 Alhamdulillah, Allah Subh'anaHu wa Ta'ala has truly blessed us with an opportunity to do great, great, great immense good for our souls. According to all appearances and sometimes appearances can be deceptive, there are many challenging days ahead for the Muslim community here in North America. Which means what? Which means that Allah Subh'anaHu wa Ta'ala has given us an opportunity to be patient. Allah Ta'ala has given us an opportunity to be patient and thereby to do great, great, great immense good for our souls. Nothing in our religion has been rewarded patients with the exception of fasting which in the view of many is synonymous with patients. Waste'eenu bas-sabri wa s-salat. Many of the exegents mentioned commenting on this and a couple similar verses, ayi bas-siyami wa s-salat. Waste'eenu bas-sabri wa s-salat ayi bas-siyami wa s-salat. Seek the help of Allah, patience and prayer, that is to say with fasting and prayer. Ramadan shah-ru s-salat. Ramadan is the month of patience. In any case, why do we say there is no reward except that equals or equates the reward for patience? The Prophets of Allah ﷺ remind us, al-haste'eenu bi-ashli an-thaliha. Al-haste'eenu bi-ashli an-thaliha ila s-sab'eenu bi-adha ila ad'abun kathira. The good things that you do, your prayer, your recitation of Qur'an, your awrad, your umrah, your hanj, whatever you are commanding the good, or bidding the wrong, your sadhaka, your assisting people, you're visiting the city, etc. All of these deeds are multiplied ten times over, seven hundred times over, many times over and beyond that, but they have a numerical limit. As we mentioned specifically with the exception of fasting in terms of our deeds directly. All of the deeds that you do, al-haste'eenu bi-ashli an-thaliha. Wa qawallahu a'az-zawajal illa s-siyyama fa innu liwa an-nacb. So Allah exempts from that multiplication of the d's the fast. Except fasting, that is mine, I will reward the fasting person. The ulama they say that the reason fasting is exempted is because it embodies patience and the reward for patience has no miracle limit. As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reminds us in the Quran إِنَّ مَا يُوَفَّ الصَّابِهُنَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْلِهِسَا إِنَّ مَا يُوَفَّ الصَّابِهُنَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْلِهِسَا The patient ones will be given their reward with no miracle limit. بِغَيْلِهِسَا So patience is rewarded with no miracle limit. In many instances in the Quran we find the reward of patience mentioned after the mention of tremendous difficulty and struggle. For example Allah ta'ala mentioned وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْئِمْ مِنَ الْخَوْرِ وَالْجُوَةِ وَالْنَقْصِمْ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالْ وَالْأَنْفُسْ وَالْثَانَرَاتِ وَالْبَشْرِ الصَّابِيرِ وَبَشْرَ الصَّابِيرِ Then surely you will be tested. لَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ Inferently وَالْتَقْدِعُ وَالْلَّهِ وَالْلَّهِ لَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْئِمْ مِنَ الْخَوْرِ وَالْجُوَةِ وَالْنَقْصِمْ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالْهِ وَالْأَنْفُسْ وَالْثَانَرَاتِ وَالْبَشْرِ الصَّابِيرِ By Allah you will surely be tested. With something of fear. So it won't be overwhelmed. Some people are apprehensive now. But they go about their daily business. Do not overwhelm. بِشَيْئِمْ مِنَ الْخَوْرِ وَالْجُوَةِ And something of hunger. Some Muslims are tested with starvation right now. Places like Syria or other places. But that's not the overwhelming, the dominant condition of the 1.7 billion Muslims on the face of this earth. Most Muslims are well fed. And the great cuisines of the world. Most of them are Muslims. The Turkish, the Iranian, the Afghani. Look at the restaurants in the area. The North African, the Cuscus, Shawirna, Doner Tiba. It's all Muslim. Mantu, Bulani, Ash, Qabuli. It's all Muslim. Muslims eat well, generally. بِشَيْئِمْ مِنَ الْخَوْرِ وَالْجُوَةِ وَالْنَقْسِمْ مِنَ الْأَمْوَاتِ وَالْأَنْفُسْ وَالْتَمْرَةِ And a loss of wealth and lives and fruits وَالْبَشْرِ الصَّابِيرِ Give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. In the face of that loss. In the face of those tests. Give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. وَبَشْرِ الصَّابِيرِ Allah Ta'ala mentions elsewhere. And words that are incredibly prescient in terms of our current situation. وَأَذَنْ كَثِيرًا وَأَنْ تَصْبِرُ وَتَتَّهُوْ فَإِنَّ ذَا لِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورَ That surely you will be tested in your wealth and in your persons. And you will hear from some of those giving the scripture before you, not all of them, because some of them are friendly, wonderful people. And from some of the idolaters. And then, كثيرًا, much abuse. So if you're hearing much abuse against your religion, when you turn on the radio, if you hear much abuse on the tongues of some of your coworkers, the more ignorant amongst them. Then know this is only something Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has informed us about for over 1400 years ago. That surely directly addressing the community of the Prophet ﷺ but it's part of it. Everyone after, they're acting. And then, كثيرًا, وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا But if you patiently persevere in the face of that abuse, in the face of that foul language, وَتَتَّحُونَ And you remain mindful of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and mindful of your duty to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala فَإِنَّ ذَا الْكَمِنْ عَسْلِنْ قُمُورَ Then that is a demonstration of resolve in your affair. And that places you or adorns you or allows one to adorn himself or herself with one of the characteristics of the greatest of the messengers and prophets to walk upon this earth. They're called Ulul Azim. Ulul Azim. فَإِنَّ ذَا الْكَمِنْ عَسْلِنْ قُمُورَ So this is a characteristic befitting Noah. And a characteristic befitting Abraham and a characteristic befitting Moses and a characteristic befitting Jesus and a characteristic befitting Muhammad. عليهم الصلاة والسلام فَإِنَّ ذَا الْكِمِنْ عَزْلِنْ قُمُورَ And what does Allah Ta'ala say to His Prophet ﷺ and the face of the abuse, the persecution, the hardships and the difficulties that he encountered? Fasbeer. Fasbeer كما صاورة أقول العزني من الرسول How shall we persevere our Muhammad? Fasbeer يا محمد That's not mentioned but the address is directly to the Prophet ﷺ. Fasbeer. Patiently endure كما صاورة أقول العزني من الرسول As those great messengers who preceded you endured and persevered and were patient وَلَا تَسْعَجْلَّهُنْ You're going to be hasty and dismissing your people and riding off your people and turning your back to your people and responding to hatred with hatred towards your people or bigotry in the face of bigotry as Kipling says and if you can be hated not yet give way to hating if you can keep your head when all of them are losing theirs and blaming it on you very appropriate for our day and time if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you yet make allowance for their doubting too if being hated not give way to hatred these are the messages that we need to take the heart brothers and sisters because these are the times and it's in times like this where the opportunity to manifest prophetic characteristic is called for to have the prophet, the patience brother that the prophets displayed to have the good opinion of people that the prophets displayed what is the opinion of the prophet towards the people of thought when they sallallahu alaihi wa sallam when they stoned him when they humiliated him when they turned the imbeciles and the children of the city and unleashed them against him in a humiliating terror of abuse perhaps there will arise from the progeny those who worship Almighty God when the angels invited him to call upon them to bring the great mountains down upon his enemies he refused to do so when at the height of the battle of Uhud a very desperate situation where defeat was snatched victory rather was snatched away and then a very psychologically traumatizing defeat was inflicted upon the Muslims and in the thick of the fray when so many good people are falling the Hamza, Musa al-Nayr and others and the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam he's desperately wiping his blood from the injuries on his mouth on his cheek rather and his mouth and they ask him why he said if the blood of the prophet hits the ground during the battle then God will bring his wrath down upon his enemies and then they asked him to pray against them and he said sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and he said I wasn't sent to curse people I wasn't sent to damn people I wasn't sent to invoke the wrath of God down upon people I was sent as a mercy sallallahu alaihi wa sallam I was sent as a mercy so brothers and sisters patiently persevere despite the trials and the tribulation no matter how difficult they might seem to be no matter how daunting they might appear persevere forge on and note that you have a righteous cause that you embody the very best of human behavior characteristic if that characteristic reflects the prophetic virtues that we've been taught our prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam he said in explaining his mission and there are other explanations but this was one he emphasized I've been sent as a teacher I've been sent as a teacher and so in the face of ignorance what better thing can we do than to teach people in the face of ignorance what better thing can we do than teach people ignorance only exists in the absence of truth darkness only exists in the absence of light جاء الحق وزحق الباقي إِنَّ الباقي لَكَانَ زَهُقَى truth comes in falsehood parishes falsehood rains especially falsehood concerning the Muslims in our community because we have not brought the light of truth to our neighbors to our co-workers to our fellow citizens we have a calling brothers and sisters and it doesn't involve something glamorous or something that requires focus to groups to determine what to do just be yourself and tell people who you are just be yourself and share your religion with people be yourself and explain to people how this or that balancing relating to Islam is not true invite people to your homes invite people to the library invite people to the mosque to the masjid so that you have an opportunity to explain yourself for yourself and not to have yourself misrepresented by someone else so patiently persevere I have been the eminent the eminent movement the affair of the believer is amazing the affair of the believer is amazing his affair is good his affair is good his affair is good his affair is good and that is for no one except the believer in the past he was a good believer if some good defiles him if some good defiles her he or she they think that they think that they thank God for his graces and that's best for them every good you enjoy brothers and sisters the freedom you enjoy the food that you enjoy the clothing that you enjoy the shelter that you enjoy the safety and security that you enjoy despite all the tension in the air no one is fearing right now that some lunatic will run in here and perpetrate some ghastly crime against us we sit here in safety and security that's a great blessing thank God for that blessing thank Almighty God for that blessing let them worship the Lord of this house and an aspect of our worship is shukr is gratitude let them worship the Lord of this house the one who has fed them and driven hunger away from them and made them secure for prayer brothers and sisters we should be absorbed in our worship as gratitude to our Lord for feeding us and driving hunger away from us and for blessing us with safety and security in our homes and our places of worship as we go toward back and forth in the streets conducting our business and there are exceptional incidents that happen here and there but they're statistically insignificant 4, 5 or 6 incidents 7, 8, 10 incidents in a country of 319 million people since the election people are tense and uptight that the elections have unleashed all of these these nasty and putrid forces that we thought we overcome by and large but despite that have any Muslims in this country been shocked since the election killed or abused there are incidents but how many people have died in car accidents since the election of the president pilaf how many people have died in the strangest of ways that we don't even take note of no Muslims have perished no Muslims have perished no Muslims have perished no Muslims have perished we should thank Allah for that as opposed to working everyone up into a frenzy that leaves them vulnerable to their faith being eroded we should strengthen people's faith and work to reinforce their faith so that if things do happen they will have the strength and the fortitude the word of thought to forge life and to be patient and to trust in Allah to trust in Almighty God that His promise is true that His promise is true and that this world is just a test it's not the end of things one of the terrible terrible conditions or situations we see affecting many of our young people is that they're affected by an intellectual paradigm that's rooted in Neo-Marx's atheism that there's nothing beyond this world therefore all justice has to be secured now all good has to has to accrue to a person now and that if justice is not forthcoming if good does not accrue to the person then one has to engage in desperate needs to ensure that it happens because this is all there is if you're a Marxist this is all there is this world if you're an atheist this is all there is this world but if you're a believer we believe that there's something beyond this world we believe there's something greater than this world we believe that this world is so insignificant it doesn't even it's significant doesn't even equate the wing of a mosquito this is the world as we mentioned on several occasions where you don't know this is the world on several occasions where you to take the 100 years if you had a good long life and only 100 healthy years and not 60 healthy years and then 40 torturous years that you wish you never experienced that it was all over at 60 but 100 healthy good years what would that look like if we placed it on a continuum that started with the creation of the heavens and earth and extended into eternity because paradise or hell are realities that will extend until eternity with no end what would that 100 years look like you couldn't even begin to measure it but there are those who would jeopardize eternal bliss for some passing fleeting gratification in this world this is not how a believer sees it a believer understands there's no perfect justice in this world a believer understands perfect justice is with that a believer understands that there is no unrequited suffering in the world that suffering will be rewarded patience in the face of suffering will be rewarded this is what a believer understands and believes to the very depths of his or her of her soul may Allah give us patience Iman al-Shaki he mentioned that one chapter in the Quran only was revealed it would have sufficed the people in that insana la fi khus by the witness of time where the passing ages or the declining day where the humanity is lost the only exception except those who believe and they do righteous deeds and they counsel each other with truth and they counsel each other with patience so brothers and sisters be patient and understand that your patience as we mentioned unlimited reward and understand these are days where patience is required we say this in conclusion as we reminded by our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the end of time there will be days that are called which are called days of patience and one who holds on to their religion during that time is like one holding a smoldering ember a red hot ember like those charcoal briquettes when you barbecue in the summer and you just put the lighter fluid on and they're red and glowing imagine holding one of those and you just put the lighter fluid on and they're red and glowing imagine holding one of those in your hand that's how difficult it will be to hold on to your religion and we our scholars teach us that the reward for an act is commensurate to the difficulty of the act so if it's that difficult to hold on to your religion what is the reward what can actually and the reward for one who continues to practice who continues to act who continues to hold on is like the reward of 50 men men whom al-minna ya Rasulallah 50 from them or 50 from us 50 from you 50 companions the reward of the one who continues to hold on will be like the reward of 50 companions radiya allahu alaikum the brothers and sisters hold on be patient forge on continue to do the good things that you do work to improve your religion and to refine your religion work to grow closer to the Quran as each passing breath draws you closer to your death study the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam i understand the tremendous challenges he was faced with and how he patiently persevere through them i say in qaudi haider sallallahu alayhi wa sallam As-salatu wa sallam assalamu alayhi wa sallam sallam's salatu wa sallam assalam e-salaam insalam sallam as-salatu wa sallam As-salatu wa sallam as-salatu wa sallam In the face of all of the difficulties and challenges are popular in the world, Subh'Allah was able to smile. The sadness was in his heart and not on his face. So may Allah bless us to be able to smile, Allah bless us to be able to celebrate life. It's a struggle, but it's a struggle punctuated by many opportunities for celebration. It's a struggle punctuated by many opportunities for leisure. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless us to take advantage of those opportunities with families, with friends, to share a meal, to share the outdoors, to hike and to ski and to do other things that bring happiness into our hearts and that rejuvenate us so that we're better prepared to go back into the struggle. And that's what life is, it's a struggle punctuated by moments of leisure and celebration and then those who rejuvenate us and we invigorate us and we jump back into the fray with greater resolve and greater energy and then we celebrate again. May Allah bless us to be able to celebrate life. May Allah bless us to be able to celebrate life. May Allah bless us to be able to celebrate life. May Allah bless us to be able to celebrate life. May Allah bless us to celebrate life.