n an October 25, 2024 Friday sermon at the Muslim Association of Greater Pittsburgh, the imam said that Israel thought it would demoralize the Muslims by killing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but this backfired, because people turned him into an icon. He added that even non-Muslims like social media influencer Dan Bilzerian, are considering him a hero. The sermon was streamed live on the YouTube channel of the Muslims Association of Greater Pittsburgh (MAP) Gibsonia in Pennsylvania.
Imam: "Some people end up leaving Islam because of that, they say: 'I want to be on the winning side, I don't want to be on the losing side.' This is what I want to focus on in this part [of the sermon], dear brothers and sisters, Are we really on the losing side?
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"What about the 70 prophets that were killed? The Israelites killed 70 prophets, my dear brothers and sisters, was that a victory for these prophets?
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"We need to understand the reality of this world, what success means. What does it mean to be on the losing side, my dear brothers and sisters. One of the very famous social media influences named Dan Bilzerian, or something like that – he is a non-Muslim and he commented on the assassination of Yahya Sinwar. He said and I quote: 'Anyone who is fighting against the genocidal Israeli terrorists is a hero. Rest in peace Yahya Sinwar.' A lot of non-Muslims are reacting to what happened. Israel thought that they were going to demoralize the Muslims, that they will show that they were victorious, but this actually backfired and a lot of people are turning him into an icon, even non-Muslims are considering him a hero.
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"Allah loves the martyrs. One of the most beloved things to Allah is two drops and two marks. The first drop is a tear that the Muslim cries from the fear of Allah, and the second drop is the drop of blood from a martyr. The two marks, my dear brothers and sisters, that Allah loves the most are the marks that we get for the good deeds we are doing."
Imam: "Some people end up leaving Islam because of that, they say: 'I want to be on the winning side, I don't want to be on the losing side.' This is what I want to focus on in this part [of the sermon], dear brothers and sisters, Are we really on the losing side?
[...]
"What about the 70 prophets that were killed? The Israelites killed 70 prophets, my dear brothers and sisters, was that a victory for these prophets?
[...]
"We need to understand the reality of this world, what success means. What does it mean to be on the losing side, my dear brothers and sisters. One of the very famous social media influences named Dan Bilzerian, or something like that – he is a non-Muslim and he commented on the assassination of Yahya Sinwar. He said and I quote: 'Anyone who is fighting against the genocidal Israeli terrorists is a hero. Rest in peace Yahya Sinwar.' A lot of non-Muslims are reacting to what happened. Israel thought that they were going to demoralize the Muslims, that they will show that they were victorious, but this actually backfired and a lot of people are turning him into an icon, even non-Muslims are considering him a hero.
[...]
"Allah loves the martyrs. One of the most beloved things to Allah is two drops and two marks. The first drop is a tear that the Muslim cries from the fear of Allah, and the second drop is the drop of blood from a martyr. The two marks, my dear brothers and sisters, that Allah loves the most are the marks that we get for the good deeds we are doing."
