 All praise be to Allah in the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful, most Merciful. Before I begin, I would like to just request every one and four on Might as well fill up the earlier rows first. We begin by praising Allah as the most worthy and deserving of all praise. We ask Allah and we ask Allah alone to guide us, to prevent us from being misguided and from misguiding others. And we ask Allah to forgive us of our sins, those that we commit knowingly and those that we commit unknowingly. We ask Allah to guide us, to bless His noble prophet Muhammad and the A'udha of Allah, and to bless His noble companions, His family and the righteous everywhere. I mean, brothers and sisters, I imagine that, whether it's in our so-called spiritual or religious lives or endeavors, or if it's in our worldly endeavors, we, for one reason or another, are trying or are afforded opportunities, or we see reasons for wanting to change. So, as I said, it could be something that is spiritual or so-called religious or have you within that domain or that aspect of our lives that we wish to change. We want to develop a closer relationship with Allah. We want to be more frequent in our recital of the Quran. If we struggle with meeting the five prayers, we want to get better about that. We want to fast weekly, as opposed to just fasting around the Quran, so on and so forth. Or it's something in our so-called worldly endeavors. We want to change something about ourselves, lose weight, get in better health, get in better shape, improve ourselves financially, perhaps go back to school, get that graduate degree, or that finish our undergraduate, what have you, to try to improve ourselves. And so change, or the pursuit of change, is something that is a part and parcel of our existence. It's human nature. And in fact, the idea of change is something that is ubiquitous. It is something that is all around us. The world, whether we know it or not, and most often we are aware of that. But sometimes we are not, because it happens so gradually. That the world is constantly in a state of flux and change. And so change is internal, is within the nature of creation. Not just the ideal or desire to change, but also change in and of itself. As they say, the only constant in the universe is what? Change. Change is the only constant in the world and the existence that we have. Furthermore, I would submit to you that Allah's Ta'ala, in terms of our cosmology, in terms of our belief system, right? Allah is the prime mover. Allah is the ultimate agent of change. He is the ultimate bringer of change. It is through Allah's will, and it is through his irada, and his desire, and his omnipotent power to change things. And so on the one hand, he has put internal, within creation, or within the created, this idea of a constant flux and change. And within human beings, he has put in our own fitrah, our own nature, at times a desire to change. And in order to facilitate all of that, Allah's Ta'ala has internalized within the cosmos, within the universe, methodologies of change. So-called natural laws. These are immutable laws that Allah's Ta'ala has placed in creation with regards to this idea of change and flux and reinvention, and so on. And these are in the Quran, or in the discourse of the language of the Quran, Allah's Ta'ala refers to as the Sunnah of Allah. These are the Sunnah of Allah, these immutable laws, these formulas, if you will, for successful change. These formulas or recipes for how we assume it means if we endeavor to change, if we want to change, how we can be successful. If we align ourselves, our own desires for change with those universal laws, with those immutable Sunnah of Allah. Allah's Ta'ala says in the Quran, that indeed you will never ever find an alteration or a change in the Sunnah of Allah. And this is what I mean when I say they are immutable. They are immutable because they are internalized within creation. These Sunnah of Allah. And so what are those Sunnah, what are those methodologies, those recipes for successful change? Well, there are many. And of course in the brief time that we have today, we aren't going to be able to cover them exhaustively. But if we can just examine a few of those recipes, a few of those guidelines, those rules, those methodologies for change, formulas for success, inshallah we can better improve ourselves. We can hopefully at least begin that process of wanting to tour, that process of change that we strive for at times. And so the first of the formula that I wish to speak of is the concept or the Sunnah, or the Sunnah, excuse me, of gradualism. Of gradualism. Because that is an immutable law that Allah has placed in creation. Proof of that, or some proof of that, is that Allah SWT, as we know, right? Allah creates by His will. If Allah wills something into existence, Kun Fayyapun. He says be and it is. That's how Allah can create things. That's how Allah can bring about change. Kun Fayyapun. Yet that same creator, that same omniscient creator of the heavens and earth, when he describes in the Quran how he created the heavens and the earth, he says what? Alladhi khalaqa samawati wa abdi wama bainahum fisiqtati ayyam. That he is Allah. He is the one who has created the heavens and earth and all that lies within in six stages. Fisiqtati ayyam, or six days. These aren't 24-hour days, so they're not days like we imagine them. But yet they're periods of time. Kun Fayyapun, Allah can will all of creation into existence. He doesn't need a day of rest. He doesn't need to do it, piecemeal. But he does so. He does so when he creates creation. Why? In order for us to ponder and reflect. In order for us to realize that things have a gradual nature. That change that is meaningful, that is profound, that has lasting. It is change that comes piecemeal. It is change that happens in stages. And so often times when we want to change, whether it's again that spiritual pursuit or that spiritual endeavor or it's something that we want to do in our daily lives. Get in shape, lose weight, whatever it is. Eat, right? It's like all our money. We want to sort of go from zero to a hundred. Day one. That's not sustainably. That's not realistic. More sustainable, more realistic is this idea of change, changing gradually. Changing following the sunnah of Allah's or the sunnah of Allah and how he created the heavens and earth. How he brings about change. He does so in stages. Allah says how He tells us again in the Quran this time in response to a question or something being posed to the Prophet. Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Waqala al-Ladina kafir. La ilaha isla alayhi alayhi Quran fi jumnat al-wahida. Kadaalida li nuthabti tabihifu aadah wa rata al-nahi tarthina. Those who disbelieve, Waqala al-Ladina kafir. Those who disbelieve, they say or they ask the Prophet why is it that revelation comes to you in peace with me? Why can't it just be jumnat al-wahida? Why isn't it just one revelatory experience and you're giving the book and you can produce the book for us on demand as it were. On demand. But that's not how revelation worked. That's not how Raqi came to the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Why? Or in response to that. In response to that charge being levied by the those who disbelieve. La ilaha isla alayhi alayhi Quran fi jumnat al-wahida. Kadaalida li nuthabti tabihifu aadah wa rata al-nahi tarthina. It is so that we may strengthen the heart of Messenger of Allah. We may strengthen your heart wa rata al-nahi tarthina. And the Quran will be revealed in this peace meal fashion. And so what the commentators tell us is that on one hand that the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in his heart would have to bear the burden and the responsibility of that revelation. And hence it had to be strengthened. But also the wisdom of doing so gradually of revelation occurring over a period of 23 years is so that the heart of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam could get reinforced constantly by new revelation, by the revelation of Allah. I liken it or I compare it to take your pig, your painting a wall or vintage car aficionado. You have a 1960s classic and you're trying to restore it. So you apply that first coat, that primer or you first remove blemishes and then you apply that first coat and then you apply coat after coat of paint and you do so in a successive fashion. And not only are you beautifying that wall or that 1960s classic but you're also reinforcing and strengthening with each layer. And that's how the Quran was revealed and that is how change occurs. It occurs gradually and when it occurs gradually it is more profound. It is more meaningful. It is more sustainable. It change occurs gradually. So we have to ease into change whether as I said it's worldly pursuits or it's pursuits that are quote unquote religious or spiritual. It is gradually. The Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he gave an analogy that he compared this idea that I'm speaking of which regards to a traveler on a journey and the traveler he wants to cover as much distance as he can in a sort of a period. That's what we want to do. We want to get there quickly and we want to get there in the least amount of time that it takes. And so that person is riding that camel or a horse or whatever and making it go faster and faster so that he can cover a greater distance and so that he can arrive at his or her destination in a shorter amount of time. And then the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he said that neither the traveler nor the beast nor the animal would arrive at their destination because that's not sustainable. You can't sustain that peace throughout it all. And this is why again what are those actions that are most beloved to Allah according to the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam those actions that are small we may not think of them as big productions but those small actions that are done frequently frequently and consistently those are those actions that are most beloved to Allah those are actions that are most beloved to Allah because those are actions that can be sustained, that are done day in, day out and that is how we reinforce that idea of trying to change. And so as I said we can apply this as a blueprint to our lives regardless of what we are trying to change about ourselves. Secondly, and in a very very great time that I have left or remaining the question that I want to talk about is and what's interesting is these methodologies that I'm speaking of are in fact methodologies that if you speak to a therapist or a mental health professional they actually use these in their lives with regards to their professional opinion or their care that they provide to those who seek care so these are sort of trying to methods that you can apply as I said to all various pursuits or aspects of ourselves that we wish to change. But secondly, the second sooner that I want to leave you with is that if we want change if we want change that is meaningful and profound then we have to change attitudes first and behavior will follow oftentimes we approach these things topsy-turvy or out of order and this is what leads to what individuals or again people in mental health therapy or mental health professionals refer to as cognitive leads to cognitive dissonance where one's actions are not in harmony or in synchronicity with one's belief system. There is a disconnect between the internal and the external and it's like a rubber band the analogy you get to use is like a rubber band that you're pulling at two ends and eventually that band is going to snap because that's not sustainable you can't live in a state of constant cognitive dissonance where there's this push and pull between one's internal and one's external one's internal state and one's external manifestations of that state and so in order to be in harmony in order to have a life that is harmonious where one's internal internal and external are in harmony and not in dissonance is that we must change attitude first and if we change our attitude first behavior will follow behavior will follow as a result of that change of attitude and by way of evidence or by way of looking at this approaching this slightly differently at a time when the companions in that early community of the prophets was being oppressed by their oppressors when they were being persecuted in Mecca when they were being tortured at times losing their lives certainly losing their livelihoods family members dying suffering at a time where that community was that state of struggle and persecution you would think or you would imagine a scenario where that community would be given permission to defend themselves to fight their oppressors to raise up arms against their oppressors but rather in that early period where the persecution was its most intense what is the prophets of Allah what is the prophet of Allah wa'atu zaka wa'atu zaka wa'atu zaka as the Quran said refrain your hands establish the prayer give the charity He's building a community and by building a community He's building and strengthening those individuals by changing their attitude by reinforcing internal internal change by promoting and reinforcing the internal change, and so that when the command for Jihad, when the command for raising up arms against their oppressors, where fighting out for their oppressors would come, they would do so in a disciplined manner. They wouldn't go into extremes. They wouldn't exceed the boundaries that Allah had placed with regards to even military combat, because they were trained. Their internal states were strong, and so if they weren't ready physically for battle, they were ready internally and spiritually, because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in that initial period, in that crucible of Mecca, as one author called it, in that crucible of Mecca was strengthening that community, so that it could face the challenges that it would face later on. And so he changed attitudes first, and behavior will follow. And related to kind of the first point and the second point, by way of concluding, Ayesha Rabi'u'llah al-Ama'ah makes a very interesting statement. She says, Ayesha Rabi'u'llah al-Ama'ah, she comments that, have the first verse revealed, ever revealed, been, to give up or leave off intoxication, or intoxicating beverages, that is to say, to not drink. That had the first verse ever revealed been that, then assuredly, most certainly the community would have never been able to do so, because it had to happen in a period that was gradual. It had to happen, or it had to happen in a way in which, or after which, after attitudes had changed. And so once you change attitudes, you can change behavior, or behavior can follow much more naturally with regards to a change in attitudes first. And so when we have to adjust friends and sisters, whether it's for our spiritual or religious pursuits and endeavors, or it's things in our personal lives, is you have to change our mind. We have to change our mindset. We have to change the way we look at things. They say, if you want to try to lose weight, the way you approach food, how do you look at food? How do you look at physical exercise? Is it a chore? Is it a burden? Are you in this constant state of looking at dieting that's never sustainable? You have to change the way you eat, or you have to change the way you think of food, or you think of physical exercise. Because, again, change attitude, behavior will follow. I pray that Allah SWT gives us all the ability to implement these strategies of change, these formulas for success that Allah SWT has placed in our faith. And may Allah SWT bless this community individually and collectively. May Allah SWT bless this community.