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Introduction

Shahadatain I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship, except The One Gd whose proper name is Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammed ibn Abdullah to whom the Quran was revealed over 1400 years is His Messenger. We say this without any reservation, hesitation, coercion, compulsion or otherwiseThat We ARE MUSLIM. We have accepted al-Islam, deen al-Islam to be exact. Brothers and Sisters we have come into this way of life peacefully, as willing submitters to the Truth. If you are visiting here for the first time and you have never been amongst Muslims before, we welcome you. You are not here by accident; we believe today marks a pivotal moment in your life, because Almighty Gd whom over 1Billion Muslims throughout the world worship and call Allah (Highly Glorified is Allah). Allah has chosen this day for you, to be amongst us. In fact, Allah says, in The Quran,

This Day, I have perfected your religious law for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen for you Peaceful Submission (Al-Islam) as the System of Life. S. Maida: (5:3)

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Allah makes this plain and perfect with three beautiful words, encompassing AN EXISTENCE, AN ACTION, AND AN OCCURRENCE, these are the verbs joined conjunctively: 1: Allah says that HE Perfected, this system of living. 2: And HE Completed His Favor 3: And He has Approved al-Islam as a complete system of living

The Benefit of Great News The two words in the Holy Quran for news especially for the type of News we will be focusing on today. This The Great News, and there is the 1. Brother what time does your office close? KHABR 2. S. an-Naml:7 (Moses was also given a clear book. When he and his family were in a cold and dark valley), Moses said, I see a fire. I may bring you NEWS from there (about our location). KHABR

Akhbarak, we say it in English, Whats happenin man? Whats the news? What is going on with you?

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The word Naba is a greater kind of news; it is normally connected with pivotal moments, such as transitional event like War, or an election. Inherent in the meaning of the word is always some benefit of an Achievement or an Accomplishment. When you receive an-Naba it demands a reaction/action. Whereas khabr I dont have to answer on it. It is an abstract idea with an actual physical event. When Allah speaks of an-Naba: it is capable of being perceived by the senses, it is substantially real, and can be realized by the mind, it is naturally Tangible. This is intelligence; signifying a great announcement. We have Surah Anbiya, The Prophets. Prophet Muhammed is the seal of this message. What is this Great News: Resurrection Elevated Speech There are three types of people in this world: 1. those who make things happen, 2. those who watch things happen, 3. And those who wonder what happened. The Muslim should be making things happen. The Muslim acts on the Great News that he/she has received. Muslim Community Center is a sign of making something happen. What are you doing? You are not only performing prayers here, you are establishing prayers here, you are not only providing sadaqat, you are paying Zakah, some of you have committed at least pledges and/or financial committments.

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In a few months we will be enjoying our first Ramadan here. All Praise is due to Allah. And soon we will have a Hajj delegation from this community. You have heard the call and responded. And your efforts shall be rewarded.

S. an-Naba:1-7

Great News Amma yatasaloon: About What are they disputing? They are questioning the greatest news ever revealed. This is how the Surah an-Naba opens, it reveals an open enemy to Allah. Allah tells us about three types of people. 1. Believers being questioned by disbelievers 2. Disbelievers questioning one another (yatasaaaloon), ABOUT THE WORD OF ALLAH a. What are they talking about? Inquisitive b. Or, there he goes, what he talking about now? Sarcasm 3. Disbelievers and the believers are asking the Messenger of Allah Sarcasm, is done to cut you down, to discredit you, and discount whatever you are saying. These people were disputing with Allah not the Prophet. This is the Word of Allah, NOT the words of the Prophet. He was just living it. Sarkasmos (Greek) meaning to tear away at the

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flesh, biting your lips, tongue, you know that type of person, they taking hating to a new level. The Prophets character was well established, yet there were still people that wanted him dead, they wanted him away from those THEY had sway over, he was upsetting their economy. Here are a people that had gotten disconnected from the Millah of Ibraheem. Prophet Ibraheem had settled this land, he had respect for the Soul of Man, and the Intellect of Man.

As a people, these folks became disconnected from themselves, as well as the Model of Abraham. And more importantly from Allah. We become disoriented, lost, disillusioned, and confused. This is what causes trouble in our lives. They had created gods with their own hands, and placed them in the Kaaba, they used to trade with the very things they created too. The Meccans had enjoyed great wealth and status they used to travel to Syria in the Summer and Yemen in the Winter doing business. Gd speaks to them directly.
It infers, then, that they ought to serve the Lord of this House alone. [2:125-126] 106:4

() () () )(

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This is ingratitude, ungratefulness on mans part. Qaddafi, Saddam, Gotti, Noriega, Madoff, and most recently Ross Mirkarimi (who admitted his arrogance). Handcuffed, Humiliated, and pleading for Mercy.

The total opposite of everything Abraham was about. You see there is disconnect; a misfire in mans thought when it does not respect the Soul. The Soul will call you to what is right, but you follow your mind, and go wrong. Some of us say, I should have followed my first thought. The mind can forget, your soul never forgets, it never loses its memory The soul request is for unity, it is in the souls nature. Khalaqakum min nafsin wahida- One Soul

() )(
On that Day all arguments (they used to contrive) will be dimmed for them, nor will they ask one another.

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But anyone who (in the worldly life) turns to the right path, truly believes and helps others with righteous deeds, will find himself among the successful. 28:66

Nafs al-Lowamma it is that self-accusing Soul and it eats away at you. But you see we have hope here because we know we wronged ourselves. We just need to be reconnected. Soul at Rest Well when that first thought is associated with anything good then that is your Soul talking. The Soul wants to be at rest. The Souls course is to be at Rest with the Creator, the Soul is to be Well-Pleased with the Creator. Nafs al-Mutmainna wa Nafs ar-Radhiya: the Soul will recall its return.

But Oh! You human beings that have attained inner peace! [By living a life upright 89:28 Return to your Lord, pleased and approved. 89:29 Enter, then, together with My servants. 89:30 Yes, enter My Paradise! [9:119]

How could you turn your back and a deaf ear to someone who desires peace for you? As Muslims here in America we are seeking peace. We

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have been through hell already. Living in this skin in this society, we have endured a long and unfortunate history in this country, due to an immutable characteristic- Our Skin Color. They see the Prophet coming and it is persecution time. As a matter of fact persecution and Prophets seem to go together, when you think of one you think of the other. You can see them now, Prophet Muhammed coming through the Sacred Precincts, non-Muslims with Beards, and head-coverings, drinking liquor, eating haram food, saying, here comes Muhammed what he talking about, yeah he talking about serving One Gd, then one fella is saying, man you need to ease up on him, He said something to me the other day, whewit touched my very Soul. 4:63 Qawlan Baleegan What is Allah saying? God knows what is in their hearts. Ignore their attitude, enlighten them and speak to them in plain terms with full understanding of their viewpoints. S. an-Nisa:63 The arrogance was so strong that they were in actuality disputing with Allah. Amma Yatasaaloon ayah 1: Allah directly specifies and classifies things that they had never even thought about, never even imagined. They questioned His Greatness. These people were full of themselves and their 360 idols made with their own hands and worshipping them in the House of Allah. When in actuality they should have been worshipping the Lord of the House

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History of that land reflects that it was Abraham (Ibraheem), Ismail, and Hajar that had settled in that land. And they constructed the Kaabah as a House of Worship to the One Gd.

We are being asked about what we believe, There is a Day of Recompense, There is a Day of Settlement, we owe this to Maliki yawmiDeen The Master of that Day. We have a debt. Prophet Muhammed (SAW) Advanced and established al-Islam in his lifetime. He taught men and women in his lifetime. Al-Medina alMunawwara was a society thriving in his lifetime, without the oppressions we see and experience today. We say iyaka naabu wa iyaka nastaeen (Thee do we worship and thine aid we seek. So the focus is not on anyones flesh, position, money, or anything like that)

This is a message that cant be denied no matter what they say about us. I dont care who you are and where you are from we stand tall in this land. As the Imam said last Jumah. Our cry, our oath our bayah has been proclaimed, it has been proclaimed for generations. Word is bond and bond is life and I will give my life! Before my word shall fail.

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This is how we are defined. It is not gender that defines us. We are defined by actions, and blessed by intentions. Your gender is just a surface definition of what you are, but who you are is something totally different. I am a man If that is how you see yourself and how you are defined than you really need al-Islam. You need something to man you up. And that is al-Islam. Man as defined by Allah Most High

Allah Most High Prophet Muhammed