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My beloved brothers and sisters, every time we get a chance to speak to one another and to remind one another about goodness, the first point that we should be raising is the development of the connection with Allah.

Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

It is always important for us to build this relationship with Allah. It is known as Takwa-Lahi.

If you notice in the Quran, every time Allah says it takwa-Lahi, which means develop the relationship with Allah, be conscious of Allah, be fearful of His punishment and hopeful in His mercy.

That is part of the meaning of Takwa. May Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala grant us this beautiful relationship with Him, such that when we fulfill the instructions we do so with pleasure, with happiness, with great zeal, and when we stay away from the prohibitions that make Him angry, we do so also out of the love of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

My brothers and sisters, when Bilal Ibn Uraba, Radya Allahu Anhu, at the beginning of Islam was being tortured. He was being dragged in the hot sand on the hot stones, and he was being harmed.

He kept on repeating Ahadun Ahad, I am sure we have heard that. At that juncture, he had no idea what the future held, but he had hope in the mercy of Allah.

He did not know that a day will come when He will be given the honour of calling out the Athan in the same Makkah, in the same masjid, on the same Kaaba, in the vicinity of which He was being punished and penalised.

At that juncture, right at the beginning, He didn't give up, but He knew that Allah has a better plan when victory came, it came sweeter than He expected it.

When Abu Bakr al-Siddhiq radi Allahu Anhu, and the Prophet Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam together with the few, were being persecuted in Makkah to the Makkah Ramah.

Subhanallah, the companions had conviction and hope in the mercy of Allah, but they didn't know exactly how Allah had planned the victory.

That victory was sweeter and better than they had ever imagined.

When Musa al-Alihi Salatu was Salam, was faced with the Pharaoh, the destruction of the Pharaoh, and he used to kill the boys, and he used to commit and perpetrate the most heinous of crimes.

They didn't know exactly in what shape the victory would come, or when it would come, but they knew that Allah had promised them ultimate victory.

They continued to have hope in the mercy of Allah, and this is why when they prayed to Allah to say, oh Allah, when is this victory going to come?

And Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala responded to the call of Musa al-Alihi Salam and Haroon, Moses and Aaron may peace be upon them.

We have indeed answered your prayer, so now we want you to be steadfast. The mercy of Allah, the help of Allah, comes to those who are steadfast, but they are journeyed to developing the closeness with Allah.

At times, as in it, the challenges of this world, we should never lose hope, my brothers and sisters, remain steadfast.

No matter what we are going through, it will never be worse than what Bilalib Nurabah, Radya Allah, who went through, did victory not come to him?

Did he not see days, he didn't even imagine he would see.

We cannot have gone through worse than what the Prophet Musa al-Alihi Salam went through.

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