 I like this to show gratitude to this community and to my beloved Imam Zaid and the community in the Bay Area for hosting us and the scholars who flew from different parts of the United States to be here. We have received tremendous generosity and hospitality and I would like to thank them, Allah is Shukr Allah, Allah is Shukr to the people who have not shown gratitude towards people, he or she not shown gratitude towards Allah SWT. You know I have five daughters, masha'Allah. And therefore I would like to begin this speech by saying that one of the giant people that was standing on the shoulders are women. When I was in Mecca, I told the judge, a Mecca city, a city of Mecca, the city has been established by the effort of women. Hajar alaihi salam, when Ibrahim alaihi salam left her in that place, he said, Oh Allah, I left my family in the valley with no vegetation, oh Allah for the purpose to establish prayer, let people be around them, people come around them and that's how Hajar alaihi salam and Ismail alaihi salam was the foundation of that city, Allah brought people because Zemzum came in and a woman who gave all her wealth in that city for me to become a Muslim and you, it's Khadija, Allah SWT. And the first person who gave their life for Islam in that city was Sumaia, Allah SWT. For I was saying to them, you know when you stand standing on the shoulder of people, those are the people who are standing on their shoulder and therefore the, when we think about our legacy, our spiritual legacy, we have to think about those people who made it possible for me to become a Muslim and you, those are the people who established this community because of them we have this masjid, because of them we have people like me and all the other speakers in here saying La ilaha illallah Muhammad Rasoolallah. Those are the best students of the prophets, from Prophet Ibrahim alaihi salam to Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, who carried this masjid to all of us. But tonight we're here to speak about a dear brother, an imam, imam Sa'id al-Hajj. And when I come to this country 30 years ago, I don't mind for you gussing my age, no problem, I was advised to watch a movie, a series called Eyes on the Prize. And the professor who advised me to do that, he said, because I want you to know what it looked like to be a black man in America. That was the best advice I have seen or heard. And I watched tapes, videocasset tapes, no DVD, 17 of them, I watched them, yes, one. And I didn't have a machine in my home, but I watched them in the library, the University of Maryland, and it changed my perspective. And at that time I was near to the country, it was my father, and Allah bless his soul, I'm Allah. And until I came to a gathering in the mall, that what Muslim was gathered from around the United States and non-Muslim to speak with their brothers and sisters in Bosnia, I don't know if you remember that rally. And I was sitting there and Imam Sa'id al-Hajj went to the microphone to speak, like Dr. Rania saying, I memorized every single word of him, and I said, I would like to speak like this man, I want to be passionate like this man, I don't know who he is, I don't know his name at the time, except the man said, Sa'ad al-Hajj. And I like Surat al-Nabak, because his name is Sa'ad al-Hajj. And I said, Subhan Allah, look how people are passionate about Islam in America. And this man, if he spoke Arabic, because I was living in English, maybe he can change at the time, he spoke the same way, become Khatib in Arabic, maybe he can change so many people in the Muslim world. But I didn't realize at the time how much change he's doing that really impacting the Muslim world. And then I come to know that the effort he made in the inner city. And I said to myself, now I see Imam Sa'ad al-Hajj as an African American Imam, leaders of Muslim in America, but I can appreciate. Also Rosa Park was made it possible for him and I to be able to be free in some sense and to be able to have full participation in society. Remember at that time I didn't have a car, I used to ride the bus. And I was saying that for that lady Rosa Park, to refuse to give her seat, I made it possible for many leaders in this country like me to be able to participate, to be able to have a voice. I have to show appreciation for Imam Sa'ad al-Hajj and all the legacy also in America that come before him. And therefore my dear brothers and sisters, when we think about people like Imam Sa'ad al-Hajj. We cannot just say just thank you, but we have to show a genuine appreciation for a man who traveled almost every city in the United States and there's millions of dollars for Masajid to stand with him and his family in difficult time. To be there for him in a difficult time. That's how we show appreciation to people. Because I can have lip service and say, I'm talking about me personally, I said I really appreciate Imam Sa'ad al-Hajj and this and that, but until I show how I appreciate him. Rasulullah al-Sallam said that if any part of it aches, especially if that part of the body is so essential to the body, that your body would act more, maybe more painful to have an eye pain than to have a finger pain. And that's what I really want to share with you today. That I think as a Muslim community to show appreciation to someone like Imam Sa'ad al-Hajj to say to him, what do you and your family need this time, I want to be there for you. Going back to the hadith that I just mentioned earlier, Rasulullah al-Sallam said, laishkur Allah ma laishkuran nas, no one will show gratitude towards Allah unless he or she show gratitude towards people. What to conclude by saying the following, you know each one of us when he or she reflect in their own life, we have people who influence our life and way on another. Some of those people have passed away, they're not with us, like my father, my loveless soul, like my mother, we make dua for the people who have passed away, but people who are living among us, we church them, we don't wait until you spoke to them in the past tense. We say we're here for you, we hear you, we feel your pain, and we would like to show our solidarity or appreciation to you. You know my father, Rahmallah, one time told me, he said son, do you remember the first person who taught you how to read or write, the teacher, and the name of a teacher? He said you forgot, and I remember who taught you how to write, he said do you remember that one who sent you to that preschool called Raouda in Sudan, which is, I don't recall it now, you know, to study the alphabet, he said I want you to make the dua, that is by the name of Nafisa, only to make the dua for her, because he was telling me, because we live in a different city, she passed away last month, he said that the first person who taught you how to read or write, she taught you the alphabet, then we'll send you to the Quranic school. My point that sometime it will become big, become known, and you forget who made us who we are, and I'm going to tell you, it was no hesitation, I'm standing on the shoulder of Imam Sa'a Gohan. This man many times gave me advice and encouragement, he come and taught us at Adam's center, this outreach Adam does and so forth, he's the first person to give us a workshop, how to reach out to other people, at Adam's center, when Adam's 500 Grove Street, and I attended that workshop. For Maulah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala bless this community, beautiful community of yours, and Imam Zaid and all the great people who invited us to be here, and Maulah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala preserve Imam Sa'a Gohan and his family and give him ease as difficult time, and Maulah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala reward you for reaching out and helping him and his family. Jazakumul Khair, As Salaamu Alaykum.