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#ConfidentMuslim Salman Abdul Majeed on Prioritizing Others Over Ourselves

August 25, 2017Yaqeen Institute

Transcript

This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
The next person we're going to introduce is our most eligible bachelor. Salman Abdul Majeed is a student of mine and someone that I love very dearly like a little brother and who has a lot, mashallah, to offer in terms of inspiration. I'm very excited to see what his future holds, bi'ithnilahi ta'ala, in terms of helping people and allowing people to realize their dreams. He's a medical student, University of Iowa, right? Did I get that right? Something like that. He's a medical student. I think that says enough, inshallah ta'ala. We want to invite Salman to come up here and to give the next presentation. Jazakumullahu khair. Jazakumullahu khair, Sheikh Omar. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Shaytan, how's it going? Make some noise. Okay. I don't know why I did that. I've just always wanted to do that all my life. But anyways, before we get started, I really want to shed some appreciation for this amazing woman here who has the amazing ability to do stuff like this. Please give her a round of applause. Please appreciate her. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless her and guide her and give her the best of this life and the next life. Allahumma ameen. Bismillah walhamdulillah wa salatu wasalamu ala rasulillah. I want to share one really quick story with you guys, a story that's really near and dear to me. A poor man came to the Messenger of Allah, salallahu alayhi wasalam, and he told the Messenger of Allah, he said, Ya Rasulullah, I'm feeling really exhausted and really fatigued and really weak and really hungry.
And long story short, the Prophet alayhi wasalam, he asked his companions, is anybody willing to take this man as his guest? And then a Saudi man stood up and he said, Ya Rasulullah, I will gladly take this man as my guest. So it was a set, done deal. So this man races home to his wife and he tells his wife, Yo, we've got a guest from the Messenger of Allah, salallahu alayhi wasalam. We've got to treat him to a really nice meal. And his wife says, That's so awesome, but we only have enough food just for our kids. And so what they decide to do, because they're so excited about feeding this individual, is that they put their kids to sleep early. And then they give their food to the individual, to the poor person who came for dinner. And to make sure that this person doesn't feel like a burden, the unsought-man and his wife literally dimmed the light in their room, just so that it would seem as though they were eating as well. So that the poor man who came for dinner, he didn't know or he wouldn't realize that he's being a burden to the unsought-man. And it was a done deal. So the unsought-man goes home. He goes to sleep hungry. His wife goes to sleep hungry. And his kids are going to sleep hungry. And that was it. The next day, the unsought-man goes to the Messenger of Allah, salallahu alayhi wasalam, to hang out with him, because that's what homies do. And the Prophet, alayhi salam, looked at him and he smiled at him. And he gave him tidings and he told him that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, revealed a verse, and part of it is, And that translates to, these people, they prioritize or they give preference to others, even though they have so little themselves. The unsought-man just thought that he was going to serve a meal to this needy individual,
but he ended up getting a shout-out from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, in the Quran. One meal, one night. That's amazing. And one of the things that stands out for me as an individual, is the fact that this man built that relationship with the individual that he was serving. And that was really the groundwork and the foundation of an organization called FFN. Now, FFN actually stands for Feedy for the Needy. I was in 9th grade when I made the name, or 10th grade, so I lacked in creativity then and now, but alhamdulillah, I'm still alive. But anyways, FFN is a grassroots organization in which students from all over the Chicagoland area can come together and actually cook food for the homeless. Actually take the food, buy the food, bring it to the soup kitchen, cook it themselves, and serve it to the homeless at the soup kitchen. This organization also has students helping the homeless with job applications, helping the homeless with babysitting, helping the homeless with temporary sleep areas, and things of that nature. And it's so amazing because I still remember when it was so difficult to get this organization up and about, having meetings, going to churches, meeting up with different soup kitchen organizations, different student club organizations, everybody rejecting me back and forth, back and forth. And I remember doubting myself, wondering if this is a really good cause to invest my time in. And then I met a few amazing people who helped this organization and this project get up and about and build the foundation and the pillars of this organization. And Wallahi, I am so humbled to be able to share with you that as of this December, FFN will be 10 years old. Alhamdulillah. And the cool thing is the current president of FFN
was in second grade when this organization started. This movement is a drive to have the Muslim Ummah, young Muslim men, young Muslim women, dedicate themselves and dedicate their time to helping those who have less than them. And really, at the end of the day, that's really the point. They did it for the sake of Allah. And that's what's different about a lot of other things. When people do things for the sake of Allah, it lasts. This organization isn't what it is because of one person's vision or commitment or dedication. It's because of the vast majority of volunteers and committee members and shura members and presidents who've selflessly given themselves for the sake of Allah, for the sake of mankind. And that's why I sincerely believe that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has allowed this organization to keep running. And I pray that Allah continues to bless it and Allah continues to bless all organizations with this mentality. Allahumma ameen. At the end of the day, the point is still this. The goal is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And when the goal is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we as confident Muslims need to dig within ourselves and see what we can do for the ummah at large. Literally, my cousin yesterday, she told me that she was quitting her job to move to a different country to help start an organization, an organization in which victims of sex trafficking will be given support, protection, and love and compassion and the ability to start new lives. I mean, this is her legacy. She may not share a stage and be addressing you people, but she has a stage with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the late and great Muhammad Ali. The late and great Muhammad Ali, he says that your service to others
is the rent that you pay for your time on earth, which is amazing. The Prophet Ali said that the ummah is like one body. When one part of the body hurts, the whole body reacts to that pain and that hurt. And we are like one body. The question is, when we see other people in pain, how is it that we react? When we see refugees, when we see people who are stereotyped, when we see people who are ostracized because of their race, because of their gender, because of their ethnicity, because of anything else, what do we do about that? Do we feel that pain? Do we want to do something about it, or do we sit back? The Muslim world is an ummah. The world at large, actually, I said, I correct myself, the world at large is one ummah. And we, whether you like it or not, Muslims are caretakers of this ummah. We, honest to God, are caretakers of this ummah. So it's time we start acting like such, and it's time that we look within ourselves and see, what can we do for this ummah at large? And I'm not saying that you have to stop your life, move to a different country, basically turn into a superwoman, and create an organization that saves the ummah. Nor am I saying that you have to quit your job and make an organization just for the sake of having this organization. I'm saying do these things for the sake of Allah, and you'll see that it'll come back to you. Do these things for the sake of Allah. And the interesting thing is Allah says in the ayah, وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصًا That they prioritize others over themselves, even though they lived in poverty, even though they had so little for themselves. So sometimes we wonder, what can I really do for the ummah at large?
And to that I say that yes, it's very true that more than 43 million people in America today live below the poverty line. That's completely true. That there are millions of people who are uninsured or underinsured. That there are millions of people who have to decide between whether they get medication for themselves or food for their children. These realities, these harsh realities do exist. But beyond that, there are things that we can still do. I learned time and time again that poverty takes on many forms. It takes on many forms. People suffer from poverty every single day of their lives. People who deal with anxiety, depression, loneliness, heartbreak. These people are in pain day and night and it's our responsibility as Muslims, it's our responsibility because it is a fundamental trait of a Muslim to care. It is a fundamental characteristic of a Muslim to feel that pain when we see other people in pain. So when we see people like this who are going through difficult times, it's important that we give them whatever it is that we can. I'm not saying give up $1,000. I'm saying give a listening ear. I'm saying give a shoulder to cry on. I'm saying give a night so that you can listen to a friend vent about the obstacles in their lives and never underestimate the value of what you're doing. Any small iota of an action is still accepted and beloved to Allah. And this isn't me saying, this is Allah saying. Allah says, وَكَانَ سَعَيُكُمْ مَشْكُورًا that your effort, regardless of what kind of efforts that you are, regardless of how big or how small, Allah is appreciative of those efforts. And it will never, ever, ever go unnoticed.
So as Muslims, as Muslims in America, we're so privileged to be able to be people who can help others. So be people of love, of compassion, of sincerity. Be people of unconditional love. Be people of support. Be people of hope. Be people who give faith to others. Be people who believe in each other. Be people of unconditional love because that is a characteristic of the confident Muslim. Jazakum Allah khair. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
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