Ismail ibn Musa Menk 7 under the shade of Allah

The Importance of Action Over Documentation

He knows it would be wrong for you who can swim perfectly well, who is perhaps a very fit person who knows how to dive. And at the same time, people are drowning and you say, it's okay, you know, like what they do nowadays, someone drowning saying, help, help and they take out their cameras and they say, okay, one minute, one minute, I'm coming and they take, everyone wants to take photos. And someone says, wait, wait, wait, don't go and help them right now.

One more, one more. Have you heard the word one more when they're taking pictures? One more. How can you do that? You need to know when to take the photograph and when not to take it.

People today are so obsessed that when there is a dire, desperate need of you to rush to the assistance of a person who's dying, you're more interested in taking the picture, documenting the scene. May Allah forgive our obsession with technology. And trust me, it affects everyone.

Every one of us can do better when it comes to technology, every one of us. And that's just a broad statement, but it's applicable to all, myself included. May Allah grant me goodness and make us all from among those whom goodness is granted to. Ameen.

Introduction to the Seven VIPs

So there are so many narrations that make mention of these deeds that are loved by Allah. This evening, we want to talk about a group of people that I usually refer to as VIPs because in our language, VIP means a very important person.

Imagine today someone from the crowd who's sitting there and desperately wants to get to the front and suddenly your name is called out from here. Think about it for a minute. Wouldn't you be excited? Wow. Hey, I'm going to go and sit in the front. MashaAllah.

The True Excitement

As I entered, I saw some brothers and sisters looking so excited. I didn't know what to say. I just had to carry on walking, salaam, and I greeted them and walked. And I'm thinking to myself, may Allah grant them such excitement on the day of judgment. That is the true excitement. To be excited in this world is actually nothing.

What is the true happiness? What is the true competition? It's to get to paradise. It's to be in Jannah, that day when we are given our books in the right hand. That is the day we will be super excited.

In order to get it there, we need to work in this world in a way that whatever challenges Allah has put in our lives, mashaAllah, we will carry on always looking happy. You won't know what type of stress perhaps I might have. You won't even know. Why? Because we are trained to be true believers who are smiling, come what may. May Allah help us.

The Day of Judgment Scene

So this narration of VIPs, very important persons. Imagine if your name is called on the day of judgment. The sun is so low. People are sweating. So much happening. Everyone's worried. Nafsi, nafsi. Each person's worried about themselves, their deeds. The day of exposure. The day when all deeds may be laid bare.

May Allah help us. Wallahi, if you don't want your deeds to be laid bare, there is a way out. Seek forgiveness. Allah wipes it out such that even the angels don't know what's going on. That's why I started off by saying Allah is merciful. Have hope.

The Promise of Converting Bad to Good

Imagine Allah tells you that if you repent and you do good deeds, we will convert the bad you've done into good. Subhanallah. For the scales of the day of judgment. That's Allah.

Allah makes mention of the punishment of those who commit sin and then He says the exception is of those who repent and do good deeds thereafter. So if you repent, the bad is wiped out. If you repent and do good deeds thereafter and your life is changed, then the bad comes back in a different form. What's the form? It comes onto the scale of good deeds because you have forsaken it for the sake of Allah.

Example of Repentance

A person committing adultery habitually and they continue committing the sin one after the other and it becomes a habit. They are piling up their evil, isn't it? The sins are being piled up and there comes a day when they say, oh Allah, I'm cutting it for your sake. Forgive me. I admit, I regret, I repent and I won't do it again.

If they replace that with good deeds, Allah says in this particular verse, we will replace the evil that the people have done in the past. Those people who have repented and followed up with good deeds thereafter, we will replace that with good. On the right side of the scale, may Allah grant us the ability to give up the sins that we've been committing for so long.

The Call to Repentance

We all sin differently, some major, some minor. Let's try and have a little bit of shame. Let's try and turn to Allah. We call ourselves Muslimin. We want to see solutions to the problems that we're facing across the globe. The best way is to start off with ourselves. May Allah help us do that.

The Special Announcement

So imagine on that day when it's the day of exposure, everything is going to come to the fore and Allah, there is an announcement being made saying, so and so, there is a special place for you today. And suddenly it's your name. Your name. Wow. And you're excited and the next thing, the next best thing perhaps is you're so excited going to this place that Allah has chosen for you and you're so proud of the fact that what you did on earth really has helped.

The Permissible Pride

That's the day you're allowed to be proud. You know, pride is prohibited in this world. When I say pride here, I'm talking of the arrogant pride. I'm not talking about when someone says, I'm proud to be a Muslim. They're not arrogant to be a Muslim. They're proud means they're happy.

So if you say, I'm proud to be a Muslim, it means I'm happy to be a Muslim. I don't need to hide the fact that I'm a Muslim. You say, I'm a proud Muslim. It doesn't mean I'm an arrogant Muslim because the two do not go hand in hand. The two are opposite poles, pride and Islam. They don't really, they're not, they don't really come together.

(Sahih Muslim 91)

The Prophet )صلى الله عليه وسلم( is reported to have said: A person will not enter paradise if they have even a mustard seeds weight worth of pride in their heart.

So it's just to show us that you need to deal with the pride that is arrogance within the heart. May Allah protect us from it.

The Nature of the Special Shade

So the beautiful deed here that we're talking about is when a person is happy to be a Muslim, such that you don't have to hide your identity. You know, people say, it's so hard to be Muslim today. Well, there are billions of us. If every one of us happens to be living Islam, we will send the correct image across the globe and it will become easier to live as a Muslim. But if every one of us is going to hide our identity, when people look at us doing good deeds, they won't even know Muslims are doing good deeds.

Why? Because the names have changed. They've become names that nobody can recognize as Muslimin. And the identity has changed completely. May Allah grant us the shade on the day of judgment. Ameen.

Limiting Ourselves to Authentic Knowledge

So these VIPs will be called into what? They will be called into an area, a place. What is that place? Allah knows best. What exactly is that shade? It's a special shade from Allah.

The details regarding matters of belief should stop exactly where the verses stop or the authentic narration stop. You need to know that. I cannot add one sentence and I cannot deduct one sentence. That is what we believe.

So if someone says, give me the details of this shade, I can only give you what the messenger has said in authentic narrations. And if someone has disputed the authenticity of a narration, I can tell you, look, I can go this far, but I don't know beyond this. There's no point in entering territory of that which is unseen from your own whims and fancies because it's not left to you and I to decide.

It's up to Allah and the messenger )صلى الله عليه وسلم( who delivered the message of Allah. They let us know and whatever they told us is enough for us. We don't need to know more.

The Importance of Saying "I Don't Know"

It's not difficult for us to say, look, I don't know. Someone asks me, for example, give me more details of the shade. I want to know what temperature is it going to be like? I said, I've got no clue. I don't even know if they're going to be measuring the temperature on that day, to be honest. And that's not a wrong answer. I don't know.

But imagine someone says, I'm sure it'll be room temperature, 23 degrees. Where did you get that from? Just because you're comfortable with 23 degrees, you think that that's going to be OK there? So we don't know these details. Let's understand.

Warning Against Fabricated Details

People get entrapped by the details, juicy details that are given by people sometimes with beards. And that's nowhere to be found. So the man says, yes, don't worry. You look on your left, you'll see a bottle of Coke. Astaghfirullah. Where is that? Just because you like Coke does not necessarily mean you're going to get it in heaven. Not at all. Who knows? May Allah forgive us.

The reason I make mention of this is just to highlight the fact that we are sometimes entrapped by matters or in matters of belief, by narrations that don't exist. Sometimes people want to add details just to make you say, wow, did you hear that? But where did you get the detail from, my brother? Stop at the hadith, stop at the Quranic verse. These are matters of the unseen. May Allah protect us.

The Authentic Description of the Shade

So we are being told or we were told that this is the shade of Allah. So when we say the shade of Allah, it's actually the shade created by Allah. Some narrations say it's the shade of the Arsh of Allah.

I do not have the capacity of giving you greater detail. All I know is that it is definitely a shade that Allah will have on that particular day, which will protect the people, which will give them a very, very high status. It will definitely make them feel that they have been honored on that day.

The Metaphor of School Prize-Giving

You know, when a child works hard throughout the year, at the end of the year, they want to see a prize at the school. And when they are called out, the names of the people are called out. The child is excited. The child is so excited going up. Wow. Prize giving. They are honored on that day for what? For the hard work that they have engaged in throughout the year.

You and I have a life. It's hard. Trust me, it is difficult. Many of us, myself included, there are days when you feel so low, but you keep on going. When people look at you, they think, wow, this person doesn't seem like they've got any problems in life. You don't know. I probably have a ton of problems more than you do. It's just the way you handle it.

That's life. It's a challenge. This is your school. You have to work hard through the life. And at the end of it, you know what will happen? You will get a reward. You will get a recompense by Allah. You will be definitely given something you will be happy with from your maker.

Introduction to the Hadith

So these are the categories of people starting off. Allah tells us through the blessed lips of Prophet Muhammad )صلى الله عليه وسلم(. He makes mention of it. He says seven categories of people will be given a special shade. This does not mean that there are only seven categories of people who will be honored on the day of judgment.

No, there are so many other categories that will be honored in so many different ways. There are certain groups of people who will be granted entry without reckoning into Jannah. No reckoning. That's a bigger honor. That's a huge honor.

The Metaphor of Customs

Imagine if you're told, listen, we know that there's so much you've done, but we want to give you paradise without even looking at your deeds. Just walk straight through. You know, when you walk through and I've always given this example because it affects us all when we travel, you're walking through the customs. Whether you have something or you don't have something, who likes to be stopped? No one.

You want to be told, you know what, just proceed. They look at you, they smile, they greet you sometimes. I hope they do. And then at the end of the day, you walk out and you're so excited. You're

Improving Our Prayer

Brothers and sisters, before I move to the fourth, let me inform you or let me remind yourselves and myself. We can improve when it comes to prayer. Timing, quality and then quantity. We can improve. If your timing is right, you can improve on your quality. If your quality is right, then you can improve on your quantity.

There's no point in making so many units of prayer. You know, they're known as raka'at. So many units of prayer, so many raka'at. But each one of them is just like Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

You know, there were two kids reading Salatul Taraweeh. You know, Taraweeh is known for, you know, Ferrari and so on. Speed up. I'm sure you've seen it on the internet. I saw it and wallahi, it's an embarrassment. That's not an act of worship. That's an insult to Allah. I'd rather you don't pray that in that way. Insulting Allah.

How can you reduce salah that is voluntary to something that is such a big burden on your shoulders that you just want to get done with it and move? Is that how you treat your maker? Come on. Imagine if your loved one had to treat you like that, to say, it's okay, istaghfirullah. You wouldn't like it. So why would you like to treat Allah like that?

The Importance of Quality in Prayer

Take your time in prayer. You need to feel the calmness of the prayer. You need to feel the goodness in that prayer. This is when you will achieve. So these kids were reading that Salatul Taraweeh at one of the schools, one of the madrasas, and they were being told that, you know what, we're going to be watching. Everyone's going to be leading because you guys, you're studying the Quran and you guys are memorizing.

So you need to, you know, two, three, two, three guys need to read the salah so that you can memorize and you can revise the Quran. So this one guy is reading. And in fact, they were sitting and chatting. And as the teacher walks in and they hear the footsteps and they don't know their work, they don't know what to read. The only thing they know is what I'm about to say.

And so the youngster gets up and he says, Ya'lamoon, Allahu Akbar. And the next time he says, Ta'lamoon, Allahu Akbar. And the next time he says, Yattaqoon, Allahu Akbar. How can you treat Allah like that? Ya'lamoon, Tattaqoon, Ta'lamoon. Is that what it's all about? Anyway, those were kids. There are some adults who literally follow the quickest mosque.

A lot of us are guilty of this. Am I right? Am I right? Be honest. Am I right? They all said yes themselves. Did you hear that? May Allah forgive us all, myself included.

The Sign of Closeness to Allah

Wallahi, when you are close to Allah, in prayer, time means nothing. If you want to know that you are close to Allah, ask yourself, am I concerned about the timing when it comes to prayer? Those of us who are imams from amongst us here or those who might hear this later, I'm not saying test the patience of those behind you, please. We're not saying that.

You know, they complained to Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) Hadith, Mu'adh Ibn Jabal (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), when he was sent to Kuba to lead. And there was a complaint about the fact that he used to read long salah, long. So the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) says Hey, are you trying to cause a problem here? Stick to these surahs. And he gave him, you know, roughly how much you should read. Don't prolong it so long that subhanallah, people become so angry.

Humorous Examples About Prayer Length

I know you've heard the one about the new Muslim who entered there and he was reading his salah and suddenly the imam continued reading and he continued reading and he's standing in prayer and the imam continued and everybody's standing and he's thinking to himself, You know what? This is just Salatul Fajr. It's the beginning of the day. And this man is reading. It's been 20 minutes and he's carrying on.

Anyway, he was patient because he didn't know much. When he finished, he asks, Hey, hey, hey, tell me something. What was he reading? So the guy next to him says, No, this is an important surah. It's a surah in the Quran. What's it called? It's called Baqarah. What does that mean? It means the cow. It means the COW.

So the guy says, OK. Wow. OK, I know it's long. It's a long surah. So he knows now when he comes for salah, he's going to ask, Hey, what surah is being read? If it's the cow, he says, Hey, you know what? So he arrives at Salatul Maghrib and the imam starts off, So he asks, Hey, what surah is this? Someone says, no, no, don't worry. Don't worry. What do you mean don't worry? What's the surah? He says, it's called Al- Feel. What does that mean? Elephant.

If the cow was so long, imagine what the elephant will be like. Foolish behavior. Is that how you treat Allah? Astaghfirullah. That's terrible. Unacceptable.

Finding Balance in Prayer

When it comes to time and your prayer, especially when it comes to voluntary prayers, don't spoil the reward of your voluntary taraweeh, for example, by running after that which is the quickest. You don't do that. Your heart should be with your salah. I'm going. I want a correct recitation that I can follow. And at the same time, it's not too slow that it agitates people and not too fast that the words are being minced.

Now people might say, Well, you know what? That's a tough one for me to be included in the category of those whose hearts are stuck to the next salah or to the prayer or to the masjid and so on. It's a bit of a tough one. So hang on. Promise yourself you will work towards it. That's good enough. Promise yourself you will work towards it. That's good enough as a beginning.

But if you're sitting here and saying, Nah, I don't think I can make that. You've given up before you've even started. Don't do that.

Fourth Category: رجلان تحابا في الله Two Who Love Each Other for Allah's Sake(

So let's go to the next category. More hope. Then we have:

(Sahih Bukhari 660, Sahih Muslim 1031)

Two men. The term men is used, but it would also include two sisters, two females who love each other for the sake of Allah. Love each other for the pleasure of Allah. They come together in the pleasure of Allah. They leave each other in the pleasure of Allah.

Allah says, You love each other for the sake of Allah. You love each other for my sake. Allah says, Well, you deserve a VIP status on the day of judgment. You know what? It's not easy to love someone for the sake of Allah.

The Nature of Love for Allah's Sake

What brings us together? It's solely Allah. Why are you here tonight? I hope it's solely Allah. I love you for the pleasure of Allah. Yes, indeed you do. And so do I. What that means? Let me inform you of something interesting. The love for the pleasure of Allah is very broad.

You feel it when you see people trying to obey Allah's instruction in one way or another. And that makes you feel the connection. So I'm walking in the streets of London, for example. And I see a sister dressed like a proper Muslim. I've got no clue who she is. And I see her perhaps pushing her little kid's stroller and so on.

And I know how difficult it is to dress that way. And I will never know who she was. And in my mind I say, Subhanallah, I feel the connection. She will never know me, I will never know her. What's connecting me to her? The fact that she's trying to please Allah. She's doing something to please Allah.

Oh Allah, help her. Oh Allah, grant her goodness. Oh Allah, make it easy for her. This can happen at an airport, at a public place, Muslim country, non-Muslim country. Imagine you get into the masjid. Now, if it is a person of the opposite sex, you do not have to tell them that, you know what, I love you for the pleasure of Allah.

But if it's a person of the same sex, it's a sunnah to actually tell them if you can. You know, I recall these people, and it happens a lot of the times, where you have youngsters, they say, they tell some girl, I love you for the pleasure of Allah. Okay. Is that like a password? You know, for the pleasure of Allah. Is the first part of it halal? You know, relax, take it easy.

You can just make dua for them. Allah knows that you care for them, for the pleasure of Allah, and you love them. There's nothing wrong in loving your sisters in Islam for the pleasure of Allah. But there's something wrong in what you do with it.

Proper Understanding of Love for Allah's Sake

If it really is for the pleasure of Allah, you know its limits, you know its lines, you know what to do with it, you know what to say, you know when to say it, you know if you have to say things, how to say them, and so on. I remember I told this one young couple, who said, no, no, no. I said, how did you get to know each other? Interesting question.

No, you know, we were studying together the same year. Oh, mashallah, and you know, she was such a good child. Mashallah, well, you're a child calling her a child as well. That's what it is. But at the same time, how did it develop? Well, I told her that, you know what, I love you for the pleasure of Allah. And that's where it started.

Okay. So, love for the pleasure of Allah became love for my own pleasure. That's what happened. Love for the pleasure of Allah became love for my own pleasure. Make it halal, that will continue love for the pleasure of Allah.

Different Types of Love

You can love your family members for the pleasure of Allah. But Allah has given you a different type of love when it comes to your father and mother. I can love my father for the pleasure of Allah. And I can dislike him for the pleasure of Allah. But I have a different type of a love, a filial love, for example. I have a different type of a love and a connection that is there.

That would make me fulfill his rights, even if he was not a Muslim. Because of Allah. So, when it comes to others, Yes, I love you for the pleasure of Allah. And that's it. Subhanallah. However, you happen to now do business with the person, you happen to now do so much more with the person. No problem.

You still love them for the pleasure of Allah. And you will still guide them. You will still help them. When they guide you, you will take the guidance. You know, if you love someone for the sake of Allah, when they correct you, you take the correction. Because you know, hey, this person told me what's right and wrong. And I need to... This is for the sake of Allah. And when they tell you something, Subhanallah. The other way around, if you were to tell them something, they should be ready to take it. Subhanallah.

Practical Examples of Love for Allah's Sake

So, let's understand. That when you see someone, for example, in the masjid, in the house of Allah, you enter and you see an old man in one corner reading salah. And he's trying, he's in sujood. Don't tell yourself, this man is boasting, he's arrogant, he's showing off. This lady, for example, started wearing this hijab and so on. She just wants to show off. No.

Have a good thought that, look, this person is trying to obey Allah. So, I love them. I mean, I wish I was in that position where I could also read salah in such a way. And at this age, when I am so old like him, perhaps, may Allah grant me the ability to do that.

It encourages us. It motivates us to do good. That's what is the benefit of love in Allah is, it will motivate us and help us collectively to do good and encourage us to head in the right direction.

This is why it is so important. Like I said, when Allah says, you're going to get something big in return for a deed, that deed is something serious. It's not just a minor thing. It has some broad, great benefit. You love for the sake of Allah.

Practical Applications of Love for Allah's Sake

Imagine you're at work and you speak to your colleagues about Allah and about Islam. And they show such a keen interest and suddenly, against all odds, they enter the fold of Islam. Now, when people enter the fold of Islam, for example, they have challenges. What are the challenges? Their family members, their workplace, their dress code, their prayer place, so many other things, their friends.

A lot changes and it changes dramatically and drastically. And many of them have a vacuum that is not filled properly that only Allah can fill because a lot of us take 10 steps back. We're interested in someone reverting and after the reversion, what happened? Well, I don't know. The last I saw them was the day they reverted.

What did you do? You should love them enough for the sake of Allah to follow through, to say subhanallah, they are as clean as ever. I was in Nigeria two days back and there was someone who entered the fold of Islam, a sister. And I told her, I said, you know what, you're cleaner than us who are born Muslimin because your slate and your book is just opened now. So please pray for us.

And she was like, what do you mean? And I had to explain that Islam deletes whatever was before it. If you reverted to Islam, everything bad you did in the past is gone. It's cut. So you've got the best of slates at the moment. And I encourage the brothers and sisters to follow up with them to say, listen, don't just abandon them and leave them.

The Expectation of Reward from Allah

So love for the sake of Allah. You will reach out for the sake of Allah. You will do things for the pleasure of

Allah. You will do things in order to earn a reward from Allah. And I want to clarify one point. I've come across some people, sometimes even wealthy people. They tell you, look, I'm doing this, but I don't want a reward. I don't want acknowledgement. I don't want anything.

What do you mean you don't want a reward? No, I'm just doing it because I've got this money. Who gave you the money to do it? Well, Allah. Well, then Allah wants you to do this expecting a reward from Allah. But I don't understand that. I just want to do it from the goodness of my heart. That heart belongs to Allah. He wants you to do it to earn a reward.

If he wanted, he could have removed you from the equation. He did not need you. So much good is happening without you and me. I mean the floods in Chennai, for example. Who's helping? If you're not helping, no problem. Others are helping. People are helping and assisting. It's not like nobody's going to assist. Everyone's going to sit back and relax and watch it on TV. Even if it means five dollars, two dollars, people are giving. Subhanallah. May Allah make it easy for us. May he grant us goodness.

The Unity of Believers

You love people for the sake of Allah. You reach out to them. You care for them. So much so that the hadith says:

(Sahih Bukhari 481, Sahih Muslim 2585)

The believers are like a building. You know a building? The bricks are all together. Go and see how it is.

And another narration says:

(Sahih Muslim 2586)

Like one body. If a single organ of the body is complaining of pain the entire body is restless and suffers with fever and sleeplessness.

Because it's just one little nail on the baby finger that's affected. What happened? The whole body is affected. Concern. Concern. Your love for someone for the pleasure of Allah would definitely be displayed through concern you have for them as well. May Allah help us and guide us and may we learn to love one another for the sake of Allah.

The Problem of Disunity Over Minor Differences

There is an issue and a problem that we face today. You see someone trying to obey Allah's instruction. The first thing that some people's minds are driven to You don't like the person. You look for a difference between you and them. Don't do that. Don't go out hunting for differences. And don't just dislike

someone because perhaps they read salah slightly different from you or they have their finger in tahiyyat slightly different from yours.

No. That's the devil's plan to make you hate one another. Today one of the biggest reasons that we are being or we are struggling and suffering the way we are is because even those who are like-minded have become disunited over small items. Minor matters, petty things have divided us.

I don't like you brother. Why? Why? Because of the way you have your moustache. It's got nothing to do with you. Come on man. Subhanallah. Did I steal the hair from your face or something? Subhanallah. What a silly, silly example. But that's how petty people have become.

We dislike each other. We look for a reason why we don't like the sister. Okay, the sister for example struggled through her life. You don't know her struggles. And now mashallah she's putting on something. She's trying to cover herself. And you pass a cutting comment and you don't even know. You've just, you know, thrown everything away. At least they're putting on something.

Not everyone's on your level. No, they won't be on your level of piety. And guess what? When you start thinking that you are more pious than them, that's where the problem is. I always say when someone thinks they're holier than you, yes, they're not talking about piety. They're talking about holes. May Allah forgive us. They have holes in their heart. They have holes in their minds. They have holes all over. May Allah not let that happen to us.

The One Who رجل دعته امرأة ذات منصب وجمال فقال إني أخاف الله :Fifth Category Refuses Temptation)

Let's move on. So we spoke about those two who love each other for the sake of Allah, the pleasure of Allah. What brought you together was Allah. Or for example, you tend, there was a link that became strong because of Allah. This person is doing good. This person obeys Allah. This person is trying. This person has quit sin. This person is trying to read salah and so on. And I care for them. I love them for the sake of Allah. Alhamdulillah, beautiful.

Then there is an issue that is of extreme importance. And what I love about this hadith, it is straight to the point. No coverings, no candy coating, no icing. The hadith says:

(Sahih Bukhari 660, Sahih Muslim 1031)

A man who was called to commit adultery or to fornicate by a woman who was so beautiful and she had a high status. Everything was there. Facilitation. There was no way that there was an obstacle between the two except the consciousness of Allah. So the man says, I fear Allah. I won't do this.

And the same applies in the other way. If a man happens to call a woman to commit the same sin and it's all facilitated and the man is a big boss and he's a top person. And for example, he's a good looking guy

as well. And everything is there and it's going to be done in secret. Nobody's going to know. And the woman says, I fear Allah. I'd rather lose my job than to sleep with my boss. Allahu Akbar.

The Directness of the Hadith

The hadith is so direct. Can you believe? So direct. Imagine, if this is the status of a person who turned down an offer only for the sake of Allah. What do you think is the crime of a person who makes the offer? And on the globe at the moment, how much have we heard of women being abused?

They are told, you know what, you have a problem with something. Whether it's your permit, whether it's your something else, your work, your job is at stake. But you know what? If you do me a sexual favor, I get it done for you. As easy as that. The choice is yours. Now you can walk out of that door.

And the woman is crying and she's literally depressed. How can this have happened? This man, I've respected him. He has respect. He enjoys it in society. He's the boss. If he wants, he can sign it. But he wants something dirty from me to take my honor, my dignity.

Allah says, if you say no, you will be a VIP on the day of judgment. Now, do you know why you deserve it? You might have lost your job. You might have lost your status. You might have had your permit revoked. You might have had everything. Allah says, I'm watching. That was your one ticket to jannah. Allahu Akbar.

The Reality of Modern Temptations

And I'm quite sure this problem is becoming more and more common because we are living in an immoral, indecent world at the moment, which is becoming more and more immoral and indecent. Didn't I tell you the hadith was straight to the point? We could say blunt, which means, you know, it just came straight. Brothers and sisters, fear Allah.

Those who are calling towards this, what will you get from a moment of pleasure? Dishonoring a female or the other way around. This hadith speaks about a man saying no. Someone might ask, why? Why didn't the hadith say the woman saying no? I tell you why.

Women will generally, in fact, for a man when everything is facilitated, it becomes difficult to say no. People know women would probably hold back. A man, he's a man. He'll say yes, why not? It's all facilitated. He needs more power to say no than a woman. A woman by nature, she wouldn't move into this type of immorality so quickly.

With a man, you and I know it's different. That's why the women say, those are men. You know, they look at you and they keep on looking at you. And the man's got a beard to the ground. And he's still looking at you. And then he gives you evidence from the hadith to prove that his look is okay. It's still the first look. How dare you?

Number one is you're doing wrong. Number two is you're embarrassing the people. And number three is you want to present your religious evidence to suit what you've just done now. Astaghfirullah.

The Problem of Misusing Religious Excuses

You know, I was in Nigeria two days ago and we sat with some of the panelists and one of them, a local Nigerian sheikh, and he was speaking about how when something comes on your screen as you are on your phone or laptop and it happens to be haram, you know, you have a nude image, you have someone you're not supposed to be looking at.

So what are you supposed to do? He said, look, the first glance is yours, which means you can... How did you know it was bad? Because you looked at it and said astaghfirullah. I either changed the page or did something. But he says nowadays they say astaghfirullah. Look at this. Astaghfirullah. Hey, guy, check this.

Now, look, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Look at what they've got here, guys, you know. And you spent 20 minutes saying astaghfirullah. You've defeated the purpose. Wallahi, that's the reality. It's happening.

You saw it, delete it and carry on. Don't infest your mind with it. And don't use a religious excuse and keep on uttering Allah's name and keep on looking at that. That's blasphemy, man. That's insulting Allah. It's a reality. People are doing it. That's why I'm talking about it. I found it really funny when he said it. So I'm sharing it with you today.

The Promise of Forgiveness

So this is the thing. If you can hold yourself back, control yourself, your sexual desires. Control them. It's a direct indication, direct instruction to say control yourself. Now people might say, you know what, I've fallen in the past.

Well, go back to the Quran and the sunnah of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and you will find narrations that make it clear that you can still be forgiven.

Those who have committed immorality, adultery, fornication, whatever other immorality it is. Those who have oppressed themselves in one way or another and then remember Allah and that leads them to seeking Allah's forgiveness.

The rest of the verses say Allah will forgive them. Who is going to forgive them besides Allah? Who forgives sins besides Allah? So then Allah says:

For them there will be forgiveness from their Lord and there will be gardens of paradise.

Who are those? Those who committed the sin, they committed adultery, they committed fornication, they committed so many different types of immoral deeds but they turned to Allah, they sought forgiveness, they came back to Allah, they asked His forgiveness. Allah says we will forgive them and grant them paradise still. Wow!

The Hope in Allah's Mercy

Didn't I start off by saying have hope in the mercy of Allah? Shaytan comes to you and makes you depressed even after you've asked Allah's forgiveness and Shaytan comes to make you ask yourself will I ever be forgiven? The answer is you've already been forgiven perhaps by Allah. Why depress yourself? Move on!

Don't let the past bog you down with regret that leads to depression. No! You regret in order to repent. You don't regret in order to become depressed. You have to carry on with your life. None of us seated here can say we are perfect, we haven't sinned. Yes, the nature of sin differs from person to person but those warm tears that roll down the cheeks seeking the forgiveness of Allah, that's what will earn you jannah and paradise and the pleasure of Allah.

So take it easy. Turn to Allah, ask His forgiveness and remember always control yourself. Try your best. Wherever you faulted, turn back to Allah quickly.

The Progression of Sin

It starts off sometimes by a mere message. The message is either on WhatsApp or perhaps BBM or maybe social media, a little DM on Instagram or something and then it goes further and it goes further and further until Shaytan makes sure that he gets you exactly where he wants to get you.

Well, I tell you if you have already fallen, come out of it. You can snap out of it, come out of it for the sake of Allah. And if you're a man and you'd like to get it halal, trust me there are ways of getting it halal. You have no excuse in front of Allah, nothing whatsoever. Allah says I made it simple for you and easy for you to get it done legitimately, legally. You chose the devil's way. Why? May Allah strengthen us all.

May Allah help us honor one another. I told you this applies both ways, male to female and female to male. The reason why the hadith makes mention of one is obviously for reasons. There are reasons I've mentioned some of them. It doesn't mean the other is not included.

The Reward for Self-Control

Then the same narration continues. Like I said, such a person deserves a VIP status. You have held back something that was really you were able to do. Your whole body wanted it. Your mind wanted it. Your heart wanted it. There was nothing stopping you. And you just said, you know what? I can't do this. I just can't do this. I fear Allah.

You deserve the VIP status on the day of judgment. May Allah help us.

Sixth Category: رَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ فَأَخْفَاهَا (The Secret Charity Giver)

Then the narration continues and the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) says:

(Sahih Bukhari 660, Sahih Muslim 1031)

A person who spends in the cause of Allah. They are charitable. They give and they hide their charity in a way that the left hand does not know what the right hand has given. For them, we will also give them a special shade.

Look, it's getting easier, isn't it? We started off with الإِمَامُ العَادِلُ Imam Adil to give a charity and to be secretive about it. No one knows.

The Human Desire for Recognition

Because when you give wealth, you want acknowledgement. It comes naturally sometimes. And sometimes you say, No, no, no, I don't want acknowledgement. Please, don't tell anyone anything. Okay, okay, fine. But can we mention your name in the vote of thanks? Okay, that's fine.

Well, there we are. Vote of thanks. We want to thank. If the vote of thanks came without you saying anything, no problem. But you should have gone out of your way to say, Listen, I'm donating 3 million here. And I don't even want to know. In fact, you can send someone else to donate the 3 million. Is that okay? Make sure he did it. Because sometimes in the way, it might disappear.

Imagine a person wants to donate a huge amount and you don't even know it was them. And they keep on coming and greeting you. And you keep on treating them the way you treat the rest of the Muslims.

Don't Underestimate Anyone

This is why do not underestimate who's seated right next to you right now. Including you guys here. Mashallah. There are VIPs in the eyes of Allah who might be sitting right next to you. And you don't know you treat them in a way. Oh, this guy's complexion is darker than mine. This guy looks poorer than mine. Oh, he's smelling of perspiration when I've got the latest boss perfume. What?

That's not the height in the eyes of Allah. This person could be closer to Allah than you can imagine. They are owed a beautiful greeting with a beautiful smile. Even the sisters amongst yourselves. Sometimes there's a lot of arrogance. You see a person of a different nationality. You see a person who might not be exactly like you. No greeting, no salam, no kalam.

We went to a proper Islamic talk. Get to know those seated next to you in a beautiful way. Greet, smile, make the people feel good. They will want to come next time because they will say, Wow, we enjoyed ourselves. But you go there and you sit and you move away. Why? Because the person next to you perhaps comes from some other part of the world that you don't consider as heighty tighty as yours.

You're a Muslim. You should be feeling this. Why do we want to become higher than others? For what? Like I said, you don't know who's next to you. Perhaps one day you may need them in this world before the next by the will of Allah.

An Example of Unexpected Help

Imagine if there was a huge accident and the person who was sitting right next to you says, Sister, it's you. And you look at them and you think to yourself, Wow, this was the sister I refused to greet. I refused. But she's so kind. She still helped me. She still continued. Now we became friends. Why? Because she helped you. Let it be for the sake of Allah from the beginning. That's what it is.

Learn to greet one another. Don't be arrogant. And you know what? If someone is asking you something that you cannot deliver, tell them, I can't deliver this. I cannot deliver this. But let it happen. For example, someone says, brother, will you visit me at my home? Look, I can't. I'm so sorry. I can't. I love you, but I can't visit you.

You know, can you give me please five minutes of your time? You know what? I can give you a few seconds. Because if I could give everyone five minutes, you have to be honest. You have to be open. And if they think about it, they will understand. They will know that, yes, there are limitations.

The Problem of Taking Advantage

The problem is, and like I've done this in one of the masajid once, where I asked them to greet one another, to get to know one another, perhaps, you know, the brothers, to exchange details of what you're doing and so on. And one of them came back to me and said, please, Sheikh, don't ever do that again. And I said, why?

He says, I got so many Muslims coming to my business now that they know what I'm doing, begging for discounts. It's embarrassing me, man. Is that what we said get to know each other for? Don't just look at your own benefit. I'm there and I ask you, brother, where do you work? I'm the CEO of this company. Oh, Allah sent you here, man. Allahu Akbar.

They won't come next time because they're going to think to themselves, you know, I'm sure there are really important people sitting in our midst quietly. I'm convinced they are. Even among the sisters. I'm convinced there are really important people seated around. You all are important, but perhaps some people who have gone out of their way to be here. I acknowledge that. May Allah bless you. May Allah grant you the best of this world and the next.

The Importance of Giving for Allah's Sake

This is what makes the ummah. People don't know that what you've done in order to be here, for example. Subhanallah. This is why we say when you give, when you do, you don't have to brag about it. I tell you. There was someone who did something for me, for me. And every time he reminds me, he says, you know what, don't forget I did this.

I tell him, you know what, brother, I'll calculate the amount and I'll give it back to you. What do you mean? I said, I don't want you to talk about that. And to be honest, later on, I actually took that amount and gave it to a charity and told him, listen, your amount, I've given it to the charity. I'm telling you about my own example. And I did it in a nice way because it became too much.

You want to do something for someone, do it for the sake of Allah, not to get, you know, to brag about it for the rest of your life. You know, remember, you're here because of me. Remember that. What are you talking about? It's Allah. Yes, I might acknowledge. I'm not saying don't thank people. No, thank them. But the giver is who we are speaking about today.

The giver should be one who does not want to clock mileage out of his giving besides the pleasure of Allah. No mileage at all. You don't know. I was at a Quran competition in Johannesburg some time back and someone who was watching from overseas happened to say that, you know what? I want to donate an umrah for the person who wins. And so much and so much for all these and an extra amount of cash for all these people.

Who is it? Anonymous. Who's this anonymous sister? It's good sometimes to say brother or sister because sisters can also be encouraged. Anonymous sister donating huge amounts. Who is she? No one has a clue. Well, one or two people might know who might be, you know, have collected the thing. She doesn't want to clock mileage. She did it from one part of the world to people in another part of the world whom she probably will never ever meet. But it was for the sake of Allah.

Examples of Humility

This is just an example. Are you ready? You build an institution and you don't say it's my institute. You build a masjid, you don't say my mosque. I put the money. No, it's for Allah. May Allah help us.

So you want a special status? You've got to fight that human desire of wanting to be known as a big boss. Subhanallah. I've known some really, really important people who have taught me some huge lessons. I knew a sheikh called Sheikh Salih al-Husayn. Rahmatullahi alayhi. He passed away.

He was responsible of the harameen. He was the head of the harameen. He wore slippers worth 10 riyals. He never had a car. He used to catch a taxi. And you wouldn't even guess it was him. Yes, when he had to rise to the occasion, he did. But I asked him personally, why don't you have a car?

He says, ya wallahi, you know, he spoke in Arabic saying, you know my son, if I have a car, I need to worry about parking, I need to worry about this, I need to worry about that. There's so many things on my head. You jump anywhere. My street has so many taxis. I jump in, 10 riyal, 20 riyal, I'm where I want to be. And I don't need to worry. I just jump out and I'm there.

And I'm thinking, wow. We all want cars. We want a vehicle. I just earned my first few thousand. First thing, Kia, the cheapest car. Allahu Akbar. Sorry, no offense to those who work for Kia or who might be there. It's a lovely car actually. Although I've never driven one or never driven in one. But I'm sure it's okay. At least a lot of people do.

But the point I'm raising is something else. It's to show simplicity. The man taught me a lesson. And I'm talking about him because he's passed away. Allah give him Jannah. He won the King Faisal Award. For how? He won so many awards in his life. Humble man. Sheikh Salih Al-Hussein. Those of you who might know a little bit of Arabic, go and Google. Check some of his clips. Look at the simplicity of the man.

You won't believe that he was a minister at one stage in Saudi Arabia. And later on, he became Shu'ul al-Haramain. He was the one who selected all of the Imams. Or part of the procedure or the process. Powerful man. But he was humble.

The Problem of Extravagance

Some of us don't even have one-tenth or one-twentieth of a position of some of those people. And we want to lead a life full of extravagance, bigger than anyone else. We will hire vehicles to make like we're the biggest bosses. Because you know why? They say in Dubai, it's who you are. You got to pretend to be who you are not in order to be said hello to. Come on. What type of a trend is that? I hope that's not true. May Allah bless us. May He strengthen us.

The Meaning of the Hadith About Hands

Give things for the sake of Allah. Give things without wanting to be known. So this is the hadith. And the hadith beautifully makes mention of the hands here. That the left hand does not know what the right hand will spend. And one of the reasons is it is a sunnah to use the right hand to do good things. So when you're giving a donation, try to give even if it's a little person on the street or some box you're putting it into. Try to use that right hand to put it in.

And we would have derived that even from this beautiful hadith among many other narrations of Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ).

Seventh Category: رَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِياً فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ (The One Who Remembers Allah Alone)

The last one is probably one where we all become hopeful. We roar into life once again of mercy. You know, we mentioned all these people who are going to get a special place on the day of judgment, right? And sometimes we might still be feeling I wonder if I'm going to fall into one of these categories. I wonder if I'm going to fall into one of these categories. But I tell you the last one will make us all think Inshallah, we will. Inshallah, we will.

What's the last one?

(Sahih Bukhari 660, Sahih Muslim 1031)

A man and a woman is included in it. You know, the Arabic language, obviously, there's something known as Taghlib. Sometimes one is made mention of which includes the other. It's linguistic. I'm not going to go into it, but it includes a female.

A man or a woman who remembers Allah all alone and their eyes are filled with tears. Subhanallah.

The Beauty of Private Tears

Doesn't it happen to you and I sometimes? We sit and we're thinking of Allah. We're thinking of something and the greatness of Allah and what Allah has done or even just the tests of Allah and so much and suddenly we're just crying. Crying to who? Just my tears just came in because of Allah. I'm just crying.

Allah is so merciful, so great. Allah has kept us going. Oh, Allah is testing me with so much. Allahu Akbar. And we're crying. These tears are loved by Allah. Really loved by Allah.

A person who's committed sin, for example, and suddenly somehow they just cry to Allah. Sometimes they burst out. The Hadith doesn't even speak about the tear dropping down. It says your eyes were filled with the tears. A person whose eyes were filled with the tears or perhaps overflowed with the tears.

So this is Allah and this is the gift of Allah. How beautiful a gift.

Conclusion and Final Reminders

Thank Allah, my beloved brothers and sisters. We've indeed had a lot that we've spoken about this evening. I'm sure we fit in. And I'm sure we've learned a lot of lessons. I hope and I pray that each one of us can develop to become better people this evening. Promise yourself. I promise myself that I will try my best to be a better person from now.

And I usually say don't say from tomorrow morning, from the new year, from here. That's all a waste of time. Say from now, everything will change by the will of Allah.

My brothers and sisters, it's been an honor to be speaking to you this evening. And I hope I haven't taken up too much of your time. I actually just spoke until I completed whatever I wanted to say. And at the

same time, the weather has been absolutely awesome. Don't you agree? Alhamdulillah. So to get this type of natural air condition is quite rare in this part of the world except in this season.

So let's make the most of it, inshallah. We hope to see you all again tomorrow, if Allah wills. Until then:

Subhanallah wa bihamdihi, subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdihi, ashhadu an la ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk.

Jazakallah khair sheikh for that wonderful talk. May Allah make us amongst those who will be shaded under his shade on the day of Qiyamah.