 All praises due to Allah, abundant praises are due to Allah subhanu wa ta'ala for the many blessings He's bestowed upon us. And the greatest blessing He's given us as we've repeated time and time again in this world is the blessing of Islam. As Imam Ali, radiAllahu anhu mentioned inna minna imid dunya, inyakfirka islamu ni'matan. From the blessings of this world is that Islam suffices as a blessing. We pray that Allah subhanu wa ta'ala increases our appreciation of this blessing. Allah subhanu wa ta'ala mentions in His noble and exalted scripture, adoon. Allah ta'ala mentions as we translate that really those who say our Lord is Allah and thereafter they are upright, thumma staqamu, the uprightness and many definitions. One of our great scholars, he said al-istaqamatu, imtithalun ma'burat wajtinabu anil manhiyat al-sabilit dawami wa thabat, imtithal minna imtithalu minna imtithalu minna imtithurat. To implement those things that we've been commanded with. So to implement all of those things we've been commanded with and some of them clarify by saying qaulan wa fiyalan wa khuluqan, those things we've been commanded with in terms of our speech. So istaqama is to always, to the best of our ability, speak like a Muslim should speak. So we take no pride in gutter language. We take no pride in being able to utter profanities in the same manner as some person who has no religious training at all, qaulan wa fiyalan and in our actions. And those things we've been ordered to undertake as a Muslim, to be consistent in our prayer, to be consistent in our acts of worship, be they engaging with the Qur'an consistently, not waiting for Ramadan. In a couple weeks some people will go to the shelf, dust off the Qur'an and then they'll get busy and then after Ramadan put it up. So istaqama is to engage with the Qur'an constantly and to be enriched by the Qur'an in an ongoing fashion. And all of our acts of worship and in our character to constantly seek to improve our character, to constantly seek to remain on the character of the believers rather than in the company of the non-believers, they could be righteous people who actually encourage us towards good characters such as honesty and fidelity etc. But no matter what situation we're in, to constantly try to exemplify the character that a believer should exemplify, qaulan wa fiyalan wa amalan. So istaqama is to implement those things that we've been commanded to implement and to avoid those things we've been prohibited from and to do that consistently. So not occasionally, not most of the time, but to endeavor to do them all of the time, to avoid the things we've been forbidden to speak about, to avoid the things we've been forbidden to engage in. So a person who is striving for istaqama is not a part-time Muslim, is not a part-time believer. You know occasionally, you know if I'm with the right people, you know I can get down and I can smoke the joint also. You know I can take a sip on the wine or the beer or whatever. That's not istaqama. Istaqama is to be consistent. Umar radi allahu anhu said al istaqamatu and testaqimu wa la tarrughu rawgana thalab. That you are consistent, that you go straight. And that you don't maneuver like a fox, wa la tarrughu rawgana thalab. That you're not maneuvering in your religion, I could find a loophole over here. Or a loophole over there. Loopholes are for taxes, not for religion. Istaqama is for religion. We're not looking for the way out. We're not looking for the shortcut. We're not looking for unlawful ease. We look for ease in the situation that requires ease because Allah facilitates ease in our affair. But we're not looking for some illegal ease or some ease that comes through some far-fetched interpretation or machination with the religion. This is what Umar was warning against. And testaqimu al istaqamatu and testaqimu wa la tarrughu rawgana thalab. You know zigzag like the fox. You know I can dodge this ruling, I can get around this and I can figure out a way I don't have to do this. No, we walk on the straight path and we try to go straight. And that's the way of our religion. So Allah ta'ala says about those people. Inna ladina amanu thum mastaqamu. And he says thum mastaqamu, this conjunction, thumma. The grammarians they say, you feed at tarachi. It conveys the meaning of the elapsing of a significant period of time. And it's relative to the situation. So istaqama doesn't come overnight. At first we're struggling. We take our shahada and we miss a prayer here or there. We slip back into a habit we might have had but we keep working at it and we keep working at it. And gradually we overcome those things. And so istaqama we shouldn't get frustrated if what's being described to consistently and unwaveringly adhere to those things we've been, implement those things we've been ordered to implement and avoid those things we've been ordered to avoid. And our speech, our actions, and our character, and we're not there, don't get frustrated. Keep working, keep working. And in time, insha'Allah ta'ala, we'll get there. But it takes work. You mentioned in the other night, in another context, the inspiration, these were the words, it was sort of spontaneous but we'll try to capture it, inspiration only becomes permanent through perspiration. So we can be inspired. We can have a state that we temporarily attain to. But that state will only become permanent by perspiration, by hard work. As we mentioned, this is one reason. Some of the spiritual paths, they put the aspirant into the khalwa, into the state of isolation and hopefully it will be successful, they'll get a glimpse of what they're aiming for. So they'll know what they're working towards. So they've seen the goal. And now having seen the goal, it will motivate them to put in the work so that what they experienced temporarily in the khalwa becomes their permanent state subsequently. So that was good. I want that to be how I am all the time, okay? Get busy. This is not Islam, brothers and sisters, not a religion for lazy people. A lazy person can go to heaven. Don't get me wrong. But those people want to hit the heights. Those people want to grow. Those people want to elevate. You have to work for it. It's not going to come easy and it's not going to come cheap. Nothing in this world that's valuable comes easy. And nothing in this world that's truly valuable comes cheap. You have to pay the price. Had to themen. To read had that? Had to themen. Wa themenu hu ghal. You want it? The price and the price is steep. It doesn't come cheap. Inna ladina qalu Rabbuna Allahu fum mastaqamu. And this is the advice the Prophet, this reflects. This verse is a reflection of the advice the Prophet gave to one of his companions. When Sufyan then Abdullah, a thekhafi, came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and he asked him, Ya RasulAllahi, kulli fil islam qawla la asal wa anhu ahadun ghayruk. Ahadun ghayrak. Faaqala sallallahu alayhi wa sallam kul amantu billahi thum mastaqim. Inna ladina qalu Rabbuna Allahu kul amantu billahi thum mastaqamu thum mastaqim. Proclaim your belief in Allah And Sufyan bin Abdullah thekhafi was already a believer. In other words we knew your faith. So we have to renew our faith. And one way we renew our faith is by reclaiming it, by restating it. To remind ourselves what we've committed ourselves to. It's a reminder, remind yourself of what you've committed yourself to and then work for it, work towards its attainment. This is what Allah Ta'ala is telling us and this is what our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is telling us. And we should heed this lesson. One of the reasons that we slip sometimes and we fill ourselves backtracking is because we lose sight of what we've committed ourselves to. We get into the mundane, everyday bumping grind of life and we forget it. Hey, wait a minute. I left that because I wanted this. I wanted what Islam had to offer. That's why I left all of the nonsense I was wrapped up with. Now look at me slipping back into that nonsense. What am I doing? We have to remind ourselves. Allah Ta'ala mentions in the Qur'an, Amongst the believers there are men and women of course. But specifically in this verse, men who are truthful in the covenant they've convened with Allah. So we should be truthful in what we've committed ourselves to. When we say La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah. And then Allah Ta'ala says, So at the time of their death, the angels descend upon them and they remind them. Don't be afraid of what's ahead of you because you're a believer and you strived and you did your best and you tried to attain to that state of consistency in your religion. So there, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of what's before you. And don't be saddened by what you've left behind you. Because at the time when we know there's a very serious test and we've taken that test and this dunya is a test for the believers. You're going to be tested. You're going to be tested. This is a test. When you take a test, a very important test and you finish the test, you're not thinking about the possible 90% that you got right. You're thinking about the 10% you got wrong. Reflect on it. Say, oh man, I knew that answer. What happened? My brain just froze up. You're not thinking of what you got right. You're thinking about what you got wrong. And so at the time of our death, we're not going to be thinking about how many Ramadan's we have had in. We're not going to be thinking about how many salats we prayed five times a day. Facts number of days. We're going to be thinking about that lie we told. We're going to be thinking about that person we might have cheated or defrauded. We're going to be thinking about that insult we heard in a moment of heedlessness. But the angels are there to reassure the believers who have proclaimed their faith. And who have striven to implement what Allah Ta'ala would have us to implement and to avoid what He would have us to avoid. Don't be fearful of what's ahead, and don't be saddened by what's behind you. And have glad tidings of the paradise you've been promised. This is what we're living for brothers and sisters. Sometimes we put so much focus on this world and what's going on and transpiring in this world and how we're going to do our part to change the world. And that's all good. But we forget we are not living for this world. We're living in this world, but we're living for the akhirah. We're living in this world, but we're not living for this world. We do what we can do in this world. We do what we can do for the betterment of this world but not at the expense of our soul. Not at the expense of our soul. And we understand. This is one of the most important lessons we can learn today. We understand that as we struggle in this world our struggles are not about winning or losing. Our struggle is about obeying Allah SWT and staying within the limits set by Allah. These are the limits set by Allah. Don't come close to them. These are the limits set by Allah. Don't transgress them. So we understand. Winning and losing, that's Allah's affair. They say, Waa man masroo illa min ndi Allaha Al Aziz Al Hamid. Aziz Al Hakim. Victory only comes from Allah. In the Qur'an, Waa man masroo illa min ndi Allaha Al Aziz Al Hakim. Victory only comes from Allah. Subhanahu wa ta'ala. It doesn't come from us. And then so after saying that, what does Allah ta'ala say? Waa man masroo illa min ndi Allaha Al Aziz Al Hakim. Waa yisa laka min al amri shayt. You have nothing to do with this affair. The outcome of this affair. Your job is to strive within the limits that have been set. The victory comes from Allah SWT. This was revealed after Uhud. Allah said, you won at battle. You lost at Uhud. But you had nothing to do with the outcome of the affair. Victory only comes from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise. Our challenge is to stay within the limits. And this is a challenge we need now. Because of the inhumane viciousness with which many of those forces arrayed not only against the Muslims, but against the poor, struggling people of this world in general and at the head of them, our very nation. And not everyone in the nation. They're good people. But those controlling the mechanisms of policy, those controlling the military, industrial and now the security, industrial complex, the brutality and viciousness with impunity, destroy and ravage the lives and lands of innocent people, inspire some Muslims to want to respond in kind. But that will never bring victory. Because we can only have victory through the pleasure of Allah SWT. And Allah is not pleased that we transgressed against the limits that he set. Regardless of the circumstances or the situation. This is a lesson we have to internalize. Because these verses are reminding us of spiritual realities. Number one, our death. Even Muslims, we're so caught up in this materialistic reality that surrounds us. Or the materialistic, let me rephrase that, the materialistic illusion that surrounds us. That we lose touch with the spiritual reality. That is the ultimate reality. Because what is physical pass is, kullumaan alehafeen. Wa yabqah wajhu rabbika dumjalali wa likram. Only Allah remains in the end. This is all transitory. Those realities associated with Allah, those are the lasting realities. And the lasting realities come from our spiritual works. The realities we might, or illusions we might attain. That are laudable by any standard. And by the standard of our religion. They're transitory. They're transitory. We achieve a political victory. Does the political circumstance, our efforts help to shape, does it endure forever? Sometimes it might not even endure for a decade. This is a lesson of history. But Allah tells us It is the lasting reward from the good deeds that you do. That are best with your Lord as a reward, and best for you to hope for. Al baqiatas salihad. The good, the enduring, good deeds. And our worldly strivings are part of those. But we shouldn't take our eye off the prize. Wa abshiru bil jannati lati kuntum tu'adun. Have glad tidings of the paradise that you have been promised. That is the prize. When Allah ta'ala talks about the prize, what does He tell us? Wa ukratu hibbuna ha nasgum min Allahi fathun qareeb. That's something else. Something you would all love and help from Allah on a spiritual victory. But the false And forgiveness from your Lord. What greater thing can we get than forgiveness for our sins? What if we meet Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and we're carrying the mountain of sin that we've accumulated in this world? Allah ta'ala says forgiveness from your Lord. You're the Khilq, you're the Jannah. You're the Jannah. You're the Jannah. You're the Jannah. You're the Jannah. You're the Khilq, you're the Jannah. And He will enter you into beautiful gardens beneath which rivers flow. And beautiful mansions in gardens of Eden. That is the great victory. That is the great victory. In terms of worldly victories, Wa ukratu hibbuna ha nasgum min Allahi fathun qareeb. Wa abshirin mu'mineem. And our religion doesn't neglect our worldly state. But it helps us to keep everything in the proper priority. Something else you would also love. That is the great victory. Something else you would all love. Help from Allah and the speedy victory. Give glad tidings to the believers. So we have worldly work. And we have worldly victories. But we should never take our eyes off the big victory. Because if we compromise our principles and compromise and violate the commandments that govern our action then we lose the great victory seeking the lesser victory. And this is what we're reminded. Some of us converted to Islam from Christianity. Myself included. One verse in the Bible that resonates in this context. What profits it a man that he gains the world and loses his very soul? What profits it a man that he gains the world but loses his very soul? So Allah tells us the angels descend. And then what do they say? We are your protectors. And we are your supporting friends in this world and in the hereafter. Brothers and sisters, we're never alone. Neither in this world nor in the hereafter. Allah ta'ala reminds us the angels are with us. Not only the angels. Sometimes we can become desperate and think we're all alone. Or think that the forces are raid against us. And all of these weapons and all of the money and all of the resources and all of the alliances are raid against the Muslims. It's overwhelming. And people get desperate and despair. Some people give up and stop struggling. Stop working all together. The angels are with us. And the order is important because that despair first and foremost it can afflict us in this world. So Allah ta'ala reminds us the angels are with us. And not just the angels, the birds. On the day of the feel. Allah ta'ala sent the birds against the forces of Abraham. The birds are with us. The trees are with us. The skies, the clouds, the rains, they're all with us. And those who seek to undermine and to distort and to disfigure and to defame this beautiful religion. They only have one wali or one set of awliya shaitan. Their awliya is shaitan. And at the end of the day, the struggle in this world is not a new struggle. There are new labels to describe the various parties. But it's a simple struggle. That's been waged since shaitan assailed Adam a.s. The struggle between the awliya of Allah and the awliya of shaitan. That's the struggle. Awliya Allah and awliya of shaitan. And Allah ta'ala is telling us it is a struggle. Awliya of shaitan. So Allah says fight against the awliya of shaitan. And know the level of your fight. Know the level of your struggle. But understand it's a struggle. And if we just stand back and we're just passively cruising along down the world of life, believe you, we're going to be waylaid by one of the awliya of shaitan. We're going to be waylaid by one of the awliya of shaitan. So Allah ta'ala, the angels tell us نحنوا عولياءكم في الحياة الدنيا وفي الآخرة We are your supporters and your protectors. And this will end in the hereafter. So you're never alone brothers and sisters. Never imagine, never think that you're alone. نحنوا عولياءكم في الحياة الدنيا وفي الآخرة نزلم من غفور وحيم This is Allahumma salli Rasulillah وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهُمْ مَا تَشْتَهِ اَنْفُسُكُمْ مَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدْعُونْ So we are your protectors in this world and in the next. You will have everything that your soul longs for and you will have everything that you could summon. So no matter what happens in this world, we're heading for a place where we will have joy and we will have bliss and we will have rewards that we cannot even imagine. وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِ اَنْفُسُكُمْ وَمَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدْعُونْ Whatever we want. And what is it? That is waiting for us. When we say keep our eye on the prize, it's only a metaphor or a statement. فَفِل جَنَّةِ مَا لَا عَيْنُ رَاءَتْ وَلَا عُضْنٌ سَمِعَتْ وَمَا قَطْرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَارْ Waiting for us is what no human eye has ever beheld, what no human ear has ever heard, and what has never been imagined by a human heart. Another thing, the greatest delight you could imagine is inadequate to describe the joys of paradise. This is what is waiting for us. And Allah Ta'ala says, this is a gift and this is sustenance from a merciful, from a forgiving and merciful God. نُوزُ لَمْ مِنْ گَفُورَ رَحِيمْ نُوزُ لَمْ مِنْ گَفُورَ رَحِيمْ Our Lord is merciful, brothers and sisters. Never doubt it, never lose sight of it, never lose touch with that reality and He's forgiving. We talked about those who might meet Allah with a mountain of sin. You have to work very hard because Allah's forgiveness is deep. And Allah loves to forgive sins. Allah loves to forgive sins. Ramadan is coming. About this month, Abu Huraira radi Allahu Anha said, يُغْفَرُوا فيه إِلَّ مِنْ أَبَى Everyone is forgiven in Ramadan except one who refuses. وَقَالُوا وَمَنْ يَبَى يَا أَبَى هُرَيْرَ They said, hearing that, who would ever refuse? Oh Abu Huraira, قَالَ مَنْ يَبَى وَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرَ اللَّهِ He said, one who refuses to ask Allah for forgiveness. Brothers and sisters, the only thing between us and forgiveness is to ask Allah for forgiveness. من يَبَى أن يَسْتَغْفِرَ اللَّهِ Ask Allah for forgiveness. Ask Allah for forgiveness. And in Ramadan, ask with special passion and special commitment. And then we'll stop here. Allah Ta'ala, he starts by reminding us about our speech. إنَّ اللَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَ اللَّهُ مَسْتَقَامُوا And then our being upright. And once we've internalized those lessons, once we're upright in our speech, and once we have affirmed our tawheed, and we've affirmed and we've striven to actualize that in our actions and in our character, then we're in a position to call people to it. So Allah Ta'ala then says, وَمَنْ اَسْنُوا قَوْلَ مِنْ مَنْ دَعَيْلَ اللَّهِ And who is better in their speech than one who calls to Allah. Who is better in their speech than one who calls to Allah. So there's a foundation for that. And that foundation is affirming tawheed with sincerity and depth and then striving to actualize that through our actions. And then we're in a position and we have a foundation to call to Allah. He says who's better in speech than one who calls to Allah. وَعَمَلَ صَالِحَ And so we're still the connection between the speech and the action in this context is just as important. So that our speech is not empty when we make the call and it's not contradicted by our actions. وَمَنْ اَسْنُوا قَوْلَ مِنْ مَنْ دَعَيْلَ اللَّهِ وَعَمَلَ صَالِحَ So those people prepare themselves, their actions are consistent with their speech. This reminds us we are not a religion of talk. We don't give good speeches and then do nothing. We work and then we speak. So this second speech وَمَنْ اَسْنُوا قَوْلَ مِنْ مَنْ دَعَيْلَ اللَّهِ It came after the istaqama or the effort and striving. We are workers. Our Prophet ﷺ worked. Everyone who followed in his way worked. We listen to the speeches of Malcolm X. But Malcolm X didn't just talk. He built institutions. He trained people. He started newspapers. He was instrumental in starting Muhammad Speaks newspaper. He worked. He just didn't talk. And because he worked when he talked, his speech had more power. His speech had more power because it wasn't based on just sound. It was based and built and rooted in action. And that became power. That became power. Because why? Those who work and then they talk. They're doing something pleasing to Allah. How do we know? Because one of the strongest condemnations in the Quran is the condemnation of the one who talks and doesn't work. And it's directed. That condemnation is directed to the believers. All you believers, why do you say that which you don't do? Grievously, hate it is it with Allah that you say that which you don't do. That's directed to the believers. We're people of action. So who's better in speech than one who calls to Allah and does righteous deeds and says, proudly, not being glorious pride, but dignified, honorable pride. And this is the state of the believers. The authority and dignified authority is for Allah, his messenger and the believers, the hypocrites will rise and not. Don't hang your head. Because people are talking about you or writing nasty things about you or talking about you on the television or the radio. Hold your head high because you're not alone. And what do you care what the awliya of shaitan say about you anyway? When the angels and the awliya of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with you wa qala imani min al muslimeen wa qala inani min al muslimeen Pick your head up and understand the awliya. The angels are with you. The trees are with you. The birds are with you. The animals are with you. All of the servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with you are with us. So we forge on as dignified human beings. I say, What is this saying? I ask you to forgive me. I ask you to forgive me. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Allah and the angels are praying to the Prophet. O those who believe in us. Pray to him and send him his blessings. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barak ala Sayyidina wa Habibina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbih wa sallim tastim ben kathira. Brothers and sisters, as we mentioned, there's a struggle going on in our world, it's clear. And our contribution has to be our greatest contribution at a spiritual level. We have to gather our spiritual resources. This is what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us with. Not one of us, not two of us, most of us, we have to gather our spiritual resources. Because materially that's the advantage of the aliyah of shaitan. Because shaitan, he only sees the material. He revels in the material. When he was asked to prostrate to Adam, what was his claim? He pointed to his physical, what he perceived to be his physical superiority. Why didn't you prostrate when you were commanded to do so? I'm better than him, why is he better? He's more generous, more charitable, he kisses more babies, he does more charitable acts. No, because of his physical composition, you made me from fire, you made him from clay. That makes me better. Every racist follows his footsteps. We're better because of our skin color, because of our hair texture, because of this, that or the other. We're better because of our physical nature. No, Allah Ta'ala teaches us and time doesn't allow to elaborate any virtue we have. As in ummah, only lies in spiritual advantage. And that's what we have to cultivate. First and foremost, if we seek to impact this world, and if we cultivate those qualities collectively, believe me we will impact this world in ways that will boggle the mind. And the next verse talks about that. We've mentioned those verses before, so we'll stop here. Allahumma inna na'udu bikka min al-hammi wal-hazan wa na'udu bikka min al-ajzi wal-kasal wa na'udu bikka min al-jumni wal-bukh wa na'udu bikka min gharat eddein wa qahru al-rijal Allahummaqsim lana min qashyate kamaa ta'ulu bihi baynana wa bayna ma'asik wa min ta'ate kamaa ta'aluguna bihaa jannatak wa min al-yakini maa yuhawin wa anena ma'sha'ibat dunyaa wa madti'ana bi'asma'ina wa aqsarina wa kuatina maa achyaitana wa ja'alhu l-waritha minna wa ja'al thakrana ilama onzala manna wa ansoorna ilama na'dana wa la'ta ja'umus'ibatana fideenina wa la'ta ja'alil dunyaa aqbarahemmina wa la'mablaqa immina wa la'tusadlpa'alina bi'zunubina manna yuqafuka wa la'yarhamuna yaa arhamarahimin wa a'afu anna wa fiyulana wa arhamna anta maulana fa ansoorna ail qawme l-kaafireen Subhana Rabbika Rabbil Azat yammaa yasifun wa as-salamun a'alil mursaneen wa alhamdu lillahi rabbil aalameen akimil sala yarhamnih wa yarhamuqmu ala