with 30,a grizzly bear, Do the math,
$240, the cost to feed a grizzlybear.
There are currently 50,000grizzly bears in North America.
You can all look that up in theinternet.
(10:35):
Do your little search, verify myinformation.
55,000 grizzly bears in NorthAmerica at this point, they are
all cared for.
They are all provided for.
They are all nourished byAllah's divine mercy.
(10:57):
Who feeds them that mostprecious food?
Who knows how much?
And this is 55,000 now in NorthAmerica.
There are more in Alaska andlower parts of North America.
But what I'm wanting to conveyis there is someone who has
created enough provision andsustenance like the Quran says,
(11:19):
who is Ar-Razaq, the trueprovider, the true sustainer,
the true nourisher.
And he does that not becausesomebody forces him, not that
somebody compels him or he's notobliged to do it.
He does it because of his mercy,divine mercy.
(11:40):
Rahmah completely wrapped thiswhole universe.
Who's taking care of thatgrizzly bear every day?
If it would be me or you, we'llbe bankrupt.
We can't afford it.
We can't buy it.
We barely eat salmon for us,ourselves.
Once a week, maybe twice a week,I eat salmon.
It's expensive.
(12:00):
But to give the most preciousfood to this grizzly bear, and
there are billions of otheranimals and creatures out there,
this amazing biodiversity, thisamazing balance, this amazing
arrangement, amazing complex webof life.
Who built that?
Who makes sure that nobody isstarving?
(12:23):
Ya Allah.
Allahu Akbar.
Allah is the greatest.
What more evidence?
This was one example I'm givingyou.
There are more examples likethat.
And this is the type of sacredreading we have to cultivate.
Superficial Islam and Imandoesn't do anymore.
It has to have depth.
(12:45):
What does it mean that the wholesacred universe is saying in the
name of Allah, the mostmerciful, the most
compassionate?
The Gwizdi bear certainlyrecites it in his way of life.
He's saying, who do you thinksustains me for centuries with
salmon?
And the salmons also have aninborn GPS system.
(13:05):
Look that up.
They come back to the originalstate, original location.
They know.
how to return, you know, swimthrough the oceans and rivers
and come back to the exact placewhere they are, then being, you
know, sustaining other life.
So subhanAllah, for me, eventhose one, two examples are
(13:28):
sufficient.
But if I would be immersingmyself more and more, which I'm
trying, just to pick up somesimple children's books, get
some information and complementthat with this reading, huge,
hugely impactful.
Highly recommended.
Go in any children's library,get some of these simply
articulated books and readbetween the lines.
(13:51):
Everything that the Quran talksabout, the birds, the fish, the
trees, the mountains.
This earth is the only habitableplanet in the universe.
It's the heart of the universe.
It's the heart.
Everything is here.
Everything perfectly created,perfectly shaped.
(14:12):
perfectly prepared for humanlife to flourish.
And why are bears important forhuman life?
Let me share that with you.
Bears are important for humanlife because they play a crucial
role in maintaining healthyecosystems by acting as keystone
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species, regulating preypopulations, dispersing seeds
through their foraging habits,and contributing to nutrient
cycling, which ultimatelysupports the biodiversity and
balance of the environmenthumans rely on.
Their presence indicates ahealthy habitat for other
species, including humans.
(14:54):
Bears help control populationsof herbivores like deer and
moose, preventing overgrazingand allowing vegetation to
thrive.
I'll share that with you later,but on and on.
We rely on the existence ofevery animal.
If one is missing, life on earthfalls apart, falls out of
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balance.
And this is the crucial role ofthe human being as a steward on
earth.
The sacred vicegerent, whom wecall Khalifa tul Arz.
You are nothing in thisuniverse, yet your
responsibility is so great.
how you decide to be in theworld.
(15:35):
And that's why this wholesection about saying in the name
of God, the most compassionate,the most merciful, how do you
begin an act?
How do you begin an act?
Do you begin it in the name ofthe most merciful?
Do you testify to his mercy?
And do you also say, Ya Allah,in this action, let me also
(15:58):
bring mercy into the world.
Let me be merciful.
a manifestation, a vessel ofyour mercy.
Let me be compassionate, caring,loving.
Let me do my work in the bestway.
And that's why when we say thesacred formula, these sacred
words, we are affirming thatthis universe is guided by
(16:19):
mercy.
We're testifying to it.
We witness it, and we say, YaAllah, I made the choice to be
also an embodiment of mercy,like the Prophet ﷺ.
peace and blessings be upon him,who was sent as a mercy to all
creation.
And we see that in his conduct.
(16:39):
So whatever we do, we should dowith beauty and compassion, with
wisdom.
Every time when we recite this,these sacred words, that's a
powerful reminder.
These days, what's missing inour conduct, wherever we show up
in schools, at our workplaces,What is missing as we are
witnessing tragedies is goodcharacter, caring, compassionate
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character, good conduct, ethics,morality.
People are not doing their workbeautifully.
And that's why we have so manyissues or they decide to be
destructive.
Or we decide to bring evil intothe world and to be cruel and
harmful and hurtful.
(17:27):
Those are the choices we makeevery day in every situation.
Am I saying, in the name ofmercy, and bring mercy into the
world?
Or am I bringing cruelty intothe world?
And that reflects in ourworkplaces, wherever we show up
in our different roles, asparents, as coworkers, as
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citizens.
Who are we?
Who are we?
Are we doing what Allah calls usto do?
Are we bringing compassion andbeauty and wisdom into the world
like He does?
He doesn't neglect any being,but what is it about us, right?
So that's the question becauseEvery time it comes down to
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good, compassionate character.
Good, compassionate character.
Am I following the ProphetSallallahu Alaihi Wasallam's
footsteps?
Am I also like him, a mercy tothe world?
Or will people say, I'm relievedthis person is gone?
Because they were just such aburden and harm.
(18:36):
to the community or thecreation.
So that's the ultimate questionbecause this whole section about
rahmah and saying those sacredwords is about how do we show
up?
How do we present ourselves?
How are we acting in the world?
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And that means to treat everysacred being with that
compassion.
And we know that Allah says inthis dunya, in this world, His
compassion is for everybody.
Unconditional.
He gives even to those whoneglect Him, who reject Him, who
curse on Him.
(19:18):
They are enjoying the samebeautiful clean air.
They are enjoying the same cleanwater.
They have access to the samebeautiful resources.
In this world, everybody isexperiencing Allah's rahmah.
Evident.
And ultimately, we will, wechoose how to, what our choices
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are.
So that's very important becausewhen we say,
UNKNOWN (00:00):
,
SPEAKER_00 (19:46):
these are deep words.
This makes every act holy, everyact is sacred, and it's an
affirmation that Allah's mercyis present.
even in times when we think,where is Allah's mercy?
This is something that we needto internalize and remind
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ourselves.
Very important.
And so let me read on here.
O man, come to your senses.
Is it at all possible that theAll-Glorious One, who causes all
the varieties of creatures toturn towards you and stretch out
their hands to assist you, andto say, here we are in the face
(20:29):
of your needs.
Is it possible that he does notknow you, is not acquainted with
you, does not see you?
Since he does know you, heinforms you that he knows you
through his mercy.
So you should know him too.
See, we should have a desire, alove, a yearning to also, who is
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this creator, this most mercifulbeing?
who knows me, who cares about methe moment I enter this world,
who prepared everything in a waythat is sustaining all my needs.
And so if anybody sends us onemillion gifts to our door, we
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should ask the question, who isit?
Who is the one who creates oneorange gift?
in this season where it's coldand sends me all these amazing
resources of vitamin C, sustainsmy body and my bones and keeps
me healthy and strong andsteady.
(21:37):
Who is it who created theseasons, the sun and the rain
and the clouds and the soil andthe minerals for this orange to
come into existence?
in order to create that orange.
You need the whole universe in acertain constellation for you to
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enjoy that orange, for you toenjoy the vitamins.
We don't know who we are, howimportant we are.
That is the Rahmah.
He knows us, He knows what ourbodies need, and He sends it.
He equips, He packages it intothe fruit.
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And whatever we take in, it'sthe best.
Nothing that Allah has createdis ever or somehow impure or
somehow, how do you say,damaging to our health.
Nothing.
Anything that is raw, pure,wholesome, that is where the
closest connection is withAllah.
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That's why we should always aimfor that type of nutrition.
Like the Quran says, consumewhole, and healthy food,
wholesome food and good food,because that's the one that
Allah has provided for us.
He's given us the best.
So Allah cares about us, thatrahmah, that compassion, that
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mercy is self-evident.
And He knows us, and He informsyou that He knows you through
His mercy.
So you should know Him too.
And with respect, let Him knowwhat you know Him.
And with respect, excuse me, lethim know that you know him and
understand with certainty thatwhat subjugates the vast
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universe to an absolutely weak,that's me, absolutely weak.
I can't even create a drop ofwater.
Absolutely impotent.
I can't create that orange.
I can't create the rain.
I can't create none of this.
I'm absolutely needy.
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Needy, yes, because one virusknocks me down.
Who then provides the care andthe medicine and the strong
health constantly keeps mehealthy?
Allah the most merciful.
And I'm also ephemeral.
I'm a tiny little speck in theflow of humanity.
I'm a very insignificant being.
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I'm finite being.
I'm leaving this earth.
Even as we are living, we aredying.
Even as we are living, we aredying.
Every day we are moving towardsour death, every second.
The wrinkles appear on my face.
The white hair appears on myhead.
Those gentle signals, my healthis declining, the ache and the
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pain, the strength is not as itused to be.
These are the gentle signalsthat Allah tells us.
You're leaving this earth.
You're returning back to yourcelestial home.
And there's nothing to beresisted.
This is just a reality, a factof life, that we are migrant
beings.
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We are coming and leaving.
We are dwelling here for acertain time.
And it says here, you're aninsignificant creature, but he
dispatches everything to assistyou.
And that's the truth of divinemercy, which comprises wisdom,
Favor, knowledge, and power.
(25:11):
So Allah in his divine mercy,mercy doesn't just happen.
There is a lot of wisdom, favor,knowledge, and power.
Who has the power to create thatorange, right?
And put all the elements in theuniverse in the right order for
that orange to exist so it landson your table and that you can
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enjoy it.
Can we please turn off themicrophones?
I hear some backgroundknowledge.
Thank you.
So most certainly a mercy suchas this requires universal and
sincere thanks.
So what is our response to thatoverwhelming mercy and love and
care and generosity?
It should be gratitude.
(25:57):
So thanks and earnest andgenuine respect.
Therefore say thanks.
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, in thename of God, the most merciful,
the most compassionate, which isthe interpreter and expression,
let me flip here, of suchsincere thanks and genuine
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respect.
So every time when we sayBismillahirrahmanirrahim, every
time when we recite these sacredwords, we make a commitment.
We make a commitment.
We reaffirm our oath.
We say, Ya Allah, I have notforgotten.
I have not forgotten.
I testify to your mercy.
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I see it's all evident.
I am sustained by it.
I am strengthened by it.
I'm provided by your sacredmercy.
Ya Allah, let me also be avessel of mercy in this world.
Let me be a person who bringscompassion into the world in
everything that I do.
whether it's in my office, in mywork, in school, outside in my
(27:04):
community.
Let me be an embodiment of yourmercy.
That is ultimate commitment andreaffirmation that we are making
when we say,Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
In your name, Allah, I begin.
But I want to ultimately focuson mercy.
To extend it to everybody.
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in a non-judgmental way, in anunbiased way, and leave the
final judgment to you, Ya Allah.
It's not my, it's not, you know,yours is the final judgment.
And always approach people withgoodness, do my work with the
highest ethics.
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A lot of us are grieving becauseof the recent tragedy in Turkey
and Turkey.
very tragic.
So many families died in atragic fire in a hotel.
And there's a lot of healthyself-reflection, I think, in
this moment.
And I also ask to myself, whatdid I do wrong in this case?
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At the end, it comes down tomorality, ethics, good conduct,
how we do our work.
And you look at the number ofhuman failures.
how a building is built, whatthe negligence, the human
negligence, that certain safetymeasures were not taken care of,
certain safety checks were nottaken care of.
(28:31):
So many things.
Everybody can read and I'm surereflects on this.
But ultimately, at the end, howwe do our work daily, every
moment, how we do it in a waythat lifts up life, how we think
about ethics and akhlaq andmorality and everything that we
do, knowing Allah says, thehadith says, holy narration by
(28:55):
the Prophet Muhammad, Allah isbeautiful and loves it when we
do things beautifully.
If I'm neglectful in my work, ifI don't pay attention, if I'm
acting lazy, if I'm actingcruel, am I honoring Allah's
rahmah?
Look how He's taking care ofevery being.
How can I then be negligent?
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How I can act lazy in the worldor immoral or unethical?
That is contradictory to Allah'smercy.
That is not something that ourtradition promotes.
We have to have the highestmorality, the highest ethics in
place for everything.
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It doesn't matter how peopletreat us, but we always have to
have morality.
that kind of high goal in mind,that I begin everything in the
name of Allah.
He sees me.
He's my witness.
He's a shaheed, the witness tomy work.
He knows my secret thoughts.
And knowing that calls me to bea better human being, to show up
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as the best version of myself.
That's what I love about ourtradition.
It invites us to show us as ourbest version.
I want to be a good person likethe Prophet ﷺ.
I want to say people can trustme.
Not that I do it for people, butthat you are a safe space, that
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people feel that they are notharmed by you, that they are
safe in your presence, thatwhatever work you do, you do
with the highest integrity andprinciple and ethics, that you
pay attention to the detailslike Allah does.
Nothing is little in Allah'sframework of rahmah.
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Even the life of an ant isprotected and cared for.
So how can either anunderstanding rahmah, mercy, act
in the world foolishly or don'tpay attention or speed up on the
highway and disrespect otherpeople's lives and rights?
Impossible if I'm immersed inthis deep understanding of the
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basmala.
Everything I begin in there.
If I enter my car, Ya Allah, inyour name, let me be an
embodiment of mercy.
And that's how I then displaymyself, conduct myself, even as
I'm driving my car.
I pay attention to my speed.
I respect people's rights.
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I preserve everybody's dignitybecause I want to save life.
I want to uplift life.
I'm acting patient on thestreet.
I'm waiting patiently in theline.
because I respect Allah's name,As-Sabur, because Allah loves
the ones who are patient.
Sadly, what we are seeing rightnow is a lack of sacred morality
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and ethics.
Everywhere we go, we see that ashuman beings, we fail to live up
to this high command of theQuran, that Allah calls us to be
an embodiment of mercy, But ifpeople think they cannot trust
each other or they are not safein one another's presence, then
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that's the root cause.
And this is what ultimatelymakes a human being a human,
that core of mercy that Allahhas given us and that we are
invited to show and implement inthe world.
And so that requires alsowisdom, knowledge, gentleness,
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kindness, generosity, I mean,look at how Allah showers us
with endless blessings.
And how much can we even be, Imean, we are not deserving of
that mercy, right?
We didn't apply for that.
We didn't make any effort.
(32:52):
Allah just showers us, just theneeds of our stomach.
How many different types ofblessings when we enter the
store, the market, how much Hecares for us, how many blessings
He created.
So the least we can do, like itsays here, express our thanks
and gratitude in our way ofliving.
(33:13):
Ya Allah, you have given me.
I want to share those blessingswith the world and affirm your
mercy.
It's not for me.
I want to share it with theworld.
And sharing means not justmaterial things, but your
knowledge, your wisdom, yourcompassion, your kindness.
(33:33):
your skills, your gifts, yourtalents.
Everything that Allah has givento you was an act of His divine
mercy.
So what can we then do torespond to it?
What's our response?
First of all, inviting othersinto the sacred space of
learning and knowing who He is.
Second of all, telling them,sharing with them how much they
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are loved and cared for.
And then encouraging them by wayof our own life to share that
mercy with others, to care aboutothers, to not be indifferent.
And so we make that choice.
We make the choice what kind ofhuman being we wanna be, how we
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want to be in the world.
So the existence and reality ofdivine mercy are as clear as the
sun.
For just as a woven tapestrycentered on one point is formed
by the order, and situation ofthe threats of its warp and weft
coming from all directions, sotoo the luminous threats
(34:37):
extending from the manifestationof a thousand and one divine
names and the vast sphere of theuniverse weave such a seal of
compassionateness, tapestry ofclemency, and seal of
benevolence or generosity withina stamp of mercy that it
demonstrates itself to mindsmore brilliantly than the sun.
(35:00):
So when we think of mercy, howAllah sustains life with mercy,
all the divine names areinterwoven here.
So mercy means that Allah alsoprotects us, like he protects
the little cardinals out in thefrozen.
How he protects, so protection,Al-Hafiz, one of Allah's names
is the preserver, the protector,the savior, the recorder.
(35:25):
He protects you and look at,Just open your closet and look
at the different types ofjackets you have, the different
clothes you have, how he adornsyou, how he protects you with
clothing.
And that clothing, yes, also hasadornment.
How many clothes I have withembroidery, silk, leather,
different garments.
(35:48):
That one animal out there hasone type of garment.
But me?
How he honored the human being,me?
how many types of differentgarments I'm wearing every day.
Such blessings, such mercy, suchway of dignifying, honoring the
human being, such generosity.
(36:09):
Everything is serving the humanbeing.
There's a way a deer is clothed,and then look at me, how I'm
clothed, how I am cared for.
I'm protected and adorned anddignified.
Can anybody who thinks andreflects on this, just our way
(36:33):
of being closed by the differentelements in the universe,
cotton, silk, hemp, linen, youname it, can anybody feel
invalidated or worthless orneglected?
That is what gives you a senseof worth.
(36:55):
A sacred worth.
I am loved.
I'm cared for.
Look at me and look at theanimals.
How much honor Allah hasbestowed on the human being.
By his mercy.
Because all these divine namesare interwoven with mercy.
So there's protection.
There's generosity.
Look at the bird, what the birdeats.
(37:16):
And look what I'm eating.
What I'm eating.
Endless blessings I enjoy.
And then equipping me with thispiece of flesh was able to
detect and identify thedifferent flavors and nuances in
every blessing.
And then preserve that in mymemory.
(37:38):
And when I remember, I enjoy itsome more.
I mean, SubhanAllah, Ya Rabb,that's Allah's name, Al-Kareem,
the most generous one.
SubhanAllah, the more I reflect,It makes sense to me why the
Prophet, peace and blessings beupon him, said, how can I not be
a grateful servant to Allah?
(37:59):
From the standpoint ofmaterialistic lifestyle, he had
nothing, but he was able to seethis truth.
How much the human being ishonored by Allah, and how can I
then, his feet were swollen fromso much praying, and they asked
him, why are you praying somuch?
Allah already has granted you,promised you paradise.
(38:22):
I only want to express mygratitude.
Allah has chosen me, spoke tome, closed me, protected me,
sustained me, equipped me with awill, human will, with emotions,
with intellectual abilities,with faculties, with feelings.
(38:44):
Look at me and look at the othercreatures.
That is the reading that we needto cultivate and inshallah share
with the world because I thinkthat's our sacred
responsibility.
We don't know who Allah is, howhe manifests himself in our
lives.
We are blind to these facts.
This is just 1%, not even 1%that I'm sharing.
(39:05):
And so few of us truly engage inthis act of who is Allah?
How does he display hisqualities in the world?
The future is all merciful onewho orders the sun and moon, the
elements and minerals, see, fromthe great to the little, and
(39:28):
plants and animals like the warpand weft of a vast woven
tapestry through the race of histhousand and one names and
causes them to serve life.
See, that's the ultimatepurpose, to serve and elevate
life.
Who is at the center of that?
The human life.
Everything serves human life.
(39:48):
The sun and the moon, theelements and the minerals, the
plants and animals.
How do we serve life?
That's the question here now.
Do we elevate life as we areexisting right now?
Do we make the life of otherseasier, more breathable, more
valuable?
Are we life-giving?
When people are in our presence,are we illuminating them?
(40:12):
Are we...
bringing more hope and lightinto their lives?
Are we curing them?
Are we healing them?
That is the question, my dearsisters.
That is the ultimate question.
How do we serve life?
The highest level of life is thelife of the Spirit.
If somebody is suffering, ifsomebody is in despair and
hopeless, and I'm indifferent toit, I cannot be.
(40:34):
I cannot be, because Allah isnot indifferent.
He cares about every life.
most importantly, human life.
And he demonstrates hiscompassion through the
exceedingly sweet andself-sacrificing compassion of
mothers, land and animal, andsubjugates animate creatures to
(40:56):
human life, right?
The lower level of life, theanimate beings, they all
sacrifice themselves to humanlife.
Everything works for us.
The chicken and their eggs, thecow and their milk, Who is the
beneficiary of this?
Humans.
And none of that we can create.
We don't have the power.
(41:17):
We are the most intelligentbeings, but we cannot create a
drop of milk.
And we cannot create an egg.
And the chicken cannot create anegg.
Mother nature cannot create it.
Mother nature does not havecompassion, consciousness,
wisdom, power, knowledge, didn'tstudy nutrition, didn't study
physics, chemistry.
(41:37):
It's Allah.
When we say mother nature, weactually affirm that mercy is at
the core.
And from this demonstrates man'simportance and a most lovely
large tapestry of divinedominicality and manifests his
brilliant mercy that mostmerciful one has in the face of
(41:59):
his own absolute lack of need,made his mercy an acceptable
intercessor for animatecreatures and men.
This is us.
This is us, the center of theuniverse.
Everything is servant to us, butthat should not lead us to
arrogance.
Allah doesn't love arrogance,istighbar or qibr.
(42:22):
In fact, it should humble us,should make us feel the weight
of responsibility, the weight ofexpressing gratitude.
The one who has put the galaxiesinto perfect constellation for
us to exist.
for us to be able to breatheclean air.
(42:43):
Some weeks ago, I was reading inPakistan or India, smoke alarm,
people are dying in pollutedair.
Hospitals were full.
Children couldn't go to school.
I thought to myself, whoprovides us pure, pure, clean
air all the time?
Who makes the wind circulate allthe time so I can breathe pure
(43:05):
air, be cleansed and nourishedand strengthened?
Who is in charge of that system?
Who established that cleansingsystem?
Allah in His mercy.
But who is the one who disruptsthe balance in the universe?
The human being if he steps intothe darkest pit of his nature.
(43:27):
The human being can be sodestructive, exploiting the
universe, abusing it, misusingit.
disrupting the balance.
That's why Allah says in SurahAr-Rahman, maintain the balance
of the universe.
Everything is perfect, justdon't mess it up.
Just respect the balance, thatcomplexity.
(43:52):
Because if one element isdisturbed, everything falls
apart.
That's what tawheed means, theinterconnectedness.
The oneness of Allah isreflected in the universe.
Everything is interwoven.
Everything is interrelated,interdependent.
It's only human beings who aredisruptive and destructive and
(44:15):
deciding to bring into, youknow, with their moral evil,
cruelty into the world.
And that's why we are fullyaccountable.
We will be held accountable.
Because Allah in His mercy doesnot allow for other creatures
rights to be disturbed.
(44:35):
It's an injustice.
It's a disrespect to his mercyor degrade other people's other
life.
We need to be aware of ourresponsibility.
The things that are happening,Allah has given us enough divine
guidance, enough divinerevelation, amazing messengers
(44:58):
who show us the way and moralexemplars who invite us to be
good people in the world.
Yet, if we decide otherwise,it's our full responsibility.
And then Allah says that onjudgment day, we will have to
respond for our actions.
And of course, even in worldlycourts, you need to be held
(45:21):
accountable if you are harminganother person's life.
And so, How we are acting dailyin every moment, how we are
uplifting and honoring Allah'ssacred names, Ar-Rahman, is
absolutely critical.
It's the core of what we areabout.
(45:44):
If we have mercy with everybody,we have to even, it will inform
our policies, our actions, ourwork, our efforts, everything
will be informed by a sacredworldview.
Oh, what I'm deciding, what I'mdoing, even if I use the water
(46:05):
to wash my dishes, is informedby that sacred mindset.
Because the Prophet ﷺ says, evenif you are at the running river,
don't waste it for ablution.
I mean, even if you're takingyour ablution and you're at the
running river, Don't waste thewater.
(46:25):
Look at that sacred ethics, thehigh morality, and look at those
who today, even in parts of theUnited States where so many
families are denied access toclean water because of greed,
corruption, mismanagement, youname it.
(46:46):
But at the root cause, all ofthis is a lack of high morality.
And lack of believing that Allahsees me.
Allah witnesses what I'm doing.
I will be held accountable.
How I am here right now in myhouse, nobody is here.
But I know Allah is present.
(47:07):
The angels are present.
They are preserving, recordingall my secret thoughts and
actions.
I'm always in the public.
Every text I'm writing, everyemail I'm writing, I'm always
aware Allah sees and reads.
and how I interact with anotherhuman being.
(47:27):
He is, the Qur'an says, he isalways the third between if two
are talking.
And that also naturally shouldinform our conduct.
So subhanAllah, there's so muchto say about Rahman, but I will
stop here.
And inshaAllah we'll continuethis reflection.
(47:49):
Subhanakala, inna lillahil-rahman, inna lillahi l-rahman.
UNKNOWN (47:56):
Thank you.
A'udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
(00:25):
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem Asyou know, I typically begin with
the sacred formula, the Basmala,which basically is an invitation
(00:52):
or reminder to begin everythingin the name of Allah.
And this whole treatise or thischapter, as you remember, is
related to the sacred formula ofBismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim, in
(01:12):
the name of God or with the nameof God, the most merciful, the
most compassionate.
So last week we had alreadystarted with reflecting on the
deeper meanings, the mysteriesof the basmala, how the cosmos
(01:34):
or the book of the creation,which we as Muslims calls the
UNKNOWN (00:00):
,
SPEAKER_00 (01:37):
the book of the universe, basically invites us
into a close reading of Allah'smercy.
And there are moments in ourlives, certainly right now,
where we sometimes feel, is thisworld even, Guided by mercy.
Is there compassion in the worldwhere we are witnessing so much
(02:00):
suffering and evil and injusticeand atrocities?
Everyday things are happeningthat are cruel and cause us
anguish, quite frankly, wherethe heart feels overwhelmed.
So there is a question thatpeople ask themselves.
Is there an all-merciful God?
Is there an all-compassionateGod?
(02:22):
divine creator who is ultimatelyin control, who has agency over
this world, who acts withcompassion in the world.
And the answer to that question,and this question is an
important one because a lot ofpeople reject faith in God
because of that moral question.
(02:43):
If there is an all-loving,all-compassionate God, why is
there so much suffering?
Why is He not intervening?
Why is He allowing for that?
So in this section, we'vealready reflected that divine
mercy is evident in theuniverse.
We have to simply engage in acloser reading of the universe,
(03:05):
of the creation, pay closerattention.
Actually, so many things are soevident and obvious But because
our minds and hearts and eyeshave not been trained that way,
we are not seeing it, right?
Like the Quran says, they haveeyes, but they don't see.
They don't pay attention.
And that's our ultimate duty, asacred obligation to engage in
(03:34):
the art of noticing, of seeingrahmah.
constantly around us.
And yesterday at anotheroccasion, I shared an example.
I was looking out on my desk andI was thinking, these are very,
very frosty, cold weatherconditions for us right now,
(03:56):
here especially in Maryland.
Unusually cold and the minuses.
And I was looking out of mywindow and I saw these birds And
I thought to myself, and thisbeautiful cardinal, red-colored
cardinal, in his amazinggarment, libass, in his
(04:17):
beautiful clothing, looking atme and just simply invited me,
do you think that mercy is notat play?
Do you think that my life is notpreserved by mercy but by
Allah's rahmah?
How else am I able to survive inthis cold if it's not for
Allah's mercy?
(04:38):
Because you look out and you seeall these billions and billions
of animals, creatures, beingprotected, being sustained,
being provided for, being caredfor, being clothed in amazing,
beautiful garments.
Their colors are unique.
But a layer of feather, a layerof feather on the cardinal
(05:00):
looking at me and saying, mymerciful Lord protects me.
Even in this frosty, icyweather, I'm protected, why?
Because Allah's mercy iscovering the universe.
It's vast, that mercy isevident.
And in that moment, I felt somuch comfort.
(05:22):
I felt that my merciful creatorwho takes care of this tiny
little bird in this freezingcold and protects it will surely
not neglect me.
If it would be me, that cardinalwith these tiny feathers, I
would be dead by now.
I can't sustain.
I can't be outside in thatfreezing cold.
(05:43):
Yes, but Allah constantly, byhis vast expanse of rahmah, his
mercy, is sustaining, raising,fostering the universe.
Every tiny little being is caredfor.
No, none of them is forgotten,neglected, abandoned.
(06:04):
None of them.
That's the mercy that we need tosee.
And that's why I'm so gratefulfor this spiritual treasure that
has taught me the closer readingof the book of the universe.
What does it mean to read thesigns of Allah in the cosmos?
Especially if this treatise orthis section tells us in a
(06:25):
Quranic fashion that all beingsare miracles of Allah, signs of
Allah, speaking to us constantlyabout him.
but we neglect to read and payattention.
Similarly, a whole group ofCanadian geese, when it's very
cold, they have this internalinbuilt GPS system where they
(06:49):
orient themselves in the worldand then fly to warmer regions,
pass through our lands here.
I saw a group of them.
And I thought to myself again,who equips them, endows them
with that inborn GPS system.
I'm lost without the GPS system.
I can't find my way.
Yet you have these incrediblebeings who are flying around for
(07:13):
centuries and who are alwaysable to find their way back
home.
This is incredible.
This is how Allah tells us inthe Quran that rahmah, mercy, is
there.
It's evident.
Why are these Canadian geeseequipped created with an inbuilt
GPS system, orientation system,that they are able to navigate
(07:36):
their flight route.
It's because of Rahma.
Somebody thought, somebodycared, somebody knew what they
needed and sent them accordinglyinto this world, ready to
navigate life, to deal with allthe challenges, with the
hardships, I found it amazing.
(07:58):
And as a human being witnessingthat, bearing witness to Allah's
mercy in this moment is soimportant because the whole
world might look at you and say,there is no mercy because the
whole world is immersed insuffering, there's evil,
injustice.
Yet the overwhelming evidenceshows us that Rahmah is at play.
(08:22):
If the human being actsaccording to divine guidance and
according to that divine mercy,he too will be a vessel of mercy
and Rahman.
He too will bring more mercy andcompassion into the world.
And so another example that Igave was the example of bears,
(08:46):
the bears.
And I looked up how many salmonsdo they eat every day?
See, this is the curiosity thatthe human being needs to
cultivate.
The only reason why I'm here isto bear witness to Allah's mercy
and existence.
I looked up how many, because ina documentary I saw that bears
(09:09):
are eating salmon.
And I thought, subhanAllah, theyare eating the best food.
Wild-caught salmon is the bestfood, right?
I'm not talking about thefarm-raised antibiotic one, but
somebody goes out there, fishesfor you.
Wild caught is the best healthysalmon you can get.
Try to buy that one becausethat's the healthy, wholesome
(09:30):
one, not the one that is, youknow, the salmon that is raised
in factories and was hormonespumped.
But the one that Allah providesis the most pure, the
healthiest.
And a grizzly bear, hold on, payattention now, pay heed, because
I'm talking about divine mercy.
A grizzly bear, eats 30, morethan 30 salmons per day, 30
(09:55):
fish.
And I looked up how much is asalmon today, at this moment
today, in the close-by storethat's 11% off today,$8.
$8 for a wild-caught salmon.
Salmon is very expensive, weknow.
(10:15):
And then multiply that with 30,a grizzly bear, Do the math,
$240, the cost to feed a grizzlybear.
There are currently 50,000grizzly bears in North America.
You can all look that up in theinternet.
(10:35):
Do your little search, verify myinformation.
55,000 grizzly bears in NorthAmerica at this point, they are
all cared for.
They are all provided for.
They are all nourished byAllah's divine mercy.
(10:57):
Who feeds them that mostprecious food?
Who knows how much?
And this is 55,000 now in NorthAmerica.
There are more in Alaska andlower parts of North America.
But what I'm wanting to conveyis there is someone who has
created enough provision andsustenance like the Quran says,
(11:19):
who is Ar-Razaq, the trueprovider, the true sustainer,
the true nourisher.
And he does that not becausesomebody forces him, not that
somebody compels him or he's notobliged to do it.
He does it because of his mercy,divine mercy.
(11:40):
Rahmah completely wrapped thiswhole universe.
Who's taking care of thatgrizzly bear every day?
If it would be me or you, we'llbe bankrupt.
We can't afford it.
We can't buy it.
We barely eat salmon for us,ourselves.
Once a week, maybe twice a week,I eat salmon.
It's expensive.
(12:00):
But to give the most preciousfood to this grizzly bear, and
there are billions of otheranimals and creatures out there,
this amazing biodiversity, thisamazing balance, this amazing
arrangement, amazing complex webof life.
Who built that?
Who makes sure that nobody isstarving?
(12:23):
Ya Allah.
Allahu Akbar.
Allah is the greatest.
What more evidence?
This was one example I'm givingyou.
There are more examples likethat.
And this is the type of sacredreading we have to cultivate.
Superficial Islam and Imandoesn't do anymore.
It has to have depth.
(12:45):
What does it mean that the wholesacred universe is saying in the
name of Allah, the mostmerciful, the most
compassionate?
The Gwizdi bear certainlyrecites it in his way of life.
He's saying, who do you thinksustains me for centuries with
salmon?
And the salmons also have aninborn GPS system.
(13:05):
Look that up.
They come back to the originalstate, original location.
They know.
how to return, you know, swimthrough the oceans and rivers
and come back to the exact placewhere they are, then being, you
know, sustaining other life.
So subhanAllah, for me, eventhose one, two examples are
(13:28):
sufficient.
But if I would be immersingmyself more and more, which I'm
trying, just to pick up somesimple children's books, get
some information and complementthat with this reading, huge,
hugely impactful.
Highly recommended.
Go in any children's library,get some of these simply
articulated books and readbetween the lines.
(13:51):
Everything that the Quran talksabout, the birds, the fish, the
trees, the mountains.
This earth is the only habitableplanet in the universe.
It's the heart of the universe.
It's the heart.
Everything is here.
Everything perfectly created,perfectly shaped.
(14:12):
perfectly prepared for humanlife to flourish.
And why are bears important forhuman life?
Let me share that with you.
Bears are important for humanlife because they play a crucial
role in maintaining healthyecosystems by acting as keystone
(14:32):
species, regulating preypopulations, dispersing seeds
through their foraging habits,and contributing to nutrient
cycling, which ultimatelysupports the biodiversity and
balance of the environmenthumans rely on.
Their presence indicates ahealthy habitat for other
species, including humans.
(14:54):
Bears help control populationsof herbivores like deer and
moose, preventing overgrazingand allowing vegetation to
thrive.
I'll share that with you later,but on and on.
We rely on the existence ofevery animal.
If one is missing, life on earthfalls apart, falls out of
(15:15):
balance.
And this is the crucial role ofthe human being as a steward on
earth.
The sacred vicegerent, whom wecall Khalifa tul Arz.
You are nothing in thisuniverse, yet your
responsibility is so great.
how you decide to be in theworld.
(15:35):
And that's why this wholesection about saying in the name
of God, the most compassionate,the most merciful, how do you
begin an act?
How do you begin an act?
Do you begin it in the name ofthe most merciful?
Do you testify to his mercy?
And do you also say, Ya Allah,in this action, let me also
(15:58):
bring mercy into the world.
Let me be merciful.
a manifestation, a vessel ofyour mercy.
Let me be compassionate, caring,loving.
Let me do my work in the bestway.
And that's why when we say thesacred formula, these sacred
words, we are affirming thatthis universe is guided by
(16:19):
mercy.
We're testifying to it.
We witness it, and we say, YaAllah, I made the choice to be
also an embodiment of mercy,like the Prophet ﷺ.
peace and blessings be upon him,who was sent as a mercy to all
creation.
And we see that in his conduct.
(16:39):
So whatever we do, we should dowith beauty and compassion, with
wisdom.
Every time when we recite this,these sacred words, that's a
powerful reminder.
These days, what's missing inour conduct, wherever we show up
in schools, at our workplaces,What is missing as we are
witnessing tragedies is goodcharacter, caring, compassionate
(17:06):
character, good conduct, ethics,morality.
People are not doing their workbeautifully.
And that's why we have so manyissues or they decide to be
destructive.
Or we decide to bring evil intothe world and to be cruel and
harmful and hurtful.
(17:27):
Those are the choices we makeevery day in every situation.
Am I saying, in the name ofmercy, and bring mercy into the
world?
Or am I bringing cruelty intothe world?
And that reflects in ourworkplaces, wherever we show up
in our different roles, asparents, as coworkers, as
(17:52):
citizens.
Who are we?
Who are we?
Are we doing what Allah calls usto do?
Are we bringing compassion andbeauty and wisdom into the world
like He does?
He doesn't neglect any being,but what is it about us, right?
So that's the question becauseEvery time it comes down to
(18:15):
good, compassionate character.
Good, compassionate character.
Am I following the ProphetSallallahu Alaihi Wasallam's
footsteps?
Am I also like him, a mercy tothe world?
Or will people say, I'm relievedthis person is gone?
Because they were just such aburden and harm.
(18:36):
to the community or thecreation.
So that's the ultimate questionbecause this whole section about
rahmah and saying those sacredwords is about how do we show
up?
How do we present ourselves?
How are we acting in the world?
(18:56):
And that means to treat everysacred being with that
compassion.
And we know that Allah says inthis dunya, in this world, His
compassion is for everybody.
Unconditional.
He gives even to those whoneglect Him, who reject Him, who
curse on Him.
(19:18):
They are enjoying the samebeautiful clean air.
They are enjoying the same cleanwater.
They have access to the samebeautiful resources.
In this world, everybody isexperiencing Allah's rahmah.
Evident.
And ultimately, we will, wechoose how to, what our choices
(19:40):
are.
So that's very important becausewhen we say,
UNKNOWN (00:00):
,
SPEAKER_00 (19:46):
these are deep words.
This makes every act holy, everyact is sacred, and it's an
affirmation that Allah's mercyis present.
even in times when we think,where is Allah's mercy?
This is something that we needto internalize and remind
(20:07):
ourselves.
Very important.
And so let me read on here.
O man, come to your senses.
Is it at all possible that theAll-Glorious One, who causes all
the varieties of creatures toturn towards you and stretch out
their hands to assist you, andto say, here we are in the face
(20:29):
of your needs.
Is it possible that he does notknow you, is not acquainted with
you, does not see you?
Since he does know you, heinforms you that he knows you
through his mercy.
So you should know him too.
See, we should have a desire, alove, a yearning to also, who is
(20:52):
this creator, this most mercifulbeing?
who knows me, who cares about methe moment I enter this world,
who prepared everything in a waythat is sustaining all my needs.
And so if anybody sends us onemillion gifts to our door, we
(21:14):
should ask the question, who isit?
Who is the one who creates oneorange gift?
in this season where it's coldand sends me all these amazing
resources of vitamin C, sustainsmy body and my bones and keeps
me healthy and strong andsteady.
(21:37):
Who is it who created theseasons, the sun and the rain
and the clouds and the soil andthe minerals for this orange to
come into existence?
in order to create that orange.
You need the whole universe in acertain constellation for you to
(21:57):
enjoy that orange, for you toenjoy the vitamins.
We don't know who we are, howimportant we are.
That is the Rahmah.
He knows us, He knows what ourbodies need, and He sends it.
He equips, He packages it intothe fruit.
(22:18):
And whatever we take in, it'sthe best.
Nothing that Allah has createdis ever or somehow impure or
somehow, how do you say,damaging to our health.
Nothing.
Anything that is raw, pure,wholesome, that is where the
closest connection is withAllah.
(22:39):
That's why we should always aimfor that type of nutrition.
Like the Quran says, consumewhole, and healthy food,
wholesome food and good food,because that's the one that
Allah has provided for us.
He's given us the best.
So Allah cares about us, thatrahmah, that compassion, that
(23:02):
mercy is self-evident.
And He knows us, and He informsyou that He knows you through
His mercy.
So you should know Him too.
And with respect, let Him knowwhat you know Him.
And with respect, excuse me, lethim know that you know him and
understand with certainty thatwhat subjugates the vast
(23:23):
universe to an absolutely weak,that's me, absolutely weak.
I can't even create a drop ofwater.
Absolutely impotent.
I can't create that orange.
I can't create the rain.
I can't create none of this.
I'm absolutely needy.
(23:44):
Needy, yes, because one virusknocks me down.
Who then provides the care andthe medicine and the strong
health constantly keeps mehealthy?
Allah the most merciful.
And I'm also ephemeral.
I'm a tiny little speck in theflow of humanity.
I'm a very insignificant being.
(24:06):
I'm finite being.
I'm leaving this earth.
Even as we are living, we aredying.
Even as we are living, we aredying.
Every day we are moving towardsour death, every second.
The wrinkles appear on my face.
The white hair appears on myhead.
Those gentle signals, my healthis declining, the ache and the
(24:31):
pain, the strength is not as itused to be.
These are the gentle signalsthat Allah tells us.
You're leaving this earth.
You're returning back to yourcelestial home.
And there's nothing to beresisted.
This is just a reality, a factof life, that we are migrant
beings.
(24:51):
We are coming and leaving.
We are dwelling here for acertain time.
And it says here, you're aninsignificant creature, but he
dispatches everything to assistyou.
And that's the truth of divinemercy, which comprises wisdom,
Favor, knowledge, and power.
(25:11):
So Allah in his divine mercy,mercy doesn't just happen.
There is a lot of wisdom, favor,knowledge, and power.
Who has the power to create thatorange, right?
And put all the elements in theuniverse in the right order for
that orange to exist so it landson your table and that you can
(25:35):
enjoy it.
Can we please turn off themicrophones?
I hear some backgroundknowledge.
Thank you.
So most certainly a mercy suchas this requires universal and
sincere thanks.
So what is our response to thatoverwhelming mercy and love and
care and generosity?
It should be gratitude.
(25:57):
So thanks and earnest andgenuine respect.
Therefore say thanks.
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, in thename of God, the most merciful,
the most compassionate, which isthe interpreter and expression,
let me flip here, of suchsincere thanks and genuine
(26:21):
respect.
So every time when we sayBismillahirrahmanirrahim, every
time when we recite these sacredwords, we make a commitment.
We make a commitment.
We reaffirm our oath.
We say, Ya Allah, I have notforgotten.
I have not forgotten.
I testify to your mercy.
(26:41):
I see it's all evident.
I am sustained by it.
I am strengthened by it.
I'm provided by your sacredmercy.
Ya Allah, let me also be avessel of mercy in this world.
Let me be a person who bringscompassion into the world in
everything that I do.
whether it's in my office, in mywork, in school, outside in my
(27:04):
community.
Let me be an embodiment of yourmercy.
That is ultimate commitment andreaffirmation that we are making
when we say,Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
In your name, Allah, I begin.
But I want to ultimately focuson mercy.
To extend it to everybody.
(27:27):
in a non-judgmental way, in anunbiased way, and leave the
final judgment to you, Ya Allah.
It's not my, it's not, you know,yours is the final judgment.
And always approach people withgoodness, do my work with the
highest ethics.
(27:48):
A lot of us are grieving becauseof the recent tragedy in Turkey
and Turkey.
very tragic.
So many families died in atragic fire in a hotel.
And there's a lot of healthyself-reflection, I think, in
this moment.
And I also ask to myself, whatdid I do wrong in this case?
(28:09):
At the end, it comes down tomorality, ethics, good conduct,
how we do our work.
And you look at the number ofhuman failures.
how a building is built, whatthe negligence, the human
negligence, that certain safetymeasures were not taken care of,
certain safety checks were nottaken care of.
(28:31):
So many things.
Everybody can read and I'm surereflects on this.
But ultimately, at the end, howwe do our work daily, every
moment, how we do it in a waythat lifts up life, how we think
about ethics and akhlaq andmorality and everything that we
do, knowing Allah says, thehadith says, holy narration by
(28:55):
the Prophet Muhammad, Allah isbeautiful and loves it when we
do things beautifully.
If I'm neglectful in my work, ifI don't pay attention, if I'm
acting lazy, if I'm actingcruel, am I honoring Allah's
rahmah?
Look how He's taking care ofevery being.
How can I then be negligent?
(29:15):
How I can act lazy in the worldor immoral or unethical?
That is contradictory to Allah'smercy.
That is not something that ourtradition promotes.
We have to have the highestmorality, the highest ethics in
place for everything.
(29:35):
It doesn't matter how peopletreat us, but we always have to
have morality.
that kind of high goal in mind,that I begin everything in the
name of Allah.
He sees me.
He's my witness.
He's a shaheed, the witness tomy work.
He knows my secret thoughts.
And knowing that calls me to bea better human being, to show up
(30:00):
as the best version of myself.
That's what I love about ourtradition.
It invites us to show us as ourbest version.
I want to be a good person likethe Prophet ﷺ.
I want to say people can trustme.
Not that I do it for people, butthat you are a safe space, that
(30:21):
people feel that they are notharmed by you, that they are
safe in your presence, thatwhatever work you do, you do
with the highest integrity andprinciple and ethics, that you
pay attention to the detailslike Allah does.
Nothing is little in Allah'sframework of rahmah.
(30:43):
Even the life of an ant isprotected and cared for.
So how can either anunderstanding rahmah, mercy, act
in the world foolishly or don'tpay attention or speed up on the
highway and disrespect otherpeople's lives and rights?
Impossible if I'm immersed inthis deep understanding of the
(31:06):
basmala.
Everything I begin in there.
If I enter my car, Ya Allah, inyour name, let me be an
embodiment of mercy.
And that's how I then displaymyself, conduct myself, even as
I'm driving my car.
I pay attention to my speed.
I respect people's rights.
(31:26):
I preserve everybody's dignitybecause I want to save life.
I want to uplift life.
I'm acting patient on thestreet.
I'm waiting patiently in theline.
because I respect Allah's name,As-Sabur, because Allah loves
the ones who are patient.
Sadly, what we are seeing rightnow is a lack of sacred morality
(31:50):
and ethics.
Everywhere we go, we see that ashuman beings, we fail to live up
to this high command of theQuran, that Allah calls us to be
an embodiment of mercy, But ifpeople think they cannot trust
each other or they are not safein one another's presence, then
(32:11):
that's the root cause.
And this is what ultimatelymakes a human being a human,
that core of mercy that Allahhas given us and that we are
invited to show and implement inthe world.
And so that requires alsowisdom, knowledge, gentleness,
(32:32):
kindness, generosity, I mean,look at how Allah showers us
with endless blessings.
And how much can we even be, Imean, we are not deserving of
that mercy, right?
We didn't apply for that.
We didn't make any effort.
(32:52):
Allah just showers us, just theneeds of our stomach.
How many different types ofblessings when we enter the
store, the market, how much Hecares for us, how many blessings
He created.
So the least we can do, like itsays here, express our thanks
and gratitude in our way ofliving.
(33:13):
Ya Allah, you have given me.
I want to share those blessingswith the world and affirm your
mercy.
It's not for me.
I want to share it with theworld.
And sharing means not justmaterial things, but your
knowledge, your wisdom, yourcompassion, your kindness.
(33:33):
your skills, your gifts, yourtalents.
Everything that Allah has givento you was an act of His divine
mercy.
So what can we then do torespond to it?
What's our response?
First of all, inviting othersinto the sacred space of
learning and knowing who He is.
Second of all, telling them,sharing with them how much they
(33:55):
are loved and cared for.
And then encouraging them by wayof our own life to share that
mercy with others, to care aboutothers, to not be indifferent.
And so we make that choice.
We make the choice what kind ofhuman being we wanna be, how we
(34:15):
want to be in the world.
So the existence and reality ofdivine mercy are as clear as the
sun.
For just as a woven tapestrycentered on one point is formed
by the order, and situation ofthe threats of its warp and weft
coming from all directions, sotoo the luminous threats
(34:37):
extending from the manifestationof a thousand and one divine
names and the vast sphere of theuniverse weave such a seal of
compassionateness, tapestry ofclemency, and seal of
benevolence or generosity withina stamp of mercy that it
demonstrates itself to mindsmore brilliantly than the sun.
(35:00):
So when we think of mercy, howAllah sustains life with mercy,
all the divine names areinterwoven here.
So mercy means that Allah alsoprotects us, like he protects
the little cardinals out in thefrozen.
How he protects, so protection,Al-Hafiz, one of Allah's names
is the preserver, the protector,the savior, the recorder.
(35:25):
He protects you and look at,Just open your closet and look
at the different types ofjackets you have, the different
clothes you have, how he adornsyou, how he protects you with
clothing.
And that clothing, yes, also hasadornment.
How many clothes I have withembroidery, silk, leather,
different garments.
(35:48):
That one animal out there hasone type of garment.
But me?
How he honored the human being,me?
how many types of differentgarments I'm wearing every day.
Such blessings, such mercy, suchway of dignifying, honoring the
human being, such generosity.
(36:09):
Everything is serving the humanbeing.
There's a way a deer is clothed,and then look at me, how I'm
clothed, how I am cared for.
I'm protected and adorned anddignified.
Can anybody who thinks andreflects on this, just our way
(36:33):
of being closed by the differentelements in the universe,
cotton, silk, hemp, linen, youname it, can anybody feel
invalidated or worthless orneglected?
That is what gives you a senseof worth.
(36:55):
A sacred worth.
I am loved.
I'm cared for.
Look at me and look at theanimals.
How much honor Allah hasbestowed on the human being.
By his mercy.
Because all these divine namesare interwoven with mercy.
So there's protection.
There's generosity.
Look at the bird, what the birdeats.
(37:16):
And look what I'm eating.
What I'm eating.
Endless blessings I enjoy.
And then equipping me with thispiece of flesh was able to
detect and identify thedifferent flavors and nuances in
every blessing.
And then preserve that in mymemory.
(37:38):
And when I remember, I enjoy itsome more.
I mean, SubhanAllah, Ya Rabb,that's Allah's name, Al-Kareem,
the most generous one.
SubhanAllah, the more I reflect,It makes sense to me why the
Prophet, peace and blessings beupon him, said, how can I not be
a grateful servant to Allah?
(37:59):
From the standpoint ofmaterialistic lifestyle, he had
nothing, but he was able to seethis truth.
How much the human being ishonored by Allah, and how can I
then, his feet were swollen fromso much praying, and they asked
him, why are you praying somuch?
Allah already has granted you,promised you paradise.
(38:22):
I only want to express mygratitude.
Allah has chosen me, spoke tome, closed me, protected me,
sustained me, equipped me with awill, human will, with emotions,
with intellectual abilities,with faculties, with feelings.
(38:44):
Look at me and look at the othercreatures.
That is the reading that we needto cultivate and inshallah share
with the world because I thinkthat's our sacred
responsibility.
We don't know who Allah is, howhe manifests himself in our
lives.
We are blind to these facts.
This is just 1%, not even 1%that I'm sharing.
(39:05):
And so few of us truly engage inthis act of who is Allah?
How does he display hisqualities in the world?
The future is all merciful onewho orders the sun and moon, the
elements and minerals, see, fromthe great to the little, and
(39:28):
plants and animals like the warpand weft of a vast woven
tapestry through the race of histhousand and one names and
causes them to serve life.
See, that's the ultimatepurpose, to serve and elevate
life.
Who is at the center of that?
The human life.
Everything serves human life.
(39:48):
The sun and the moon, theelements and the minerals, the
plants and animals.
How do we serve life?
That's the question here now.
Do we elevate life as we areexisting right now?
Do we make the life of otherseasier, more breathable, more
valuable?
Are we life-giving?
When people are in our presence,are we illuminating them?
(40:12):
Are we...
bringing more hope and lightinto their lives?
Are we curing them?
Are we healing them?
That is the question, my dearsisters.
That is the ultimate question.
How do we serve life?
The highest level of life is thelife of the Spirit.
If somebody is suffering, ifsomebody is in despair and
hopeless, and I'm indifferent toit, I cannot be.
(40:34):
I cannot be, because Allah isnot indifferent.
He cares about every life.
most importantly, human life.
And he demonstrates hiscompassion through the
exceedingly sweet andself-sacrificing compassion of
mothers, land and animal, andsubjugates animate creatures to
(40:56):
human life, right?
The lower level of life, theanimate beings, they all
sacrifice themselves to humanlife.
Everything works for us.
The chicken and their eggs, thecow and their milk, Who is the
beneficiary of this?
Humans.
And none of that we can create.
We don't have the power.
(41:17):
We are the most intelligentbeings, but we cannot create a
drop of milk.
And we cannot create an egg.
And the chicken cannot create anegg.
Mother nature cannot create it.
Mother nature does not havecompassion, consciousness,
wisdom, power, knowledge, didn'tstudy nutrition, didn't study
physics, chemistry.
(41:37):
It's Allah.
When we say mother nature, weactually affirm that mercy is at
the core.
And from this demonstrates man'simportance and a most lovely
large tapestry of divinedominicality and manifests his
brilliant mercy that mostmerciful one has in the face of
(41:59):
his own absolute lack of need,made his mercy an acceptable
intercessor for animatecreatures and men.
This is us.
This is us, the center of theuniverse.
Everything is servant to us, butthat should not lead us to
arrogance.
Allah doesn't love arrogance,istighbar or qibr.
(42:22):
In fact, it should humble us,should make us feel the weight
of responsibility, the weight ofexpressing gratitude.
The one who has put the galaxiesinto perfect constellation for
us to exist.
for us to be able to breatheclean air.
(42:43):
Some weeks ago, I was reading inPakistan or India, smoke alarm,
people are dying in pollutedair.
Hospitals were full.
Children couldn't go to school.
I thought to myself, whoprovides us pure, pure, clean
air all the time?
Who makes the wind circulate allthe time so I can breathe pure
(43:05):
air, be cleansed and nourishedand strengthened?
Who is in charge of that system?
Who established that cleansingsystem?
Allah in His mercy.
But who is the one who disruptsthe balance in the universe?
The human being if he steps intothe darkest pit of his nature.
(43:27):
The human being can be sodestructive, exploiting the
universe, abusing it, misusingit.
disrupting the balance.
That's why Allah says in SurahAr-Rahman, maintain the balance
of the universe.
Everything is perfect, justdon't mess it up.
Just respect the balance, thatcomplexity.
(43:52):
Because if one element isdisturbed, everything falls
apart.
That's what tawheed means, theinterconnectedness.
The oneness of Allah isreflected in the universe.
Everything is interwoven.
Everything is interrelated,interdependent.
It's only human beings who aredisruptive and destructive and
(44:15):
deciding to bring into, youknow, with their moral evil,
cruelty into the world.
And that's why we are fullyaccountable.
We will be held accountable.
Because Allah in His mercy doesnot allow for other creatures
rights to be disturbed.
(44:35):
It's an injustice.
It's a disrespect to his mercyor degrade other people's other
life.
We need to be aware of ourresponsibility.
The things that are happening,Allah has given us enough divine
guidance, enough divinerevelation, amazing messengers
(44:58):
who show us the way and moralexemplars who invite us to be
good people in the world.
Yet, if we decide otherwise,it's our full responsibility.
And then Allah says that onjudgment day, we will have to
respond for our actions.
And of course, even in worldlycourts, you need to be held
(45:21):
accountable if you are harminganother person's life.
And so, How we are acting dailyin every moment, how we are
uplifting and honoring Allah'ssacred names, Ar-Rahman, is
absolutely critical.
It's the core of what we areabout.
(45:44):
If we have mercy with everybody,we have to even, it will inform
our policies, our actions, ourwork, our efforts, everything
will be informed by a sacredworldview.
Oh, what I'm deciding, what I'mdoing, even if I use the water
(46:05):
to wash my dishes, is informedby that sacred mindset.
Because the Prophet ﷺ says, evenif you are at the running river,
don't waste it for ablution.
I mean, even if you're takingyour ablution and you're at the
running river, Don't waste thewater.
(46:25):
Look at that sacred ethics, thehigh morality, and look at those
who today, even in parts of theUnited States where so many
families are denied access toclean water because of greed,
corruption, mismanagement, youname it.
(46:46):
But at the root cause, all ofthis is a lack of high morality.
And lack of believing that Allahsees me.
Allah witnesses what I'm doing.
I will be held accountable.
How I am here right now in myhouse, nobody is here.
But I know Allah is present.
(47:07):
The angels are present.
They are preserving, recordingall my secret thoughts and
actions.
I'm always in the public.
Every text I'm writing, everyemail I'm writing, I'm always
aware Allah sees and reads.
and how I interact with anotherhuman being.
(47:27):
He is, the Qur'an says, he isalways the third between if two
are talking.
And that also naturally shouldinform our conduct.
So subhanAllah, there's so muchto say about Rahman, but I will
stop here.
And inshaAllah we'll continuethis reflection.
(47:49):
Subhanakala, inna lillahil-rahman, inna lillahi l-rahman.
UNKNOWN (47:56):
Thank you.
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