Going on Holiday?

Going on Holiday?

Speaker: Mufti Menk

Opening

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim. Alhamdulillahi

We always praise Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala). We send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), his household, his companions.

We ask Allah to bless them, to bless every one of us, to grant us goodness and peace, to help us through the difficulties that we're facing, and to help humanity at large, to guide us all to the straight path, and to grant us all from His favor and His mercy. Ameen.

My brothers and sisters, if I were to ask you, where are you going on holiday? Because it's holiday season. Here in this country, many of us would say, I can't afford a holiday, (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ - Subhanallah). Many people would say, you know what, if you're going to sponsor a holiday, I would actually go. May Allah make it easy for us.

The Days of Eid - Our True Holidays

My brothers and sisters, we have happy occasions as Muslims, and these are two most blessed days, the days of Eid. One is the day known as Eid al-Fitr, and the other one is known as Eid al-Adha. These are primarily days of rejoicing given to us by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala).

Something unique is whenever Allah gives us a blessed day of rejoicing, of happiness, of goodness, Allah wants us to worship Him even more on that day. If you look at the Muslim countries, they would have a holiday on the days of Eid, rightly so. But on that day, there is one extra salah that you should be fulfilling, and that is the salah of Eid.

So Allah says, it's a happy day. I want you to rejoice. I want you to be happy.

I want you to eat and drink. I want you to remember Allah, and I don't want you to fast on this day. You know, it's prohibited to fast on the days of Eid.

So He tells you, I want you to remember Me in a unique way by engaging in one extra prayer. Look at this beautiful day of ours. Today is a Friday.

We're in the month of December, which is the month of the holidays. We have Christmas coming around the corner. We have the new year in terms of the Gregorian year around the corner.

So the entire year, the entire world will probably be on holiday, one or another. The Muslims would be because of the fact that it's the end of the year and so on. It coincides with the days where leave is given and so on.

So the schools are closed and so much more happens. So everyone basically shall be on holiday. (لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ - La ilaha illallah)

Finding Beauty Around Us

I want to remind you, my brothers and sisters, as much as, yes, we are going through struggles, not only in this country, but in many countries across the globe. It doesn't mean you need to leave the country in order to make use of the holidays. You can be within the nation.

There are so many beautiful destinations around the corner. Many of us have gardens or yards that are probably better than some holiday destinations in certain countries. Do you know that? Many of us have fruit trees and so much more within our own compounds in such a way that others would only be dreaming of that.

They wouldn't even believe that you have that. But we take it for granted. However, let's remember one thing.

Never On Holiday from Worshiping Allah

When we are going on holiday, it doesn't mean we are on holiday from worshiping Allah. There is never a holiday. O you who believe! Be conscious of Allah in a manner that is befitting His level.

That consciousness should be of the level that is befitting Allah. That's a very, very high level. In fact, in another verse Allah explains that it needs to be as per your capacity.

Be conscious of Allah according to your capacity, the extent of your capacity. That consciousness actually translates as developing the correct relationship with Allah. And that verse that I recited moments ago, it ends by saying don't die except in the condition of submission.

A quick reminder of the translation of that is link your life in such a way that if death were to come to you at any time, you would not regret that. You would be in the condition of submission unto Allah. So many people die during the holidays.

The Danger of Mobile Phones While Driving

Do you know why? One of the reasons is the mobile phone. People speak on their phones while they are driving, putting their own lives at risk and the lives of others. It is worse than the consumption of alcohol or driving while drunk.

Drinking while driving is a bigger crime in the eyes of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala) because obviously the consumption of alcohol is a major sin in Islam. It is something that is not allowed. But to be very honest with you, to mess with your mobile device is actually putting your life at risk and not only your passengers in your vehicle but others also who might not even be driving in a vehicle but just standing on the sides of the roads and elsewhere.

So many have died. It's become statistically proven that it is much more dangerous to be on a mobile phone than it is. From a safety perspective, to be a drunk driver.

Did you hear that? May Allah protect us. I worded it a little bit carefully in order for us not to think for a moment that alcohol is any lighter in terms of its prohibition of consumption in Islam. May Allah grant us protection and goodness.

Any intoxicants are prohibited in Islam. Anything that intoxicates. In Islam, we should be staying away from it.

However, when it comes to the holidays, my brothers and sisters, many people say, be careful on the roads. You know what? You shouldn't be drinking and driving. I can let you in on a quick one.

If you're a Zimbabwean, you know it. Sometimes the person in front looks like he's a drunk driver. But in actual fact, what is he doing? Tell me, please.

He's only avoiding bottles. (لا إله إلا الله - La ilaha illallah) May Allah grant us ease.

So it may not be a drunk driver. It's quite wise. Sometimes if you see him swerve to have, you know, the ability to know why he is swerving, you might want to swerve as well slightly.

Because it might just damage your entire room. Especially if it's one of those lenzos. May Allah grant us goodness and ease.

Safety During Holidays

My brothers, my sisters, we enjoy our vehicles. When going on holiday, I'd like to remind you from the pulpit, be safe. Be safe.

Choose a good destination where you are reminded of Allah. It might just be your last few days on earth. There are people I know of who died last year in the holidays.

They never came back. There are people I know of who actually drowned in a way. May Allah give them Jannatul Firdaws.

They drowned in a way that (سُبْحَانَ الله - Subhanallah) was so baffling. In a few moments, they were gone. And no one would have guessed that on holiday.

Seeking Forgiveness Daily

So I want to remind myself to say, I don't know when I'm going to go. Nor do you. Just lead your life in a good way.

Remember to seek the forgiveness of Allah every day. Because the prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to seek forgiveness every day. If we follow that, the day we die, sometime during the day, we would have sought the forgiveness of Allah.

What a blessed day to go. Wouldn't you like to go on a day when you ask the forgiveness of Allah? So many times during the day. So moisten your tongue with istighfar or the seeking of forgiveness of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Subhanahu wa ta'ala)

It will never let you down. May Allah grant us truthfulness in that. You know what truthfulness means? When I say (أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ - Astaghfirullah) it's not just a movement of a little bee in my hand that happens to be just, you know, a motion of the lips and a little bit of the voice without any concentration.

Think of what you're saying for a moment. Oh Allah, forgive me. Oh Allah, forgive me.

Even if you happen to say it in a language you understand, no problem. Say it in English. Oh Allah, forgive me.

It's equivalent to saying (أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ - Astaghfirullah) on condition that you understand the one. If you don't understand and you cannot concentrate on it, you'd rather say it with concentration than without.

Connecting with Allah Over WiFi

So remember, secondly, whenever we visit each other's homes, many times nowadays, as we enter, we greet.

(السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ - Assalamu alaikum). We have a seat. Before anything else, what are we searching for? In a lot of cases, please let me know.

We're searching for something. The phone comes down, the Wi-Fi thing is pressed and we ask the brother, Brother, is there Wi-Fi here? Right? If there is, what's the code here? (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ - Subhanallah). We're so interested in being connected.

Fair enough. There's no harm. It's not wrong.

You can be connected. But my brothers and sisters, when we go on holiday, more important than being connected online is to be connected with Allah. It's the time of salah.

Take one minute to calculate which way is the Qibla. Take another minute to make your wudu and fulfill your prayer. Allah gives you a bonus.

You know what's the bonus? (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ - Subhanallah)Al-Qasr. Which means that prayer, Allah says, I know you're on holiday. I know you're traveling.

Shorten it. (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ - Subhanallah). And according to some, join it.

No problem. Join it in a certain way. There's a certain way of joining the prayers.

You may shorten these prayers. Why? It's a bonus. Allah knows you're traveling.

Allah knows that you're on a journey. Be it for a holiday, be it for hajj or umrah or whatever it may be. There are rules and regulations making things easy for you.

That's what Allah wants. It is made easy and still we don't do it. What excuse do we have? If you died on that day, wouldn't it be an embarrassment? So remember one thing.

More important than to have your phone connected, connect yourself with Allah. It's not difficult. It requires a few moments.

Choosing the Right Places and Activities

Similarly, find out which way the qibla is. Find out the consumption of the food and make sure that you consume that which is halal. And ensure that you have carried yourself in a way that's not embarrassing.

What does that mean? Some people think, I'm on holiday, which means I can dress how I want. I can do what I want. I can jump where I want.

I can visit wherever I want. Be careful. There are certain areas, if you would not like to die in a place, don't go there.

(لا إله إلا الله - La ilaha illallah). This is the meaning of:

And do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Allah].

You know, I had a few youngsters a few years ago. They told me, no, on holiday, we just like to see what's in the nightclub. Only to see. I said, my brother, there's nothing like going to see what's in the nightclub.

You don't need to know (سُبْحَانَ الله - Subhanallah). You know, our nights are spent seeing how we can please Allah rather than anything else. Allah is not saying don't have fun.

Have fun, go out, swim, enjoy, eat and drink and, you know, be with your children. But make sure it is something known as clean fun. Is it impossible? Go fishing, (ما شاء الله - MashaAllah).

The Fishing Analogy

Catch the fish, (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ - Subhanallah). And you know what? You consume. You might even think of selling them the way things are going in Zimbabwe.

May Allah grant us ease. Catch it, no problem. And I'm sure you can do very well.

Pray for rain in the meantime. Because when it's raining, you catch better fish (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ - Subhanallah). They come to the surface because of the rain, not realizing, you know what? You're there with your rod.

I see the fishermen are excited. They know what I'm talking about. (ما شاء الله - MashaAllah)

The feeling when the fish has bitten is something that a non-fisherman can never understand. I used to wonder, why do they stand the whole day and in the afternoon one bite and it's like, (ما شاء الله - MashaAllah). My day is made.

Big fish, my life is made. You know what? Don't let shaitan catch you in the same way. One miss of salah is one bite.

He gets equally excited. I caught a guy 90 kilos today. Imagine, 90 kilos, no salah, not at all.

May Allah grant us ease. Imagine shaitan picking you up like this and taking your photo and throwing you back.

That's what people do. May Allah grant us ease. The fishermen know what I'm talking about.

Sadly, some of us who are not fishermen, we just eat the fish. We enjoy it. So please catch it for us and come.

Spending Time with Family

My brothers, my sisters, the point here is don't forget Allah. It's a holiday season for all of us. It's not difficult to remember.

It is definitely not difficult to remember what you have been made for. Allah allows you to do so much. Another very interesting factor, spend time with your family members.

It's a break. The children are on break. They have school holidays.

How much time did you spend with them? Be patient with them. The world is changing so rapidly that we need to be more patient today than we ever needed to be before. Because today, there is so much of technological advancement that the ills of the entire globe are all gathered in one device, in the hands of these kids.

May Allah protect us and our children. So to be patient with them, to talk to them with love. Back in the day, we were whipped into position and it worked, and we enjoyed it.

Really. Didn't we?

Today, it doesn't work.

You have to talk people into the line you'd like them to be. You have to convince them. You have to lead by example.

You have to be kind. You have to use other methods to be able to convince. It's something that will only happen when you show that you care.

Effective Da'wah Through Care

You know people say, I want to do dawah. It's the holidays. I agree.

It's a very good thing. Many of us should be using, especially the youth, use your time in the holidays to join maybe a class where you might learn something more. There are so many conferences happening in the holidays, online, offline.

So many young people perhaps going on a trip which has a religious perhaps tone to it or a religious side to it. Something light, not so heavy. Join them.

Minimum is you want to disobey Allah. That's the minimum.

It's the holidays. You know what to do? Work on your bad habits. You have a bad habit.

Can I say one? With all due respect to the people, I've said it so many times. Some of you know what I'm about to say. Smoking.

Normal cigarettes, by the way. You know, when we talk of weed and all of that, it's on another level that we don't even need to get to right now in terms of being worse. But, and by the way, we exclude from this necessity, medicinal cannabis, if it is consumed, not by smoking it, but through what the herbalists teach and so on, there may be a certain permissibility in that regard.

In no way are we speaking about that which is social and unnecessary. But we have to mention this because it is now the study of the age, and we have seen results with this as well. However, going back to ordinary smoking,

can't you give it up? Come on, it's a school holiday.

Don't you want to come out of the holiday with better habits? Because you know what? It might be the last holiday you're ever going to witness in your life.

it has happened. I had friends of mine, they spent some time of Ramadan with me.

Last Ramadan, they're gone. That was the last Ramadan they will ever have seen on this earth. May Allah grant them Jannatul Firdaus.

It brings me to the level of consciousness beyond what I was perhaps because I realized, you know what? The angel of death, not very close to home here, someone close to you, gone. Isn't that a reminder? Hey, you also have to go. Go and enjoy your holiday.

Don't forget us. I was saying, spend time with your children, your loved ones, be kind with them. You can no longer show any form of guidance that is going to be implemented if you don't care for people.

Like I was saying, people say we want to do dawah, fair and good. Dawah meaning calling people towards goodness and prohibiting bad or discouraging people from bad. I want to tell you, no dawah is effective.

It will not have an impact if you don't show care for the people whom you are calling towards that goodness. You have an attitude, it's not going to work. You have no care for them, it's not going to work.

When you care, when you reach out, when you greet, when you smile, when you show good character, when you show connection, when you try to help them in one way or another, then try talking to them about the deen and try talking to them about goodness.

they will stomach it, they will take it, they will digest it. They may even readily accept immediately because they know this person cares for me.

But you don't care for someone, they're not going to listen to you, not at all. You can give them gold, they won't even want it because you don't even care. May Allah

grant us peace.

Time is Ticking

So my brothers, my sisters, to utilize these days in a way that you realize this might be my last opportunity is something that is called for when it comes to the Muslims and Islam. The verse I read on its own, we can talk about it for years on end and this is why it is part of khutbatul haja. You know when the prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) when he spoke, many times he commenced with verses of the Quran.

The verse I read is one of the verses he read very often, reminding people, listen, develop your relationship with Allah. The time on earth is ticking, it's clocking. You're becoming older, not any younger.

Allah Makes Things Easy

My brothers and sisters, we have such a beautiful faith. Allah makes things easy for us. He says:

Allah wants ease for you, not difficulty.

You know, when it comes to clothing in Islam, there is no specific color that is compulsory for you to wear. There is no specific dress that is compulsory for you to wear. There are only guidelines.

If you've covered in a modest way whatever Allah asks you to cover, with the correct type of perhaps material, in a nice way, you've arrived at something acceptable in the eyes of Allah. Imagine, if Allah wanted, He could have said, right, everyone must wear this color. It would have been like a uniform.

You see some people, some churches they have, for example, a certain color. It's up to them. But with us, everyone wears a different color.

It's just got to do with a general ruling that Allah has given us. It's only the outline. That's what Allah says.

I leave it to you. You can enjoy. Your culture can come into play.

Whatever your liking is can come into play on condition that it has covered in a modest way, that modesty translated and interpreted according to the rules of Allah

May Allah grant us ease.

Controlling Your Temper

Another very interesting factor. As we leave to go on holiday, remember, control your temper. Have a lot of patience. Don't get angry with people.

I've witnessed something in some countries. Let's talk about South Africa in particular. Many of us might be going there, perhaps because it's just a neighboring country.

Beautiful

I promise you, if you lose your cool, it costs 50 cents, less than one rand, to get rid of you. What happens? I've seen it in my life.

In the last few months, I've witnessed many people lose their life over a small argument. Two weeks ago, someone in a car park parked a car. Another person came and said, I was supposed to park my car here.

Small argument. A second hater, an onlooker happened to pick out his gun. One bullet in the chest.

The brother was dead. Gone. Totally gone.

What happened? You argue. Learn not to argue. That's why the prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) says, I promise a little place in paradise for those who don't argue.

You know why? You and I, we are brothers. We are brothers and sisters.

We may argue. We may raise our voice. It's okay between us.

When we get used to that, we start doing it to people we don't know. When they don't know how to control their temper and the only thing they have in their pockets is a little 9mm gun. You know what they'll do? They'll use it.

They will use it. No matter how big you are and muscular. It means a small gun, a thin guy who weighs 5 kilos, less than you.

He'll just pick out that gun and point it towards you. You are gone. All your protein was wasted.

Your gym subscriptions were wasted. Everything else gone. Imagine.

Why? Because you did not discipline your mind. Take your entire character to the gym and discipline it. It's more important.

You know what to do? When you go to the gym, instead of lifting 100, 200,

it's good. It's not bad. And you show everyone, trying to impress.

Wow, wow, I'm big, you know. Get someone intentionally to train you how to control your anger. Let them insult you.

Well, I don't know how because we don't train people to insult. But let them say things to you that will rile you up and calm down. Rile you up, calm down.

That is worth more than carrying 1,000 kilos. Do you know that? Why? Because Allah says, when you have swallowed your anger, perhaps you might even earn paradise through that. Allah describes with goodness:

Those who extinguish their anger. Those are the powerful ones.

Power, solid,

How much did you carry? This guy threw one ton at me. I just deflected it like this.

it went. I didn't get upset. Now you're talking.

He threw one ton. What happened? I just moved. It went.

I smiled at him. Walked away. Allah says, those who forgive people.

The Benefits of Forgiveness

Do you know, when you forgive others, you are helping yourself. Stress is a killer. People die of diseases because of stress.

Because they are carrying so much on their shoulders. They cannot release. Allah encourages you so many times:

Those who are patient and those who forgive. It's the best thing you could do. Why does Allah say that? Not only is it a spiritual benefit or an ibadah in terms of closeness to Allah.

even your health improves. You are calm. You are relaxed.

You don't have tension. You know, people are diagnosed all sorts of diseases. Now, there is a study that is even connecting diseases like cancer to stress diseases.

So many other diseases or to immune diseases to stress. People are making your life difficult. Laugh it off, laugh it off.

How many times should I laugh it off? As many times as you can. I'm not saying don't go for justice. No.

But I'm saying learn to process what comes in your direction in a way that does not cause more harm. May Allah

grant us this

Final Reminder

We are here in this month of December nearing the end of it. My brothers, my sisters, once again I remind you. Yes, by all means, let's go on holiday.

That holiday, each one according to his level. You don't have to go to Hawaii and Honolulu. Guess why? If you can't afford it, you can go around the corner somewhere here.

The dams

will be full by that time. Perhaps you might want to go out. There are so many beautiful places here according to your budget.

You might want to go out for a drive that you haven't been with your children or a walk to the park. Many of us haven't done that. Spend time with your kids.

We have a beautiful country. It is relatively one of the safest countries in Africa. It is a beautiful nation.

It has a lot of greenery and nature. Make use of it. Appreciate the favors of Allah.

Go out and enjoy yourself. But don't forget Allah. Don't disconnect from Allah.

Connection with Allah Over Internet