4/26/2003
IWDM Study Library
Sisters Houston TX

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
 Sahir Muhammad:
My name is Sahir Mohamed. I'm the International President of the League of Muslim Women and I'm so honored to be here today. I want to welcome all of you and the ones that have traveled. Thank Allah that you've gotten here and it's such an honor for Imam Mohammed to take time out of his very, very busy schedule to come and address us and to answer our questions. And we just love him for all the things that he's done for women. And we thank Allah for him, and we should say Takbir because he loves us and we love him. I was just waiting for him to complete everything. But I'm saying to you that it's not very often that Muslim women have a leader like Imam Mohammed who is concerned about us, who loves us and wants and gives us the best advice. So we should consider ourselves very blessed in this community. And when I'm out, I work a lot in the outer community and when they talk to me about religion and how we restrict ourselves and this, I said, I don't have a clue of what you're talking about because it's not in our community. So, I want to introduce now our beloved leader Imam WD Mohammed.
Imam WD Mohammed:
Asalaam Alaikum. We praise G-d, we say Alhamduillahi Rabbil Al Amin. Praise be to G-d. The Lord cherisher of the worlds. We witness that He's one, Ashadu An La Ilaha Illalah, one alone, having no partner in the rule of the heavens and the earth. He's G-d alone, the creator of everything in the skies and in the earth. And we witness that Muhammad is His servant and his Messenger. And we salute him with the traditional salutation, Sa Ala Alahi Wa Salaam, the prayers and the peace be upon him and what follows of that traditional salute. It is my pleasure to be here with you sisters for this session and I will do as I have done for the previous sessions that we have had in different states, different parts of the United States. And that is I will take 20 to 40 minutes and I'm hoping it'll be only 20 minutes because the time is real short. I'll make a statement or speak on Islamic interest and interest that I hope will be of special interest to you sisters.
And after I conclude, finish, then I'll invite you sisters to not just ask questions, but to make comments, to let me know what you are thinking and what you are feeling in your desire to see our community improve, make progress, and become more a community model of what Islamic life is in these United States of America. Our hope is one day to have models of what Islamic life is or should be according to the Qur'an, the word of G-d and Muhammad's example, the example of our Prophet Muhammad, upon him be the prayers and the peace. We like to have these models of community life, Islamic community life in Houston area and everywhere where we have big populations or good populations, good sized populations in these United States. And this is a job assignment not for men only. It's a job assignment for the community, males and females working together for that.
So that's our goal. And whatever we do, no matter how small that is, whether we are having a dawah session to discuss how we are to propagate or introduce Islam to other people, non-Muslims. Or revive it among ourselves. No matter how small the effort is, we should always be doing it with the goal in mind. And the goal is to have a physical material establishment serving Muslim life, a model of community life in America for Muslims. That's what the goal is. That means we want to be responsible for areas that provide for the residents, single, married, families, large and small. Their needs that they expect when they move into a neighborhood will be served. Or will be there for them. The stores that they will need to shop in, the social centers they will need to have expression for their social life and spirit, social spirit. All the facilities, especially education.
Number one is education. Preschool, elementary school, high school and junior college and finally one day we will have, Insha’Allah, we would have full colleges, full term colleges for two years, four years, four year colleges and we would have universities one day in Insha’Allah. So we have a vision for community life in America and that community life, we don't expect it to be any less in its value to society than the community of life provided for the provided to the people of America in these various neighborhoods or areas. This is a requirement on Muslims. Allah says to us, "You are of the best communities evolved or developed out of ignorance, poverty, et cetera for the benefit of all people. And you are the best communities evolved for the good of all mankind.
So if Allah identify Muslims as a community and a community like other communities that have evolved for the good of all mankind, then we have to see the bigger picture. The more important identity for us as Muslims is not an identity of congregations, masjids only tied together in some kind of association like we are now. We are not called to Islam by G-d to just establish places of worship. We are called to Islam by G-d to establish a model of human life in society so that that model be a witness to G-d, that He is the creator and He is the one that reveals or communicates the best life for mankind on this planet earth.
We look at the world that we live in and live upon and get the benefits of its development, its progress. And we forget that this world, the strongest leader, the leader nation, the strongest nation we have now on earth among the nations is this nation that we are citizens of or in, and that's the United States of America. But we can easily forget that this nation is not the creation of businessmen. It is not the creation of doctors and lawyers. This nation is the creation of men inspired by a covenant that Abraham made with G-d, a covenant that they believe that they have inherited to establish life in society under G-d. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights among these life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And it goes on to say that the state, the government did not create these rights for us and the government cannot take these rights away. This is recognizing G-d the creator and those visionaries we call the Founding Fathers, they are the ones who gave us this concept of society and a constitution, at least a framework for forming a constitution that has been formed and has survived till now and look like it's going to survive for a long, long time yet to come until G-d maybe conclude this matter of man's life on earth. We don't know. It seems to be living an eternal idea, not the constitution that has developed upon those great ideas of the visionaries, the Founding Fathers. Because the founding fathers, they said anytime that these ideas do not serve us, then the people have the right to change them or to discard them, get rid of them and write a new one.
So it seems that the Founding Fathers situated themselves and gave us ideas that can survive any challenge that time may present if we hold on to the idea that we have rights based upon the fact of our human creation and the believe that this human creation is not any ordinary creation is in the extraordinary creation and the creator has put in the matter, have put in the very creation of His creation, the potential for great works and accomplishments. Also, the potential for having the highest order of life in G-d's creation, human order with the best, best human qualities, a human order permitting the maximum amount of freedom of expression. And when I say expression, I don't mean just with the mouth like I'm doing now. The whole expression of life when we do constructive work as professionals or non professionals, we are expressing our life.
We're expressing a need in our life. So I'm talking about the total expression of the human person. And G-d has given us, not just us, but that's what's what I'm stressing now. But He have given people before us this idea that frees us to get the maximum result from the great human excellence that G-d created for us and for all of us equally. We are equal as the statement said, created equal. We are equal in these wonderful essences and their properties, et cetera. We are equal in that with all other human beings, G-d says, "See how land and water by the same water and some life come up excellent and some life come up inferior."
So this is the will of Allah. And none of us can have anything except it be the will of Allah though He gave every human being the same thing. And then He provides for every human being the guidance, the revelation that comes from the heavens to us from our G-d and feed our life like fresh, pure water comes and feed the dry ground and things begin to pop up alive and grow and reach their maturity and produce for us, for human society and for other living things and beauty even to the dead environment. All of that comes from the one water that comes and feeds that dry life upon the dry earth. So, G-d is saying see how He has made all of us to have this life that He provides for all of us equally. The guidance is from Him, but some of us are not going to be as excellent as others. He gives us our own free will; He gives us our own individual spirits and some of us will sleep while others work. Some of us will not wake up with the sun while others will. Some of us will not be encouraged or inspired and become enthusiastic and work with strong spirit to have a beautiful life for self and others. Some will, some won't. So this is a situation we have and I'm not here to discuss petty problems.
One member of the family can get toothache, but the rent is paid by somebody that goes to work, the rent has to be paid. You stay home with the toothache and hope you can get to the dentist quick if you need it, but the rent has to be paid. The one that's going out to see that the rent is paid cannot stay home and miss a day's work with you because you have a toothache. Now some of the problems we have at home with each other is like that person with that toothache. I'm employed. I'm not going to stay here with you while you have that toothache. I just hope that you will see a dentist soon. Alright, so if you are going to be asking questions and making comments, please don't bring the things from your home life that you can address after I'm gone. I hope that what I say here will help you deal with those things, those problems at home, but don't bring them to me please Keep your private matters private and just come out and see what you can find to take home to better the situation at home. That's what I want you to do. Are you pleased with that? Thank you. Alright, now let me continue.
I believe we can have the same success today in the United States of America building our own Muslim life that those first followers of Muhammad the Prophet enjoyed when they followed what he brought to them, the Qur'an, the word of G-d and his example of how it's to be lived or followed. We can have the same success. In a matter of less than 12 years, Islam went from just being taught to being established. For 11 years Muhammad the Prophet was just teaching and he was being persecuted. After about 11 years, G-d blessed him to get an invitation to come to Medina from hostile Mecca, the city of his birth. But it was not liking him, not wanting him to have the religion there. So he got an invitation from citizens of Medina, a nearby city like the distance from Chicago to Detroit, about 200 miles or so. And he went to the city and after G-d took him up in the night vision and carried him from the holy precincts and Mecca where we make pilgrimage, where we circled the Ka’ba, the Holy House, sacred house. Took him up from there to the distant Mosque that's in Jerusalem.
And after that experience then the Prophet went to Medina where he had invitation and he began not just preaching but he began building a model of Islamic life. They achieved it and the message and the physical movement, not just the spiritual movement, the physical material, industrial movement with education in the forefront kept growing, grew outside of Arabia and other places, neighboring places, in a matter of a few years.
We can accomplish that today, but we have to have what those followers were given. The Muslim public of the world today, they're not getting what those followers get and that's how come they're not producing for Islamic life. I believe that G-d has guided the son of Elijah Muhammad to give you exactly what they were given in the time of Prophet Muhammad. And getting the same thing, we should be able to produce as they produced. And in this day and time when transportation is better, communication is better. The society is much advanced in terms of the practical things that you have to have going for you. We should do it faster and even get more than what they got in the past.
Allahu Akbar, G-d is the greater. And that can happen and it is starting to happen and it is going to be successful. That's my strong belief. It is going to be very successful. But we need you all to be inspired. We need more of you all to find a place for your expressions. Don't have all that energy in you and no place to put it to work. Find places for you to express all that that's in you that wants to go to work for Islam, wants to go to work for G-d. Find places for the expression of that energy and attract others to you. Muslim and non-Muslims. Attract others to you. And tell the non-Muslims that we have a great, great assignment. Our assignment is an assignment that is entrusted to our hands, into our hands. But the benefits of it and the work to be done does not exclude good Christians or good people.
Tell them if you are interested then we'll help you to become more acquainted with the Muslim life and the Muslim plan for that life in America. And you'll be surprised that there will be those that won't be at all desiring to change that religion, but they will certainly be desiring to work with us to see this great model of Muslim life become a reality in these United States of America. Have faith that Allah will give you help not only from people of your own faith but from people of other faiths. Allah promised that He would even give us help from angels, the unseen creation that serves Allah's order in the heavens and in the earth. He promised that He would give us angels. When the believers had a victory one time in the battlefield and Muhammad the Prophet explained to them how that victory was helped. He said when you threw the dust it was not you but it was G-d.
And he said that G-d increased their ranks and their forces by giving them angels to work with them in the battle against their enemies or their persecutors. So have faith in these things. And we know Allah says in Qur'an. Solomon was a great king; peace be on Solomon the Prophet. And he was a great builder and a great defender of the order of life that they were building under G-d. And it is said in the Qur'an that G-d gave him help from the jinn, from the jinn. They were helping, they were working with Solomon for his objective, for his goal that he was trying to achieve. So don't limit it, what we have is no different in its appeal. Its power to appeal to good people of all faiths and all races. All nationalities. There's no different than that of the American idea in its best picture. That of the Christians hope in its best picture is no different. It is the same. Hence G-d tells us through Muhammad, we pray. "Oh G-d, make our leader Muhammad successful as you made Abraham and the followers of Abraham. And bless Muhammad as you did Abraham and the followers of Abraham. Surely you are praised." That's the prayer. What is it saying? When they asked how should we pray for you? They wanted to know from Muhammad the Prophet, the followers, how should we pray for you oh messenger of G-d? And he said, pray like this. And he told them exactly what I've given you. First in Arabic and then in English that's what he told him. And I believe that most of the Muslim leaders of the world have not registered the full power and impact of that prayer yet. I believe they knew in the time of the Prophet, I believe they knew.
But darkness came upon his following as he predicted, he predicted that darkness was going to come upon his followers and he said as it began, it will be revived again. As it got started in the first time, the first time he said it will again be started and be repeated to come back, it would be revived. That's what he predicted. But he said that this community would go under darkness and it did and it's under darkness now more than ever, more then it ever has been. It's under darkness and confusion. The publics of Islam are just abandoned by their leadership, their leadership have just abandoned them and just using them just to have the benefits of this world right now, not the hereafter. So this is bad. Now what is that prayer saying? That prayer is saying not only to Muslims, but then Muhammad had them pray that prayer so that when the Christians hear it they will say, oh he doesn't exclude us.
He recognizes that the same G-d that is blessing him, blessed us. The same G-d that is going to make him successful also made us successful. That's what he's saying. It's said as plain as day, but because we learn it just to recite it as a prayer, we miss the message in it. The message in it is this, that Muhammad is the man blessed by G-d to have a following that is inheriting the covenant that G-d gave to those before him, to the Christians, to the Jews and then to the Christians. Now it has come to the Muslims. And we don't want G-d to change His plan for mankind. The plan that He had for mankind when He gave the plan to Moses and Abraham and the followers of Moses and the following, the covenant. And when He gave it to the family of Imran and to Jesus Christ and his followers. The same, not a different one, the same plan.
And we are not saying it never worked. That prayer is saying that it did bring blessings to them and it did bring success to them. When we study what the Christian people have done to inspire governments and nation building, to have a vision that will give them the better life and great production. When we study it, we see G-d's message, His communication, His promises coming true, being fulfilled. It is not the materialists that is in control today in the name of materialism or in the name of some pagan god. It is the people who received scripture, the people we identify with, the people we call the people of the book. It is those people, it is their societies that have advanced and contributed more to civilization and more to the betterment of human life on this earth than those that worship false gods or those that worship themselves and materialism. This is a proof, living proof, that G-d's promise has been fulfilled on them, for them.
And it didn't take long for it to be proven to the world that G-d had given Muhammad the same thing. And it proved in his time and in the immediate time after him to be successful and more successful then all the efforts of those before him. And it became the progress to inspire a revival of the mind and the intellect, the productive mind and a revival of the sciences for the people that G-d had given the covenant to before giving it to Muhammad and his followers. So we pray and we should be in the spirit of the prayer. We should first know the prayer and know it's ramifications, know how far reaching it is. That's what I mean by that, ramification. Know how far reaching it is, that it is reaching out to the whole world of people who have been inspired to believe that they're created by the creator of the skies and the earth and they are created for a great human destiny, for a great human achievement as a model society on earth for all people.
Yes. So we should understand those prayers, how far reaching it is. It is called the prayer success. It's called the prayer of Ibrahim, Salatul Ibrahima. And make the followers of Muhammad successful as you did Abraham and the followers of Abraham. And bless Muhammad and bless the followers of Muhammad as you did Abraham and the followers of Abraham. So this is the continuation, isn't it? Say G-d, you did this for them now you're doing it for us here. Make us successful. Give us the benefits of the fruits of our labor, laboring with your word and your light. Give us the benefit of the fruits of our labor like you did for those people before us, that you communicated your message and your plan for human life and earth too. This is it. So don't separate yourself from them. You have the Qur'an, but G-d said believe in what G-d has revealed. That's the Qur'an. Ro Muhammad, that's the Qur'an. And what was revealed before.
That means though we don't accept it in all it's expressions or all of its language because we know it lost its purity and they tried to put it all back together again and the job is not as it was before when G-d gave it to Moses and Abraham, Moses and Jesus. We know it's not the same anymore. So we can't say we don't accept that we can read the Bible and follow it and that's enough for us. No. But we must accept to believe that when it was first given to them it was pure and good and fit for their time and their needs until G-d sought need to advance man more in the world. And then He sent the Muhammad with the universal guidance to advance man, to complete man's progress on the earth as a community or as a society. This is the way we should believe.
So don't have your mind and your spirit and your heart in conflict with Christians, in conflict with their gospel, in conflict with the Jews, in conflict with the Torah. We certainly know that it has mistakes in it but we know that the intent is good and the purity is still there to be discovered in the confusion that came about for them. There is no confusion for us when G-d says.... I have to quickly conclude this, give you enough time. When G-d says this day have I perfected, perfected for you your religion and completed my favor on you and I've chosen for you Islam as religion. When G-d says that, what is G-d saying? Let's just don't take these just as words. Find the connection for these words. Find the context for these words, the full context for these words in the progression of G-d's revelation to mankind, all of us. Okay, so what is G-d saying? G-d is saying this, this is a special day for mankind.
I am completing my message and making it very clear and My Prophet is receiving it from me directly. And it's being perfected and completed for you while he is receiving it. It is not like it was before when the people received my word, my revelation and lost it or went away from the purity of it, it is not like it was in the time of Jesus Christ, Peace be upon him when he came to inspire and to breathe the spirit of guidance into the people that he received from G-d as G-d's spirit in him. It is not like that time when he passes away and nothing has been completed in writing.
So when he passes away, they begin to dispute and argue, dispute with one another and argue on how this is to be understood and how it is to be applied, and had to go into sessions and discuss the meanings of his message, especially the meaning of his message regarding the person of G-d. I hate to say person, the nafs of G-d, the nafs of G-d, the identity of G-d as the living entity and the nafs of himself. The identity of Jesus Christ as the living entity and the understanding of the mortal and distinguishing the mortal from the divine, from the G-d. And distinguishing the Holy Spirit Jibril, or the Holy Spirit from the two, G-d and the Messenger, the Prophet, the servant. That burden was not left on the Muslim community. G-d cleared it all up and gave the Qur'an to Muhammad perfected, completely and clear.
So after his death they didn't have to fall into disputes, arguing major issues in the revelation. So G-d is saying that this time it will not be confused and it will not be held up by years and years of debate. And then the debate they finally end leaving them still not united. This is the history. This is not my opinion. I'm giving you history. Even to this day the Christians are not all united to supporting the conclusions that the Nicene Conference came to. Those sessions of debate that lasted for a hundred years, have not still agreed on them. You have the Eastern church and the Western church, they don't agree.
So the Qur'an has spared us on that. This is what we should see. So when we pray this prayer is called prayer of Abraham and it's also called the success prayer. Mystics in our religion give great meaning and power to this prayer. They believe this prayer has great power, that if you pray this prayer and really feel it and sincere that this prayer can give you great power from G-d. This prayer will bring great power into your heart and soul and mind from G-d. They believe that. I'm not a mystic, I have not practiced it to see if it will do it, but I'm a strong believer. I believe that it will do it. Sisters, are you following me? Were you hearing what I was saying? Are you going help us build this community? Are you going to work with your husbands and sons and love them with all your heart? Love them not only for yourself but for Allah? Thank you very much. Asalaam Alaikum.
Well you had one of those questions. I feel a little guilty too. Why do brothers prefer to marry young women? Now that's not all the question. From outside our community rather than to choose mature, I believe that's what it says here, Muslim sisters from within our community?
Well we all are weak. We are human beings. We are weak and we are not blessed living in this society that serves most of our needs. We don't serve most of our needs. We are not blessed to have a situation for our community members that will.... (Unintelligible)
This situation we have is burdening all of us. The sisters, you are burdened, and the life that we live dictated by the system burdens all of us. We are Muslims. We should have time to interrupt our business life and our life and pray and socialize, tend our family needs. We don't have that time. This get of money life that we have so you can pay the bills, keep your phones on, pay the utility bills, pay the rent, et cetera, provide the material needs for the life, takes up all our time, takes up all our time.
So the sister is not living a normal life and her burdens that need to be understood by her brother, her husband, the members of the family are not always understood because he's under a lot of pressure too. Our life is just under too much pressure and being under all that pressure you can't even give your husband the spiritual support he need from you for his life. You can't give him the affections all the time that he need from you. So he goes out in the street and he finds somebody that's not as serious about G-d and religion and they got more time to give him what you don't have enough time to give him as much as you would like to give. He finds somebody out there that they got all the time in the world.
They got enough time to spend with him doing whatever he wants to do in hopes of getting the money he's giving to you. They don't have any other thing important, that important in their life. So he goes to that non Muslim girl or woman because she got more time for him. That's for right now she got more time for him. But soon as it becomes a serious re
lationship then he going to find out that he just married another situation like the one he got or leaving. And if she's not a believer in G-d like you as the Prophet warned, when you choose a non believer over a believing woman, you are asking for the hell fire. Not in the life to come only, also in this life. Life becomes nothing but a virtual hell.
The brothers have to be educated more in Islam regarding the importance of marriage and the importance of family life. But more importantly for our situation in America, they have to be informed of this special kind of burden that this peculiar situation in this system puts on all members of the system. It taxes the system so heavily. We need what many spiritual communities got. I'm spending a lot of time on this question because I know some others going to come up similar to this one. This is taking care of all of 'em. We need what other communities of good people that are spiritual, that believe in G-d. We need more spiritual life in us. We need more devotion to the guidance of G-d in us. Not as Imams or teachers who show off knowledge, but as followers of the guidance of G-d who love G-d firstly and lastly, who love this word firstly and lastly, and love one another like sisters and brothers. We need to cultivate that in us more. And when that becomes strong in us as it is in the Focolare people and in some other the good Christians that we know, that you know and I know, when that becomes strong enough in us, then we will not be so weak to look at the girl outside of the community and go to hell with that passion we have for her flesh.
I hope I have answered your question.
What can we as young Muslim parents do different from our Muslim parents in order to raise a greater generation? I have answered you dear. Study your notes if you took them. I already answered that.
How do you put your good works into motion or action without letting others take away your desire or try to move you aside. So do you as an individual go your own way with Allah with your same plan and will your works still be accepted by Allah? I'm a young Muslim and have the energy but I do not want to allow people to tire me out.
You have to be motivated for Allah's sake. You have to be interested and be good, a good person and contributing to good. I believe you are, I'm not questioning that. But I'm trying to help you see your own situation. And you have to be able to identify what's more important, what's more important in your obedience to G-d, what is more important. And you have to realize that the answer for you is not always the one that makes you comfortable or the one that makes you happy right now. But in the long distance, if it is the answer that G-d wants for you that, Allah wants for you, you will be happy and you will be comfortable down the road. For Allah tries us, this is the history of the servants of G-d. He tried even his own servants that He chose. He tried them, let them have difficulty.
Let them experience great difficulty. That experience, if they hold on to the faith and keep the spirit and enthusiasm to serve G-d in the right way, it rewards them greatly not only down the road but presently also, right now also. It strengthens your spirit. It will open up your heart and mind and you'll have a bigger heart and a bigger mind. More light will be poured into your heart because there'll be more room for it. More light will be poured into your mind because there'll be more room for it. So don't think that these difficulties that we are facing in life are always something that is just taking from us. These difficulties are sometimes G-d's way of preparing us for even a greater life and a more productive and a more rewarding life. So understand that first, firstly. Then understand this-that sometimes G-d wants to drive individuals away from all the company that they have. He wants to put you by yourself. He wants you to be alone because he has some special work to do on you.
Should a sister give up her children from a previous marriage in order to remarry? These statements Are questions are connected. Is a man entitled to receive the child support payments for children of a previous marriage? How can we get started to recognize Islamic divorce laws? Okay, I think I understand all these.
Now here's what she's addressing. In Muslim countries, usually the courts decide unless he's proven to be insane or terribly unfit as a father. If there's a divorce, the courts decide in favor of the father. The father keeps the children. But as you know in America, in the West it's different. The courts want the children to stay with their mother, especially if they're young, still needing parent, parent support, the support of their parents. Now this is a very complicated situation and it is going to require decision makers whether it be a judge in a court, a legal court or whatever, that are fair and just and not guided and ruled by any tradition or Muslims abroad. Or by American interest in family life. But just looking for what is right and correct and just for this situation. So in my understanding, I wish we had more time, we don't. But in my understanding, sister men are the maintainers for women out of what G-d has provided for them.
And this means earnings, with their earnings, because of their physique and their wealth or that they amass. So this means their earnings whether $200 or 2 million. This means with their earnings. That in my opinion you always have that right, that right can't be taken away from you because of changes in the society or whatever. That right cannot not be taken away from you. You have that right to ask that the father of the children take care of the children until they can manage for themselves and become of age. And if the mother is unfit then the courts will decide that, and then the father will take the children. If the mother is fit, then the courts will protect the mother's right to keep her children. I mean the courts of this land. And no sister then in my opinion should go along with that, something they say is the tradition, Islamic tradition and give her children to her husband. No, if you want your children, you keep your children and the courts will help you keep your children.
Yes. Alright, thank you. I don't have my glasses with me and the writing is fancy so I couldn't read it too well. My husband is a Muslim and he continues to go the wrong way. Drugs, alcohol, he's Muslim. I have had to help him for the past three years. What should I do as a Muslim woman?
As long as it is in your heart to help him help him, help him. Three years is not that long. Some people suffer for 30 years with the same mate. If it's in your heart to help him, help him. If you believe in him, help him.
Maybe Allah is testing you. And maybe soon as you become stronger in your effort to see him survive his habits, maybe Allah will bring a miracle into your life. Maybe he will just decide in one instant that he's not going to do those things anymore. But you know him, I don't. Have patience with the power of goodness to bring results, goodness have great power to bring results. Have patience with the power of goodness that it can bring results. Tell if you have it in your heart you still care for him, suffer and tell G-d that only you how long I should suffer. Oh Allah, only you know how long I should suffer. Please give me the strength to suffer until you take this burden off from me.
Yes, I've seen a lot of this in the community. A sister is asking about disrespect shown to her from her husband or by her husband and she believed that he's not conscious of the disrespect. I can see a lot of that happening all the time. He's not conscious of the disrespect. So I guess she's saying how should she deal with, right? Yes. How she is to deal with this,
You have to let him know that you are not pleased with the disrespect. Every time he disrespects you, you have to let him know you're not pleased with the disrespect. And tell him how you feel. Say I don't believe that you are aware that you're disrespecting me, but you are. If he say well explain it. I'd rather you find it yourself. It's in you. You can find it. Find what you are doing that's disrespecting me and why you doing it. You find out yourself. But every time you disrespect me, I'm going to let you know that I'm not pleased with your disrespect. Every time. Don't let him escape one time. Cause if he escapes one time, it's going to be two times. It keeps multiplying.
And believe in the power of prayer. I don't know if you ask Allah to help him to know his faults, but ask Allah to help him know, help your husband to see his faults or to know his faults. Sometimes kindness can worsen a situation and sometimes kindness is not real kindness. We think maybe you love somebody that's got faults, supporting them but your love is good for 'em. Sometimes it is. But you have to know when it's of no effect. And when it's of no effect then you have to give him strong love. Strong love. Strong love means you say cut this crap out. Cut it out right now. I ain't taking it from you. I'm going to make you hurt more than I'm hurting if you keep this up buddy. That's loving him too.
Yeah, this is about inheritance. And the question is do you leave your inheritance in Islam? Do you leave what is there for them in Islam equally to the one that is of good Islamic character and behavior? Or to the one that is not? If they're your children, the law of inheritance has to be for all of them equally.
This question is on birth control. Birth control, is it permissible? If so, how? What kind? Now you sisters should be telling me. All I can say is that Islam is a religion that wants to continue, that is ordered to continue the best life that human nature itself evolved and supports. See human nature has evolved. Like for us first. G-d created the human nature and He created it good. And the human nature evolved life and it evolved it good. And the proof of it is Muhammad's life and a couple of other figures that I'm seeing right now in scripture that stands as models and proof of that excellence, that nature evolved before any revelation came from G-d. Muhammad the Prophet, the last one, he is a repeat, a model given to us again to show us. Muhammad the Prophet was 40 years old and he had not worshiped idols. He had not had any bad human behavior, nothing but the finest, high standard of human behavior and life and conduct was already established from Muhammad before one word of revelation came to him. So Allah revealed the Qur'an with Islam, with guidance for us to compliment that life and to fit that life. To fit means be compatible with that life, not at odds with that life to be compatible with the best human nature that human nature itself evolves.
Now, we don't want to copy the modern world and it's disrespect for the excellence of human nature. Your own human sensitivities tell you some of these things that are provided for you in this world by the manufacturer is not in good taste for you. Where your human sensitivities say it's not in good taste, you should reject it. You should reject it. And looking at the birth control somebody said, "Well the number of children you have should not be controlled." Well before I start thinking about controlling it, it was already controlled up to at least in some measure. Why? Because the mother, the woman, my wife, the mother of my children, she can't have a baby anytime or become pregnant anytime I want her to. At times I must stay away from her. And then there are times when she's not on her monthly that she can't have a child. Is that right? Yes. She could not be on her monthly and still she'll not become pregnant or have a child. So there's already some controls. I don't like to get too personal with you sisters. I can do with you brothers, but we brothers, we lose a lot of children.
We have nothing to do with it. We lose a lot of children. We have nothing to do with it. So don't be so sensitive about, "Oh G-d created me to have children, created you to have children." You should not stop that. No, you might have to stop that. You may have to control it. But we should consult each other and the brothers need to learn from you sisters. And you sisters that don't know need to learn from the sisters that do know the rhythm method and other things you can do to keep from being pregnant, to keep from getting pregnant. Nothing is guaranteed. Even what they give you is not guaranteed. And some of those things they give you can harm your body. So you don't want to take things that can harm your body. So you sisters have to discuss this and you sisters have to decide what is the best way for you to deal with the problem of birth control.
Yes, I have to come back to this. I wanted to come back to that question that was before this one about birth control. You know about inheritance. Sometimes this is just human weakness. A mother get mad at her child and she say, "Well you can't have this anymore. You can't have that anymore." And some men, they say, "You ain't eating my food. You ain't eating at the table, you don't eat my food today. You get out."
You don't deny a person the provisions that G-d has ordered for them in your problem or in your conflict with one another. Don't deny them the provision that Allah has ordered for them. Like to pray, to go to the Mosque. G-d ordered that for them. No matter how much you displeased with them. They're still supposed to pray. They're still supposed to go to the Mosque, they're supposed to go to the Mosque. They supposed to hear the Kutbah. Okay, no matter how much you dissatisfied with them. The old way was wrong. Somebody did wrong, break a law or something, you put 'em out. They can't have access to the Muslim life anymore. That's wrong. That's the way of the people who went astray in the times of the Jews and the history of the Jews. They would banish someone from among them called banishment, put 'em out. They couldn't belong to the society anymore. That's wrong. And if you have a problem with my behavior, I'm speaking for the person, not the husband or for a child.
You have a problem with my behavior, I'm still entitled to eat at the table. G-d said we have to eat. He didn't say stop feeding them when they do wrong. They feed you even in prison. Feed you good sometimes too. Yeah. So don't cut off those things. You know what hurts more than anything if we love one another? It hurt to know the person we love is hurt. Just let your son, your daughter, your husband, let 'em know that you hurt. And let 'em know that you are doing these good things for them. But you sure don't have a spirit to do it. But don't slam the food down on the table, "There your food!" No, don't do that. Do it still the way you did it before. "Here's your food honey." "Oh come here girl." "Please. I don't want your hands on me right now. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow." That wins the brother's heart. Okay. And that straightens him up too. Most of 'em straighten up behind that kind of treatment. I've seen it work.
Okay, this is courtship. A quick answer. We live in a society that makes it very difficult for us to follow Islamic guidance for our sex life. Makes it very difficult. But not only for us, a good Christian in the church, it's difficult for them too. They're not supposed to do these things either. They're not supposed to be doing bad things. So it makes it difficult for any good person in their religion because this society say, have sex when you want it with whoever you want to have it with. Do all these things. You are young, you in love, do what you want and don't pay no attention to your mother. Get yourself some protection and we'll protect you. Your mother don't like it, we'll put her in jail for denying you the right go out and get you some protection and enjoy your sex life. But this is not Islamic. That's the influence of the Satan on the public life. That's Satan's influence in the public life. That's not the way for religious people.
Allah revealed to us through Muhammad the Prophet that you should not only stay away from having sex before marriage, but you should not even approach something that will put you in a situation where you would be tempted or be weak to do that. So, you don't want to be alone with a male. When you court you are supposed to have a mature adult chaperone with you. You are not supposed to kiss, have any sexual expressions with the person you're interested in. You are to stay, not go near the act. Not going near the act means you don't put yourself in a situation that brings you close to doing the thing.
I think that's plain enough. Was this the last one? Let us take the last one. Yes. The question is, are you working on translating the Qur'an? I'm doing Qur'anic commentary practically every time I speak to you. And we are going to select these and put them in order one day and I'm going to have a team, a big team, and we are going just be absorbed into this project and we going to do a translation of the Qur'an by American born Muslims. It's not as difficult, as a lot of you think it's going to be because most of the translations are excellent, very good and they are for people all over the world. Us in America, everywhere. But just a few places that I find in Qur'an where we can make it clearer and better for English speaking people and especially for Americans. People who speak American. We don't speak English, we speak American English, American English. Thank you very much. I hope I've been on some help to you. I look forward to seeing you all again. May Allah guide you and keep you always. Ameen.
Speaker 6:
Thank you, Brother Imam, for taking your time to spend with us this afternoon and we love you and we're going to hold these questions and we may have another opportunity. We didn't have enough time today. And please applaud yourselves for listening and understanding.

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