 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم أحمد لله رب العالمين وأفضل الصلابة متسنين على سيدنا مولانا محمدا وعلى آله وصاحبه وسلم أجمعين سبحانكا لا إِنَّ مَلَا إِلَّمَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّ كَنْتَ العَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ وَلَا حُولَا وَلَا كُوَةِ إِلَّهَ بِاللَّهِ أَلْعَلِيرْ عَظِيمِ وشراننا معشرة الإسلام إننا من الإيناية رُكنا غيرا من هدمي لما دا الله دعينا لتاعته بأكرم الرسلي كنا أكرم الأممي الحمد لله غااتعين لنا أو أساملي أو مسلم وكل of the various shahairahs of Allah سبحانه وتعالى the sacred symbols of this religion if we have exaltation in our hearts for them it is a sign that we are people of taqwa that we are mindful of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and putting everything in its proper place تعالين, exaltation, magnification, esteem, respect is one of the greatest signs that we've learned something of how to have adab manners before our Lord سبحانه وتعالى and manners with what He commanded us to have manners within His creation to barakah وتعالى and as you and I go throughout life no doubt we will be exposed to a lot and anyone that lives a long period of time will see a lot and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told us to the companions من يعيش منكم any of those of you that will live that you are going to see all different types of things and then the Prophet left guidance behind the satellite and for how it is that we need to be in relation to everything that it is that we will see everything will be different as we grow up we move through those teenage years we enter into our 20's we go through various changes then and we go through changes as we get into our late 20's we go through changes and we get into our late 30's we go through changes and we get into our late 40's the various stages or اطوار of life but what it is we want every single stage of our life and all of the sub-stages to be connected to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam one of the most beautiful sarawat one of our teachers اللهم صلي و السلام على سيد محمدان that نورك الساري و مددك الجاري وجمعني بهي بكل اطواري asking Allah سبحانه وتعالى to gather us and unite us with Him in all of the various stages of our life so that everything that is that we go through everything that it is that we experience throughout life it's connected to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam if we go through tribulation it's connected to him and how he that experienced tribulation and how he responded if we go through times of prosperity that it's connected to him and we experience that and exemplify traits of Erbudia in the way that he does sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and every other possible situation in which we can find guidance of our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and most of us here are familiar faces these are things that you and I do day in and day out week in and week out month in and month out year in and year out and this is something that is beautiful this is something that you and I want to live upon and this is something that you and I want to die upon we don't want these gatherings to have a shelf life and for us just to attend them and to think that they're only important for part of our life you and I want to experience these gatherings and deem them to be important throughout our lives and this is something that we want to nurture in our children and to nurture in our grandchildren and our great grandchildren and our great great grandchildren to appreciate the importance of the remembrance of Allah ونحيد قذكر and especially on the special night later to Juma this is something that you and I should set in our minds from now until the day that we meet Allah that that the night until Juma is a time and a night for zikr this is a night to remember Allah SWT this is a night where is there anyone that has a need such that I may take care of that need is there anyone asking for anything such that I may grant them what is that they're asking is there anyone seeking forgiveness such that I may forgive them right now نحن الآن كما نتحدث عن this door is open for our needs to be taken care of for our sins to be forgiven for anything it is that we are asking for for it to be granted to us where we only to perceive that people of Allah الله سبحانه وتعالى look forward to these times later to Juma and then the day that follows it is a day that you and I should look forward to throughout the week. And Imam Al-Sha'rani mentioned is that the righteous used to wait for the time between the prayers because we know this is a time that dua is answered that he would wait for the time before between the Adhan and the Iqama to present their prayers to Allah سبحانه وتعالى to present their needs to Allah سبحانه وتعالى they in other words they knew how to live they knew how to return back to the Lord and how it is that they needed to be and of all of the things that we can supplicate for us for especially in relation to our close brothers and sisters that Allah has blessed us to establish a relationship with the people of Allah سبحانه وتعالى mentioned there are four things specifically that you should make do offer for your close brothers and sisters four things of course anything good you can make do offer them but these four things are at the heart of the entire matter. This is the crux of the entire matter and they are These four things are the greatest four things that you can ask for people that are close to you and the first is which we all of course know is a brightness rectitude persevering in one's Dean and we know that this is something that is not easy to have as Allah سبحانه وتعالى commanded the best of creation and in there are some indication is that this is what gave our blessed Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم his blessed gray hairs remain upright as you have been commanded to do as you've been commanded to be uprightness is not something that is easy and ultimately as our Lord says that in relation to that those that he bestows his favor upon سبحانه وتعالى that those who say those who say our Lord is Allah سبحانه وتعالى and then they remain upright what does that uprightness look like practically in our lives as we go through these various stages we find ourselves adhering to the five deity prayers that is a staple part of our practice when we know that the very best of the the very best of all actions according to our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is prayer in the first part of the time how are you and I with prayer how are you and I in relation to establishing the prayer and fulfilling the prayer in realizing the benefits of the prayer and we know that human beings by nature that we have been created impatient is that we are very quick to get out of our comfort zone if the smallest thing happens to us and a lot about what it says إن إن إنسان الخرقة هلوعة if humans have been created impatient إذا مصه الشبره جزوعة look at the what Allah سبحانه وتعالى says if we are touched if human beings are touched even the slightest bit of evil of harm of difficulty جزوعة we tend to panic and we become distressed this slightest little thing happens to us is that we might have a rock in our shoe and not be able to concentrate is that we might have a slight little rash and we are irritable the entire day the smallest little thing happens that our water heater breaks down or that there's a fly in the house and it's a قاومة القيامة the tiniest little thing that makes us bent out of shape إذا مصه شره جزوعة that we tend to panic and we tend to lose patience and we tend to respond irassibly وإذا مصه الخيره and if they are touched by something good the slightest amount of good comes to us we tend to withhold and become miserly and to only want it for ourselves or to attribute it to ourselves or to claim that it was from something that we've earned or something that we are entitled to but there is an exception to these traits that we won't say necessarily that they're from human nature but human beings are prone to them if that we do not establish religion in our lives because a lot of what I think goes on to say إلل مصالين except those who pray إلل دينه هم عد سراته هم ده إيمون those who are consistent in their prayers day in and day out the greatest regulating force of the believer are the five daily prayers that you and I establish in our lives so we need to always remind us of how are we praying those five daily prayers what is the state of our heart in those prayers when are we praying them how are they praying them are we praying them in congregation what are we wearing when we pray them do we give it it's do right or are we that because we have to go that we quickly rush to pray and then send sonams and whoop get right up and then head out prayer is of that it's for our own benefit prayer does not benefit we are the ones that benefit from it and this is just one of many examples of what it means to have إستقامة because just as it means in terms of doing it also means in terms of refraining resisting the urges as we go through the various stages of our life we all زهد is not a sunna of the past and just because we live in the Silicon Valley wherever we live in the United States of America or in the time in which we live and our Prophet prophesied that money was going to become widespread in the end of time we knew that this is something that was going to happen but despite the ability because despite the fact that we have the ability to do something doesn't mean that we should actually do it learning to cut back learning to detach ourselves from the world in which we live especially as we go through the various stages of our life this is critical so the first thing that we can supplicate for our own selves and for our close brothers and sisters is to have إستقامة are all in need of this إستقامة and then the second thing is تبات this relates to إستقامة but it's slightly different and تبات is to remain firm تبات is to remain principled تبات is to resist the urge to the judge in a way that somehow you're compromising your integrity and one of the greatest traits is to have what is called الإنصاف من نفسك إنصاف من نفسك and this means is that never do you expect of others what you don't already expect from your own self الإنصاف من نفسك is that you know what it is that you're going through and you're working on your own self and you have realistic expectations in relation to other people and all it takes is to have a few children if you start to realize and you see some of the not so good traits of yours appearing in your children and then you get upset with them and then you catch yourself like he or she learned that from me that's because of something that is that I do and it's not fair for us too that drill them when we know that it's something that you and I actually know that we do things and we can't expect other people to do those same things not do those same things that we are doing or to do things that we are not doing we have to maintain that balance but the bat is to remain principle and ultimately when we say principle that means that in any given moment there is simultaneously a structural response that we have to have and the more that we are rooted in the realities of the more that we will be being able to do that what is meant by that in any given moment our theology and this is why we want you need to study the books of theology of course and you need to understand the coherence of Islam and you need to understand the theology and the way that we do that is whatever happens we see as being from Allah and we challenge ourselves to reflect what name or names and attributes of Allah are manifesting in the moment and how should I be as an abd before this name that is manifesting just as there is a legal response never and that is the thing that we do and this is one of the most important this requires a lot of knowledge and this is one of the ways that we can actively combat the compartmentalization of religion that is so widespread in our time where we relegate religion solely to the time of the message we have to know how to interact with our wealth we have to know in relation to borrowing money in relation to actually giving someone money in relation to accepting gifts in relation to having debts all of these matters have fit that relates to them and we cannot think that this relates to Salah fit relates to every single aspect of our life there is a legal ruling whether we can do something or we can't do something and I will mention as well everything that it is that we do sincerity before a lot the state of our heart what should be in the heart what do we do when someone praises what do we do when someone criticizes what do we do when we are happy what do we do when we are sad all of these different conflicting states that we go through there is simultaneously a theological legal and spiritual response and the bat is to remain firm there is no situation that we are in save we are firm and we can't waver just as the bat also relates to knowing how to protect ourselves from fitin and again this requires knowledge we have to read what our prophet said understand the time in which we live and the way that the carpet is pulled from underneath the feet of the believers the bat means is that we are weary of the various trials and tribulations of our time and that we know how to protect ourselves from them and then the third is where we are faithful to the covenant that we have taken with Allah and that covenant that we have taken with Allah is to believe in Him and to obey Him and then is to recognize that responsibility that has been placed upon our shoulders that was shown to the heavens and the earth and the mountains and that they were that fearful of it and they did not assume this trust it was the human being that assumed it that should be heavy and to the degree that we understand the severity and the seriousness of that matter that as we transition from this world into the next world experience thereafter the more we realize how serious that is this whole affair is about fulfilling that trust being faithful to the trust that we all took with our Lord in the pre-earth realm we should ask that Allah blesses our fellow brothers sisters with this that they have and everything that Allah gives them everything that they experience that they remain in a state of obedience and servitude to Allah and to fulfill that trust and we share this faith with as many people as we possibly can and the final trait that we should be asking for our مقلوب rather is asking Allah for our close brothers and sisters to grant them a personal khatima a good seal when it comes to death and this is what it is all about every moment that we live ideally should be in preparation for that but of course we're in states of heedlessness so at least the majority of the moment should be lived in preparation for that and if that's not possible or that's not our reality at least some of the moments of our life when we know what is it that you're going to do that's going to leave to the forgiveness and the mercy of Allah one of the greatest things that we can do is to spend our time learning this deen and disseminating it and we had read recently this incredibly beautiful statement of Aboudar that's mentioned in that the Sahih of Imam Al-Bukhari and he said that were I the Lord put on the back of my neck and from the time that it would take to lift that sword and then chop my head off that I have an ability to convey a word that I heard from the Muslims of Allah that I would have done so and look at this metaphor that he's given is that you're at the very end of your life is it how long would that take for someone to put the sword on the back of the neck it's a very short period of time he said that were I to be able to convey just a word of the Prophet SAW that I learned from in that short time which might be 2 or 3 seconds that I would do so this was their hears this was how eager they were to convey the sunnah of our Prophet SAW and were we only to know how important it is and how much people are in need of it this is exactly what it is that you and I would do because every single one of those sunnahs that we bring into our life is increasing the chance for you and I to die in a good state with a Husnad Khatima and then not only is there what is called a Husnad Khatima there's what is called a Kamal Husnad Khatima there's also called a perfect good seal and these are people that die on Ledo to Juma these are people that go to that Mecca and Makkah and Monorua and to die in these special places these are people who die in an act of obedience and that there are people that are like this and you see these stories coming out from all of these people may Allah have mercy upon all of their souls that died in this difficult earthquake that took place recently and that one of the clips that is going around is someone is that when they've been in there for days but there was no foul smell to their bodies and they said that actually it smelled like musk and then they started to look into who this was and they found that this was someone who used to praise the prophet's slice in poetry he used to write poetry about the prophet's slice in him and that he and his son was similar to him as that they didn't smell bad at all and those are the stories that these types of things are possible and the more that you and I that perfume our souls with the mention of the prophet's slice and with his sunnah the more that it will exude from us may Allah to give us to offer and bless us on all of our affairs and to keep us together and bless all of us with the highest degree of استقامة and of Thabat and bless us all to fulfill the covenant that we've taken with our Lord Subhanu Wa Ta'ara after long lives in the obedience of Allah and just as he's gathered us here in this dunya and he's continually gathered us here in this dunya year after year may he gather us ultimately in the here after يارحم الرحمين and to not leave any of us behind not any of our loved ones or any of those that are close to us or our family members or friends and anyone in the community يارحم الرحمين and may we all be entered into the Himaa in sanctuary of Sayyidina رسول الله انت الرسيف الشافعاء وصل الله رسيل محمد ورعا ريوس عبسلهم والحمد لله رب العالمين