[0:09]Mom, Mom! It's a bad connection Mom, Mom! What happened to her? Nothing happened to her, calm down Mom, Mom, nothing happened to her, it's just the connection Calm down, calm down It's a network thing It's a network thing Mom, Mom, can you hear me? Calm down Calm down, calm down, my love Mom, Mom, nothing happened to her Mom, Mom, I can't hear you Mom, Mom, I can't hear you It's your fault, I swear, it's your fault! It's all your fault! Stop the car! Stop the car! What's the matter with you? How is it my fault? Because I got you out of the mess you were living in? Now building you a future? I left my job, which is the most important thing in my life, for your sake and your mother's sake Who said that I wanted to come with you? I don't want you either Come back! Come here! Adam, Where are you going? Come here Adam Adam You either want to talk to your mother again or you want to run away Good boy What a hero Yeah, I'm a hero At least I didn't abandon my family to be like them (i.e. Americans) Or do you not understand me? Want me to tell you in English? No, my love, I'll stay with your mom and we'll wait for a missile to hit us What? What? What is that supposed to mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? Calm down What do you mean? Talking to me like this? Calm down Calm down The bad connection was from our side I didn't mean it I know you're worried about her I swear to God, I am too But believe me, your mother is different from everyone else Your mother is the most optimistic person I have ever seen in my life When we were young, she never saw the war as a curse The strange thing is that she was right And I am proof of that The war was my chance to become something Your mother's giving you a huge chance But you have to accept that you can't be a child anymore This country will allow you to dream for once in your life And if you work hard for it, that dream can come true Your mother saved my life once She's just trying to save yours
[3:51]You don't only want to be his friend You want to belong to him Because friendship brings comfort but servitude brings purpose And servitude to Allah is not humiliation, it's actually the purest kind of honor Allah is Ar-Rabb, The Master Who Raises If you look at the Quran, it begins with Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Alameen And then it ends with Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil Falaq and Qul a'udhu bi Rabbin Nas From opening to closing, Allah frames your life through His Lordship Everything starts with praise for the Rabb of the worlds And then it ends by seeking refuge in the Rabb of every creation He is Rabbul 'Alameen, Lord of all that exists, Master of the world in the grandest sense But he's also your personal Lord And when Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) says, "Dhikru Rahmati Rabbika 'abdahu Zakariyya" [Quran, 19:2] (A mention of the mercy of Your Lord to His slave Zakariyyah), He didn't say Rabbihi or Rabbahu He said Rabbika, your Lord So that you wouldn't turn Him into a Lord of the past who only was close to a select few in history Throughout the Quran, the duas that you hear are Rabbi and Rabbana Notice you don't hear Ilahi Because the worshiper seeks an Ilah But the beloved servant longs for his Rabb He is the Rabb of all places and all times And of you throughout your entire existence And the Day of Judgment will either be a reunion with a loving Lord Or the moment when false masters disown the followers who worship them And stand alone in front of a Lord that they ran away from But as Ibn al-Qayyim (Rahimahu Allah) said, everything you fear in life, you run away from But with Allah, you run to Him, Fafirru ilallah (Flee to Allah!) Even if you fear Him As the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) used to say, "Allahumma Inni A'udhu bi Ridaka min Sakhatik, wa bi Mu'afatika min 'Uqubatik, wa A'udhu bika mink." [Sahih Muslim #486] (O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You.) This is the language of someone who knows that refuge is only found in the very one he fears to disappoint The name Rabb means you don't have a cold master but you have a loving Lord involved in your life arranging your growth helping you realize your bigger purpose and giving meaning to every small act that you do Rabb carries the meaning of Tarbiya, which is to nurture something, to grow something and to bring something to its potential And the root of the verb refers to a farmer planting a plant And think of that image of the farmer measuring the soil, and then measuring the water, and then shielding that plant from harsh wind and constantly giving it its nutrients and exposing it to sunlight so that it doesn't just survive but it bears its maximum potential in terms of fruit And then think of a Murabbi who mentors you and who gives you the right advice that you need to refine your character And then he checks on you or she checks on you constantly to make sure that you're getting to where you need to be Or a mentor who you invite to critique you so that you can be the best version of yourself Think of a mother as a Murabbiya who calibrates the sleep and diet of the child And then teaches her child basic manners and letters and numbers And knows when to be firm and knows when to be soft Knows not to break the child but to build the child You see, your Rabb commands everything outside of you from nature to the people around you to everything that goes inside of you as well And then he grows you to your potential And only he has that full command over you So the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "La yaqulanna ahadukum 'abdi, fa kullukum 'abid Allah, wa la yaqulanna 'abdi rabbi, wa lakin yaqul sayyidi." [Sahih Muslim #2249] (Don't call anyone "my slave," for all of you are the slaves of Allah. And let not the servant say "Rabbi" to anyone, but let him say "Sayyidi") Sayyidi, which could mean my master or my leader Mawla and Sayyid can describe people, especially the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) But Rabb exclusively belongs to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) And that's why when Salman al-Farisi (Radhiyallahu Anhu) was describing how he was sold from slave owner to slave owner before being freed by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), he said, "I went min Rabbin ila Rabb." (from one master to another) And Abu Hurayrah explained that he didn't yet know that we don't use that word for anyone but Allah Because you're not slaves in the holistic sense of the word to anyone but He Who is the only Master in the true sense of the word But the image of a master who has complete control over you shouldn't cause you despair or make you feel restricted He's a loving Lord who wants to grow you, not break you And He's a Lord who laughs when you think you have no one to save you, right before He actually does The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "Dhahika Rabbuna min qunut 'ibadihi." (Our Lord laughs at the despair of His servant) While relief is near And the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was asked, "Wait a minute, does the Lord laugh?" and the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "Yes." And the man replied, "Then how can we be deprived of goodness by a Lord who laughs?" Now someone might think, why would Allah laugh at the despair of His servants? To Allah belongs the highest example, but I want you to imagine a child walking in the mall who loses sight of his mother In that instant, his whole world crashes and he cries uncontrollably as if he can't breathe Then his mother appears, laughing softly, not in mockery but in mercy, almost to say, "Did you really think that I was going to leave you? I'm right here." We're that child We despair when we can't see our Lord's plan at times, though He never leaves us To Allah belongs the highest example So He laughs not to mock you but because you don't know what mercy awaits you He's a different type of master And servitude to Him is of the type that liberates you And that's why Rubay'ah ibn 'Amir (Radhiyallahu Anhu), when he entered into the palace of Rustum, he says in the face of that pompous ruler, "Inna Allaha ibta'athna li nukhrija 'ibada min 'ibadat al-'ibad ila 'ibadat Rabb al-'ibad." [Tarikh at-Tabari] (We are a people who were sent to take people from being slaves to other slaves, to being slaves to the Lord of all slaves.) "Wa min diq ad-dunya ila sa'at ad-dunya wal akhirah." (And from the suffocation of this world to the vastness of this life and the next) "Wa min jawr al-adyan ila 'adl al-Islam." (And from the oppression of all other ways, to the justice of Islam.) Slavery to Allah is freedom from everything else And that's why Allah says even the Messiah and the angels nearest to Allah are not too proud to be His 'ibad, to be His slaves And every time you testify, "Ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh." (I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is His slave and Messenger), you're not insulting the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), you're actually praising him And when you trust His care as your Rabb, He protects you from all other than Him Hence the name Al-Mawla, The Protecting Master, Who's on our side Now the word Mawla can be applied to many different people As Ibn al-Athir (Rahimahu Allah) mentions, it can refer to the lord, to an ally, the lover, the freed slave, and so many more categories But with Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) it has a very specific connotation Mawla is close in meaning to Wali, but it usually appears in contrast to those who have no other protector So when Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) says, "Dhalika bi'annallaha mawlalladhina amanu wa annal kafarina la mawla lahum." (That is because Allah is the protector of those who believe, while the disbelievers have no protector.) At Uhud, do you remember when 'Umar (Radhiyallahu Anhu) replied to Abu Sufyan after the battle and he said, "Allah Mawlana, wa la mawla lakum." (Allah is our Mawla, and you have no Mawla.) And this is what the people of Ghazzah have been saying to their enemies all along The Mawla is the one who is exclusively on the side of the believers, "Anta Mawlana, fa ansurna 'alal qawmil kafirin." (You are our Protector, so grant us victory over a disbelieving people.) So think of it this way When you need help, you look first to whoever is closest and most capable The Mawla says, "I've got you in a way that no one else can." So when Az-Zubayr (Radhiyallahu Anhu) was dying and he feared these massive debts he'd leave behind, he told his son Abdullah to pay off as much as you can And if you struggle to pay off what I owe, "Ista'in bi Mawlay." (then seek help from my Mawla.) So Abdullah said, "By Allah, I could not understand what he meant until I asked him, 'O my father, who is your Mawla?'" And he said, "Allah Mawlay." So he said, "After he died, whenever I struggled to pay his debts, I would make this dua and I would say, "Ya Mawla Az-Zubayr (O Master of Az-Zubayr), pay his debts on his behalf." And Allah would open a new door for me And it got to the point where so much money came back to his estate that where he died leaving nothing, his estate was full of wealth Ni'mal Mawla wa ni'mal Naseer (What an excellent protector He is, and what an excellent helper He is) Which takes us to this name When you find comfort in Him being on your side, He shows you His power to help Allah is An-Naseer, The Helper who loves to aid you Now, what's the difference between Mawla and Naseer? Because they come right next to each other and they seem very similar Think of Al-Mawla as the one who is with you even in defeat And An-Naseer as the one who guarantees you victory at the end An-Naseer speaks to decisive outcomes and promised victory And when an oppressed person calls out, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) answers, "Wallahi la ansurannaka wa law ba'da heen." [Sunan at-Tirmidhi #3598] (I swear I will deliver for you, even after some time.) But He is Al-Mawla without you throughout that process An-Naseer to give you the promised outcome So does Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) give Nasr only to those whom He loves? Sometimes Allah gives Nasr because of a circumstance, not because of the person So for example, when the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) says, "Da'watul mazlum," (the prayer of the oppressed) has no hijab between it and Allah Even if the one making the prayer is a disbeliever Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is not granting Nasr to that person because He loves them but because He hates injustice But when He is both your Mawla and your Naseer, His help comes to you both from His love as well as His sense of justice So think of when Nuh (Alaihi As-Salam) said, "Rabbi inni maghlubun fantassir." [Quran, 54:10] (O my Lord, I am overpowered, so help me.) And help came in forms he never imagined Sometimes Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) changes the world around you And sometimes He changes you from within But His help always arrives in the way that saves you best And when you're obeying your Rabb and you're loving your Mawla and you're trusting your Naseer, you submit to His perfect authority And you see others as legitimate only to the extent that He recognizes them And that's when you know Him as As-Sayyid, The Master of Masters Now a Sayyid could also be a person And unlike Mawla, which has many connotations in the human sense, Sayyid always comes with some connotation of leadership or honor We call the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) Sayyiduna Muhammad 'Umar (Radhiyallahu Anhu) said, "Abu Bakar is our Sayyid, and he freed our Sayyid," meaning Bilal And the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) held Al-Hassan (Radhiyallahu Anhu) and he said, "This son of mine is a Sayyid." Yet interestingly enough, even with the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), when a delegation came to him and said, "You are our Sayyid," he said, "As-Sayyid Allah (Tabaraka wa Ta'ala)." (As-Sayyid, the Sayyid is Allah (Blessed and Exalted).) And he cautioned them, "Say what you will or part of it, but do not let Shaytan carry you beyond bounds." Now again, perhaps the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) recognized that maybe they meant something beyond when they said that to him Among people, Sayyid means leader But for Allah, it means unmatched mastery Every leader leads only by the light that he lends And every ruler rules only within his kingdom Knowing that truth frees you from fearing people or wanting too much from them Because you see that all command ultimately returns to Him Yahya ibn Mu'adh (Rahimahu Allah) said, "The slave estranges himself from his Master through his own sins. Yet he never leaves his doorstep knowing that a slave's honor lies only in the shade of his Master." Then he recited, "Qurratu 'ayni, la budda li minka, wa in awhasha bayni wa baynak az-zalal. Qurratu 'ayni, ana al-ghariqu, fa khudh kaffa ghariqin 'alayka yattakil." [Lata'if al-Ma'arif] (The Coolness of My Eyes, I cannot live without You, even though my slips have estranged me from You. The Coolness of My Eyes, I am the one that is drowning, so grasp the hand of a drowning man who depends only on You.) Al-Muzani (Rahimahu Allah) used to say, "Who is like you, O child of Adam? Whenever you wish, you purify yourself and whisper to your Lord, with no veil and no interpreter. But who is like you, O our Lord? You look at the slave of Yours with a mercy and majesty that does not alienate, but only draws near." Ya Rabb, raise me the way you raise every seed from the soil Shape my growth with all you continue to give Let every season you place me in become a lesson in your care Ya Mawla, be my protector when I have no one else to stand up for me Take charge of my affairs when I lose control of them Hold me near when fear surrounds me And make your guardianship always enough for me Ya Naseer, help me in every battle I cannot see Grant me triumph without arrogance And victory only in a way that brings me closer to you Ya Sayyid, teach my heart that true honor is to only serve you Let my dignity be in humility, my leadership in obedience and my freedom in surrender
