NYU Islamic Center Podcasts · Islamic Center at New York University

Prophetic Advice to Abu Dhar Al-Ghufari, Part 9 with Dr. Sheikh Faiyaz Jaffer

·30 min·2 clips

The speaker returns to the advice of the Messenger of God to Abu Dhar al-Ghaffari in an extended sermon. He begins by reminding listeners that Allah continually draws people away from the distractions of the world. He names ghafla as a form of forgetfulness and negligence that can gather over time. That warning sets the tone for the rest of the talk. From there, he explains the reward promised to those who respond to the call of Allah. He frames that call as any invitation toward goodness and virtue. He then widens the point to ordinary life. When someone asks for help building a home, a well, a school, or an orphanage, the listener can answer with wealth, time, or effort. He presents that response as ta'awun wa-l-birr wa-l-taqwa, cooperation in goodness and God-consciousness. He also emphasizes the importance of contributing to the maintenance of the masjid. When Abu Dhar asks what that means, the lecture uses the question to keep unfolding the meaning of service. The point is not abstract status. The point is participation in making remembrance of Allah more present in the world. The talk links that participation to paradise. It treats service as something every listener can enter, not a privilege reserved for a few. Along the way, it keeps translating Arabic terms into plain speech. That keeps the teaching accessible without flattening its religious texture. The tone stays serious but not distant. It speaks to the listener as someone capable of change. The final movement turns into prayer. The speaker asks Allah to forgive sins and cleanse and purify hearts and souls. He prays for hardship to be lifted from the ummah across the east, west, north, and south of the world. He asks for the hastening of the reappearance of the Imam of our time. The closing ends on justice, peace, equity, and divine help.

As heard by us

A steady reminder that service and support can carry real spiritual weight.

The talk returns again and again to ghafla, the forgetfulness that pulls a person away from Allah and into distraction. That repetition can feel heavy, but it also keeps the point clear: goodness is not abstract here.

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Why you'd press play

You want a calm reminder about ghafla and staying mindful of Allah.

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