"Keep Working For Good" - Imam Zaid Talk, UK, 2011

Asalamalaikum,

So the below notes are a selection from notes taken during Imam Zaid Shakir's visit during his trip the UK in Summer 2011, at the Traditional Halaqa, arranged by Shifa Trust.

The talk was entitled "The End of Time" and was largely about the Signs and the Mehdi, though here I detail some more general and inspiring notes of advice and wisdom given.

As with all notes uploaded on here, please forgive any mistakes, all of which are reflective only on the inabilities of the one who heard the message [myself] and not on the one who conveyed the message.

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"The best way of preparing yourself for the end of times is to follow the ways of Rasool.

The Prophet didn't give the sahaba a list of signs to look for, but asked them what they had done to prepare for it.

The Prophet (saws) said, "You will be with those whom you love" and so we follow Allah's command and the Prophets example. That's the best we can do to prepare ourselves.

Divorce your heart from this world as Allah will love you - The love of Allah shouldn't be in our heads, it should be in our hearts. But with the dunya, we must keep it in the thought process (working on projects, working hard etc) and not in the heart.

The dunya can be in your hand and you use it for good. If it doesn't affect your heart, that's fine

One should always look to the direction He is sending one in. Maybe if you accept what Allah has given you, He will Give you through acceptance what you look for through divergence.

If we have good ettiquettes with Allah, He will give us what we are looking for, in the situation we find ourselves in.

Keep working for good, even at the end of times- if the final hour is coming and you have a seed in your hand, you should plant it. Stay in a good state.
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Whoever acts on what they know, Allah gives them knowledge of what they don't know.
If Allah Gives us knowledge, then what we can achieve is limitless.

The first stage towards this is the person acknowledging thier need for Allah.
We say we rely on our brainpower and intellect- yet what have we done for the deen? Yet look at [the success of] those who relied on Allah! Give yourself to Allah. He Will Enrich you. Uplift you. Empower you. No one humbles themselves for the sake of Allah except that He Elevates them. How much further can we go replying on ourselves? How much more of a mess can we make?

To overcome challenges we have to humble ourselves.

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The Prophet (saws) gave us a distinction which he didn't even give to his sahaba- that of being his brothers and sisters despite never seeing him (saws). This is a bushra [glad tiding] for us!!!

"Amongst people most intense in love for me in this Ummah are those who do not see me but love me. And they give their family and wealth just to see me" - wheras the sahaba saw his noor in its entirity.

The Prophet (saws) thus extends to us and praises us in love for hum and places its worth higher than that of the Sahaba. This is a class dinstinction. However, in regards to individuals, the best were them, the khulafaah al rashideen.

We must invoke, "Oh Allah, forgive us and those who preceeded us in Islam and don't place any ranquer in our hearts against them" --> we must have good opinion of all believers, people have been honoured with Islam and only those worthy are honoured.

We should thus uphold the 'izzah [respect] which Allah has given to the believers. We have to love the people who say La illah illAllah. Remember the parable of the believers, that we are one ummah, likened to one body. We don't have time for a bad opinion. This is a violation of others' rights! This puts a barrier between you and this is not right.

Give people the benefit of the doubt that they are atleast as good a muslim as you are if not better. --> we are all in this together.

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If we don't appreciate the advantages we have, Allah will take them away.

Allah didn't Put you in a refugee camp. He Put you here. He Gave you the opportunity to serve the people. To work for Islam. We have to know our place. Shed light for people. Be light for people.

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Realise that who you marry is part of a historical process.

If someone comes and you are pleased with their religion and character, marry him; or there will be great fasaad on the earth.

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If we were more spiritually connected, we wouldn't be so deeply haunted, not would we have so many faults.

Ask Allah for His lufdh- His Gentleness as He Unfolds His decree in our life.

If we want good and seek good, we will find good and find it wherever we are.
"I am as My Servant Thinks I am." This is encouragement.

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Serious Swimming Through Barakah :)

I don't usually do this. Sit by an open window eating a bowl of strawberries that is. But the weather makes it tempting and the situation is thus, that I find I don't know what to do with myself for a little while. It's the static state that arises post some serious swimming through barakah. Yes, the reason is quite clear.


I've looked at my brothers collection of books since returning. Too afraid to pick up a few, for fear of the fortune they contain. I don't think my purse is big enough to hold such big balances. Others I pick up and skim through. And a few are chosen and kept in the selected 'Ramadhan pile', quick before the nafs which loves laziness and the remaining shayateen catch up with me!


But the feeling still lingers. The yearning for something, the feeling that something is missing. There are many things I am missing. And will be missing.



I will miss sitting on the floor and writing on the selected green floor table. Sharing treats and jokes and revision with the sisters before the teachers and swarm of brothers come into the classroom.


I will miss hearing the adhaan recited live in a melodious tone. Sharing in the repetition and the dua. The post salah group adhkaar, with souls who have experienced and souls who are fresh in the sea of bliss.


I will miss sharing salams and smiles with sisters, eyes glistening because we know something which to others may still be a mystery. There's something special about sharing the experience of learning Sacred Knowledge with someone, I feel. They heard my most puzzled questions to the teacher. I heard theirs. Together we were placed in a zone of knowledge and barakah.

I will miss being able to ask whatever was on my mind and have the question, big or small, coherant or confusing be answered by some great shuyukh of our time. I know that the answers will, so long as Allah grants my memory protection, stay with me.

I will miss running at 5am in the morning to get to a tajweed class, alhamdulilah I now know trainers and khimar work well for a work out.

I will miss seeing so many others as passionate about the daff as I am. I can't help but smile to myself at people who hold the same love for something as I do.

But most of all I guess, I will miss the peace. And miss the barakah in the time. And miss knowing that angels were present.

And I will miss phoning my family and telling them about how glorious my day was and what I had learnt. For now its no longer about telling them what I learnt, but acting on what I learnt, and that is the real test- the application of knowledge 'learnt'.