Education Purpose And Free Will

So while you've been here, we have attempted to facilitate a type of learning that is disappearing from our world and is one of the reasons, I think, why there's so much confusion.

One of our... main reasons for doing this was to develop leadership for our fledgling American Muslim community and that's in our statement.

But leadership is a craft of immense complexity and traditionally mentorship was the means by which one developed into a leader.

The model of leadership that was given by the Prophet is the model of a Ra'i.

which in Arabic can mean a shepherd or a guardian.

It's the same word in Latin for pastor.

Pastor means shepherd.

And so the same idea we find in some of the Western traditions, the idea of pastorship, of helping and protecting people that are vulnerable.

And the most vulnerable people are young people, the youth.

They're vulnerable to false ideas and a lot of other things.

Also because it's a time when passions tend to ride high, and so it's difficult for that reason.

This is not supposed to be filmed, so I'd really appreciate if anybody's filming it.

It is being filmed professionally, so this is one of the things that I do want to talk about.

So for Arab Christians, they actually call a priest ra'i.

in the Arabian countries.

A shepherd mainly watches out for wolves and other predators that prey on weak and isolated animals.

The Prophet said it's the isolated one that the wolf will get.

So he said stay in company.

And the worst type of wolf is a wolf that wears sheep's clothing.

Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing is a worthy sentiment to carry with you on this journey of life.

But the best way to shepherd or to guard people is to tame the wolf that resides potentially in the heart of every human being.

This is something we all forget.

Imam Ghazali said we have a wolf, we have a pig, and we have a sage soul.

So the wolf is when thumos or the irascible nature rules.

The pig is when the concupiscent nature rules.