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IWDM Study Library
Intelligent Behavior Between Extremes

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
00:00 Imam Warith Deen Mohammed: As-salamu alaykum, all Muslims peace be unto you, we pray the blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, the universal messenger, Prophet to whom the Qur'an was revealed. Upon his descendants, his companions, the righteous all, Amin. I bear witness that there is but one G-d and that Muhammad is the messenger of G-d. Allah, most high, tells us in Qur'an that if we should meet the ignorant people, say, "Peace."
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00:43 IWDM: If we should meet the ignorant people, say to them, "Peace." That is, that we shouldn't get into an embarrassing situation with ignorant, disrespectful people. But if you happen to have a meeting with them, confrontation with them, that is, if you happen to have a confrontation with them, to give them peace, greet them with peace and keep on your way. Do not engage the ignorant. Peace and blessings upon the Prophet. The Prophet himself, the model of excellence for all believers, for all people, that is. And it is said of the Prophet that he never indulged to the extreme in anything. He never indulged to extreme in anything. I used to think that his personality was, I would say, frozen, from descriptions that I had received of the Prophet before reading more myself and hearing more from others who knew of the Prophet's life, peace and blessings be on him.
02:29 IWDM: Then I came to see the Prophet as, what I would say, is perfect human being, and G-d says of him in the Qur'an that he is a mortal being like we are. He's a mortal being like we are. He had the same emotions we have, the same life, same need, and the same emotions that we have. But G-d made him most excellent. He did not give himself to extreme. It is reported that he never laughed so much that you could see inside of his mouth while he was laughing. It is reported, and I read now from the Hadith.
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03:40 IWDM: It is reported that Abdullah, son of Harith, son of Jazin, said.
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04:03 IWDM: That I never saw anyone more pleasant of face than the Prophet. Never saw anyone with a more pleasant face than the Prophet. Whenever you saw him, there was always a pleasant look on his face. His face was gleaming all the time, praise be to Allah. And we know that the Prophet said, peace and blessings be upon him, "Whoever meets his brother with a pleasant face does charity. Whoever meets his brother with a pleasant face does charity." Now, here is the report from the wife of the Prophet, may G-d be pleased with her.
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05:23 IWDM: That she says that she never saw... And this is his wife, she never saw the messenger of G-d, the Prophet of G-d, laugh to the extent that you could see his tongue, palate in his mouth or inside, the opening of his mouth.
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05:45 IWDM: Surely, he had the habit always of smiling, not bursting out in a laugh. Now, why have I chose this today for us? Because the general public, the American people, the western people, they love extremes. They like to laugh to extreme. They like to cry to extreme. They love extremes. If it's sad, it has to be just a bath. You have to wallow all in the tears. It has to be a full submerge. You have to be fully submerged in it. And if it's funny, it has to be hilarious. You have to go crazy, and these tendencies are bad for the general public. The intelligent of the American public, they don't do that. But it's the general public that go to these extremes. And I find that because we are not established in traditions like Irish people, Italian people and many others. Although Italian people they love to laugh a lot too much too, but they at least have something to check them, they have a sense of Italian behavior.
07:13 IWDM: I don't think we have a sense of Negro, the Halalian, African-American, whatever we are. I don't think we have a sense of our own ethnic behavior. We don't have a sense of what should be our behavior, so we tend to follow whatever the mood is in the public. If the mood in the public is to be extremely silly, you find most blacks will become extremely silly. So we Muslims, we can't follow that. We have to follow the prophet. Again, the prophet has said, peace and blessed be on him, that whoever follows the ways of the people, the fads of the people, is one of them. Well, we are Muslims then we won't follow the fads of the people. We won't follow their way. They cut their hair bald, you cut your hair bald. They wear bushelful on their heads, you wear a bushelful of hair on your head. You're not supposed to follow them. We're supposed to take the moderate way, the intelligent means, the golden mean, they call it, right? The intelligent behavior between the extreme, that's what the Muslims are supposed to do.
08:36 IWDM: G-d says with this community that it is a well-balanced community. It is the midway community, meaning that it is a community that does not give itself to any extremes. But it follows the rule of intelligence, moderation in all things. Don't go to extremes. So she says, the wife of the prophet, G-d be pleased with her. She says that he always had a pleasant face. He never laughed, but he would always smile. He would never laugh like people laugh with their mouth wide open, you can see all inside their mouth, but he would smile. His face would smile. So let us remember that and guard against the extreme, because G-d says to us, "It is the devil who promotes the extremes." Satan, Shaitan, he is the one who promotes the extreme. So guard against extreme behavior, extreme sadness and extreme laughter to the point where you become silly, just hilarious. Giggle, giggle, giggle. The thing now, if you wanna look like you're into the know, the youngster has to laugh like he's crazy at everything. Yeah, they meet each other, haven't said a word, didn't even greet each other yet, and burst out in a laugh. See your girl, just burst out in a laugh. Crazy. Don't follow the ways of the world, the ways of the public. Learn your religion and respect it, follow the Qur'an and follow the example you see in Prophet Muhammad, and you'll be respected by your family more and respected by the public more. And that's what you should want, respect, not to be accepted among the fools.
10:42 IWDM: So we pray, G-d, protect us from these extremes and guide us to the righteous course as Muslims, develop Muslims in continuing the Khutbah. I now would like to refer you to a work that has been done by one of the present day scholars in our religion, Dr. Akbar Rahman. He calls the book science of Islam. In this book, he mentioned how the Qur'an in so many ways inspired the believers, the Muslims, and motivated them and moved them to ventures, occupations and the enrichment of the general society in terms of culture, science, etcetera. And he points to verses of Qur'an, and he shows us how those verses influenced the thinking and appetites of the Muslims. He shows us how some verses touched the scientific-minded person and turned them on to scientific pursuits, and the result was the re-enlightenment, the illumination of the sciences again for man on this earth.
12:37 IWDM: And he shows how certain verses that speaks of the hereafter. The beauty that will be there, the mansions, the great mansions that will be for the believers and he shows how that touched, those who had in them, ability to construct beautiful homes and beautiful houses and it motivated them and inspired them and motivated them to build fine palaces and fine places. In general, he shows us how the Qur'an touched everybody that had desire for something that has potential and desire to bring out that potential, it tests everybody and influenced them in the best way and the most excellent way to get into some kind of productive pursuit and to beautify and make the society environment excellent.
13:50 IWDM: Now, if the Qur'an is among us in the West, in America, then we expect the Qur'an will have that same influence on us, if we are Muslims. If we are really Muslim, then the Qur'an and our presence alone, alone. Do we have the Qur'an? Yes. If we have Qur'an then the Qur'an and our presence alone, it should be a factor among us, "The" factor among us, for motivating us toward excellence, beauty, goodness, the enrichment of the society and if it's not doing that, it's because the Qur'an is the pure water, the life, falling on dead matter that has no desire for life. If there is desire for life, you will be enriched by the presence of the Qur'an. Yes, the people want to stay non-productive. Our people who get the Qur'an, shouldn't stay non-productive, they should become productive. They shouldn't stay people... Vulgar people, low base people who care nothing about making their environment beautiful and excellent, they should be motivated to change the ugly, dull, stagnant, vulgar environment into one of moral excellence, beauty, cultural excellence. This is what should happen if you are really responding to the word of G-d. If that's not happening, then you were like that, the earth, the Qur'an said.
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15:40 IWDM: He sends the clouds with the fertile rains and then let out the water upon a dead land, and it comes to life. And then G-d says again, "See how that land watered by one water, one and the same water, things come up excellent and things come up inferior and bad from the same water." So we don't expect that everybody will respond to the Qur'an and have a great beautiful life and a rebirth. No. Some are gonna be like that bad land, want nothing, want nothing, cares about nothing, not interested in improving your life. So from you come nothing but bad, inferior stuff and bad stuff. The believer should not let their heart be hurt by that, but know that G-d has said, that's how he has created the world and given everyone the opportunity, but some will not allow themselves to respond to the word of G-d, says that it is not because their eyes are blind, but because the eyes in their heart are blind. It's the disposition of their heart that have blocked out the light and cuts them off from being aided and motivated toward excellence. Yes! He said no but it is the sight within the heart that is blind, not these eyes, they can see with these eyes. Praise be to Allah.
17:42 IWDM: So, dear beloved Muslims, we're here in this part of the world where we are threatened by all kinds of bad influences all the time, within our homes and outside. We can't escape it, through our television, turn the radios off, still can't escape it. We don't want to get rid of these media because the media also bring education and excellence to us as I say, it brings both: Filth and excellence, goodness. So we don't wanna do without it, so we have to discipline ourselves as Muslim to deal with this environment, to be strong enough to resist that, that is for the mean, low-based, vulgar people. And take that, that is for the excellent mind, the high-minded people, the intelligent people, the people of good taste, those that hold some values before them all the time. Take that, that is for those people and turn away that, that is for the low-based, vulgar, senseless, crazy-minded people. That's what the Muslim has to do in order to be successful in this environment. And then compete with each other, compete with the people of the past.
19:20 IWDM: In all that is good. G-d says, "Go as in a race, competing in all that is good." We should be competing with each other, for the improvement of our society. "Oh, Brother so-and-so he did such-and-such. Oh, I wanna see. I believe I can do as much or more." "Oh, Sister so-and-so, she's really a beautiful influence in our community. I'm gonna see can I be equally beautiful and equally a good influence in our community." We should be competing with each other in that spirit, because that's what G-d said. Go as in a race toward all that is good. Compete with each other in virtues and excellence. Not in greed, malice. We have a situation hanging over America, and it stays with the foolish people. Can't hardly drive down the street without someone trying to drive against you. Trying to drive against you! Bad enough just to drive together with some people that shouldn't even have a license. And now here are people out there driving against you. Dominated by the spirit of malice. Malice. Ill will. Bad feelings toward each other, motivated by the feeling to hurt somebody. Yes! That's not the Muslim. The Muslim is one who brings charity, and the Prophet says something that's simple as a pleasant face to show your brother or sister is charity. And the Prophet also told us that whenever we meet each other to greet each other with peace.
21:17 IWDM: Some of us, we even call ourselves Muslims, and we know the person is a Muslim and won't even say As-salamu alaykum. Some of you won't even return it when the other one gives it, As-salamu alaykum. So-called Muslim won't even say wa ?alaykumu s-sal?m. And the Prophet has obligated us that if one give you the greeting, you are obligated to return the greeting and more excellent greeting, or at least the equal that you received. That's what the Prophet has obligated us, peace be upon him. You call yourself Muslim and we come around you with the As-salamu alaykum, you don't even respond. Look at us like, "Say, who you speaking to?" We should drive you out from among us. That's right. We should say, "Hey, you are no Muslim, get out of here and don't ever let me catch your face in here again." That's what we should do. Check them out and make sure they're not deaf, they might be deaf.
22:09 IWDM: Check out every possibility that something is wrong. And after you checked it out there and you know nothing is wrong, the person just won't greet, won't give a Muslim greeting, then they are not a Muslim then get them out and move. Tell them to stay out of here and don't come back until they're ready to be a Muslim. The Prophet even encourages believers to shake hands. To shake hands with your brother, shake hands with a believer. But I love the Prophet so much because I find that what he has said is perfect. It's perfect. Could nobody have guided him, but G-d. There is a report that said, "And they asked him should they embrace?" He said, "No, I never liked to see men hugging." This is the Hadith. It was agreed upon. Not the strongest Hadith but it was agreed upon. That believers shouldn't meet in kisses, embrace in kiss. I never thought that was proper. 'Cause if all of us did that, that would be extreme. That's an extreme. And in this part of the world, be cautious. Sisters and brothers, be cautious. Let us follow the best. Allah says, "And follow the best thereof."
23:49 Speaker 2: You've been listening to Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. Copies of the national broadcast tapes may be obtained through the Clara Muhammad Memorial Education Foundation. For full information, see their advertisement in the American Muslim General newspaper. Your financial support of this program, which is vital to our community, is needed and appreciated. Please send your contributions now to Zakat Propagation Fund. Post Office Box 49089 Chicago, Illinois 60649. That's ZAKAT, Z-A-K-A-T. Zakat Propagation Fund, Post Office Box 49089, Chicago, Illinois 60649. Thank you.
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24:47 S2: Tune in next week at the same time and station for the World Broadcast of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed's preach, produced by the American Muslim Mission. Thank you for listening.
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26:57 S2: This is the World Broadcast of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed preach, the program that's dedicated to community development and human dignity. And now, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed.
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28:17 IWDM: We greet our honorable radio audience today with the greetings of all the prophets from Abraham to Muhammad, the greetings of peace and the Qur'an and Arabic language, As-salamu alaykum.
28:37 IWDM: Allah Most High says in Qur'an that it is not G-d's intent or intention or will to burden us, but it is his desire. He loves that we be made pure. He loves that we be made pure. In Al Islam, the purity of intention is the beginning of purity for the Muslim. Whatever we intend, we should intend it for Allah's pleasure, and do it or intend it with the whole of our heart, wholeheartedly, and do only what is right and strive hard to avoid what is wrong. The purity of intention is first for the Muslim in the Muslim life. And the Prophet has said, "Peace and blessings be on him, purity is half of faith." Purity is the half of faith. And again, Allah Most High has said that he does not desire to burden us, to put difficulty in our life, his desire is that we be made pure. Nothing is accomplished without effort, according to the Word of G-d. Nothing is accomplished without effort, according to the Word of G-d. Allah Most High in the Qur'an says that the human being cannot have anything without effort.
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31:05 IWDM: Cannot have anything without effort. When there is an effort, if we are to be clean people, if we are to have well-meaning lives and well-meaning intentions, then we must have effort to realize that it's not gonna come to us without effort, we must make an effort. You are here today, and it's cold outside, a little relaxation, a week for relaxation. Most of the people are relaxing this week between the two holidays that they have in the West. But you are here, praise be to Allah, you wouldn't be here without effort, you have to make effort to come out here. If you just had relaxed and went along with the situation you were in, and let the situation you were in tell you what to do, you wouldn't be here most likely. But because you have an aim, you have a purpose in life, and the purpose and aim of the Muslim is to please Allah. Because of that, you took charge of the situation while many people allow their situation to take charge of them. Praise be to Allah who's given us the guidance, and that is our life, that is our salvation. Without his guidance, we have nothing. Praise be to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. He says in Qur'an.
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33:20 IWDM: Those who believe and find satisfaction in their heart by recalling, remembering G-d. Praise be to Allah.
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33:42 IWDM: And isn't it not by remembering G-d that the heart find satisfaction? Now, look how miserable man is in the big city, crowded people all around him all the time, but he's lonely as he can be. Lonely. There he is, if he hasn't given himself to a life for Allah's pleasure, but if he has given himself to a life for Allah's pleasure, he can be in New York City; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, wherever; Detroit, Michigan, wherever; or in the desert, or in the woods, he still has satisfaction. His heart is pleased, he's not lonely, he has company with G-d. And G-d is the best company. He's never lonely. No person should ever be lonely. If they will give themselves to the one who have done the most for them, they will never be lonely. But they pick out certain friends and certain fellows they know and certain people they know, and they look for satisfaction with those people. And they say these are my friends, but have they done more for you than Allah? You should make your friends your first with the one who has done the most for you, and they will never be lonely. Praise be to Allah.
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35:39 IWDM: And isn't it not by recalling G-d that the heart find satisfaction? Praise be to Allah.
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36:16 IWDM: Oh, people, now surely they have come to you the messenger with the truth from your Lord. Therefore, to believe is better for you.
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36:47 IWDM: And if you disbelieve, rejected, that is, then know for sure that to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth.
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37:13 IWDM: And Allah, always knowing and wise.
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37:36 IWDM: Oh, people of Scripture, that is, Jews and Christians mainly, don't commit extravagance in your religion, it means going too far. Extravagance means stretching it too far.
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38:10 IWDM: And don't say of G-d anything but what is true.
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38:31 IWDM: Surely Christ Jesus, son of Mary, is only a messenger of G-d and His word, meaning a sign.
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39:06 IWDM: He bestowed on Mary and a spirit from him, therefore, believe in Allah and in his messengers.
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39:35 IWDM: Therefore, believe in Allah and in his messengers. This is the distinction that we must make in religion, if we have to keep our religion as Allah revealed it. The distinction between Allah and his messengers, the distinction between creator and creation. When we lose that distinction, then we fall into corruption. Praise be to Allah. Life is perseverance, not sleeping and giving up. Death is sleep and giving up. Life is perseverance. If you wanna enjoy life, you have to be steadfast. You have to be constant in your good principles. Don't pick up a good principle today and put it down this evening. You have to be constant. You have to persevere and Allah says...
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40:54 IWDM: Surely our G-d, He is with those who persevere, patient ones, steadfast ones, constant ones. So just constant life, those who are patient, it means those who hold to a pattern of life. And don't change it every time the wind changes. They hold to a pattern of life. Praise be to Allah. Allah says that, "Those in the heavens and the earth are signs." See how the love, fear change so often. Cloudy to clear. Noisy to peaceful. Hot to cold. Confused to simple. Is changing all the time. But if you could see above all the time, you would see a constant pattern. The heavens hold to a constant pattern. While these lower places just go on from change to change. Praise be to Allah.
42:22 IWDM: Now, where was your father raised? In heaven. That's what Allah says in Qur'an. That He made our father in heaven. He didn't make him for this windy life. No, He made him for a constant life. For a constant life. To hold to principles faithfully. Not to give up every time the wind changes. If you want to establish yourself as a people, you have to come to this way of thinking. Then you can establish yourself as a people, but as long as you don't have a purpose in life, you don't have a concept of your life, a picture of your life before you, your eyes, in your view, that you're going to stick with, then you are like trash to be blown and taken in the wind. So make up your mind to live a patterned life. Allah says, He created the human being on a pattern. Not to be what you call fickle, not having any set idea, jumping from this idea to that idea. No. Allah created us for a set pattern of life. And the heavens revealed to us constancy.
44:31 IWDM: We look up in the sky, and there is the Big Dipper, it hasn't changed. There is the Little Dipper, it hasn't changed. There are the other constellations, they haven't changed. They represent constancy. And I recall reading in the Christian scripture, says, "And the stars are the saints." Are the saints. They hold to the order of their life. Believe me that's all just... If we just do that much, we won't lose ourselves in this world. If we just do that much, now that's not big, that's not a whole lot to remember, you don't need 10 pages to write that down. That's a simple direction from G-d that He has created us on a pattern, for a purpose and hold to His way, and don't follow the divergent ways, diverse ways of the world. That's G-d's guidance to us, that's His guidance to us. Praise be to Allah. And believe me that's the difference between the weak and the strong in the world.
46:06 IWDM: For the wicked are strong because they know, they take advantage of the lack of strength in the innocent people, not in the strong. Many of us are not wicked, but we're innocent. We're not wicked but we are a big factor in the corruption of the world. Why? Because we are taken advantage of, in our weakness. In our innocence, we are taken advantage of. So, the big criminals, they are planning for your future, all the time. You have no idea of your future. You have no fixed concept of what you should be, where you should be going, but your purpose is in the creation. You have no fixed idea that you're holding to, therefore, you are vulnerable to the big criminals. And they plan your future for you. They say, "Oh, we got their future in our sight." And all your work comes into their pockets, comes into their pockets. And you remain weak, inferior, subjected, dependent, heavily, too much on outside people.
48:00 IWDM: Yes. And all you need to do is just take one lesson from Qur'an. One lesson from Qur'an can save us. Allah Most High says, I mean, from anywhere in Qur'an. So many lessons, just take one of them and hold to it. Allah Most High says in the Qur'an.
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48:35 IWDM: In us is translated, time. By the time, the human person is lost.
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48:55 IWDM: Except for those who have faith and they practice goodness.
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49:06 IWDM: And they practice goodness. They have to practice goodness. You have to make a choice. To practice goodness is no accident. To practice goodness is a choice. Those who practice goodness have made a choice. They made a choice between silly life and serious life, immoral life and moral life. They have made a choice. And that's why they are the ones who practice goodness.
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49:48 IWDM: Except for those who have faith and practice goodness.
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49:58 IWDM: That's not enough. You have to take the whole formula. G-d has given us a formula to keep us from being lost in the world, keep us from losing our precious life. He's given us a formula. Now, He says, "Except for those who have faith," that's one part of the formula, "And practice goodness," that's the second part of the formula.
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50:32 IWDM: That's the third part of the formula.
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50:39 IWDM: What's that? They promote. They are influencing each other to promote something. They wanna promote something by influence. Don't you know every one of us are influenced from many things? These are an influence for what? For keeping to truth. Now, how many of our good friends will remind us that we have given ourselves to a false life? Very few of our good friends will say, "Look, I've noticed a change in you. I wanna pull your coat before it's too late. I think you're beginning to give yourself to a false life." Daughter turned false overnight in the house. Son turns false overnight in the house. Daddy go back to his teenage years, and he's 56 and turns false in the house overnight. Who loves the fellow man enough to pull his coat and say, "Hey, I think something is happening bad here and I don't like to see you fall under it." Reading the Christian scripture, I read where it says, "Am I my brother's keeper?" After being a cause for his brother's downfall and put on the spot, then he asked the question, "Am I my brother's keeper? To say, shouldn't every individual stand on his own feet and be responsible for himself. Did not you equip him as you did me." Isn't this the attitude in the society today?
53:18 IWDM: Why should I? Where am I step out for him or for her? Why should I inconvenience myself, make it like I made it? Do you remember how you made it? Do you remember when you couldn't do nothing for yourself and G-d has provided you with some people. Mother, father, aunt, grandparent, cousin, uncle, brother or sister, or friend to help you along when you were not able to manage for yourself. Or shouldn't we understand that though we are grown up, conditions can fall upon us that break us down and we become infants again and we need each other. So let us not take on the mind of the devil, that he passes out to his subjects and deceive. They care nothing about anything except yourself. The greatest love of all is the love of self.
54:54 IWDM: After telling us a couple of generations ago or less, that the greatest love of all was the love of Christ. And then so quickly they changed and tell us the greatest love of all is the love of self. Why you want us to become so involved in self now? Is it because our unity will destroy your thing? And you want us to be so wrapped up in ourselves that we can't unite for a purpose? You devil you. Seek refuge with Allah from the rejected faith. Praise be to Allah. Dear beloved Muslims, we have to keep the distinction between Allah and creation. Once we lose that distinction, we have no faith in source in our life, no faith in power in our life. No, because then you gonna be at the mercy of the criminal. If the criminals can make you lose the idea of G-d, then they know they got you because there's nothing strong enough to save you except Allah.
56:32 IWDM: Nothing. You try to come against this wicked world with just your own ability without faith in Allah, you're finished. In fact, they can do you up so bad, you think they're G-d. Yeah, once you don't know the real G-d, they get a hold of you and think they're G-d. You'd be telling the devil, "Oh G-d, I didn't meant it." But you would mean, "Have mercy please." You'd be calling him lord. Yes. But with Allah, you become a bright star. You become a firm person. You're fighting the devil away.

