The Shepherd's Way: Ep. 1 - Lofty Goals Lead to Success (2022-06-30) ​

## Description

The Shepherd's Way: Ep. 1 - Lofty Goals Lead to Success

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Summary of The Shepherd's Way: Ep. 1 - Lofty Goals Lead to Success ​

This summary is AI generated - there may be inaccuracies. *

00:00:00 [00:15:00 ​

the sheikh discusses the importance of having lofty goals and how they lead to success. He also points out the benefits of having a vision, such as focus and direction, clarity, and life. Finally, he mentions the importance of removing destructive doubts.

00:00:00 series, "The Shepherd's Way," is designed to provide leadership lessons for life that are timeless. Brother Shabbir discusses 10 timeless leadership lessons in this video series. Number one is that lofty goals lead to success. Number two is that necessity achieves goals. Number three is that a leader who is loved and followed is a leader with greater power and authority. Number four is that the servant leads the master. Number five is that when one becomes "greater than" their enemy, they overcome. Number six is that relevance is excellence. Number seven is that how one relates to others creates their reality. Number eight is that one should enroll in life, not control it. Number nine is that one should be a mentor to others. Number ten is that achievements are a gift from God.

• 00:05:00 Discusses the importance of having lofty goals, being visionary, having a vision based on islamic values, and being strategic. It also points out the benefits of having a vision, such as focus and direction, clarity, and life. Finally, it mentions the importance of removing destructive doubts.
• 00:10:00 the presenter discusses the importance of having lofty goals and how they lead to success. He also reminds viewers that Islam is a religion that will reach every place touched by night and day, and that Allah will honor the honorable with Islam and disgrace the disgraceful with unbelief. Finally, the presenter discusses the vision of the Prophet Muhammad and how it is an example of how to think big.
• 00:15:00 a sheikh discusses the importance of lofty goals and how they lead to success. He encourages viewers to support a project aimed at spreading the message of Islam, and asks for donations to help make this a reality.

Full transcript with timestamps: CLICK TO EXPAND

0:00:16 brothers and sisters and friends and0:00:18 welcome to the sapience institute0:00:21 vulhija series the shepherd's way0:00:25 timeless0:00:26 leadership lessons for life0:00:28 endower so what is this series all about0:00:32 brothers and sisters0:00:35 sapiens institute's vision is0:00:38 a world that receives the message of0:00:40 islam0:00:41 and our strategic focus0:00:44 is that we0:00:46 as a team0:00:47 defend and share islam academically and0:00:50 intellectually0:00:51 and we train0:00:53 and empower and develop others to do so0:00:56 the same0:00:58 part of this0:01:00 is creating leaders0:01:03 and this is very significant0:01:05 so we felt0:01:07 it was of paramount importance0:01:09 to0:01:11 empower you0:01:12 with timeless0:01:14 leadership0:01:15 lessons0:01:16 in order to facilitate your journey to0:01:19 go out there in the world in order for0:01:22 the world to receive the message of0:01:23 islam and for you to become0:01:27 a leader so you can share and defend0:01:29 islam academically and intellectually0:01:34 and brothers and sisters0:01:37 it is extremely important for us to have0:01:41 these lessons not only0:01:44 in our tower life in sharing and0:01:46 defending islam academically and0:01:48 intellectually but also in our private0:01:51 lives too0:01:53 if i were to summarize0:01:54 the whole series0:01:56 i will define it in the following way0:02:00 be principled0:02:02 if you had a choice0:02:04 between power0:02:06 authority and principles0:02:09 and you chose power and authority over0:02:12 principles0:02:14 your power0:02:16 will become your weakness0:02:18 and if you chose principles0:02:21 over power0:02:23 your principles will become your0:02:25 strength0:02:26 allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala says in0:02:28 chapter 11 verse 490:02:30 so be patient0:02:32 surely the ultimate outcome belongs only0:02:35 to the righteous0:02:37 brothers and sisters0:02:38 these timeless lessons0:02:41 can be derived from my own experience0:02:44 many of you may not know0:02:46 but i was the ceo of i era from april0:02:52 2017 to around february0:02:55 20200:02:57 and alhamdulillah0:02:58 by the will and mercy and grace of allah0:03:01 subhanahu wa ta'ala we increased0:03:06 international operations by over a0:03:08 thousand percent0:03:09 and we increased our funding by over 5000:03:13 percent0:03:14 in may 2020 i was given the mandate to0:03:19 lead and set up sapience institute0:03:22 and this involved developing its vision0:03:25 and implementing its strategy0:03:29 and i've realized brothers and sisters0:03:32 that these lessons0:03:34 and the principles that you can derive0:03:36 from these lessons are timeless and much0:03:39 needed so brothers and sisters in this0:03:42 series we're going to be unpacking 100:03:45 timeless leadership lessons0:03:48 and let me summarize them for you now0:03:50 number one lofty goals lead to success0:03:54 in other words0:03:55 be visionary number two necessity0:03:57 achieves in other words be strategic0:04:01 number three a leader loved is a leader0:04:04 followed0:04:05 in other words be empathic be0:04:07 compassionate0:04:08 number four the servant leads the master0:04:12 concedes in other words be a servant0:04:16 number five when you become0:04:18 you overcome in other words be0:04:21 courageous0:04:22 number six0:04:23 relevance is excellence in other words0:04:27 be wise0:04:28 number seven the enemy is the enemy in0:04:33 other words0:04:34 be0:04:35 egoless or0:04:37 as egoless as you can be0:04:39 number eight0:04:40 enroll don't control0:04:43 in other words be an example0:04:46 number nine how you relate is what you0:04:49 create0:04:50 in other words be a mentor number ten0:04:54 achievements0:04:55 are divine gifts0:04:57 in other words be grateful0:05:00 now yes some of these statements are0:05:02 ambiguous you may not know what they0:05:04 mean but this is the whole point of the0:05:06 series to unpack them and to give you0:05:08 these timeless lessons0:05:10 now the whole basis of this series0:05:13 is based on a hadith from the prophet0:05:15 sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:05:17 when he said0:05:18 every one of you is a shepherd and is0:05:21 responsible for his flock0:05:24 so these timeless0:05:26 leadership lessons0:05:28 yes they can be applied and they should0:05:30 be applied in a tower context when we're0:05:32 sharing islam academically and0:05:35 intellectually but they can also be0:05:37 applied in every aspect of your life0:05:40 including your personal life so the0:05:42 first lesson brothers and sisters is0:05:44 lofty goals lead to success what does0:05:46 this mean0:05:47 this means be visionary have a vision0:05:50 now what is a vision now professor0:05:53 stanley ridgeley defines a vision as an0:05:57 articulation of a powerful achievable0:05:59 and motivating stretch goal0:06:01 now i don't want to unpack all the0:06:03 nuances behind this definition but i0:06:05 think in our context0:06:08 it's0:06:09 more appropriate to define a vision as0:06:12 where you want to see the world and0:06:14 where you see yourself0:06:16 in where you want to see the world0:06:18 so those two things are going to be0:06:19 connected let me give an example0:06:22 here's0:06:23 where i want to see the world a world0:06:26 led by islam0:06:27 okay that's the global vision what about0:06:29 my individual personal vision that0:06:32 connects to that well0:06:34 in that context0:06:37 my personal vision would be that i am0:06:39 led by islam and can lead with islamic0:06:42 principles so as you can see0:06:44 the vision for the world the global0:06:46 vision and my personal individual vision0:06:49 are connected0:06:51 now from an islamic perspective brothers0:06:52 and sisters a vision should be based on0:06:54 three main things the love of allah0:06:57 certainty and islamic values okay what0:07:00 does this mean0:07:01 when we say the love of allah it means0:07:03 it should be done for his sake and that0:07:05 you should seek the best in this life0:07:07 and the best in the life to come0:07:10 when we say0:07:11 it must be based on certainty it should0:07:13 be based on core islamic principles0:07:17 and0:07:18 in the unwavering belief in allah and0:07:21 his messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:07:24 and that would mean that we affirm0:07:26 tawheed the oneness of allah and in this0:07:29 context that we rely on him because0:07:32 everything that happens in this cosmos0:07:35 happens because of the irrada the will0:07:37 and kudra power of allah subhanallah0:07:40 so our vision brothers and sisters must0:07:41 be based on islamic values this means it0:07:44 should please allah let's unpack this a0:07:46 little bit0:07:48 it means brothers and sisters that we0:07:50 should ask the following profound0:07:52 question0:07:53 what is0:07:55 most pleasing to allah0:07:57 in this context i repeat0:08:01 what is most pleasing to allah in this0:08:05 context this is extremely significant0:08:07 brothers and sisters because it would0:08:09 elevate our gain we'll have more barakah0:08:12 in our work in our private life and our0:08:14 public life0:08:16 because we're not just going to say what0:08:18 is permissible and what is impermissible0:08:20 it's not just the halal and haram don't0:08:22 get me wrong the halal0:08:25 is pleasing to allah0:08:27 but in islamic ethics there is a0:08:29 hierarchy of values there is a hierarchy0:08:33 of what is permissible meaning some0:08:35 things that are permissible are less0:08:37 pleasing0:08:38 than others we should seek the higher0:08:41 value and we will have barakah in our0:08:44 private and public lives brothers and0:08:47 sisters0:08:49 now there are various benefits of having0:08:50 a vision number one it provides focus0:08:53 and direction why because you know where0:08:55 you're going number two it gives you0:08:57 clarity0:08:58 because you know how to get there and0:09:00 that's going to make more sense when we0:09:04 address0:09:04 the second lesson which is necessity0:09:07 achieves in other words have a strategy0:09:10 be strategic0:09:12 number three it gives you life0:09:15 especially if we connect our vision to0:09:18 the pleasure of allah0:09:20 as allah says in the quran all you who0:09:23 have believed respond to the call of0:09:25 allah and his messenger to that which0:09:28 gives you life number four0:09:30 it removes doubt0:09:32 why because your vision is based on0:09:35 certainty and interestingly the 14th0:09:37 century theologian ibn kaiyum al-jawshi0:09:40 said0:09:41 regarding the fitna of shubohat0:09:44 regarding the trial or tribulation of0:09:46 destructive doubts0:09:48 this is due to having a weak vision and0:09:51 a lack of knowledge so he linked having0:09:54 a weak vision to shubhat destructive0:09:57 doubts number five it saves time because0:10:00 you know what needs to be done number0:10:02 six it helps shape your environment and0:10:05 your social circles because your vision0:10:07 defines you therefore the way you relate0:10:10 to other people will be based in that0:10:12 context0:10:13 number seven0:10:15 it provides motivation and keeps you0:10:17 going why0:10:18 because you have a vision now you see0:10:20 the end goal number eight0:10:22 it helps you transcend petty issues and0:10:24 life's obstacles because your vision is0:10:27 the bigger picture and it's linked to0:10:29 allah's pleasure therefore you will0:10:30 always ask what is most pleasing to0:10:33 allah it won't be just about yourself0:10:36 number nine it gives you a framework for0:10:38 decision making why because your life0:10:41 will be aligned to your vision0:10:44 so here are some key questions to help0:10:46 build your0:10:47 world vision your global vision and your0:10:50 personal individual vision that would0:10:52 link to your world vision0:10:54 the first question is where do you want0:10:56 to see the world0:10:58 the second question is where do you see0:11:01 yourself0:11:02 in where you want to see the world so0:11:04 here are some further questions to help0:11:06 you develop your world and personal0:11:10 vision0:11:11 what are you passionate about0:11:13 what are you competent in what drives0:11:15 you what do you desire0:11:17 what do you think and talk about the0:11:18 most what is important to you how do0:11:21 your close friends and family describe0:11:23 you0:11:25 now brothers and sisters before you even0:11:27 answer these questions it's very0:11:29 important to think big0:11:32 thinking big means think akira think the0:11:36 hereafter link your vision to the0:11:38 hereafter0:11:40 the hereafter is eternal this dunya this0:11:42 world is finite0:11:44 and allah tells us to think big and0:11:47 thinking big means you want the best in0:11:49 this world and the best in the hereafter0:11:51 but if you just want a portion of this0:11:53 world then you will not be successful0:11:55 what does allah say in the second0:11:57 chapter verses 200 and 2010:12:01 there are those among mankind who say0:12:03 our lord give us good of this world0:12:07 and they have no portion of the0:12:09 hereafter0:12:10 and there are those who say our lord0:12:12 give us good of this world and the0:12:14 hereafter so allah is indicating that0:12:17 our success0:12:19 lies in thinking big which means wanting0:12:21 the best in this life and the hereafter0:12:24 if you just want the best in this life0:12:26 you will get no portion in the hereafter0:12:29 and thinking big is part of the son of0:12:30 the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:12:32 for example0:12:34 in hadith that is narrated by ibn maja0:12:36 and you could find it in muslin ahmed0:12:38 the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:12:40 said if you ask allah for jannah for0:12:43 paradise0:12:44 specifically ask him for al-firdous the0:12:48 highest level of paradise for it is the0:12:51 highest level of jannah and think big0:12:53 brothers and sisters because allahu0:12:56 akbar allah is greater allah is greater0:12:59 than any of our perceived limitations0:13:02 our limited experiences and what we0:13:04 consider to be obstacles remember0:13:07 everything happens because of the will0:13:09 and power of allah0:13:11 nothing escapes his0:13:13 nothing escapes his kudra0:13:15 do not be bounded by our negative0:13:18 self-talk and negative limited0:13:21 experiences and perceptions rely on0:13:23 allah who is boundless free of0:13:27 limitation now brothers and sisters to0:13:29 help us think big0:13:31 we should look into the sunnah of the0:13:32 prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam look0:13:35 at the prophet muhammad0:13:39 to see0:13:40 how to think big0:13:43 the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:13:45 said and this is narrated by0:13:47 imam ahmed and it's an authentic hadith0:13:50 he said this matter in other words islam0:13:54 will certainly reach every place touched0:13:56 by the night and day allah will not0:13:58 leave a house or residence but that0:14:01 allah will cause his religion to enter0:14:03 it0:14:04 by which the honourable will be honored0:14:06 and the disgraceful will be disgraced0:14:09 allah will honor the honorable with0:14:10 islam and he would disgrace the0:14:13 disgraceful with unbelief0:14:16 look at the vision of the prophet0:14:17 sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:14:20 basically his vision was0:14:22 islam will enter every home in the world0:14:26 so to conclude brothers and sisters our0:14:28 first episode of our hija series0:14:31 remember that lofty goals0:14:34 lead to success0:14:36 and think big because allahu akbar allah0:14:40 is greater and make sure your vision is0:14:43 linked to the love of allah0:14:46 certainty0:14:47 in allah and his messenger sallallahu0:14:50 alaihi wasallam and it's based on the0:14:52 timeless islamic values now to end0:14:55 brothers and sisters i like to remind0:14:57 you that we are experiencing the very0:14:58 special days of bulhija and remember and0:15:01 as you know0:15:02 the deeds performed during these days0:15:06 are more rewardable than the deeds0:15:09 performed during the days of ramadan0:15:11 so we ask you brothers and sisters for0:15:14 you to support0:15:15 our vision the vision of sapience0:15:19 institute which is a world that receives0:15:22 the message of islam0:15:25 so please support us brothers and0:15:26 sisters0:15:27 click the button or the link below and0:15:30 donate now