Don't Be Trapped - Mufti Menk
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-10T14:19:23.697372+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Don't Be Trapped - Mufti Menk
Opening
(السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ - As-salamu alaykum wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatuh)
(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)
We praise Allah. We send blessings and salutations upon all those who are struggling and suffering in whatever way they may be struggling and suffering across the globe. May the Almighty alleviate their suffering and the suffering of everyone of us in whatever way we may be struggling. May Allah bless us and grant us ease. Ameen. Ultimately, may we be gathered in Jannatul Firdaus and may Allah grant us eternal bliss. Ameen.
My brothers, my sisters, yesterday I spoke about closed doors and I actually recorded it with my own little phone from about somewhere here. I brought a stand with me, the stand is there somewhere and today mashallah the brothers are recording it for me. SubhanAllah, so there's gonna be a higher quality of video by the will of Allah. I thank Allah. You see the closed door opened a bigger one, right? Mashallah.
How Shaytan Traps Us
But this evening I'd like to speak about something very very important. Many of us get trapped. Many of us get trapped by the devil without knowing and sometimes we feel very very caged and we don't realize that it's a matter of iman, a matter of understanding, a matter of belief, a matter of cleansing the heart, a matter of discipline that would actually release us from the cage, subhanallah.
So, how does shaytan, satan or the devil trap us? Number one, before we even talk about that we have to go back to the beginning. The root cause of shaytan's hatred was jealousy. He became jealous and as a result of the jealousy he began to hate and because of that hate he started doing things.
So, right at the beginning the almighty created Adam and the almighty said: Look, I've raised him above you. It was me, my choice. I'm the creator, the nourisher, the cherisher, the sustainer, the provider, the protector, the curer. It was my choice. I have raised him above you and above a lot of creation, subhanallah, in whatever way I felt I wanted and I want you to acknowledge that he has been given a status higher than yours.
The Test of Allah's Favor Upon Different People
Pause for a moment. Let me fast forward to my life and yours. The almighty created you and I. Some of us he's given things better than others and sometimes we don't realize that we've all been favored in some ways above others but not necessarily the same way. One might have wealth, the other one might have health. Someone might have both wealth and health but they don't have as good looks, and good looks
is relative, subhanallah. Everyone is good looking to be honest with you. But it's relative. Relative means what people are used to within their own communities and societies becomes a norm.
You know, there is nothing like this person is fat or this person is thin or this person is to this and to that. It's all relative. Relative means it depends what you've gotten yourself used to. May Allah grant us all good health. Ameen. I know some people who weigh 120 kilos and they are so healthy, healthier than some who only weigh 55. SubhanAllah. Some of the sisters must be saying: What? 55? So much? May Allah forgive us.
So, my brothers, my sisters, it's something relative. Allah has bestowed upon you favor that he has not bestowed upon others in a specific way. Some may have wealth. They may have health. They may have good looks but they don't have intelligence. They don't have wisdom sometimes, right? Some may not be able to achieve certain things. May Allah grant us all an understanding that he has definitely favored us.
To recognize the favor of the Almighty is a great act of worship. My brothers and my sisters, this is why to think about it, to think about how the Almighty has favored you is also an act of worship. And to ponder over the gifts of the Almighty upon you is something that is a great act of worship.
The Trap of Jealousy
Anyway, now we go back to the devil. He did something that many people today do. They don't acknowledge the status given by the Almighty to another. And as a result, they are jealous. Jealous. Allah gave that person wealth and didn't give you the wealth. Well, to be honest with you, if that is the case, you need to say: I thank the Almighty for giving you. And I ask him to give me as well. But we don't say: I wish it goes from you. And I wish this person doesn't have. I want it. Man does that unfortunately.
I remember saying this to a brother. You know, when I say brother, you must know that person is from London. Okay? So, I remember saying this to a brother. It comes with a V right in the middle, okay? I tell you what. He said, no, I disagree. I said, why? He said, because the woman I wanted to marry is already married. I can't say, O Allah, give him and give me, because she can't have two husbands. And I said, gosh. You can't win with these Londoners, right? May Allah grant us goodness.
I taught him that: say O Allah, you have not given me what I wanted. Alhamdulillah, I appreciate the fact that you've given someone else what I wanted. But I ask you to give me something better. For me, tailor- made. For my own situation.
My brothers and sisters, did you hear what I just said? Sometimes you won't have what you want to have. Don't become jealous as a result of someone else having that. No. Be happy for them. To be happy at the happiness of another is the sign of a true believer. It brings about contentment. Thank the Almighty for what you have.
Sometimes, He doesn't give you something you desperately want simply because He knows it's bad for you in the long term. He knows that this is not really good for you in the long term. You want a certain
job. You're desperate for it. I addressed this matter yesterday. But today, I'm talking of the aspect of when someone else gets what you wanted. When the door is open for another. When that door was closed for you. Don't become jealous. Because jealousy was the quality that resulted in hatred and resulted in a war that's going to be lasting right up to the end between man and shaytan. May Allah grant us protection. Say ameen.
Shaytan's Refusal to Acknowledge Adam's Status
So my brothers and sisters, he refused to acknowledge the status of Adam. How was the acknowledgement at the time? Today, the acknowledgement is by saying Alhamdulillah, Mashallah, Tabarakallah. I thank Allah. And be happy for them. And don't hurt them. And don't harm them. And so on. That's the acknowledgement today.
But at that time, the acknowledgement was through a prostration known by Allah, instructed by Allah. It was not a prostration of worship. But it was a prostration of acknowledgement of status. You know, in some cultures they'll do this to you to acknowledge the father. In some cultures, they might, you know, perhaps bend their knees a little bit. I've seen that happening in Africa, for example. They'll bend their knees a little bit to acknowledge. At that time, the acknowledgement was through a sujood, a prostration, not of worship, but a prostration of acknowledgement.
Right now, what Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has brought to us, he has prohibited the prostration for anyone besides Allah, even if it is just for acknowledgement. It's no longer permissible. But at that time Allah wanted it and it happened according to what he wanted. But shaytan refused. Everyone acknowledged in that way besides shaytan. That was the jealousy.
So what did he say? He says, Oh Allah:
"You made me from the fire. You made him from the dust, the soil, the sand and so on. I am above him. I don't care what you say. I'm above him." Quran 7:12
So Allah says, Hey, I know. If you don't prostrate, you're going to be cursed. He says, I don't mind. Just give me time and I'll prove to you who is better.
It sounds to me a little bit like sibling rivalry. When there are two kids and one wants to prove to the parent that they are the better one. So they start saying: You just wait. Wait and see. This child of yours is going to let you down big time. And then they work hard to get the child down. Sibling rivalry is something that exists from the very beginning, from the children of Adamalayhis salam.
But the winners are those who can extinguish that rivalry. It's not needed. We're brothers. We're sisters. We will help each other. We will help each other in a way that we empower each other. And by empowering another, the Almighty empowers you. By reaching out to another, the Almighty will reach out to you. By helping another, the Almighty will help you.
The Almighty tells us through the blessed lips of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم that he will continue to help a slave for as long as that slave is busy helping another. If you want help in your problem, help others with a similar problem and see what will happen. SubhanAllah.
Shaytan's Plan to Lead Astray
So now shaytan says: I'm going to show him. I'm going to come. I'm going to lead him astray. I will show you what I can do. And Allah says okay. For his own divine plan and wisdom, dictated that he would allow shaytan respite. He would give him a little bit of time. And so what happened? Shaytan started.
And this is what I want to draw to your attention and I want to bring it straight to our lives. Okay. You know you heard brother there say a short nasiha. Did you hear him say that? I'm sorry brother, it's going to be a little bit long. It's okay. These brothers and sisters have come from so far and wide. SubhanAllah. Some are here from Oxford I think, right? Some are here from elsewhere. SubhanAllah. I think some are here from other countries. Am I right? Thank you. Thank you. SubhanAllah. I know people flying from Europe for this function. SubhanAllah. So how can we just have a short nasiha? Okay. Can I go on? Okay. Thank you guys. Democracy right? Mashallah.
So my brothers and sisters, what happens? Shaytan comes to us and diverts us from the almighty. That's his main plan. I'm going to sit for them on the straight path and waylay them. Distract them. Change their course. That's what I'm going to try to do. So he comes and tries with us to turn us away from Allah.
When People Don't Recognize Their Maker
So you see people who don't recognize their maker. They're not bothered about Allah. They're not bothered about who made them. They don't ever think about where they came from. They never ever think about where they're going to go after they die. They just live their life and enjoy and enjoy and enjoy. Yet they know that no matter how much they have on earth, they will never ever have whatever they want. Because that's impossible on earth. There is not a single soul from the beginning to the end who has had whatever he wanted or she wanted, subhanallah. It's Allah who chooses what he wants to give the people. Even myself, yourselves, none of us have had exactly what we wanted the way we wanted all the time in our lives.
So shaytan diverts us. We don't ever think of that. When you ponder over that deeply, you start recognizing: I surely came from somewhere. I was sitting with a group of youth in Nigeria recently and I said, you know what? How old are you? So the young man says, 15. I said, where were you 16 years ago? Right? If I ask you today, how old are you? How old are you? 15 exactly. Where were you 16 years ago? Where were you 16 years ago? With Allah. That's the right answer. Correct. I was with Allah.
And if you die, how long would you like to live? Let's give you about a hundred for example, right? Meaning it's not in my hands at all, but I wouldn't like to say a smaller figure, okay? Out of honor, mashallah. Say we give you a hundred. Say Allah gave you a hundred for example, right? Where would you be 102 years from now? Or 102 years of your age? 102 years after that date. Where would you be? Back with Allah. Do you know that?
"We belong to Allah and ultimately we're all going back to Allah."
This is a prayer that we all say when we hear the bad news of the death of someone. What does it mean? We belong to Allah and ultimately we're all going - not just this person who passed away now, but all of us are going back to where we came from. SubhanAllah.
"From that dust we created you. You're going to go back into the dust. And we're going to resurrect you thereafter from there once again."
Allah says we're only at a certain stage at the moment. We're going to go back to Allah. But shaytan distracts us from even thinking about it.
The Importance of Discipline
So the majority on earth perhaps would not really be so concerned about where they came from, where they're going. But those who know, they know. They think about it. Those who've understood the plan of shaytan, they ponder: Where did I come from? What's this all about? What's life all about? Is it all about partying? And just doing whatever I like? And that's it? Wallahi that will bring about a lot of discontentment. Why? Because by disciplining yourself, you achieve contentment.
Contentment comes by discipline. Any sport - if the sportsman wants to succeed, they need to have a regime. Exercise. Disciplined diet. Proper sleep. Everything needs to happen. Clockwork. That's when they will perform maximum. Allah tells us from the beginning: I'll do that for you so that you can be the best human being. You get up at a certain time. You only eat certain things. You only drink certain things. You will sleep at a certain time. You will behave in a certain way. You will be focused perhaps. You will be focused obviously. Certain things you will not do and certain things you will do. That's Islam.
Islam is discipline. You want to achieve in any field, you need to be disciplined. So Allah says: Well we want you to achieve in every field, so we want you to be the most disciplined. That's where the rules and regulations come from. SubhanAllah. May Allah grant us goodness.
Shaytan's Strategy When You Turn to Allah
Shaytan primarily wants to distract you from Allah. But if you are strong - and may Allah grant us the strength - and you come towards Allah, he has to now change a strategy. Because he knows he's failed with you with the first step. So you are thinking of Allah. You have for example said that: Yes, I worship my maker alone, etc. etc. And now what happens?
Shaytan says: hang on. This guy here or this person here, I don't want him or her to worship Allah the way Allah wants. So now what they do to you? What he does? Is he distracts you from the obligations. What
are the obligations? Salah right is an obligation. What else? Zakah is an obligation. What else is an obligation? Fasting is an obligation.
Let's take Salah as an example. Because the nasihah is supposed to be short, we'll only take one example. So let's take Salah as an example. So you know you got to do it. You want to do it. You really feel that you're going to do it. But you know what? You're on holiday.
Man, my friend from Australia, Brother Steve, he sent me a video today showing me a very interesting video where he showed me how he wanted to, or they thought of encouraging people to fulfill their Salah even during holidays. So that little short video depicts a person who's gone on holiday and the prayer time comes and the clock actually, his watch reminds him with a short reminder of the Adhan to say it's prayer time. He looks at it and says: But I'm on holiday. And then he starts swimming and suddenly there's lightning and so on and he's about to drown and he's saying: Oh Allah, save me. Oh Allah, if you save me I'll never forget this. I'll worship you. And ultimately he is saved. And guess what happens at the end? He lays his Sajjada and he says Allahu Akbar and he prays. SubhanAllah.
I thought it was a brilliant way of encouraging people to do things. You know, we need to devise ways of tapping people to remind them: Hey, the devil is coming. But here, don't be distracted. Allah never goes on holiday. Allah didn't ever say: Okay, I'm gonna stop your heartbeat for a little while, okay? Never. You're not gonna be able to breathe just for these three days. That's fine. I mean, come on. You gotta pray. Allah gave you every day. Every day.
In fact, the days of happiness in Islam, if you notice carefully, you've got an extra act of worship on those days. Salatul Eid. Isn't that an extra prayer? SubhanAllah. It's the day of Eid. Eid meaning the day of rejoicing. The two days of rejoicing during the lunar calendar that we follow. SubhanAllah.
The Stages of Shaytan's Attack on Prayer
So, shaitan doesn't want you to pray. But you ultimately - some people fall. They probably don't pray. May Allah make us all steadfast. I mean, my brothers and sisters, if you don't pray, you've got to do something about it. Because ultimately you're going to return to the one who made you. Take something with you. Take. Give him an excuse to forgive you. Allah's looking for an excuse to forgive us. So, don't fall in the trap of the devil.
So, when we start praying, guess what happens? We feel very good. I want to ask you guys a question, but I want an answer from you. Will you answer the question? Loudly. How many of us, when we get up early and we have fulfilled our Salatul Fajr or even Tahajjud, we start, we feel so good? How many? Put up your hands. Don't worry, I'm not like Joan, I can actually see. Mashallah. Alhamdulillah. Mashallah. I see at the back. Not many hands, right? I can see. Mashallah. Okay. Barakallah fi habibi. Yes, we do. We feel so good. Mashallah. Sorry, that was just a joke, okay. But we feel so good. SubhanAllah. We feel so good.
It's a sign. Allah gives us an immediate gift. You know, when you're fasting, Allah tells you: You have Farhatan. You're going to have a moment of joy and happiness the moment you open your fast at the
end of the day. And you are going to get another joy and happiness on the day of judgment when you see the reward of the fast, right?
So, one wonders how Allah's plan works that even the same savories - I'm saying savories, but let me say the pies, the samosas, whatever else is there - that you are having in Ramadan tastes so blessed than the same ones eaten outside Ramadan. Do you agree? Yes. Thank you. Mashallah. Thank you.
I can be eating something like in Shaban, you know, and once the moon is sighted and the next day at Iftar, this thing tastes so good. The smell is - it's aromatic. Mashallah. It's beautiful. SubhanAllah. But it was there yesterday and I didn't even want to look at it. And after Eid, tell me, you're going to look at those pies again? May Allah grant us - he says I will. Trust me, I will. But inshallah. May Allah grant us goodness.
My brothers and sisters, Shaytan, when he cannot make you desert your prayer, do you know what he does? He actually then makes you doubt your prayer. And there are stages. I can quickly mention them.
He first tries to make you not pray. If you get up and you push yourself, you knocked him out a little bit. He comes back. He gets up. It's like a boxing match. He gets up back in that ring there and he starts punching you again by telling you: You know what? It's ok. That wudhu, you know the tap, it's going to be too cold and the water. Any excuse. And then you either go back and he punched you - knock out - or you punch him back. Say: hey not me man.
And then he gets up and says: ok, but it's nearly time. I will pray. Many of us say: Oh it's still not yet Isha, so I'm going to make my Maghrib just now. Hey, as soon as the time enters, fulfill it. Because you know what? One of the devil's plans to make you delay what you're supposed to do so that you rush it or you end up not doing it as a result of the delay. Yet you intended to do it.
And I have had people tell me: But didn't you say:
"All actions will be judged by their intentions." Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 1
You know how they use the hadith in their favor? That hadith means all actions will be judged by their intentions. So the guy says: Well I intended to fulfill my Maghrib, you know, and I was telling myself I'm going to fulfill it, but just now. No my brother, you missed it. That's what it is. With the time entered, you can't say Innamal a'malu binniyat. You can never use that narration to justify the fact that you did not pray and you were just delaying. Procrastination we call it. That's part of the devil's plan. He makes you delay so that you miss.
And then if you did get it in the nick of time, or if you did do it within time and you ultimately got to the sajjadah, he starts making you doubt. Some people: Do I have wudhu? Do I not have wudhu? Trust me, the last thing on your mind is valid. Allah doesn't need the fact that you are making wudhu, but you need it to fulfill the prayer for Allah. Allah says if you cannot make that wudhu, you can do tayammum. It becomes an act of worship that will arrive, that will make you arrive at a similar level of purification than
the water. And that's why when a person passes wind, they never ever wash their backsides. Sorry to say that, but it's facts. Have you thought of that?
You pass wind. Your wudhu is broken. What happens thereafter? He washed everywhere but that place. Okay. It shows you that it's just for Allah that you're doing it. And Allah knows what he wants from this. And Allah knows, perhaps definitely it will protect you from shaytan. Wudhu protects you from the devil. Definitely. How? In many many ways. That's why you're supposed to try to make wudhu last thing before you go to bed. That's just a voluntary thing, but it helps you powerfully.
People say: I have very bad dreams. I say: Well, you know you should try and do wudhu before you sleep. They say: But sleep breaks your wudhu. At that level, and what if I pass wind as I'm going to sleep? Am I gonna be getting up, going to make wudhu, come back? No. The idea is as you want to recline, you make your wudhu and then don't worry what happens thereafter, but you did. You follow what I'm saying? It's not for salah. And by the way, what I've told you is not necessary. It's something voluntary. Totally voluntary. You may do it, but if you have a problem and you're really having nightmares everyday, try it. It will help you. SubhanAllah.
It protects you from so many things. When Allah tells you things, definitely there is a reason. There is a reason. You may not know the reason. Science may not be able to explain the reason, but there is something about it. You will feel it. Contentment. SubhanAllah. Protection from the devil. Science doesn't even acknowledge that the devil exists. SubhanAllah, right?
Allah's Mercy in Accepting Our Efforts
But my brothers and sisters, you don't start doubting. Don't worry. The fact that you've tried to fulfill your prayer in the best possible way you could have, it's accepted. Allah will not hold against you, for example, if a person comes up and says: Do I have wudhu or don't I have wudhu? The hadith says: Well the last thing you can remember doing is valid. So the last thing I remember doing was making wudhu. Okay. Wudhu meaning washing myself before prayer. The last thing I remember doing was making wudhu. Okay. And then I started praying and I finished praying. But in the knowledge of Allah - Allah knew that I didn't have wudhu. Guess what? The salah is absolutely and totally valid. Did you hear that? Did you hear what I just said?
How? Because Allah doesn't hold against you what you can't remember. Not at all. You couldn't, you couldn't remember it at all. So let me repeat that because it's very interesting. I see everyone's just looking, right? I told you I can see. I don't know why Brother Joyner couldn't see. Okay. Alhamdulillah mashallah, that's good. I better say Alhamdulillah mashallah.
If you are fulfilling salah and as you're standing, you don't remember what your condition is in terms of ablution or wudhu, whether you have wudhu or not, and the last thing you remember, the rule says: The last thing you remember doing is what is counted. So the last thing I remember clearly doing is wudhu. I don't remember breaking it thereafter. Don't waste your time thinking and becoming depressed and sick and sad. Allah doesn't need all of that. Allah just told you how to solve the problem. Think of what your
own mind can remember doing last. And after that you start your prayer and you finish your prayer and you must be satisfied and you must walk away.
And guess what? If in the knowledge of Allah, which you don't know and may never know, if Allah knows that you didn't really have wudhu, He doesn't mind at that juncture and He will still never hold it against you because you followed the other rule. The rule was whatever you remember last. La ilaha illallah. Look at the most merciful, the most forgiving, the most compassionate, the most kind, the most loving. Oh subhanallah. Alhamdulillah. I can't wait to meet him. MashaAllah.
We hear so many beautiful things and I know all the struggles and the suffering happening in our lives. That's why we're on earth. This earth is in order for us to be able to appreciate Paradise. Do you know that? If everything was beautiful on earth, nobody would want to even leave. But people say: I want to go back to Allah. Do you know why? Because you're struggling man. And this life is full of struggles. We all struggle.
You know sometimes we see people struggling in a very very minute way and they think: I wish my life came to an end. And you're like: Hey gosh man, I'm going through a million times more than you and I'm still okay. It's all relative. It's what you're used to.
The Test and Allah's Mercy
There are people - I was thinking today - if the internet turns off completely, it's very possible. How will we get to know that there is a Light upon light? How will we get to know that there is a motivational evening? We'll have to be reading the newspapers once again. Very possible. It's not impossible. It can happen within a few weeks. I promise you. If the internet suddenly boom, the whole world's internet is gone. History. And they just can't get it up again for some reason. It can happen.
People will be so depressed. Why? No more Snapchat. No more Instagram. No more WhatsApp. No more anything. But you know what? We will be more focused and dedicated. You tell your wife once again: I love you man. Because you know what? My WhatsApp's not working. My Snapchat's not working. My Instagram's not working. All those fake dolls that I had that side there are gone. I got to look at the real doll and tell her: Wow man. May Allah grant us ease. So isn't it a blessing? I'm actually blushing right now. I don't know why. But isn't it a blessing? SubhanAllah. It's a blessing.
My brothers and sisters, it is. Shaytan makes us think: You won't manage. You can manage. You will manage. Allah will carry you through.
"Allah does never ever burden a person with more than that person can shoulder. Never." Quran 2:286
Yesterday I said something very interesting. One of the brothers told me that was a powerful point. I want to say it quickly. You know, out of the love of Allah, Allah causes death at a certain point of pain. What does that mean? Allah doesn't allow you and I to taste beyond a certain point of pain. He'll just take you away to say: no no that's enough. I don't need that. You cannot let this person taste more than this
amount of pain. You go unconscious and when you're unconscious you can't feel anymore. Things go numb for example. And after that you will die if things happen. It's part of the mercy of Allah at that juncture. Because you know that had a person been given the power to inflict pain upon another beyond a point, it would have been so unbearable. Allah says: I'll allow it to go to a point. Beyond which I'm going to just take you away. You can come back to me. That's it. May Allah grant us understanding. I hope you figure out, I hope you understand what I just said. The mercy of Allah.
Don't Doubt After Doing Good
My brothers and sisters, now shaytan makes you doubt. I told you how to clear your doubts. Allah doesn't need that act of worship. You need to try - T-R-Y. Allah knows none of us has a perfect salah. Not a single one of us has an absolutely perfect salah. But he also knows that we will all try our best. He will accept it from us just by the trial. So keep trying.
The same happens with all of us. We come from different countries. We come from different families. We come from different situations. Each one of us is very very unique. What might apply to me may not apply to you in terms of how close you get to Allah in a specific way. But you may be closer to him in another way. Perhaps one thing is difficult for you and another is easy for you and it will be the opposite for someone else. Living in a different environment.
Some might be struggling because their situation is so difficult. And this is why sometimes when living in the western countries, you sit and ask a scholar who's never been to the west about certain things, they may not give you a practical response at all. Not at all. They'll give you such a response that you find it so difficult to fulfill. It's so impractical. And you know it's impractical because you know what? They don't know what we're going through. They don't know the circumstances at all. Just tell us: Look, try your best given the circumstances you're in to do what you have to. SubhanAllah. Amazing. Amazing. It's the mercy of Allah.
I'm not saying make haram, halal and halal, haram. No. But I am saying within what Allah's instructed you, do your best.
"Develop your relationship with Allah in the best way that you can. Be conscious of Allah in the best way that you can according to your ability. Each one uniquely designed." Quran 64:16
So what does shaitan do now? So shaitan, when you're done with your salah, he starts making you doubt: Will Allah accept this prayer of mine? Leave it to Allah. Try your best. Be a good person. Allah will accept it. Don't allow shaitan to make you doubt your good deed after you did it. But don't allow him to make you destroy it by harming others.
Don't Harm Others
Don't harm other people. That is very important. Many of us think that Islam is all about, or closeness to Allah is all about praying and all about charity. They'll give a ton of charity, but they'll be harming those
around them. They don't know how to speak to them. They don't speak with respect. So you prayed, but the reward of that prayer is going to go to someone else simply because you harmed them.
And people say: I don't harm. But sometimes you definitely do harm some of the people who live with you. You harm them. You abuse them. You speak bad to them. You're vulgar. You hurt their feelings. They cry behind closed doors because of something you said or did. Stop it. Stop it. You want paradise? You want the mercy of Allah? Stop it.
Because the devil's plan is to make you lose the value and reward of your good deeds by hurting others in a way that you don't even realize you're hurting them.
I want every one of us, myself included, to ask ourselves on a daily basis: Have I abused someone? Have I hurt their feelings? Has someone cried because of me? Has someone been hurt because of me? Has someone struggled because of something I did or I said? And when you find such a person, make amends. Seek forgiveness. Stop that torture.
We want to solve the problems of the globe and rightly so. We're all fed up of the killing that's happening everywhere around us. We're fed up of it. We don't want it. We want to see a stop to it. We're brothers. We're sisters. We're made by the same maker. But guess what? While we're busy wanting to see the wars stop over the oceans, we have a little war within our own system that we're not even prepared to stop. In our own homes. With our spouses. Our children. Our parents. Our in-laws. Our brothers. Our sisters. Our uncles. Our aunts. Our community etc. Stop that war.
"Indeed Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition." Quran 13:11
The Almighty will not change the plight or condition of a nation until every person within changes his or her own condition. You must change your own condition. I need to work on myself to be a good person. I don't want to belittle people. No matter who they are. They're going through their own struggles. Don't judge. But don't use the term "don't judge" to kick out advice.
If someone tells you: My brother, you know Alhamdulillah. There are five prayers a day. I hope that you know. We can all pray. Don't judge me. Don't judge me. I'm not judging. I'm only advising. Come on. I love you man. Relax. SubhanAllah. Don't judge me. I mean, there's a big difference. I've come across some people. Immediately say: Don't judge. But it's not a judgment. It's just an encouragement. That's all it is. Beautiful encouragement.
You know when I talk, I try to word it in a way that I include myself in it because we're all in it together. We all need help.
The Trap of Losing Hope
So my brothers and sisters, do you know what Shaytan does after that? He then makes you commit sin. Like I said, you've done your good. Ultimately you knocked him out. He makes you sin. What types of sin does he make you commit? There are two types. Minor and major.
The minor sins, Allah says if you were to follow through with a good deed thereafter, it will wipe out that minor sin without even you having specifically asked for forgiveness from that.
(Sahih Muslim Hadith 233)
"Between the two Fridays, whatever minor sins you committed, the fact that you fulfilled that Friday prayer, Allah says we will just wipe out the minor sins. Don't worry."
"Allah says when you do good deeds, we will automatically wipe out the minor sins that you've committed. Minor sins." Quran 11:114
A man comes to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and speaks about a kiss. He kissed someone he wasn't supposed to kiss and he wanted to be cleansed. So what happened? The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says: Do good deeds. They will wipe out your bad deed. SubhanAllah. Did you hear that? Did you hear that? May Allah forgive us.
But Shaytan makes you start thinking things: I'm doing good deeds. I even sought the forgiveness of Allah, but I don't think Allah is going to forgive me. He doesn't love me. Do you know why? I'm going through problems. Well, Allah loved Muhammad, Jesus may peace be upon him, Moses may peace be upon him. Allah loved them much more than you and I and they went through so much more difficulty than any one of us. SubhanAllah. Jesus may peace be upon him was tortured. Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) what didn't they do? They tried everything. They called him names. Do they call you and I names? That's a gift of Allah. What did they call you? The worst the name, the more Allah loves you. But we look at it the other way around. You know why? We're trapped by the devil. That's why.
Someone calls you a dog. Guess what? They look just like you, right? SubhanAllah. They don't realize. But you get angry. Why did they call me that? SubhanAllah.
So, Shaytan makes us sin and sometimes major sin. And then he traps you further when you want to turn back to Allah and you're seeking the forgiveness of Allah by making you think that you're not forgiven. That is one of the biggest traps of Shaytan. And that's the highlight of tonight.
It is a greater sin than adultery to lose hope in the mercy of Allah. Did you hear what I just said? To commit a sin is bad. It's unacceptable. But you're a human. Your human nature made you sin, not your defiance against Allah. It was human nature. Shaytan causes depression and he causes that, you know, mental condition just because you think: Oh gosh, what did I do? Now this will happen, that will happen. Yes, you regret. I agree. But you don't become depressed because you have a Lord who is most forgiving, most merciful. And that's why the verse of mercy that we have, Allah speaks about immorality which includes adultery. It includes that which is immoral. Pornography, whatever else it may be. Allah speaks about paradise for those who have turned back to Allah after committing all these sins.
"Those who have wronged themselves, committed to remember Allah and seek the forgiveness of Allah after their sins." Quran 3:135
And they were to do good deeds. At the end of those verses Allah says:
"Those are the people whom We will forgive and grant paradise to." Quran 3:136
Wow. What did Allah say? Read the verses. Allah says clearly: Those who did bad, they committed sins, they did major sins, they turned to us. When they turned to us, we forgave them. And when they started doing good deeds and they stayed away - if they fell again, they came back again. If they fell again, they came back again. Nobody from amongst us sins out of defiance of Allah, but we sin out of the weakness of humankind.
Adamalayhis salam committed the only sin that there was to commit and he still committed it, agree? Why did Allah love him so much? Because he says, O Allah, forgive me.
"O our Lord, forgive us. We have wronged ourselves. If you don't forgive us and have mercy on us, we're going to be the losers." Quran 7:23
Allah says, we love you so much. We know, you sinned because you were deceived by the devil. Don't lose hope in our mercy.
"Tell them, O my worshippers, never ever lose hope in the mercy of Allah. For indeed He will forgive all your sins. He is the most forgiving, the most merciful." Quran 39:53
That's what Allah says in the Quran. Tell them, never lose hope in my mercy. And guess what shaitan makes us do? He makes us lose hope in his mercy. So we're defying a verse of the Quran. We're defying the quality of Allah. We're denying the quality of Allah which is the most merciful, the most loving, the most forgiving, the most kind, the most compassionate. And we're doubting it, in fact denying it. That's a trap of the devil. That's probably the biggest trap of the devil.
If a person hasn't prayed all their lives, they haven't done the right things all their lives, and they're turning to Allah, trying their best, Allah's mercy is greater than anything else. Understand that. Don't ever allow yourself to feel useless and cheap when you know within your heart there is a flicker of belief in the mercy of Allah.
Conclusion
Two more minutes for 45 minutes my brother. That's your short nasiha. Jazakallah khair. Don't ever, ever lose hope in the mercy of Allah. It's a bigger sin than the sin you committed because now you're distancing from Allah. And when you think that's it, you start becoming so despondent and you turn further away until you become a worshipper of the devil. Because now you start thinking there's nothing for me. And you know what? The difficulties you're going through, that's the last thing I will say inshallah.
The difficulties that you're going through by the will of Allah do not depict the anger of Allah. Never. It doesn't mean that the difficulties you're going through depict the anger of Allah. No, they don't. It has got to do with the condition of your heart. If you're content because you've recognized Allah, that's never a punishment. No matter what Moses may peace be upon him went through at the hands of the Pharaoh, he was very content. No matter what Jesus may peace be upon him went through at the hands of the Romans, he was very content. No matter what Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) went through at the hands of Quraish, he was extremely content. Why is it that we go through a pin drop compared to what they have been and we're not content at all? Because we need to do a little bit more to recognize our maker.
So these are some of the traps of the devil. He makes us lose hope. He makes us actually think that we're written off completely. He makes us think that there's no hope for us. And we should never ever fall in this particular trap or in the trap of the devil. May Allah grant us goodness. May Allah bless everyone of us. And may Allah grant us from his favor. Gather us in Jannatul Firdaus. And prior to that allow us to enjoy the beautiful meal that's about to be served.
I say this saying and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad.