In The Name of Allah , the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

And Peace and Prayer Be Upon our Master The Most Noble Prophet Muhammad.

We praise Allah, thank HIM , seek HIS help and HIS guidance and forgiveness. And we seek refuge with Allah from the wickedness of our souls and sinfulness of our deeds. "He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom HE sends astray, for him you will find no guiding advocate".

I feel an overwhelming happiness for being here for the second consecutive year, and I thank you for your hospitality and warm welcome. In fact , I do not feel like a stranger at all because I am among my family and friends.

Before venturing into the topic of discussion I would like to clarify four points:

First: I would like to assure you that I feel a very strong bond of brotherhood towards each and every brother and sister here, just like a brother feels towards his siblings and a son towards his parents!

Secondly: The second point is that this large audience reminds me of the following verse that can be translated as, "And those who kept their duty to their Lord (Al-Muttaqun) will be led to Paradise in groups". (TMQ, 39:73) (1) Ibn Al-Qayyim says that Allah Would not let people enter Paradise individually. He, Glory Be To HIM, will Ask all those who gathered in this world in love and harmony, to join hands with each other and enter Paradise together. Just imagine these huge numbers when they join hands and say : O Lord! We loved each other in this world so let us enter Paradise together!

Thirdly: I felt a real sense of hope when I saw this large number of young men, sisters and children here. I bring you glad tidings, be happy and have great hopes as Allah will Honor this nation for the sake of those youths and children!

Fourthly: If each one of you just looked around you and saw this large crowd, you would be able to imagine, no, you will be certain of what is taking place right now in heavens for this gathering!

The Prophet Peace Be Upon Him said: "Allah Has some angels who look for those who remember (glorify the Praises of) Allah on the roads and paths. And when they find some people remembering (glorifying the Praises of) Allah, they will call each other, saying: 'Come to the object of your pursuit.' (He added) "Then the angels will encircle them with their wings up to the nearest heaven to us (sky of the world)." (He added)" Then their Lord, Glory Be to HIM, would ask those angels, though HE Knows better than them: 'How did you find My servants?' The angels reply: we found them remembering you! Allah then says: " Did they see Me?" The angels reply, 'No! By Allah, they did not see You.' Allah Says: How it would have been if they saw Me!' The angels reply, 'If they saw You, they would long for You and love You even more deeply! Allah Says (to the angels)' What are they asking for?" The angels reply, Paradise! Allah says (to the angels) 'Did they see it?' the angels reply, No! Lord, they did not see it.' Allah says: "How it would have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it, they would have greater love and desire for it . Allah says: ' From what do they seek refuge?' The angels reply, 'They seek refuge from the (Hell) Fire. Allah Says, ' Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No Lord, they did not see it.' Allah says: 'How it would have been if they saw it?' the angels say,' If they saw it, they would be even more fearful of it. Then Allah , at the end of the Hadith, Say, "Bear witness, my Angels, that I have forgiven them!!"

Can you imagine, my brothers, that Allah Is now asking about us individually? That the Angels are encircling us with their wings?! We, with all our sins and misdeeds, are the object of the Angels' pursuit!! Can you imagine that this conversation is now taking place about us? And that each and every one of us will walk away from here forgiven by Allah? I would like to congratulate you for having the forgiveness of Allah!

The last point: I would like to thank you for your warm welcome and hospitality, but, my brothers despite my being thankful to you, this welcome and those lights arise in me a fear! So I would say something to myself and to you: This person for whom people are applauding today will die tomorrow! He whom people are pleased with and are welcoming today will be buried in the earth tomorrow! and he whom thousands are gathering around today may not find even two persons listening to him tomorrow. People will perish, and nothing will remain but Islam. We should know that very well and thus be attracted to the idea not to the persons!

As for our topic today, it's a question which I would like the thousands attending today to answer either now or later when we all go back home! That question is:

What is your goal in life? What do you want? Why are you here in this life? Do you know your goal? Did you write down that goal? Are you keeping it in front of your eyes? Are you always looking at it? Do you forget it? Why are you here?

Does anyone of you, when hearing that question, try to think and remember his goal? Do you find it strange to ask such a question?

I will be quiet for half a minute so that each of us ask himself this question:

What is my goal in life?

Can you answer?

My brothers, I am sorry but I have to tell you that we were not created to eat, drink, marry and die! This is not meant for a human being. A human being is not meant to be without a clear goal!

May I tell you a story of one person among the thousands in this life?

He was a child who did not know anything, his father enrolled him in school, so being young, he went to it, without knowing why. He studied his lessons because all those in his age were supposed to study and pass their exams. He moved from one level to another until the level prior to University. They told him then that his marks allow him to enroll in college, so he did, and studied until he finished college. Then they told him, that he is now qualified to work at a certain place, so he did. He then felt that he should marry. But who will he marry? He married a beautiful, good mannered girl, and they had children. The aim of his life now became to work in order to bring enough money to raise the children. He raised his children and when he was fifty or sixty he died!!????

And that's the end of the story!

Be careful not to be like this example who lived this life aimlessly, and who let life and circumstances move him as they like!

My noble sister, be careful from being like that too. Be careful of marrying without a goal, but only for the sake of marrying a good person who can provide for this marriage. Let there be a goal for you in getting married. And to achieve that goal, do not marry just anyone, but look for the person who will help you achieve it!

Imagine, my brothers, if each person here has a definite goal in life! If that was to happen and each person here achieved his goal, the face of Earth would have changed!

In some western countries, on the first day of school, the very first lesson a child would have, is the lesson of setting goals. A child who is only 7 years old is required to define his goal in life! Because that child is too young and does not know what that means, he would write anything and without any meaning, but with time, and with the lesson repeated weekly, the child after 3 or 4 months will start to write meaningful things, such as:

'I want to be the best computer engineer in the world'

The school will provide him with a computer, and will follow up with him, and send his parents a report before the summer holiday, advising them to train their child to use the computer. At the start of the following year, and at the first lesson in the very first day of school, they would ask that child about what he has done to achieve his goal. Just imagine the state of that child after 6 years!

My brothers, the title of this conference is 'Islam from Comprehension to Application'.

My young brother, be careful that your understanding of Islam is not limited to performing your acts of worship without having a greater goal you want to achieve for your religion and your life!

Let the goal of one of our youth be to enter Paradise, but let him also have the goal to be the owner of the best company, the revenues of which will be to serve Islam and the Muslims. Let the goal of one of our sisters be to give birth to the new Salah Al-Deen! Let the goal of yet another young man be to become the richest man, in order to serve the religion of Islam with his money! Let each of us have a goal to live for!

I will never forget one young Egyptian man who told me that his goal is to head the largest club in Egypt. As that club was full with young men, he said: I am dreaming and setting the plans I want to implement with these youths when I preside over that club! For the sake of that dream, I am now frequently going to that club, I pray there and I get to know the people, because, after twenty years Insha Allah, I will be the president of that club!

My Brothers, Is there anyone among you who is sitting with us, yet dreaming of the goal he wants to achieve? Does anyone of you dream to be another Salah Al-Deen? Does anyone want to win the Nobel Prize? Does any of our sisters want to give birth to someone who will change and elevate the state of Muslims to the better? Is that an example of your dreams?

Any company in any advanced society must first define its mission, no company can be established without having a mission.

For example: A group of people who have the money and want to establish a company, say, for mobile phones. Although they have the money and the technology that enable them to open the company immediately, they would wait for a period of time, lets say a week, a month or two months in order to define their mission!

Take Sony as an example. Its mission that it defined 20 years ago was that the Japanese product is to be the No 1 product in the global markets! If the members of the company had a meeting, and one member proposed something, lets say to open a new branch in France, the response of the president of the company would be to look into his papers and read the mission, and if the proposal serves that mission, it will be approved.

If companies can't be established unless they have a goal, how should it be then for a Muslim person? Is it right for a Muslim young man to reach the age of 20 or 30 without having a goal to live for? Is it right for us to be Muslims but without goals? What about these situations and conditions now where our religion is facing great tests? The only solution to overcome them is for the Muslims to wake up! Just imagine how enthusiastic our youths will be to wake up from their slumber! But the obstacle remains in their NOT having clear goals in their lives!

Lets move, brothers! Lets put everything we said into practices. How about deciding that none of us today sleeps before setting his goal and writing it down? No one of us should say I am too old and this talk does not apply to me! My brothers, many of the Prophet's companions became Muslims when they were fifty years old! They led a great life after that age! Lets write down our goal and hang it on the walls of our bedrooms, in front of our eyes, to read it daily, memorize it and live for it!

Do you need any help to write down your goal?

You should ask yourself first the obvious question: Why was I created? Lets imagine that we have a mike and went down to the streets asking people this obvious question and lets imagine the answers:

One person would say: What do you mean by this question? Or he would say ' Allah Knows the wisdom , and that's it'.

Another one would say: 'I don't know, I was created because ..because..????'

A third will say the verse that can be translated as, " And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)" (TMQ, 51:56), because he knows the verse by heart!

Even scholars failed to answer correctly:

-Plato answered by saying: God wanted to create the universe, so HE did, but then HE forgot about it, hence all these conflicts among people. But Allah Answered by this verse, that can be translated as, " ..and your Lord is never forgetful" (TMQ, 19:64).

-Karl Marx answered: God created this universe in play and without any purpose. Allah answered by this verse, that can be translated as, "Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose) and that you would not be brought back to Us". "So Exalted is Allah, the True King." (TMQ, 23:115-116)

-Elia Abu-Mady the poet, answered by a poem he called 'mysteries' in which he says:

I came, but I don't know where from, but come I did!

And I saw in front of me a road, so I walked!

And I will keep walking whether I liked it or not!

How did I come? I don't know.

Where am I going? I don't know!

This is not the answer of that poet alone , it is inside a lot of people too.

They are all bewildered despite their fame and great names!

But Islam answers this question very clearly and convincingly in the verse that can be translated as," And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)" (TMQ, 51:56).

Our existence on Earth is for one purpose : Worship!

The meaning of worship here is to live your life normally but in doing so you also have to pivot your life on the purpose of pleasing Allah, while doing all your daily habits like work, marriage and sports. Do them all with the sole intention of pleasing Allah. Intention transforms habits into acts of worship!

Example 1:

I practice sports to exhaust my energies that might compel me to commit a sin!

I practice sport so as to prepare my body to defend Islam.

I practice sports with the intention of being strong so as to fulfill the Hadith :"A strong believer is better and more liked by Allah than the weak believer'

Thus, every minute I spend in practicing sports is an act of worship!

Example 2: I marry to have a child who will prostrate to Allah and worship HIM.

Example 3: I study my lessons to benefit Islam with my knowledge. Thus every minute I hold a paper and a pen in my hand will be counted as a good deed and an act of worship.

Therefore, the pivot and basis of our goals should be to serve Islam. Lets take a look at some real examples:

Mohammad Al-Fateh (Mehmet, the conqueror): when he was a child of 12 years he would ride his horse and plunge into the sea, because his aspiration was to conquer Constantinople. He succeeded in conquering Constantinople when he was only 22 years old because his dream filled his heart!

Al-Bukhari : When he was 7 years old, he heard in a session of knowledge, a scholar saying: If only we had a book that contains all the authentic Hadiths of the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him! So he said to himself: I will be the one to collect them!

Omar Bin Abdul Aziz: He used to say that he had a spirit of longing, one day it longed to marry Fatima Bint Abdul Malik, so he married her. I longed to be the ruler of Medina, so I became that. I longed to be the Caliph of Muslims, and I became that. Today my spirit longs for Paradise!

Sinan : He was the greatest architect during the Ottomans rule. He was born in 1498 , he designed the best designs known at his time, so much so that the Italian architects during the Italian renaissance were studying his works to learn from it and imitate it!

So, my brothers, set your goals.

By Allah Who there is no God but HE, anybody who dreams something and lives for it, will achieve it with Allah's permission!

Seven Conditions to set a goal:

The goal should be clear and well defined in your mind.

The goal should be ambitious.

Do not fear your goal, but believe that you can achieve it!

Transform your goal into steps according to a practical plan that you strive to implement.

Exhort all your efforts to achieve your goal.

Hope.

Be persistent and patient.

Any one who has those 7 conditions will achieve his goal with Allah's permission.

I will repeat what I said before:

By Allah Whom there is no God but HIM, anybody who dreams something and lives for it, will achieve it with Allah's permission!

My Brothers, our nation is tired. Our nation is in dire need for great goals to be accomplished.

I ask you in Allah's name, to go back home today and write down your goals. Focus your goal on this verse, that can be translated as, " And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)" (TMQ, 51:56)

I say this and ask Allah's forgiveness for you and myself.

Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings!

TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.