Think Win-Win [The Motto of the Believer]

By Bilal Philips | 2026-01-15T18:29:27.999132+00:00 | Topic: Iman

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Think Win-Win: The Motto of the Believer

Lecture by Dr. Abu Aminah Bilal Philips

Opening

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

I welcome you all to this evening's lecture. We are fortunate to have this opportunity, and I will be speaking on the topic: Think Win-Win: The Motto of a Believer.

Introduction

Our topic this evening, "Think Win-Win: The Motto of a Believer," is a principle taken from Stephen J. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, specifically habit number four. However, his perspective focused on interpersonal relationships and how we deal with people.

What I am examining is the Islamic philosophy on human interaction with the world around us. It includes people as well as the events in our lives, the circumstances in which we are born, and so forth. It is all-inclusive, not restricted only to interpersonal relationships.

But before looking at the Win-Win principle for the believer, let us examine the philosophy of the disbeliever, which will help us understand more clearly the Win-Win philosophy of the believer.

The Declaration of Faith

As we know in our declaration of faith, we say:

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

We deny the falsehood first—the false worship of false gods—and then we establish the worship of the true God. So let us look at the philosophy of the disbelievers with regards to life in general.

The Win-Lose Philosophy of Disbelievers

We find that their philosophy is Win-Lose. The philosophy of the disbelievers with regards to their relationship to the world around them is one of Win-Lose.

What do I mean? Good luck, bad luck. Win-Lose is equivalent to good luck, bad luck. They say, "If I have good luck, then I win. If I have bad luck, then I lose." That is their philosophy on life.

The Quest for Good Luck

So what you find is that the disbelievers spend most of their lives in a quest for what will ensure for them good luck and prevent bad luck from happening to them. That becomes a very important part of their lives.

Western Superstitions:

Local Superstitions:

Muslim Superstitions

So you have a series of these kinds of charms that people seek out to protect themselves from evil and to bring for themselves good luck. We can laugh about that in regards to other people's beliefs, but unfortunately, cultural Muslims have their own substitutes.

Muslim Good Luck Practices:

water, drink it after Maghrib after fasting that day, and your wife's going to have a baby

What is this? This is charms and amulets—turning the names of Allah into good luck charms, which has no basis from the Sunnah of Rasulullah.

Miniature Qurans:

This is the way, in general, of the disbelievers, as well as poor or weak believers—cultural Muslims who live by custom and tradition and not according to the Quran and the Sunnah. The Quran and the Sunnah as it was understood by the Sahabah, not as understood by modern Muslims with modern interpretations. The Quran and the Sunnah as it was understood by the companions of the Prophet—they best understood it.

The Islamic Worldview: Life as a Test

If we leave now the disbeliever understanding of Win-Lose and come over to the Islamic understanding—the Islamic philosophy of Win-Win—it is based on the Islamic worldview that this world is fundamentally a test for human beings.

As Allah said:

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
(Quran 67:2)

"The One who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds." (Quran 67:2)

And:

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
(Quran 18:7)

"Indeed, what We have placed on the earth is an adornment for it in order to test which of them is best in deeds." (Quran 18:7)

So Allah has identified clearly the purpose of this world: This world is a test.

The Purpose of the Test

Not a test for Allah to find out which of us is best in deeds, because that's something He already knew. Before Allah created this world, He already knew which of us is best in deeds. He already knew which of us is going to hell and which of us is going to heaven. This was already known by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So this test, though the verse says "in order that He would try you or test them, which of them is best in deeds," is really to confirm His supreme justice and His grace:

Why Not Skip the Test?

Yes, Allah knew before we were created where we are going. He could have created believers, put them in Paradise, and disbelievers and put them in Hell, right from the beginning. We didn't need to go through this world and what is happening in it. He could have done that because He knows what we are going to do.

However, because of the fact that those who would be placed in Paradise would never question Allah—"Why did you put us in Paradise?" If you were put in Paradise, would you ask Allah why He put you there? No, you wouldn't. You would just be happy you got there. And when you look at what you actually did in this life and see that it is only by Allah's mercy and grace that you made it to Paradise, you will just say : الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ

As Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

لَنْ يُدْخِلَ أَحَدًا عَمَلُهُ الْجَنَّةَ

"No one would enter Paradise merely on account of his deeds."

Were it not for Allah's grace, no one would enter Paradise. The companions asked him, "Even you, O Messenger of Allah? Even you would not enter Paradise?" And he said, "Even I."

So it is by the grace of Allah that those who enter Paradise enter Paradise. It is His grace. Us living the life and going into Paradise—we recognize Allah's grace.

Justice for the Disbelievers

But for the disbelievers, those placed in Hell, how do you think they are going to feel? Allah puts them in Hell and they see people put in Paradise. What do you think they are going to say? "That's life?" They are going to say, "Why? Why are you putting us in Hell? What have we done to deserve this? Why shouldn't we be in Paradise like the others?"

And if Allah said to them, "Well, you would have done this and you would have done that and you would have done the other, and that's why you are going to Hell," what do you think they would say? "Yeah, I guess that's what we would have done?" No, no, no, no. They would say: "I wouldn't have done those things! If I knew there was a heaven and a hell, I would never have done those things. No way!"

So Allah lets us live out our lives. At the end of our lives, no one questions Allah "Why?" When you read about the various verses where Allah describes people being taken to Hell, nobody says "Why?" Everybody instead says: "Okay, we now know for sure. Give us another chance." This is what people say: "Give us another chance. We'll do righteousness."

Nobody questions "Why?" Because everybody knows they're in Hell because they chose Hell. They chose Hell. Everybody had the opportunity, every opportunity to go to Paradise, but they chose Hell. So Allah's justice will not be questioned. Allah's justice will be supreme. It will be manifest in the judgment and our ending up in Heaven or Hell.

Two Results of the Test

Relative to human beings, this world serves as a test to produce one of two results:

  1. For spiritual growth (for the believers)
  2. Punishment (for the disbelievers)

Spiritual Growth Through Tests

How do tests produce spiritual growth?

Economic Inequality:

Allah says:

وَاللَّهُ فَضَّلَ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الرِّزْقِ
(Quran 16:71)

"Allah has favored some of you over others in the provisions of this life." (Quran 16:71)

If He wished, He could have created everybody equal—everybody having the same amount of money, no rich, no poor, just everybody on the same level. He could have done that. But had He done that, who then would develop the quality of generosity? How can you be generous when there's nobody to be generous to? You can only be generous when you have and others don't have, and you give.

So for you to be able to give, there have to be people with less than you. This is a part of the trial of this life—that Allah has favored some people by making them more wealthy than others.

Prophetic Guidance on Dealing with Inequality:

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The Prophet advised us how to deal with that trial. He said:

"Don't look to those above you, those who Allah has favored over you with more wealth. Don't look at them. Don't look to them."

This is what the West does in the media—that globalized media shows you the rich and the famous, their lives, how enjoyable it is. They have this, they have that, they have the other. Wonderful lives. And so what does that put in your heart? "I want to be like them. I want to have what they have." It creates envy, a desire for this.

So the Prophet ﷺ said: "Don't look at it. Don't look at it. Because if you look at it, you will forget the favor which God has placed in your own life."

He said: "Look at those below you instead. And that way you'll remember God's favor."

This is part of the test. Because there's always somebody worse off than you. No matter how bad your circumstances, there's always somebody whose life is more tragic, more difficult than your own. So look to those below you.

Calamities as Spiritual Development

It is important for us to understand calamities and their role in life. In terms of developing the higher spiritual qualities of the individual, we know calamities are one of the primary tools used by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Who Receives the Most Calamities?

The companions asked the Prophet ﷺ: "Who among people, among humankind, receives the most calamities in their lives?"

The Prophet Muhammad said: "The Prophets. Then those most like them. Then those most like them."

The Prophets received the most calamities in life. So calamities, obviously, are a blessing relative to the Prophets. Calamities are blessings.

Example: Prophet Yusuf

You can look, for example, at the life of Prophet Yusuf in the Quran. Was not his life, his early life, a series of calamities?

He ends up in jail—he's a good man trying to do good, but calamities happened to him one after the other, getting worse and worse

Even after he was in jail, he interpreted the dream of the two servants who had been put in with him. He asked one of them to remember him when he gets out. When that servant got out, what happened? He forgot. He forgot for a number of years, and then he remembered and got Yusuf out.

But note, even that forgetting—you could say the servant forgetting was not a good thing. He forgot. Prophet Yusuf could have gotten out six or seven years earlier, but he stayed in for an extra seven because this man forgot.

But think, as some scholars have pointed out: Had he gotten out when the servant got out, he would have probably returned to his same state as a servant. If the servant got out and told the ruler, "Listen, this was the case of Prophet Yusuf. He really was a good guy. Let him out," the ruler brings him out, asks the women, the women admit, "Yes, we tricked him. It's not true." What would happen to him? He would just become a servant again.

But instead, Allah delayed his presence in the prison so that when he came out, he came out having interpreted the dream of the ruler, which put him in a special status. And so the ruler elevated him to be in charge of the stocks of the kingdom.

Those additional seven years were good for Prophet Yusuf.

Example: Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail

Such is the case of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail. After not having children, getting that child, then building the Kaaba together. Then Allah tells him: "Sacrifice that child." After bonding with that child, becoming so close to him, Allah says, "Take his life."

It's a calamity. It's a command from God for Prophet Ibrahim. But personally, emotionally, it's a calamity. But he stood firm, and Allah rewarded him with generations of prophets.

That is the life of the prophets.

Patience and Calamities

Allah tells us that calamities are a means for developing in us patience (صَبْر), which is the key for success in this life.

As Allah said:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

"I will try you and test you with hunger, loss of wealth, loss of life, loss of your efforts. But give glad tidings to those who are patient." (Quran 2:155)

And that's for the believers. That calamity in their life only brings out their patience. And with that patience, Allah rewards them more as He did with the prophets.

Calamities as Reminders

Calamities also serve as a reminder. As Allah said:

وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

"I will let them taste of the lesser punishment instead of the greater punishment in order that they return." (Quran 32:21)

Return to remembering Allah. For people who believe but have gone astray, a calamity strikes them and it reminds them to go back to Allah. So there's good in that calamity. Had they not faced that calamity, they would have continued on that misguided path and ended up in Hell. So it was a means to bring them back onto the path to Paradise.

Calamities Expose the Hypocrites

Also, calamities expose the hypocrites. As Allah said:

أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ

"Do people think that they will be left alone after saying 'I believe' without being tested, without being tried?" (Quran 29:2)

This distinguishes those whose faith is true from those whose faith is false.

Calamities as Punishment for Disbelievers

But in the end, for the disbelievers, the calamities are punishments.

As Allah says:

فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

"Beware! Let those who contravene Allah's command, who go against Allah's command, beware that a calamity may strike them or a severe punishment." (Quran 24:63)

And He also said:

وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَّا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنكُمْ خَاصَّةً وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

"And fear a calamity which will not strike only those who are evil alone. You happen to be amongst them, it can strike you also. And know that Allah is severe in punishment." (Quran 8:25)

Modern Example: AIDS

Trials and calamities in life can either make us grow or they can be a punishment. When we look at the plagues amongst us today—AIDS, the world plague, the plague of depression and suicide where more people are dying from that than they are dying of AIDS—let's take AIDS, which everybody is aware of today.

Ibn Umar (radiallahu anhu) narrated a hadith from Prophet Muhammad, which is found in Sunan Ibn Majah (authentic hadith), in which the Prophet said:

مَا ظَهَرَتِ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي قَوْمٍ قَطُّ حَتَّى يُعْلِنُوا بِهَا إِلَّا فَشَا فِيهِمُ الطَّاعُونُ وَالْأَوْجَاعُ الَّتِي لَمْ تَكُنْ فِي أَسْلَافِهِمْ

"Whenever promiscuity is openly practiced among a people, a plague and anguish will spread among them which was unknown to their predecessors." (Sunan Ibn Majah)

What is promiscuity? Promiscuity is what you see on the television today: nakedness, sex in films, as if you're sitting in people's bedrooms. This is promiscuity openly practiced by the society.

Whenever that takes place, a plague, a scourge will spread among the people which was unknown to their predecessors. AIDS was unknown to our predecessors. AIDS fits that picture exactly.

How to Distinguish Blessing from Punishment

Some people ask: "How do we know when a calamity is a punishment and when it is a blessing? How can we know?"

You will decide whether it is a punishment or a blessing by how you respond to it.

The Win-Win Hadith

The Prophet gave us the Win-Win principle 1,400 years ago in a classical hadith narrated by Suhayb, in which the Prophet said:

عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَلَيْسَ ذُلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ

"The affair of the believer is amazing. Indeed, all of his affair is good, and that is only for the true believer."

إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ

"If good befalls him, he is thankful to Allah and it was good for him."

وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ

"And if evil befalls him, he is patient and it was good for him." (Sahih Muslim)

وَلَيْسَ ذُلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ

"And that is only in the case of the believer."

This is our Win-Win principle.

Applying the Win-Win Principle

For the believer, when a calamity strikes, he or she is patient with it. They believe that ultimately it is for good. Ultimately it is for good, whether we are able to recognize the good in it or not.

This is an important point—a very important point for us to grasp, because it is the key to living life according to the Win-Win principle.

When We Cannot See the Good

A calamity strikes. For people who don't understand the nature of calamity—that it can be for your good, that Allah designed it for your good—they fall into despair and disbelief.

If you listen to the disbeliever, an atheist, you ask him why he's an atheist. He says: "Well, I had an aunt who was a very good woman, very kind, like Mother Teresa. She was doing good everywhere and for everybody. Then one day when she was crossing the road, a big truck came and hit her, smashed her, killed her, destroyed her. Why? Why? Why her? What did she do to deserve that?"

Because that individual doesn't have an answer, they fall into despair and disbelief. They say: "There can't be a god. There cannot be a god. Because if there was a god and that god was good, he would not have let that happen to my aunt."

But for the true believer, he or she has a different perspective. They look at it from the perspective of Musa and Khidr.

The Story of Musa and Khidr

We all know the story in Surah Al-Kahf about Musa and Khidr. This is a story explaining to us the Win-Win principle in story form—a true story.

The Broken Boat

When Musa and Khidr crossed the river, Prophet Musa saw Khidr break the boat. After they got off the boat, the man who took them across the river was so kind to take them across. They got out of the boat, and Khidr broke a hole, made a hole in the boat.

Musa said to him: "Why did you do that? This is not something good. The man has done good for us and you've broken his boat. Perhaps people will drown because of it."

Of course, when the owner of the boat came back and saw the hole in his boat, he would have said: "Who did this? This wasn't a good thing."

But then, moments later, when the king came down the river grabbing all of the boats, just taking people's boats from them, he came across the boat of that individual, saw the hole in it, and said: "Oh, don't need that one, it's broken." He carried on.

And the owner of the boat would have said what? (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ - al-ḥamdu lillāh) for the hole in my boat! (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ - al-ḥamdu lillāh) for the hole in my boat!

And this is something we all experience, isn't it? Where something happens in life, you think it's something not good, it's bad at the moment. Then moments later, a day later or whatever, you find out: "Oh, it's something good really. If that hadn't happened, this thing wouldn't have happened."

Real-Life Example: The Gulf Air Flight

A good example of that was an article I saw in a newspaper coming out of Cairo, Egypt. They had the picture of an individual standing with his two thumbs up. A big smile on his face. His father kissing him on his right cheek, his mother kissing him on his left cheek. There he is with two thumbs up, big smile from ear to ear.

The explanation underneath: He was a teacher. The day before, he was supposed to get on a flight to Bahrain, a Gulf Air flight to Bahrain. This was the last flight back for teachers—holiday was over, they had to go back to work. It was the last flight. He was booked on the flight. He ran to the airport with his bags, everything ready to go. Showed his passport to get on the flight.

The officer looked at the passport and said: "You're missing one stamp." And in Egypt, you have to get many stamps to get anything done. So he was missing one stamp.

They said: "No, you can't get on the plane."

He said: "My job! I'm going to lose my job! I have to get on the plane! I can't miss this flight!"

They said: "No, you don't have that stamp. You have to go back to the office. You can't do it. You'll have to come back the next day."

He'd miss his flight. If he missed his flight, it meant what? He lost his job. Calamity. He went home depressed. His life had crumbled.

The next day he read in the newspaper, or he heard over the news, that that Gulf Air flight going to Bahrain crashed. And everyone died, no survivors. And there he was.

What the day before was the ultimate calamity became the ultimate success for him.

The Principle

And that is the nature of this life. Whatever happens to us, no matter how evil it may appear, there is good behind it for us. Why Allah has permitted this evil—what we perceive as evil to happen to us—is because there is some good behind it, which is for us.

Now this is important. Sometimes we see that good, and sometimes we can't see it. We can't find an explanation for it.

The Murdered Boy

After Khidr had broken the boat, he and Musa went ahead down the riverbank. They came across a young boy, about 11 or 12 years old. And Khidr grabbed the boy and tore off his head. He grabbed the boy and tore off his head.

Musa said: "What have you done? You have taken the life of an innocent child! How could you do this?"

Khidr then explained to him, after a few other incidents. He explained that really, this child, had he grown up, he would have been such a calamity on his parents. The parents were believers, but he would have made their life so horrible that they would have fallen into disbelief. So Allah, in order to protect them, took the life of the child.

Now of course, those parents, when they found their child with his head ripped off, they would have said:

"What a horrendous crime! Who did this to our child? Murdered him!"

Though Allah gave them another child, a girl, who honored them, treated them well, etc., and they loved her, still there would be that hole in their heart for their first child, their son, who was murdered.

Until Yawm Al-Qiyamah, when they stand up before Allah, and Allah shows them their life and what would have happened to them, then they will say: (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ - al-ḥamdu lillāh) that our child's life was taken.

That is the example of the calamity whose good we cannot see. The calamity whose good we are not able to see. And this is life. This is how life is.

The Child at the Dentist Analogy

Your child, your young child, 3 years old, 4 years old, you take him to the dentist. First time you take him, you tell him: "The dentist is a nice man or woman. They're nice people. See their nice white coat, the big smile, they're nice people."

But when the dentist takes that needle and sticks it in the child, and the child screams, what do you think has happened in the mind of the child now? Is this person a nice person anymore? No. That is a bad person.

So what happens the next time you try to take the child to the dentist? No way. No, no. They refuse to go. You try to tell them, you cannot convince the 3-year-old that going to the dentist the second time is good. You can't. All that child can see is pain, suffering.

But you, who are more mature, you understand that the pain is to prevent a greater pain. The lesser pain is to prevent a greater pain of a rotten tooth, root canal, all the other things that come behind it. But that child can't see it.

And that's how we are. We cannot see the good behind certain apparent evils because our minds are not capable of grasping it. Allah didn't reveal it to us in this life. But that doesn't mean because we can't see it, there is no good.

We believe that ultimately there is good in whatever takes place, because Allah, as He said:

وَهُوَ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
(Quran 6:102)

"He is the creator of everything." (Quran 6:102)

The good and the evil. He is the creator of everything. If it takes place, it is by His permission. So therefore, all we can do is trust in Allah that it is for good, and accept it and be patient with it. And if we do that, then it is good for us, as the Prophet ﷺ said.

That way, for the believer, we think Win-Win.

Winning in Good Times

We win when good comes. Good befalls us. Life is good. We're living well. We don't forget Allah. Because good wealth can be a test. It can be the source of misguidance. So we don't forget Allah. We remember Allah.

In fact, remembering Allah in times of ease and success is far more difficult than remembering Allah in times of difficulty.

Because we often think remembering Allah in times of difficulty is the tough one. No. Even the person who doesn't believe in Allah can be patient in times of difficulty. Normally, when difficulty comes, people fall apart. But there are some people who say: "What is the point of falling apart? It's not gonna change the situation. So I will just, as they say, grin and bear it. I'll bite the bullet. I'll swallow it. No point in getting worked up."

A disbeliever can do that.

But being patient in times of success—this is the difficult one. Only the believer will be able to do it. Patient meaning that we remain within the bounds of Islamic law during those times.

This is the big test for many people. You're fine when you're poor, but when you become rich, then your life changes. You're not fine anymore. You don't share. You become greedy. You become this, you become that.

Your whole personality changes because that is a big trial.

And that's why Allah said:

إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ
(Quran 64:15)

"In your wealth and your children, there is calamity and trial." (Quran 64:15)

So beware of them. Beware of them. There's a trial there.

So this is the true believer: when good comes, success comes, he or she is patient. And Allah rewards them. Patient meaning that they fulfill Allah's right in their success. They share their wealth. They use it in good ways which are beneficial for themselves, their families, their children, their society, rather than squandering it and indulging in all the pleasures and just forgetting themselves and forgetting Allah.

Winning in Difficult Times

And at the same time, when difficulty, calamity, and trial comes, they're patient. They're patient with it, knowing:

إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
(Quran 94:6)

"With every difficulty comes ease." (Quran 94:6)

That's Allah's promise.

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
(Quran 2:286)

"No soul will be burdened more than they can bear." (Quran 2:286)

That is Allah's promise. So there is no excuse. Nobody can say: "It was too much. God burdened me more than I could handle. Therefore, I took my life."

No. That's why suicide is haram. Suicide is a person saying: "God, you have burdened me beyond my capacity. I can't deal with this." And that is not true. That is a lie about God.

None of us is in a situation beyond our ability. Otherwise, there would be injustice. God would be unjust to us, and God is not unjust.

So for the believer in those times of trial and calamity, he or she is patient, and Allah rewards them fourfold.

Conclusion: The Believer's Motto

So, back to the beginning, the motto of the true believer is Win-Win.

Our certainty that ultimately it is from Allah and it is for our good helps us to overcome the excesses in those emotional states of weakness. We are able to keep it under control, and we are able to deal with the various trials, the ups and downs of life.

Inner peace comes through this. That sense of contentment in dealing with one's situation.

Our Mission

I would just close my presentation reminding you that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has chosen us—those of us who have committed ourselves to believe in Allah—has chosen us and given us a special mission.

And that mission is to convey this word, this message of Islam to the world around us.

So let us carry the message of Win-Win, which people need to hear. There are so many people committing suicide here in India, having one of the highest suicide rates in the world. They need to hear this message: that for the believer, there is no loss. It is not Win-Lose, it is Win-Win.

Let's carry that message forward. I ask Allah to give you all and myself the courage to carry this great responsibility, the legacy of Prophet Muhammad, to this world, this community that we live amongst.

(السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ - as-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu-llāhi wa-barakātuh)