 Or even if it's speaking up when we see something wrong, as it is mentioned in the hadith, whoever among you sees evil, let them change it with their hand. And if they are unable to do so, then change, then say something with your tongue. And even if that is not possible, then at least, at the very, very least, think of it as bad in your heart. Many of us know Imam Hadeh Latif, a very famous scholar and speaker. He said something recently during a lecture which stayed with me. I'm paraphrasing it, but in roughly what he said was, what is the purpose of your faith if it is not bringing you to work against injustice? And I want us to really think about that and really ponder over that. That if our faith, beyond the ayah that we give, that is mandatory, our prayer, our fasting, our zakat, and our hajj, if beyond that, we're not helping those that are experiencing injustice, then really, what is the point? When we look at Nebuchadneem sallahu alayhi wa sallam, and when he came to this earth, he came as a champion for those that were oppressed, those that were going through injustice, and he championed them and he gave them statuses that they did not have previously. So we must ask ourselves, you know, are we doing that? And if we're not doing that, are we contributing to that effort? And I think it is not a bold statement or not an inaccurate statement to say our deen, our iman, our lives as Muslims are not complete if we are not involved in this effort in one way shape or form. In Surah Kahaf, which is Surah number 18, verse number 30, Allah swt again mentions, This is a Surah, Mashallah, that many of us read on Fridays, and the rough translation is, for those who believe and do good, we shall not cause the reward to be lost. This is the promise of Allah swt, that any good we do, Allah swt will make sure that our reward will come from that. And, you know, there is the concept of Sadaqat Al-Jaria, which is a concept that maybe is unique to just Islam, this idea that something good we do on this earth, a common example is building a well for water in a place, in a community, or in a village that may not have readily have the access to water. If we do that, if we give our efforts or, you know, build it ourselves or give funds to do so, and we pass away. And then people are benefiting from this well, Allah swt will give us that Sadaqat Al-Jaria, that reward, even when we are in our cover. And for as long as time, we will get the reward for that. Similarly, if we contribute to a Masjid, in building a Masjid, or in starting a Masjid program, anything that we do, Allah swt will ensure the reward for this is for us in this world, and also in the future. But the question might come, and I do, maybe I don't work, maybe I'm a student, maybe I'm just a young kid in high school. What if I can't give? Inshallah, there's many, many things mentioned in the Qur'an and in the Hadith that are steps for all of us to do, regardless of where we are in our lives. In Suat Al-Takr, verse number 195, Allah swt mentioned, one people vis-à-vis, and Allah will love the Muslims, and do good, surely Allah loves the doers of good. And then again, in Surah Ar-Rah, verse number 56, surely Allah's mercy is ever near to those that do good. So Allah swt is constantly reminding us, right, that He loves those that do good, and in fact, He loves those so much, that His mercy is on those who do good. It is mentioned, as we all know, that something that extinguishes sin, like water extinguishes fire, is charity. So more we give, whether it's financial or otherwise, Allah swt will ensure that our sins are extinguished because of this effort that we give. So inshallah, may Allah swt give us the ability to act upon what has been said. We will then discuss very quickly here three things, inshallah, that we can all do starting this month, and inshallah, take with us outside of Ramadan, and inshallah, continue even after Ramadan. So inshallah, three things we can all do, inshallah, that we can all start doing now. In whatever form it is, but inshallah, the effort can begin. And if our efforts begin, just that niyah, if we get ikhlas and purity in our niyah, which leads us to do even a small positive action, inshallah, Allah swt will elevate that and use that as a means for success in families, in our communities, inshallah, for the entire ummah. The number one thing we can do, inshallah, is give. All that we have is the amanat of Allah swt. Anything we have, anything we get, it is the property of Allah swt. So what we do with it, we're basically responsible and caretakers for the amanat and for the wealth that Allah swt has given us. Zakat and Sadaqah are reminders that what we've been given is from Allah and is Allah's alone. Paying forward what you've been blessed with will only increase you in good. There was once a man who came to Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and he asked, he said, you know, is it incumbent upon me to give Zakat? And Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked him, he said, what do you have? And the man pulls out, you know, a piece of string. It was about this long and he said, this is what I have. And Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told this man, he said, cut a portion of this and give it in the path of Allah. So that is a reminder for us that we must give from what we have. And Allah swt does not look at the amount we give, rather what we give from what we have. Allah swt knows our affairs, knows what is going on with us financially and otherwise and our commitments financially. So whatever little we give or however much we give, Allah swt weighs that not in the amount but the amount in proportion to what it means for us. So for our youngsters here especially who say, you know, I'm in school or I don't have a job, what do I give? You know, even if you get an allowance from your parents or even if you have some kind of, you know, funds just sitting around from from any side jobs or work that you do, give a portion. Start getting in the habit of giving that, whether it's in Zakat or in Sadaqah, just as a normal habit, inshallah. And Allah swt will reward you immensely just for that small beginning effort, inshallah. The second thing we must all do outside of a financial giving is serving more literally, serving. Find places to volunteer your time. This is especially good for those that aren't able to make financial contributions. They can definitely, everyone is able to volunteer their time in some way, shape or form. Mashallah, MCC, which we're here obviously, and many other local massages in the Bay Area provide opportunities for us to serve our brothers and sisters in need. The food pantry is one example of this, and you can find other local organizations to volunteer your time. Volunteering is and serving our time is a great way to gain closest to Allah swt. And this is again a good way for us to embody what was mentioned earlier, that our deen is not complete until we are helping those that are going through injustice. It's a great way to do that, inshallah. And finally, we must all speak up. Alone, we are just one voice, but together, our voices hold power. As a community, we can create real positive change when we speak up against policies and practices that harm those that are in need. You know, all of us have the ability, inshallah, to do this in a variety of ways. Just a few examples, inshallah. Let us write to our local representatives. Let us help those that are locally running. Maybe we have Muslim brothers and sisters. Mashallah, we just had a recent election where many Muslim brothers and sisters were running for different positions locally. Let us help them in their efforts. Let us raise awareness amongst friends and families. And even join protests. Using our voice for the collective good, just as Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam did, created everlasting and lifelong change. May Allah swt give us the ability to act upon what has been said. May Allah swt make us among those with whom he's pleased with in this life and in the next. May Allah swt accept all of our Ibadah in this Ramadan. May Allah swt grant ease to all those that are suffering globally. May Allah forgive them. May Allah accept them. May Allah elevate them. May Allah swt give us all the success in this life and in the hereafter. وفاطمة سيدة نسائي أحد الجنة وهمزة عصد الله وعصد العصود اللهم أفرد العباس وولده بافرة وواهرة وباطنة لا تواهب ذنب اللهم في أصحابي لا تتقدوكم رضم من بعد فمن أحبهم فبيحبهم أحبهم ومن أبغضهم فبيبغضهم وخير الأمة إفرني ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهم إن الله وملايكته يسلون على النبي يا أيها الذين آمنوا صدوا عليه وسلم وتسليمات إن الله يأمر بالأبي ورحسان وإتائذ القرباء وينهى عن الفحشاء والمنكر والبغي يعيدكم لعلكم تذكرون اذكروا الله يذكركم ودعووا في استجب لكم ولذكروا الله إذا على أكبر والله يعلموا ما تصنعون