Live life with the understanding that...

يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ

O thou man! Verily thou art ever toiling on towards thy Lord- painfully toiling,- but thou shalt meet Him- Holy Quran 84:6

But don't forget that....

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
God does not impose on any soul a responsibility beyond its ability- Holy Quran 2:286

Because even though

الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ

Children and property are the ornaments of the worldly life,

......Don't forget that

وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا

but for deeds which continually produce virtue one can obtain better rewards from God and have greater hope in Him- Holy Quran 18:46

......After all

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ

Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained- Holy Quran 74:38

So for today's Khutbah (sermon), I translated one given by an Imam in Egypt titled "Racism and its impact on society". I concluded it with my own thoughts which I share with you below:

Dear brothers and sisters in islam, we hear and read these stories and we reminisce on the salaf (righteous predecessors) and say they were great people masha Allah but what impact does that have on our lives?

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, your daughter will not ask you "Baba, what does the Quran say about racism?" she will ask you "why were two black men arrested while waiting for their friend at a starbucks?" and after you repeat to her a couple of the ayat (verses) and ahadeeth (statements of the prophet) and stories that you know she will ask you, and this is a most crucial question, "Baba, What are you doing about it?"

Your son may one day say to you "I know 30 aunties and uncles who are physicians but I only see one clinic called Matthew 25" for those of you who don't know what Matthew 25 is, it's a free clinic downtown whose founders were inspired by the Gospel of Matthew verses of which state "for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me....". Where is our Maidah 32 clinic? "And whoever saves a life it is as if he saved mankind entirely" Maidah verse 32

We live in a county where one third of its residents are considered working poor. They are one small car problem away from poverty or one hospital visit away from bankruptcy.

We can't simply recite verses, tell ahadeeth, glorify the golden days of Islam and not do anything about our surroundings? I say this brothers and sisters not to make you feel bad or to belittle what you do, no. I say this because we have to get back to thinking of our deen as an operator's manual, not a story book. I say this because the point of jumuah (Friday) prayer is for us to think and ponder and grow one Friday to the next. The prophet (peace be upon him) did not teach Islam from behind a lectern. He was out there amongst the people. Sunday school and an Imam (pastor) are important but your children will not learn Islam until they see you implement it, practice it, apply it in your life.