 By the Father of Allah, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, by God's grace, we are fortunate enough to have welcomed a new Gregorian year, a new calendar year in our lives. And of course we have our own calendar and the Hijri calendar and many of our obviously dates of importance and so on are governed by that. And nonetheless our lives day in and day out are governed by the Gregorian calendar. And nonetheless we have the opportunity to have experienced a new year. And as is the habit of some who are, as is often the case, people like to make new year's resolutions. And the idea of a resolution to resolve yourself or to resolve to do something or not to do something perhaps in some cases is also similar to the idea of intention or intentionality. Because truly one cannot have resolution or a resolution to do something or have resolve without intention, without intentionality. And we know that in our own tradition and what the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, taught us, Niyah or intention is fundamental. And it is at the very core of what we do. Inna mal'a'malu bin Niyat, the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, reminds us that indeed actions are determined or measured by their intentions. And we also know though that while intentionality is fundamental and Niyah is crucial to every action that we do, it is not the end-all, be-all of everything. It is of course by God's grace, by Allah's mercy, by His forgiveness, by His rahmah, His love and His fadl, His blessing. That we can in some instances get the reward for doing something simply by having the pure intention behind it. But that must come with purity of intention and sincerity. So yes, intention is fundamental. But for an action to be truly rewarded by Allah SWT, that is the exception to say that you will be rewarded for your intentions. The norm is that intentionality is important, but so is following through. But so is actually committing the action. And one may even question whether or not we are being sincere if we have no intention to actually, or a game plan as it were, or a strategy, or an approach, or a means to perform the action that you are intending to do, or to fulfill the intention that you have. And so yes, intention is fundamental, but so is actually following through and committing yourself to the actual thing that you are intending to do. And so whether or not you are one of those people who have made, who have consciously made New Year's resolution, let us for a moment think of something in our lives that we intend to, or that we have resolution to, change. Now that could be something that you want to change as in a good habit you want to develop, or perhaps it's the leaving off of bad habits. You intend not to do something anymore. Regardless, those are both resolutions as it were, or intentions that we can have. And so let us for a moment, this is an active exercise. This isn't just hypothetical or this isn't just rhetorical. I'm asking you individually to think about something in your life that you want to change. Now once you have thought about that thing that you want to change, you make Nia to do so. You have the intention, the volition, the resolution as it were, the resolve to want to do that. And then you must develop a game plan, follow a blueprint or a recipe for success. If you want to intend to do something, what are the best practices to achieve those goals? To achieve that intention, to achieve what it is that you intend to do. That's how we approach, that's how we solve problems. That's how we approach things in our day to day lives. And so when it comes to intending to do something or resolving to do something, we should approach it very much that same strategic way. So yes, you have the intention, you have the mindset, but then what is the game plan as it were? What is the recipe that you want to follow? What are the best practices to achieve those results? And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, in the book of Allah, in the Quran and in the prophetic teachings of our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, we find that recipe. We find that game plan to how we change. In fact, according to some, the entire book of Allah, the Quran and its engagement with us is to teach us, is to instill in us that recipe, that blueprint for change. How can we as human beings change in our obedience to Allah? How is it that we can be open to the guidance that comes from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala? So the book of Allah is a book of guidance and recipes and strategies and a blueprint by which you can change your lives. And so what is it then that we can find in these resources? In our tradition, in the book of Allah and in the sunnah of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, in his practice that lays for us the groundwork that gives us and provides for us the best practices, the game plan, the blueprint to change. And certainly as Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala describes in the Quran and one of the things that we have to be aware of when we talk about change, we're not just talking about something that is just theoretical or something that is not something that we have to intend to do and unless we intend to do it, it doesn't happen. Because whether or not we know this, whether or not we're conscious of it, we are constantly in a state of change. We as human beings, day in and day out, we are changing. You're maturing. You're growing or you're not growing. You're reversing. You are improving or you're not improving. You are constantly in a state of change. In fact, change is all around us. The seasons change. The weather changes. The earth changes. The universe changes around us. And so change is, as they say, the one constant in the universe. The one constant all around us and the one constant within ourselves is that we are changing. And so it behooves us, it makes sense then that we become mindful of those things that we are changing as or as a result of or be mindful of the fact that we are in fact changing to begin with and then to resolve ourselves and to have the intention to change for the better. Let next year find you in a better position and in a better state than you are today. And as I said, whatever it is that you have intended to do, it could be spiritual, but it could be personal. It could be something in your lives. It could be something physical. You want to be healthier. You want to eat right, eat better. You want to exercise more. You want to enjoy the outdoors more. You want to change something. You want to improve financially. You want to improve at the workforce. And you want to improve job performance. It could be any of those things. And yet all of them follow these blueprints. And these blueprints in the Quran, according to Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, are the sunnah of Allah. These are what Allah refers to as those natural laws, those sunnahs, plural of change. And the sunnah of Allah. And Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says, that indeed Allah does not change or there is no alteration in the sunnah of Allah. That is to say that these are immutable natural laws. And if we want to change, then we have to live a life that is in harmony or that is in synchronicity with those natural laws that Allah has placed in creation. And so what are those sunnah of Allah that Allah speaks of? And of course there are too many and abundant of these sunnah. And we don't have the time to go into them in any length, but to leave you with but a few of those strategies, as I said. Those blueprints or that blueprint or those recipes for how we can change ourselves. How it is that you can achieve what you have set out with regards to a resolution or an intention to achieve. The first and the most important of these sunnah brothers and sisters is that when we talk about change, change that is profound, change that is meaningful, change that is long lasting, right? Change that is not just superficial, change that is not just on the surface level. If we're talking about real change, then that change has to be brought about gradually. It has to be what? Brought about gradually. And hence the first sunnah of Allah that I want to remind ourselves about is the sunnah of gradualism. Is that change that is profound, that is deep, that is beyond the surface level. It happens gradually. And you have to ease into that change. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as we know, God Almighty has no limitations. We know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala kun fayakun. He simply wills something into existence and it happens. And yet, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also tells this in the Quran, Alladhi kharaqa samawati wal ardi wa ma bainahum fi siddati aayam. Here it is. He is Allah. He is the one who has created the heavens and earth and all that lies within fi siddati aayam in six days, in six stages of creation. Why? Allah is not limited. Allah does not need a day of rest. Allah is not limited in what he can do to fulfill his irada, to fulfill his will. He can simply kun fayakun, wills something and it comes into existence. And yet, Allah is reminding us here that he created all that we see around us. He created us. He created the universe that lies within us. Fi siddati aayam in six stages. Why? To remind us of this idea, if you will, of gradualism. Is that things happen in a systematic and systemic fashion. And that is how you can change most profoundly and most deeply. Is that by changing gradually, bringing about change on a gradual level, oftentimes when we resolve ourselves or when we get excited about something that we want to change in our lives, we try to go from zero to sixty immediately, right away. And that's why, what happens in December and January, right? Gym membership goes through the roof. People join their gym because oftentimes these resolutions around the new year are related to lifestyle, are related to exercise, fitness, physical well-being. And I don't have the metrics, but people seek help of coaching and counseling and therapy and things that they have neglected because they seek the advice of experts or a space where they can grow and where they can change. And so, these are the months where these type of membership and services are optimized and utilized. But what starts to happen in March or say April or as the spring approaches? Membership that was once high begins to die off. People stop going to the gym as regularly. Why? Because while you have that zeal and that energy initially that begins to wane. And that's because you haven't approached change systematically. You haven't approached change gradually. You can't go from zero to sixty immediately. There is a process that you can change. And this isn't just limited, as I said. And there are abundant examples that we can find in the tradition of our Prophet, in the Quran, in which we find this idea of gradualism. Aisha radiallahu anha she once remarked that had the first verse ever been revealed to that community. The first revelation had it been do not consume alcoholic beverages. If that was the first commandment as it were. If that was the first thing that God revealed then Aisha radiallahu anha she said that assuredly most certainly that community, the community would not have accepted it. Would not have been able to fulfill that command. Why? Because you hadn't created a foundation. You hadn't done so gradually. Now I'm not saying that if you have haram in your life and you're doing something that is prohibited, that you approach it gradually. What I'm saying is that there are examples within our tradition that underscore this idea this importance of approaching things gradually and profoundly. And so if you want to change you change gradually. And this is why the Prophet said what? He said that the actions that are most beloved in Allah's sight that is most beloved to Allah with Allah are those actions that are small but that are done consistently. Small actions or they may be small as compared to other actions but small and consistent is better than large than performative and is not as frequent or infrequent or doesn't happen consistently. And so the actions that are most beloved are those that are small but we do them consistently. Why? Because again, this idea of gradualism. You're creating a foundation. You're creating something that is meaningful and that is profound. But yes, since of time the second sunnah and this is related that's why I want to leave us with this is the idea that if you want to truly change you have to change attitude first. You can't go about changing behavior automatically or changing behavior first. You approach things by changing attitudes and mindset. You change attitudes and mindset and that behavior follows that. And this is why intentions is fundamental because you have to have the proper mindset to change. You have to be able to calibrate your mind be able to set your mind to how is it? What is it that you want to achieve? What is it that you're intending to do and then to be strategic about how you achieve it, right? That is why you change attitudes first and that behavior follows and this is something we find throughout our tradition. One example. In the days of Mecca when the community was being oppressed by the forces of the Quraysh and those who wished that community ill those that were adverse to that community when they were suffering that community was suffering under the yoke of oppression and subjugation and tyranny by that Meccan community elite society Allah SWT says within that context Refrain your hands establish the prayer and pay the charity. Why? Because the urge when you're being oppressed when you are living under the yoke of oppression and suffering is what? To bear arms against your oppressors to take up arms to engage in them physically to engage in them militarily but yet Allah SWT and the Prophet's approach is what? Concentrate on that prayer Are you paying the charity? Are you doing the farayat? Are you doing those things that are obligatory to you? Focus on that and so you live within a period of 13 years of Mecca wherein that community establishes this foundation is changing attitudes and mindset first so that when Madina arrives or that they arrive to Madina when the context of Madina happens when the openings in Madina begin to happen and the community is now strong enough has the foundation has the the building blocks for being able to engage in their oppressors militarily engage in them physically engage in them by engaging in that struggle that military combat and struggle with their oppressors they're able to do so in a fashion that is discipline that is within the boundaries and that fulfills the needs of that community and doesn't go beyond it does not cross the boundaries they form they engage militarily but they do so with discipline they do so with discipline because the foundation had already been established in Mecca they do so because the mindset had already been changed it was it was here and obey you don't get that from the go you get that after years of development where you can be that discipline and so if we want to change to do so gradually take small actions approach our change that way and first and foremost change attitudes and that behavior will follow the change in attitude because your body yourself, your being cannot exist in a state of dissonance it cannot exist in a state of what therapists and psychologists call a state of cognitive dissonance where your beliefs you feel on the inside what you believe internally are not in harmony are not in congruity with your actions with what you're doing if there's a disconnect between what you believe and what you're doing that eventually one thing will fall off because there has to be harmony there has to be congruence in our state and this is again why changing attitudes will result in changing behavior but you can't go about it the other way around I pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us all tawfiq gives us all success and the ability to fulfill our intentions to fulfill that which we have intended to do today in our minds to have the intention to do so and then to have a game plan and a success plan to make yourself successful in your endeavor I pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blesses this community and keeps us safe and healthy and secure I say this to you may Allah bless you and your family All praise be to Allah All praise be to Allah and we ask forgiveness and I seek refuge with Allah from our evil deeds who guides us and does not harm us and we bear witness that there is no god except Allah and we bear witness that Muhammad his servant and his messenger says Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the Noble Quran Allah says Allah says Allah says