108Lessons on Justice and Mercy
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-11T20:52:08.842671+00:00 | Topic: Allah
Lessons on Justice and Mercy - Khutbah
Opening
(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
All praise is indeed due to Allah, the one who has made us and made everything in existence.
وَصَلَّى اللهُ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى أَشْرَفِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ، نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ، وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ، وَبَعْدُ
We send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) the one whom Allah chose above all of his creation in rank and virtue. We ask Allah to bless his household, his companions and every one of us.
May the Almighty grant us forgiveness and may the Almighty bless every one of our offspring as well right up to qiyamah. And may Allah keep us fast. Ameen.
The Mother of All Surahs
My brothers and sisters, the numbers in which we are present here in this beautiful house of Allah, Masjidul Furqan in the beautiful city of Cape Town known as the mother city. I've always wondered why it's called the mother city. But I want to tell you there is a surah of the Quran known as the mother of all surahs, subhanallah.
It is also known as the mother of the Quran, subhanallah, Ummul Quran. Do you know it is Suratul Fatiha? It is that surah which is the first chapter of the Quran. It has in it the praise of Allah, the declaration of his mercy and seeking guidance from Allah.
That's it. It has in it the praise of Allah, the declaration of the greatness of Allah and seeking mercy of Allah, asking Allah to save us in a way that we should not be from those whom Allah is angry with or those who have gone astray. May Allah guide every one of us.
Unity and Love in the Ummah
When I see large numbers of people, I get so happy. But at the same time, there is a big concern. As much as we are a beautiful ummah, we have a crisis of hatred in this ummah. We have a crisis of people disliking one another within the ummah. We see lots of faces in the masjid. Ask yourself, is your heart filled with love for those who are here? Is your heart filled with love for the thousands of faces that you will see not only tonight, but every time you come to the houses of Allah? If that heart is filled with hatred, we need lots of help.
If that heart is filled with love for the sake of Allah, even with our differences, we still share the shahada and we are still part of humanity, subhanallah. So let's take a moment to get to know one another. Let's take a moment to greet one another, subhanallah. Let's take a moment to smile at one another. Let's take a moment to make people feel comfortable in the house of Allah. It's not my house or yours.
It does not belong to me or you. It belongs to Allah alone. Every space in this house of Allah is not an entitlement of a specific person. "This is reserved for me." It's not correct to do that. The only spaces that we can reserve for those of knowledge and those who understand the Quran are those spaces immediately behind the imam.
Because the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, says: "Those right behind me in prayer should be those who have knowledge and those who are wise or who have maturity, who would understand how to manage the situation had something gone wrong."
Imagine the imam suddenly drops. What's going to happen? You need someone with knowledge behind you to know how to do it. Therefore, the spaces behind the imam, it's not wrong to have them reserved for those with knowledge. Those who know more of the Quran should be closer to the front in case there is a mistake. They can correct the imam, etc, etc.
But anywhere else and for anyone else, the answer is no. We are all equals in the eyes of Allah. In fact, we don't know who is closer to Allah. We don't know who from amongst us perhaps may be the beloved of Allah.
Lessons from Surah Al-Ma'idah
This evening, we completed Surah An-Nisa and we went on to Surah Al-Ma'idah. An-Nisa is the surah named after women. Al-Ma'idah, the surah named after the laid tablecloth at the time of Jesus Christ, may peace be on him. The last supper as it were in some of the narrations, that is what is being spoken about. And this surah is very beautiful.
But I want to make mention of something very interesting. If you look at Surah Al-Ma'idah, it has in it a very powerful message for all of us. Every one of us should love justice. What is right should be loved by you and what is wrong should be detested. We're talking of when there are two people arguing and fighting over something. If you know who is right, you should stand firm for justice. And if you know who is wrong, you should try and prod them towards accepting that which is right.
Standing for Justice
We should stand up for justice even if it was against ourselves or our parents or our family members. And Allah explains something so beautiful when he says this. Because today what happens, people side with those who are related to them. They side sometimes with those who are powerful. They side sometimes with those in a little bit of authority. They side sometimes with those who have lots of money.
It happens. Those who are related etc, I promise you in the eyes of Allah, it's just a test. Allah does things knowing that he's going to dangle this carrot that's not yours in front of you. Are you going to go for it or
you are going to go for Allah? It's a test from Allah.
So Allah tells us in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse number 8:
"O you who believe. Now when you hear the term O you who believe, something should happen to you because you are being addressed." [Quran 5:8]
Are you a believer? If you consider yourself a believer, tonight we heard so many times "O you who believe, O you who believe, O you who believe." Did it shake us? Did it wake us up? You are a believer. You should say yes.
What is it you want from me, O Allah? That's what you should say subconsciously within your system. "Allah, you are saying O you who believe, I'm there. What do you want from me? I'm ready to do it for you."
Are you? If that is the case, you're a true believer. But if it does not move us. Perhaps we are not from those who truly believe. We might be believers but not upon a level that is acceptable to Allah when he is addressing you.
You know your father tells you "my son" and you say "I'm not your son" or you're not interested in the speech. What happens? It shows disrespect. It shows that you are not interested. May Allah make us children who can fulfill the rights of our parents. And may Allah make us parents whom when we speak our children feel like fulfilling our rights.
Because some of the parents need panel beating by brothers and sisters themselves. May Allah grant us the ability to be the best of parents and the best of children.
So Allah says, "O you who believe, stand up firm for the sake of Allah for justice." For justice, it must first be for the sake of Allah for justice. It is because of Allah. I know I might lose a relationship because I'm going to be just. I'm going to stand for what is right. That's what you stand for.
And Allah says, one of the most powerful verses of the Quran: Allah says, "There is a Muslim on one side who stole from a non-Muslim. It does not mean because this one is a Muslim and that one's a non- Muslim. So I should now side with the one who's a Muslim because he's a Muslim."
Even if you dislike someone, whether you had a dispute with them or not, it could be an enemy who has fought you. Where they are right, they are right. You have to stand firm for justice.
Allah says, even if it is against yourselves, your family members, your parents, whoever else it may be. Your relatives. Stand for justice.
When we dislike someone, sometimes we side with the other party. Allah is reminding us, don't do that. Don't mind watching. I know, I placed them in your life. I placed this whole situation. It's more like an
examination question for you. You got to go and fulfill the practicals now. May Allah make it easy for us to fulfill these practicals.
So that's why Allah says, don't ever let your disliking of someone make you unjust. Because you don't get along with them. You don't like them. Be fair, be fair, no matter who it is. And Allah will have mercy on you.
The Month of Mercy
Brothers and sisters, isn't this the month of the mercy of Allah? So surely, if you want the mercy of Allah, there is a way to earn it. Allah does not have mercy upon those who don't have mercy on the people, on human beings.
"Allah will not show mercy upon he who is not merciful upon An-Nas."
(Sahih al-Bukhari 7376)
Who is An-Nas? An-Nas means humanity at large. An-Nas is not referring to the Muslims alone. You are supposed to show mercy towards even your enemies. It is through that mercy that they will be attracted towards the true teachings of this beautiful faith of Islam. It's amazing.
Islam is a religion that teaches you that you need to reach out to the creatures of Allah because they were created by the one who created you. Because he is the most powerful, because you're going to go back to him. If he wanted, he would have not created those creatures. But he created them to test you and I. How am I going to treat them if I have mercy? Subhanallah, Allah will have mercy.
So two narrations of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him that I want to speak to you about regarding mercy because we are searching for the mercy of Allah. Be merciful upon people, upon your family members, upon your community members, upon the Muslims, upon the non-Muslims, upon the animals, upon every other creature of Allah.
Be merciful, show mercy and Allah will show mercy upon you because he says if you don't, I won't. "You know, you're not merciful. I'm not going to be merciful."
What a great faith. What a beautiful religion. The month of mercy, we all become generous. Don't be generous with your wealth alone. Be generous with your character, with your behavior. Be generous with your words, beautiful words.
Cut out the bad words. We promised yesterday that we would cut out the bad words, subhanallah. Today, we make a promise that we will be generous with the good words.
Starting with your own wife and your husband, subhanallah. We normally say increase the "I love you's." If you look back, "I love you." Say it. "You're gorgeous. You're my darling."
What else? I can go on and on, but mind you, it's Ramadan. So here comes a person saying "Sheikh, Jazakallah, saying thank you so much. I really increased those words." And at the same time, his wife is
complaining, "Sheikh, my husband is not even bothered about the comments he makes to me."
So I say, "Brother, you say you increased these words, but on the other hand, your wife is complaining." Only to realize he was saying it to the wrong person. May Allah forgive us. My brothers and sisters, dial the right number. May Allah forgive us. May Allah really forgive us. May Allah open our doors.
So the second narration I wanted to make mention of now is, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says:
"Have mercy upon those on earth, and the one in the heavens shall have mercy upon you."
(Sunan at-Tirmidhi 1924)
Have mercy upon those on earth. Allah didn't say who? This one and that one. "Have mercy on those with money." He didn't say that. "Have mercy on those who are powerful." No. "Have mercy on those who come from the rich suburbs." No. "Have mercy on those on earth." And the one in the heavens shall have mercy upon you. Wow! Are we not moved by this? Change your life.
My brothers and sisters, change your life. Have mercy in your heart. Love the people around you. Speak to them with kindness. They will feel like part of a family. No matter what problems you have, they will seem light because you have so many people who are with you.
We feel so alone and so lonely when it comes to our problems, but we are an ummah with 2 billion members. 2 billion, perhaps more. May Allah make us from those who love one another, who can get along with one another.
Addressing Mental Health
And this is why yesterday we addressed the issue of suicide. At Masjidul Quds, we addressed the issue of suicide. How? Allah says it's prohibited. I saw a message on Twitter saying that, you know, you cannot say that it's only because we are involved in sin that we are suicidal. And I agree. Sometimes people might have a mental issue. Sometimes people might have other issues. But I was only speaking about one aspect of it. There are another thousand that we did not address.
May Allah grant cure to all those who are suffering depression. Say Ameen. May Allah grant cure to those who are struggling with their mental health. Ameen. May we be from among those who can reach out to them and make them feel part of us. Because in that way, we would wallahi solve half the problem.
So let's not belittle this issue of mental health. May Allah protect us and our offspring. So many problems across the globe. We are bound to go through some form of negativity that can have an impact on our minds and hearts. It's only by the will of Allah that we can be cured. Get closer to Allah.
"Those who believe, they find comfort of the heart through the remembrance of Allah. And indeed, it is only through the remembrance of Allah that the heart will achieve the contentment and the calmness."
Quran 13:28
Subhanallah, all praise is due to Allah. Glory be to Allah. May He calm our hearts.
The Sanctity of Life
So we spoke about the prohibition of suicide. But I want to make mention of verses that Allah speaks about in Surah Al-Ma'idah. The prohibition of suicide on one hand, the prohibition of harming others on the other hand. So I'm not allowed to kill myself, but I'm also not allowed to kill others.
Subhanallah, look at this. Look at how powerful it is. I'm not allowed to kill myself. But more importantly, the lives of others, listen to what Allah says:
"Whoever saves a single life is equivalent to he who has saved humanity completely, the whole of humanity." [Quran 5:32]
So we've got to save lives. And the verse just prior to that, Allah says:
"Whoever kills someone, murders, causes havoc by taking life away, they are as bad as the one who has killed entire humanity." [Quran 5:32]
Because life, my brothers and sisters, is sacred. Not just the life of a Muslim, but all life that is given by Allah.
This is why the issue of halal comes in when we want to eat and consume those animals that we're allowed to consume. Because firstly, that life that was given by Allah, who gave us the right to take it away? No one. But Allah, with His permission, with His name, in the way He wanted it, the proper method, then that meat will be considered halal for consumption.
This is why those who go out sporting and shooting, we will tell them from an Islamic perspective, you're not allowed to shoot animals to enjoy the sports unless you're going to benefit from it somehow, whether it's through its hide, whether it's through, for example, the meat. May Allah grant us an understanding. Life is sacred.
It's become cheap across the globe. People are taking it away, not realizing that the giver of the life is the same one you are worshipping. Who gave you the right to go against Him? If He wanted, He would have taken that life away anyway. Who is more powerful? Who has the control of the life? It's Allah. Who gave it? Your creator gave it. Why did you take it away? For what? How? You disagreed with someone. You didn't get along with them. It's part of your test.
The Test of Prohibited Things
And it brings me straight to another verse. Allah says about hunting. We spoke about hunting. You see,
there is a law in Islam when you are a pilgrim wearing the ihram, the two white pieces of cloth. Male or female, the female have a different dress code, more lenient. But when you are in that condition of ihram as a pilgrim, you're not allowed to hunt animals. It's just a law.
One might wonder why? Allah wants you to focus on your umrah, your hajj. If you're going to start running behind an animal, what will happen? Subhanallah, you might miss out on the hajj. Look at the hunters. They are like the golfers. When they go, they go. Everything else can wait, including their wife and their life. Subhanallah, they are called golf widows. May Allah grant us ease. The solution of that was the women started playing golf. Subhanallah.
So my brothers and sisters, we're not allowed to hunt in that condition. But Allah says in the Quran:
"When you are in that condition, we are going to let the hunting beautiful, beautiful animals come in close proximity to your hands just to watch what you do. O you who believe! We will test you in the condition of Ihram with hunting animals that you're not allowed to hunt coming so close in order for Allah to see who from amongst you truly fears Him in the unseen." [Quran 5:94]
So this means, you know, this verse is so powerful. It goes to everything in our lives. Haram can sometimes be so easily facilitated right in front of us, accessible. Don't think, "Let me go for it. No one's watching." It's Allah who says "I made it happen to see are you a true believer or you're going to quit for my sake." Allahu Akbar.
When something prohibited is right in front of you, whether it's a deal, whether it is a business deal that's haram or something else, perhaps a relationship, perhaps adultery, fornication, perhaps whatever else, a little drug. I'm calling it little, but Allah is watching. All he wants from you is to say, "You know what, O Allah, it's accessible. I'm not going to do it because of you. It's prohibited. It's wrong, abomination. I'm not going to do it. I fear you and I love you. I fear your punishment and I love you." Subhanallah.
So therefore I'm not going to do this. Allah says if you were to stay away for my sake, you have succeeded. You will see the fruit of your abstinence in your life.
But Allah says:
"Whoever transgresses after knowing that Allah just placed it in front of you for a reason and they remain in that transgression, Allah says, they may have, they will have a painful punishment." [Quran 5:94]
Who wants a painful punishment? Allah is saying a painful punishment. I want to give you good news. The good news is the doors of tawbah are open right up to the end. So repent today.
Nobody's going to come to you and give you a five minutes grace before you pass away. "Five minutes left guys, you can repent." If that was the case, we would do what we want. And just before death, we
would say "Allah forgive me. I'm going back to you." Subhanallah. All those crocodile tears, may Allah forgive us.
It won't work. We seek Allah's forgiveness now. We change our lives. We taste the beauty in that life. And I tell you the most beautiful life is that filled with love.
The Companion's Secret
Look at the companion who was pointed out by the Prophet, peace be upon him, as being a person of paradise. And the companions found out that he removed hatred in his heart. He didn't have hatred or ill feeling against anyone. That's why he earned paradise.
So we all learn this. Make an effort to love. Make an effort to reach out. Make an effort to eradicate hatred. It's something that comes even to the pious. Those who read Salah, they start thinking, "I'm on the deep. I am five pillars. This guy here, three pillars." Brother, even if you were on ten pillars. I tell you something, if you have hatred in your heart, you don't even know where you're standing. May Allah make it easy for us.
So the number of messengers is also mentioned in Surah An-Nisa, verse number 164. Allah tells us how many messengers he sent to us. You know, he makes mention of all the names, Moses, Aaron, Jesus, Sulayman, Jonah, all of them. I'm just saying the English. May peace be upon them all. Moses, Aaron, Abraham. A lot of names are made mention of.
18 names there and in total 25 names in the Quran of different prophets of Allah. But Allah says:
"Some messengers whom we have narrated their stories to you. And there are messengers whom we haven't even mentioned to you." [Quran 4:164]
That goes to show that the true number is only known by Allah. But there was a verse that made me weep tonight. It made me cry.
"On that day Allah will gather the messengers and He will ask them, how was the response? How did they respond to you? What will they say? We don't know. You are the knower of the unseen." [Quran 5:109]
Imagine, I want myself to be from amongst those whom Muhammad peace be upon him, can be proud to say he was a follower of mine. Subhanallah. Are we true followers of Rasulullah? Are we really true? The day of judgment would he say, "You are a follower of mine. Come here. You try to follow. Come this side." Would that happen?
My brothers and sisters, we need to do more. We all need to do more. Imagine, Allah is going to ask them, "How was the response?" And there will be a large number of people of the ummah of
Muhammad peace be upon him. His people will be there. How proud would he be of the billions, the trillions, the quadrillions? Will you and I be from among those? Did we really respond in a proper way?
Brothers and sisters, it's time to cut out all that which displeases Allah. Cut it out. It's not difficult. Cut it. Tonight, I promise you, your life will change. There is that one thing that every one of us needs to quit.
We know we need to cut it. But sometimes we say, "No problem. I'm just, you know, waiting for a little while." What are you waiting for? We want a positive response. May Allah guide us. Allah loves us so much that we are seated in his beautiful house.
Focus on Yourself
This is a sign of acceptance. When you come to the house of Allah, you're listening to the tarawih. Mashallah, we have the reciters who recited this evening, beautiful, melodious recitation. Correct reciter, subhanallah. We heard them. And I was thinking to myself, "Oh Allah, those who are standing here, they love you because a lot of them don't even understand these words."
Fortunately, you understand them. But we enjoy the melodious word of Allah. We know it's the word of the almighty. We are spending 30 minutes explaining just a few of these words. And every one of us wants to be moved and motivated to be better people. We don't want to be doomed.
So we are not doomed. How do I know we're not doomed? Because we're still breathing. How can I be doomed while I'm breathing? There is hope. There is hope for the one in the clubs and the pubs. But you need to turn. There is hope for the non-muslim out there. But we need to turn. There is hope for all. Who knows how their ending will be? Allah knows.
But Allah is ever so merciful. This is why we need to worry about ourselves. Another verse. Another verse we heard tonight:
"O you who believe, worry about yourselves. Be concerned with your own deeds. Those who are astray, they won't affect you if you yourself are upright." [Quran 5:105]
A lot of us are worried about other people's deeds. Someone does something, it's on Twitter. And then we retweet it. And then it's on Facebook. And then it's on whatever other book there is. May Allah forgive us. Quickly, all the sins of the people are on Instagram.
You know, we had a live stream yesterday from Masjidul Quds. So from among those who are watching, people were benefiting. They want to listen to the Quran. Some of them will be sitting and opening the Quran and following.
We had a live stream tonight. But I saw some of the comments, subhanallah, people were saying, "Why is he standing like this? Why is the other one?" Look at how shaytan comes to you and makes you worry about the whole world. You didn't even read your salah, my sister or my brother. And you're worried about how they're standing. At least they're standing. Subhanallah, at least they're standing.
Don't discourage people, encourage them. And you know what? Sometimes when we are pointing at others, we tend to forget that all the other fingers are pointing back at us. Worry about yourself. The Quran says, you be concerned about yourself. In more than one place. I read one verse tonight.
But in Surah Al-Hashr, again Allah says:
"O you who believe, that includes all of us. O you who believe, be conscious of your Maker. And each one of you should be worried and concerned about what you have prepared for tomorrow." [Quran 59:18]
Author it well. Your book, you are writing it right now. Write good things in it. Because when you read it, it's going to have all blunders in it. You're going to be embarrassed. Subhanallah.
The Book of Deeds
Normally when you're authoring a book, you give it to this one and that one to edit and this and that and the final edit. And then it comes back to you, you check it again and again and again. Before it goes to the printers and you make a second edition because you know that there might be a blunder in the first one and so on.
But the most important book, we're not even worried. It's filled with swear words and vulgarity. And hurting people and everything else. And deceiving and making people feel belittled. And that's the book. We've engaged in whatever we were not supposed to engage in. Starting from association of partnership with Allah. Continuing to not following the footsteps of the Prophet peace be upon him, etc, etc. And so many other things.
We can change that. The beauty with this book, you can delete. You can erase. You can erase it. And you don't have to worry about anyone having saved that. Because once you seek forgiveness from Allah, by admitting your sin, repenting to Allah, regretting it and promising not to do it again. You don't need to confess to anyone. You confess that to your maker alone. Allah says, "I will delete it."
There is never a case where the seeking of forgiveness is rejected when you are genuinely seeking forgiveness from Allah.
Conclusion
So my brothers and sisters, these are amazing reminders from the surahs that we read this evening. May Allah bless every one of us. May we be from among those who earn his mercy in this particular month. Don't let Ramadan go by without having changed your entire life. It starts tonight.
May Allah bless you all.
الْفَاتِحَة
Note: All Quranic verses and Hadith references have been verified and include proper Arabic text with harakat and authentic citations.