 As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu, al-maa ba'a. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in Chapter of Al-Asr gives us really a comprehensive view of both the human life and what is our responsibility and counsel us to reflect and to act in ways that often we are not from a habitual way, we are not at least oriented or predisposed to it. Allah gives an oath by using what's called the waw of oath by saying wa al-asr, by giving an oath and giving an oath by al-asr by time. And in various places, Allah uses the waw of oath for a variety of different elements. So what was shamsi wa al-waha, Allah gives an oath by the sun. And also Allah gives us an oath by the food, wa tini wa zaituni wa turi sinin, that by the oath of the fake and the alem. And it's a commentator say there's a reference to regions in relations to what the Qur'an was referencing whether it's the place in relation to Palestine or later on in relation to the same chapter of Bayt al-Haram in relations to Mecca. Wa tini wa zaituni wa turi sinin, wa had al-Balad al-Ameen, this safe or secure abode which was Mecca. Allah is reminding us in here by giving an oath with time, al-asr. Commentator said that this might be for us to reflect upon the generations that came before us. Because in essence if we reflect back the arrogance of the human being is often said that I'm not gonna do what the others did because they were not as smart as I am. Every generation they think that they are not gonna do what the other generation did but they end up doing the same thing. Why? Because the human being does not learn from history. We repeat the same habitual actions and we don't reflect whether it was on the individual or also on the societal level. So it's not surprising because the human being is a habitual, I don't want to say animal, but it's a habitual creation. We're a human being that reflect and repeat the same habits over and over. And the smart one is the one that breaks away from that habitual pattern. We're coming upon Ramadan soon. Ramadan is an intensive course for breaking your habits. That's what it is. Because it completely transforms your habitual program and what is the most important habit is eating and drinking. Eating and drinking and I and I tell you I cannot function the morning without my coffee. I can't go and lecture in my classes at the university without having my coffee. Ramadan comes, now it's a crisis. How am I going to deal with lecturing without my coffee so it transforms how my pattern is. And so Allah has given us this all by time. But also individually Allah is reminding us that your principal investment that Allah gave you, which is Rasul Maal, is your time, your age. 50 years, 60 years, 70 years, whatever it is. That your principal investment in the world that Allah gave you as a gift and Allah requires for you certain returns from that gift. He gave you that without actually us deserving it but Allah gave it because he is the most generous. He is the one that provides sustenance. So even if we think reflect upon our own life, every day we are spending our investment which is our time. And we celebrate our birthday but what are you celebrating? I'm not saying it's Halal Haram but our celebration should be reflecting that you have spent one year of your principal investment. Not the profit because the profit you put forward to Allah for the hereafter in order for you to see it. So you are, we are in damage both in individual and collectivity. But Allah provides an exception to that diminishment, both in history as well as in our current era. Except those who have paid but didn't leave it there. There has to be action. There has to be fulfillment. There has to be an actualization of what you believe, what you have faith in the heart and what you act upon on a daily basis in the society. So we're not saying no action. Action has to be reflective of your faith that you have. So whatever often, and then action based on knowledge. So we're not the type of people that we're just going to sit in the corner and say I'm going to contemplate the meaning of life. It's important to contemplate but you need to act because we're being asked to make the society, make the world a better place. We have to do, we have to manifest good deeds. In essence you're praying but you're actually manifesting your zakat as an affirmation of your faith. But usually it's an affirmation of your faith. So as salat comes from salat which is to be truthful. That's in terms of just the terminology where the word emerges from. But then we get also this is a pattern in the Arabic that is you study the verbal structures, the six patterns. It's a reciprocal type of a pattern. Meaning that I need to remind you of standing on Haqq and you need to remind me to stand on Haqq. Which means that we have a societal obligation to point and to strengthen each other on that which is just, that which is truth, that which is Haqq. And you have an obligation to do it toward me and I have an obligation to do it toward you. It's a reciprocal relationship so the Haqq in the society is a collective obligation because as we say in Arabic one hand does not clap, you need two hands. Council each other to stay firm on the Haqq. I know these days is very difficult because what we do is mudahana. Like you know we just like wax each other especially if we think that somebody is a place is an important position or status and so on. What we call is like we wax on truth. No we'll find you a way brother. So this is not what we call what we are asked to do in relations for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So don't be a person of waxing. Wax your car that is needed right but don't wax on the Haqq. What you're trying is for Allah to witness the not anyone else that may give you a critique these days. Now we think that because we have what you call wax and share on social media right. Some gets up somebody that we want to council they put it on YouTube and on Twitter and Facebook. A person thinking that they're counseling them to do Haqq. If you want to counsel people you need to be a person that want to build them up rather than damage them and destroy them. So the whole apparatus of social media is instructed to break people rather than build people. So I want you to be a person a deen al nasiha that deen religion faith belief is about counsel but how do you do counsel. Somebody shares and likes on social media you become what you call a social influencer influencer for shampoo but you don't do social influencer for human beings. That's not what Allah is asking what was or haqq and then a person like buffs up there what you call chess. I'm trying to count that we need to go into Facebook to counsel them and haqq happy because there's Masha Allah there's a thousand likes to my haqq in here. Okay shaitan is clapping for you. You did it your ego is boosted. Now you are a legitimate social influencer but are you social influencer with Allah on the haqq or is it your ego boosting what you call clapping to itself because Masha Allah now people like me. There's a poetry in Arabic says how many are your friends when you count them but when the moment of difficulty come to you you don't find anyone around you. Similarly in the social influence in space how many likes and shares you have but when your calamity comes to you nobody is around you. So what Allah says about haqq there has to be a way where we counsel each other to stay firm on the truth and the haqq and not to have our ego in there. And the last is the most difficult counseling because to stand on suburb to be patient because people are not you know they're gonna speak ill of you say he'll know he's difficult he just always when we talk he just trying to tell us to do that that which is what what Allah says again to counsel each other to be patient. Now patient does not mean again we go from zero to eighty in anger right again I know being from Arab background my brothers often they will go from zero to eighty in anger on any issue that befalls them much faster than what you call a Tesla goes in terms of speed like you're calm zero and then eighty right over here. That's not how things right in terms of trying to do both to counsel people on haqq and to counsel people on being patient. Anger is the opposite of patience and I'm speaking about there because I'm Arab I don't want to criticize other communities right but we know it's this what you go from zero to eighty attitude right meaning that immediately as you get into this you basically lose the sense of what you're trying to accomplish. Haqq should be the focal point and to counsel each other in some way to be patient. Now when I conclude that we're in the middle of the pandemic right and it's almost reaching about a year for us to be sheltered in places when people are beginning to lose it but I counseled the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was in Shiaab Mecca in the outskirts of Mecca for three years having an embargo against it sanctioned he could not bring get food coming into them we could not get supplies nobody would allow to get married from them or have any marriage relationship right nobody could visit them for three years now we're sheltered in place but you know I need order of uber uh order of uh dordash order of this all your food is coming to you by 24 seven you go to whole food or whole wallet and you load up with everything your amazon day in and day out and you're complaining was so difficult because we don't actually calibrate to understand what is suburb and what is real calamity calamity we're not in a calamity we're in a difficult position yes in relations to the pandemic but you have to measure it in the larger scope of things and to again but also the suburbs is real human uh prices that we're facing and we need to practice how to be patient both in good times and in moments of calamity which is the test of time is very easy to say I'm patient but I'm having a vacation all right life is not again right life is up and down it's when you have a crisis that's the test of being patient and counsel each other to patients you so really to reflect upon on the chapter of al-asr, of time and the time that we are experiencing, yes it is difficult but within difficulty there is ease, inna ma al-usri yusra, inna ma al-usri yusra, very with hardship there is ease, even at the moment of difficulty, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is still giving us ease, even at the moment of difficulty Allah is always giving us the ability to reflect and to think about the circumstances that with difficulty there is ease and insha Allah we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make to make some from those people who have faith act with good deeds but first and foremost to stand on the raseh truth and act with patience and counsel each other with patience Wa tina wasrif anna bil khairi sharra maqadayi ba'inna ka taqdi bil khairi wa la yuqda aleyk wa'inna hu la yuza luman walayt ta ba'irakh ka rabbana wa ta'alayk rabbana ruddana l-il-slamir ad-dajmeela rabbana ruddana l-il-slamir ad-dajmeela rabbana ruddana l-il-slamir ad-dajmeela Allahumma as-slahdata ba'inna ya rabbana al-Alamin Allahumma ya mqalliba l-kulubi thabba tkulubana al-Aqaatik Allahumma arina l-haqqa haqqan wa zubna tiba'a