Ismail ibn Musa Menk A Step Towards Peace

A Step Towards Peace

Mufti Ismail Menk

Opening and Greetings

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Bismillahir rahmanir rahim. Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulullahi wa ala alihi wa ashabihi ajma'in.

All praise is due to Allah. Blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, his household, his family. May Allah bless them, bless every one of us.

And may Allah grant every one of us goodness. And may Allah create ease for us and the entire Ummah, for indeed the Ummah is going through the most trying times of recent history.

The Meaning of Islam and Our Current State

My brothers and sisters in Islam, Islam is a term that is used to refer to the religion that we belong to. It also refers to peace, but we don't have that peace. It also refers to submission, but we don't submit. So we have a problem.

The reason why we have a problem is because I'm a Muslim. Muslim actually means one who submits to Allah, but I don't submit. And I'm searching for peace, because Islam is supposed to give me the peace, but I don't have the peace.

When I say I, I'm referring to generally the trend that we're facing today. So while there are pockets of people who do achieve that peace, and who do have that submission, when we talk to the young and old today, many of them are carrying burdens. These burdens are that of financial issues, social issues, spiritual issues, so many other problems and matters.

Over and above that we have issues that are of a political nature, that we feel so helpless about. Wars across the globe in the name of faith and religion, that we know are not a part of the faith and religion, but rather perhaps political tug of wars, that are taking place such that people's lives are being lost, yet they're supposed to be within peace, within submission.

Identifying the Root Problem

So what is the crisis? I think primarily what we need to understand is, many people would address it in different ways. Each one would start with one thing. We've turned away from Allah. I'm sure you've heard that so much.

It is actually absolutely correct to start that way. My brothers and sisters, we've turned away from Allah.

Now one might say, well how do you say that when we're sitting in the masjid? We're in the house of Allah. Why do you give such a negative sort of an idea to the people, to make them feel like they're bad, or not interested, or couldn't be bothered? No, we are. But you see, at the time of the sahaba radiallahu anhum, to miss one salah was actually impossible, or unthought of, unheard of, unimaginable.

Understanding Our Distance from Allah

Their level of iman and taqwa was way beyond what I can describe. So when I say that we've turned away from Allah, it is relative, in the sense that in our society, the most pious from amongst us may probably still backbite, without really realizing that I've been backbiting. You see? The pious from amongst us, the person who's considered a really holy person, may still possibly use, it's possible, a word or two that is not supposed to be said from a tongue of a mu'min.

You see? They may sometimes hurt someone's feelings, even starting with family members, in a way that if you were really true, you would be living by the hadith, where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, the best from among you are the best to your family members. So what I mean when I say we've turned away from Allah, is we can do much better, and we should be doing much better, much more to get closer to Allah.

Avoiding Spiritual Complacency

Don't let shaitan come to you and I, and make us feel satisfied, that you know what, I'm a good Muslim. Because the day that happens, we stop growing. And by the law of Allah, that he has kept for a Muslim, the two days are not meant to be equal. Today should be better than yesterday, and tomorrow should be better than today.

It's amazing. So, this is why I say, when we have become happy with ourselves, that I'm a good Muslim, we have a lovely masjid, I mean I'm here in Preston, Masjidul Salam. I heard about it, I've never been here, but subhanallah, it's amazing to see how beautiful the house of Allah is.

I'd love to see the beauty of every heart, of every person who comes here, be even more beautiful than the masjid. That's when we will actually be a solid ummah. Right? And inshallah we will get there.

The Power of the Masjid

It's so beautiful to have this feeling, you know, we were driving in from the highway, and I usually have a lot to do, and I had this feeling that subhanallah, we're going to Preston, and I know there are so many people who've been telling me to come here, it's a matter of time, it's not like I don't want to, but sometimes you have one person who cannot manage to get everywhere every time, so you have to prioritize sometimes. And as I came in, and I saw this masjid suddenly, and I was so happy because, wallahi, my brothers and sisters, the masjid has an ambience, and some form of a power, that has an

impact immediately and directly within the hearts of everyone who passes by. Muslim, non-Muslim, whoever it is, it's the house of Allah.

Say what you want, there is a calmness, there is a peace, there is a sense of goodness, yes, those who hate the Muslims unfortunately due to their ignorance of what we are, who we are, and what we stand for, perhaps they might feel for a moment an element of anger upon seeing such a beautiful masjid in the middle of a street in Preston for example, but it's quickly extinguished by the smiles of the people walking in. Subhanallah.

Proper Etiquette When Entering the Masjid

When you come to the masjid, come with a smile. Be happy to go to the masjid. Come early. And I promise you, it will bring you closer to Allah.

Didn't I say we are becoming further away from Allah? One of the things is, give importance to the houses of Allah. And the importance to the house of Allah, yes, from a building perspective it's there. I'm sure there is no masjid in the whole of UK that does not have central heating, right? It's there.

Different levels, mashallah. If you have a masjid of this nature, automatic, mashallah. If you have a masjid of another nature, perhaps it's still the house of Allah, maybe someone needs to turn it on.

How Shaitan Distracts Us

But I tell you, shaitan comes up with the weirdest, the most unthinkable methods of destroying your connection with Allah. And this is where we lose our peace. This is where we become people who forget that submission is prime.

You know, there was a sister who once told me about how when she goes to work, she follows the sunnah of the smile. She works with other sisters, right? A group of sisters, and she was the only Muslim. And she says, every time I enter, even if I have a problem, I have issues, whatever, I just, I have a good expression on my face.

And the non-Muslim sisters were speaking about her that you see she has some beauty that just makes her smile. She's at peace. She's always calm.

And they spoke to her later on about her secret. And she says, this is the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He taught us to have a good expression.

So much so that it alleviates the suffering of those who are really suffering, who behold the smile because they start feeling calm. If you see me sitting in front of you and I'm frowning, and I look, you know, upset, you automatically within yourself, you have a certain, you know, feeling. But if I'm calm and I'm smiling and my expression is good, you feel good.

Overcoming Minor Distractions

So when we are coming to the house of Allah, have a good expression. Even if you have whatever problem you may be facing, it's okay. This is Allah.

We're going to the house of Allah, like I said, and as we enter, don't be distracted. When I walked in, I felt a little bit warm. And I love the cold by the way.

You know, when we come from a warm place, we like the cold. When you come from a cold place, you like the heat. Subhanallah. It's just how Allah has kept us, you know, diversity sometimes. And in order to appreciate the gift of Allah, you know, you go to places, you appreciate the sun. And sometimes you go somewhere and you appreciate the cold.

I was hoping to have got a little bit of the snow that you guys had a few days ago, but unfortunately, we came in and brought the sun from Africa, you know, so mashallah. As we enter, we entered this morning, or just now, I felt the heat. I asked the brothers, what time did we say we were going to start? They said, 11.50. I said, we need to stick to time, inshallah.

Being Considerate of Others' Time

Because people have a reputation. They say when the Imam gets up sometimes, you know, because he's an Imam, because it's Islam, because it's religion, he tends to feel that, I don't care about time, I'll just go. These people are supposed to sit for the sake of Allah.

Well, we also work. That also is an act of worship when we're trying to bring about some sustenance for our family members and for everyone to survive. And you need to be sensitive. Of the fact that people need to get back to work. So I said, we'll stick to the time. That's why I sat for a while before I started. I waited for the 50 to clock in.

But my beloved brothers and sisters, as I walked in, I felt the heat. And I told the Imam, is it hot up there? He says, yeah, it's quite warm. Meaning warm. I said, you know what, is there a way of opening the window or something? He told me, it's automatic. When he said that, I said, leave it.

The reason is, it's got to do with the comfort of the Musallis in general, not just my own comfort. If that's how you want it, that's how it should be. Mashallah.

The Burger Analogy for Delivering Messages

So normally, because when you're speaking, you require energy. That energy makes you break into a sweat. So I said, oh Allah, help me. Because obviously I'm coming here, it's a big responsibility. I need to present a powerful message, even though I might present it as a burger.

What that means is, those of you who might know what I do, when you have a solid message, you have to present it in a way that the patty in the middle is what makes the burger. But the rest of it is just by the way, beautifying it. So you see the cheese dangling, you see the little bit of tomato, some of the lettuce maybe, a bit of the mayonnaise, and you think, wow, what a juicy burger. But you don't know, it's still called a meat burger, or it's called a beef burger. Because of the beef inside it, that's the most important thing. So I might talk to you this way, but trust me, the beef will get through, inshallah. May Allah bless us all.

Treating Everyone as VIPs

So, I thought to myself, I don't want to allow any distraction. I'm in the house of Allah, I need to try and greet people, not just the rich and famous. I actually don't know many people to be honest.

But I was told, you're going to the masjid of the who's who. And to be very honest with you, to me, everyone is a who's who. Everyone is a who's who.

The brothers and whoever else is here, the sisters, those I may know, may not know, because the winner is he, who actually gets jannah. That's the winner. And those who get jannah, subhanAllah, they're the ones whose hearts are being worked upon by themselves every day.

No matter what you have, who you are, you need to make sure you clean your heart, you have the best relationship, starting with those within your house. And then go further, and you will achieve the peace in the dunya and the akhirah.

Recognizing Shaitan's Tactics

So subhanAllah, I thought to myself, I won't allow a distraction. I'm here for the sake of Allah. Smile, greet the people. These are all brothers and sisters coming as guests of Allah.

So you're all VIPs for me. But the point I want to raise is, shaytan comes about and starts making you think, you know what, you need to open that window. Trust me, he came to me as soon as I entered the masjid here.

And he made me think window. I even told the imam, window. Then I said, uh-uh, wait, stop. Don't let it happen. It's not about you. It's about the rest of the musallis.

And normally when you have a beautiful masjid, you always have a few people who like to say, you know what, the sound is this, the window is that, the light is this, the time is this, the length is this. All those are distractions. If you have a very positive input, write it down, speak to some of the individuals once or twice, and drop it.

You did it for the sake of Allah. And you know what, it may not happen how you want it, in order for Allah to test you. Do you come for Allah, or for the window? Do you come for Allah, or for a certain purpose of

yours that you didn't manage to get fulfilled?

Lessons from the Incident of Aisha (RA)

You know recently, I'm going to say something that some of you may understand, some of you may not understand. Recently we had a major problem in the ummah. In something. Major problem.

Such a problem that we feel as part of the ummah, that we need to resolve it today, not tomorrow, because it's affecting the entire ummah. And so what happened is, someone met me, and told me, you know, we have this major issue. And I said, I'm aware of it. And I'm making dua. And I have yaqeen in my heart, that Allah will help us to solve this matter. It's a matter of time.

And I gave an example of, the accusation of Aisha radiallahu anha, by some of the munafiqeen, within Madina Munawwara. If Allah wanted, he could have resolved the matter straight away, within split seconds. As soon as the accusation came, the verse would have come down, and Allah would have cleared her name, and everything would have been sorted.

But guess what? He didn't do that. Allah left it. Imagine, As-Siddiqatu bint As-Siddiq radiallahu anhuma. Aisha, the daughter of the most beloved to Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, the one who was the highest from all those to tread this earth, after the prophets of Allah. His name was Abdullah ibn Uthman radiallahu anhu. Also known as Abu Bakr As-Siddiq radiallahu anhu.

He was the greatest, after the prophets of Allah. And his daughter was being accused, and she was the wife of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, Ummul Mu'mineen. She is and was the mother of the believers. All of us look up to her as a mother. And she's being accused.

Do you not think it was very possible for Allah to immediately send down, not just a verse, but punishment to destroy those, or to let them taste a little bit of what they were saying, those who were accusing her. It was possible, but Allah decided, No, we don't want to do this. Why? Because Allah wanted to teach us a lesson, that when something happens, we're going to give you time, in order to drop you into categories of who you really are. It's an examination.

The Response of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (RA)

We taught you not to spread accusation. What are you going to do? It's going to dangle in front of you. You spread the accusation, okay. If that was the case, what did you do? You failed your test.

So Abu Ayyub al-Ansari radiallahu anhu, to this day, we talk about him. Because his name is in the hadith, and in the tafsir of the Quran, where Allah says:

"Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another and say, "This is an obvious falsehood?"

When they heard it, the believing men and believing women should have thought well of themselves and said, "This is an obvious falsehood."

radiallahu anha, they are the ones who thought good about themselves, comparing it to her, and told themselves, if I couldn't do this, she is better than me. And they are the ones who said that this is definitely a lie.

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari radiallahu anhu, his wife actually told him, did you hear what they are saying about Aisha radiallahu anha? Do you know what he said? He said, would you ever do that? She said, impossible. So he says, well she is better than you. Subhanallah, simple, straightforward. So Allah praised him to this day.

Allah's Test Through Trials

So the issue that we have, I said that Allah will bring the people together, in bi-idhnihi, by His will, by His mercy, by His power. In the interim, we will find out within our hearts, were we working for Allah, or were we working for a small group of people? Powerful.

Someone enters your masjid, you kick him out. What happened? You just proved it's not for Allah. It's for something else. It's for a different agenda. If a person who is sinful, walks into the masjid, wanting to seek the mercy of Allah, the goodness of Allah, is he not welcome? He is welcome. Subhanallah.

So the point I am raising is, we allow shaitan to distract us, so we become distant from Allah, and closer to what is known as ghairullah. Everything besides Allah.

Recognizing Allah as the Source

I am closer to my power, my position, my authority, my wealth, my whatever else it may be, my health, my good looks, my, you know, the reputation, the fame. All that is going to diminish, it's going to dwindle. The only thing that will be of assistance, for your inner peace in this world, and the next is your closeness to Allah.

And in order to be close to Allah, you need to understand a few primary things. Number one, worship Allah alone. And don't forget that He gave you whatever you are. He gave you who you are. That's what He did. He made you right at the beginning.

You know people say, I'm a clever man, I got a business, I did well, you know. So if that doing well brings you closer to Allah, you have achieved indeed. Good news to you.

But if it drifts you from Allah, it means you don't understand the one who gave you the brain, the one who put you in the right place at the right time, was Allah. None other than Allah. Look at Qarun.

"He said, “I was only given it because of knowledge I have.”

"He said, 'I was only given it because of knowledge I have.'"

That was his crime. When he achieved whatever he had, he says, you know what, I got this because of my own wit. I was intelligent, I was sharp, my brain, myself.

And Allah says, does he not know? Subhanallah. It's Allah who gave him the brain in the first place. If Allah wanted, he could have paralyzed him, he could have done whatever to him, and he wouldn't have had.

So Allah says, when we've given you, it's always a test, in order to see who from amongst you recognizes where the source was and appreciates it. So recognize it's from Allah.

Our Complete Dependence on Allah

So number one, we worship Allah to show that we are thankful to Allah, we are subservient, we are absolutely dependent upon Allah.

"O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy."

O people, you are absolutely dependent upon Allah for every single thing. And indeed Allah is totally independent from you and does not need you for anything whatsoever.

And he continues in the next verse in surah Fatir, and Allah says:

"If He wills, He can do away with you and bring forth a new creation. And that is not difficult for Allah."

If Allah wants, he can delete you, and bring someone else, and that is not difficult for Allah. Amazing. How many people have gotten to the top, and Allah dropped them so badly from there, that we feel embarrassed to even mention their names.

May Allah grant them ease and goodness, whoever they are across the globe, those we know and those we don't know, but may Allah not do that to us. Ameen.

Learning from the Stories in the Quran

How many people we have seen examples from the Quran, and Allah gives examples of people we've never known, but we believe because it's in the Quran, and then there are examples of people we know of as well.

Why? Not for us to sit and laugh at them, and to sit and make a mockery of them, but Allah says, and it's amazing. Allah tells us, that it is only in order for you to learn a lesson. That's it.

"There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding."

Indeed, in all the stories that we have told you, there are lessons in them for those who have sound intellect, and that's it. So if you have derived the lesson from what's going on around you, and from the stories that Allah has made mention of, then what have we gained? Nothing. So don't be distracted.

Gratitude for Being Part of the Ummah

Number one, show thanks and gratitude to Allah for who you are, for what you have. The biggest gift is Iman. We say that. The biggest gift is the fact that we are part of the Ummah of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. We say that, we know that, but do we practice upon it? I need to become a better person. I have to get closer to Allah.

My salah must be fulfilled because I want to fulfill it, not because I have to fulfill it. There is a difference between the two. When you do something because you have to, you want to just get done with it.

The Problem with Rushing Through Salah

Many of us, myself included, sometimes salah, we say, let me quickly read my salah. That word quickly was actually an insult. You might not have thought about it. Insult to who? To yourself. Why? Because I'm guilty as well. Sometimes you're in a rush.

You say, brother, let me quickly make my two rakat. Do you realize that word quickly was ingratitude to Allah? Salah, you should be honored to say, brother, sit, relax. I'm going to be fulfilling my salah.

And then you don't make it wait purposely. Like, you know, someone starts reading the whole of Surah Al-Baqarah. No, relax. But what I mean is, fulfill it in the best possible way for the sake of Allah. Don't rush. That might just be your last ever salah.

And not only did you utter the word quickly for it, that I just want to get done with it. Like it's something you really don't want to do, but you have to. You're being forced by Allah.

And it could be, over and above that, such that you rushed through it as well. So you said the word quickly and you rushed, and that was your last prayer. So everyone says, You heard that? Wallahi, that's a very good death.

But only Allah knows whether that salah was accepted or not. You see my point? That's why we say it's a very good death. May Allah give us death in salah. Say Ameen.

A Story About Salah

Now, if that Ameen was real, then you and I need to take our time in salah. Because I remember,

youngster, this is a true story. When we said, may Allah grant us death in salah. So I didn't hear a loud Ameen. So I told the guy, say Ameen. So everyone says Ameen loudly.

Later on, I found that someone was telling me, Oh, you know, please can you talk to my son because he doesn't really read salah and so on. So I said, you know, son, did you hear what I said earlier? He said, yeah, the Ameen was too soft. So you said we should say it louder. So I said, did you say it? He said, yeah. Do you mean it? He said, yeah, may Allah give us death in salah.

So I said, so son, if you're not going to read salah, then, he said, then I won't die so quickly. You see how they look at it? Subhanallah, subhanallah.

We're trying to tell him, if you're not going to read salah, then how are you going to die in salah? And his mind is, well, if I want to die in salah and Allah has accepted me to die in salah, let me not read it right now, so I know I'm not dying, you know. I'll do it one day when I'm ready. No, that's the attitude. People wait until they grow old and every bone start aching and they say, let's read salah.

You're lucky that Allah gave you the chance to get to that position because that's the mercy of Allah. But not everyone has the guarantee to get there. So we need to get closer to Allah.

True Remembrance of Allah

Trust me.

"Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured."

Those who believe, they achieve the calmness of their hearts through the remembrance of Allah. For in the remembrance of Allah that the true believers would actually achieve the peace of the heart, the comfort of the heart.

We don't remember Allah. We don't. When I say we don't, I'm talking about myself included. We can do better. Because wallahi, I can explain something else to you. We come and do salah, we come into the masjid, just as a formality to get it done with.

Jummah, I need to be there. Was your heart there? Were you looking forward to the house of Allah? Were you looking forward to sit there? Were you looking forward to pick up a Quran, a mushaf, and to actually open it and read one passage, one verse, and to feel good about it, to check its meaning? Or were you gonna come here and start looking, that uncle looks arrogant. That guy there, you see that guy? You know how bad he is.

And all those distractions that shaitan causes within us, that happens. So, I can do better.

Quality Over Quantity in Worship

Give you another example. After salah, there are some adhkar that are sunnah. So, we know the sunnah adhkar. After salah, you say 33, subhanallah, etc, etc. It's a hadith. Also, we have ayatul kursi, we have a few other things that are sunnah.

A lot of the times, and may Allah grant me the ability to improve myself, to begin with. We do this, but we don't think about it properly. We get it done with. So, mashallah, we're sitting there with a little counter. Nowadays, people have all sorts. You know, you count on your fingers, it's the sunnah. But some people have a different type of a counter, they might want to count.

And that's it. What happened? And it just goes, it becomes a sound. And what did you do? To you, you said subhanallah 33 times, not realizing that in actual fact, you needed it, not Allah.

No matter how much we praise Allah, it will not increase His value. Because He is ultimately, totally independent of anything and everything we do. It will increase our value.

That's the amazing relationship with Allah. You want to increase your value, praise Allah. Not to increase His value, to increase yours. You want to increase your value, send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Your value will increase, not his.

Those who have mocked about Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), it only reduced them in value, not him. Allah says to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), We have protected you, your reputation, and everything surrounding you, totally and completely from being affected or impacted by the mockery of those who want to mock. Allah says that.

Whoever did whatever, did it reduce the value of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم)? If anything, it increased him in value, subhanallah. It's not connected to you and me. It's my value. When I praise Allah, that will be increased. So do it properly.

I'd rather someone do less with concentration, than do a lot just for the sake of getting it done. No. The challenge is not necessarily quantity, but it is quality.

The Purpose of Life

Listen to the verse. Allah says in Surah Al-Mulk, right at the beginning.

"[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed"

It is Allah who created death and life in order to test all of you, who from amongst you has better deeds. He didn't say more deeds. Why more? More in quantity, you might get more. But what was the quality of it?

So, this is why I started off by speaking about achieving that inner peace. And the fact that we've lost it because we've distanced ourselves from Allah. We need to improve on the quality of our Ibadah.

Loving People in the House of Allah

You come to the house of Allah, be filled with love. And I want to remind myself of a teaching. And perhaps teach it to you at the same time. When you see the different faces of the people around, in the house of Allah for example, ask yourself, do I have a bad feeling in here or a good feeling? Do I love this person for the sake of Allah or am I just filled with hate because of the dunya? I tell you 9 times out of 10 when you don't like someone, it's to do with dunya, not with deen.

You see? I had a small problem with him about what? 100 pounds. Khalas, I hate him. That's what it is. I had a problem with him. Why? You know he was my landlord. He harassed me. Subhanallah. It's all dunya, dunya, dunya. Allah tested you.

Shaytan came to distract you so that you can hate each other. Don't you know the hadith of the one companion who the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, he's from Jannah. And the quality that he had in his heart was that he always removed hatred from his heart for anyone and everyone. Work on it. Learn to love people. Don't hate.

When you hate, you hate a deed that is bad. But the individual you have hope, you love them for the sake of Allah. You want them.

Tests That Reveal Our True Nature

Sometimes Allah creates an issue between people or within a community, society, in order to distinguish whether they are actually for Allah or for something besides Allah. And later on when the problem is resolved, it's only those who made the hugest of issues who would look like fools. May Allah forgive us. May He unite us and grant us the love between us.

So this is connected to the inner peace that we need to achieve. Like I said, you come into the masjid, fill your heart with calmness, with love, with goodness. Don't pick on distractions, you know, the light.

Learning from Hardships in Zimbabwe

I'm very fortunate, I come from Zimbabwe. You might be wondering, what's so fortunate about that? Z is right at the bottom of the alphabet.

Well, trust me, you guys, if you're talking about alphabet, you can either call yourselves from Britain, which is near the top, or from the United Kingdom, which is close to us, mashallah. So basically, that doesn't cut much ice.

But the reason I say this is because while we're talking in Jumu'ah, we can actually lose electricity, power cut, boom. What happens? You've got to raise your voice. You cannot get angry. It's like Allah training you to say, I'm going to make sure the power is cut when you're just delivering the most powerful point to see how you react.

So I cannot get angry and upset. It's not the, what did they call him? The muallim, or the guy in the masjid who is to blame. No, not at all. Subhanallah. It's Allah telling you, lights are gone. What else? Your live stream is cut. What else? Everything is gone. What are you going to do? You have to smile and say, Alhamdulillah, it's the Jumu'ah. That's what we did.

So we have this training where you cannot argue and fight about a fan, because if you're fighting about, turn it on, turn it on, or turn it off, and Allah might decide, we're going to do something that's none of your control, right here, right now, boom. So we're fortunate in that way. We've taken it easy.

Not Getting Distracted by Minor Issues

The difficulty is the more you get, and the more spoilt you become, the more you want to pick on distractions. Something that's totally irrelevant to the house of Allah. And it's such a big point in your heart that you stop coming to the house of Allah.

If you stop coming to the house of Allah because of the light, or the fan, or the window, in that case, your connection was with that object, and not with Allah. That's why Allah tests you. Keep on coming, keep on going.

The Example of Umrah Difficulties

You know, one might argue, recently I was talking to someone who told me, that it's become very difficult to go for Umrah. And I said, what are you going to do about it? So the brother actually said, I'll prefer to take my children on a holiday to a destination, and he mentioned the destination, I don't want to say it, okay?

I told him, brother, Allah has blessed you with wealth, and so what? Subhanallah. So what? It's you who's going to keep away from Masjidul Haram.

We all know there have been changes, and so on, things we can do nothing about at times, but does that mean now stop going? I've heard of people saying, boycott this, boycott the Masjidul Haram, or boycott Mecca and Medina. For what?

You know, you might want to boycott everything else for every other reason, but I think it's Allah telling you, you're not welcome here. We are putting the politics and everything on one side, and we are saying, our heart is just connected to the Kaaba, and to Masjidul Haram in Medina Munawwara, Masjidul Nabawi.

Our heart is connected. The most blessed of blessed is resting there. Subhanallah. And we're busy saying, don't go. The reason I raise this is, I'm hearing people say this, it's actually, what will it result in? It will result in your distance from Allah, not anything else. This is something that's more important.

It's like for example, telling someone just boycott this Masjid, for example. If that is the Masjid in the locality, etc., for what? Leave it. Don't say that. In fact, the example I gave you is even worse.

Changing Our Perspective on Difficulties

And I can tell you something very interesting. A few years ago, someone told me that they're charging X amount for a person who wants to go for Umrah more than once in a certain time frame.

And I said, brother, you know what? If you notice the work within the Haramain of extension has stopped. This was at the time, right? So perhaps they need some money to continue. So your intention should be, Oh Allah, I'm paying this. It's my contribution towards the construction of Masjidul Haram. Write it and accept it from me. It's your intention.

I gave it. It might be in the form of a visa, but guess what? The work will start a little bit later because they needed the money. For some reason, they need the money.

He says, I never looked at it that way. I said, because we've been trained to look at it negatively. Imagine I'm being given an opportunity to give a collection. Masjidul Haram in Mecca. Subhanallah. Wow.

May Allah accept it from us. We'll say no. Then someone says, No, it's the agent who takes the money. Okay, let's not get into those stories. May Allah protect us. May Allah help us not to be distracted.

The Need for Inner Peace

We need peace within our hearts, within our systems. We need peace. And I want to end off with a very very interesting important point. I have about nine minutes to go.

Brothers and sisters, the same way we're looking for inner peace and it will be achieved by getting closeness to Allah and improving your sincerity. And I spoke a little bit about certain matters that would actually make us get closer to Allah in terms of intention and sincerity and goodness and kindness.

Improving Character with Those Around Us

We need the peace also from a different perspective with those around us. And for that, we need to improve our character and conduct with the people we live with. I challenge you all, starting with myself, from this day, ask yourself, how am I with those whom I live with and interact with on a daily basis?

Whether you are a son-in-law or father-in-law, or just a son or a father, or a mother, or the whole women's department. No matter who you are, ask yourself, am I kind, very kind to those whom I live with? Do I speak to them with the most loving words?

Using Kind Words with Family

Because I'm not going to get an opportunity to utter words of love in a halal way, except for those whom I live with. To start with, in most cases, do I use those words? When we say, I love you, and I love you tremendously, and I miss you, and you want to call them my jaan or whatever else, there is only a limited number of people that you can use some of these words with in a halal way. Do you get what I'm saying?

But a lot of the people don't. You clock mileage with Allah when you tell your wife, I love you, you're looking gorgeous, you're so lovely. You just look at her, and just make your eyes expression or whatever else is going to earn that recognition, and then you look away, and you just say, mashallah, you know.

Who else is going to do that, and where else do you have a halal opportunity to do that? The answer is, you know what, very limited, very very limited, and we don't use it there. We'll go elsewhere where it's not supposed to be, and they will say, jaan, and we'll go, whatever else, you know. Jaan, by the way, also means jinn, in the Arabic language, so you better be careful. May Allah grant us ease.

Making Others Happy as Worship

The point I'm raising is we can do more to make others happy who live with us. You know, I always am amazed by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)'s words, because they are unique. He says, you know, to actually instill happiness within the heart of a fellow believer is a huge act of worship.

Amazing. To make someone happy. So say, I see the brother, I don't know him, but I acknowledge him and he feels so happy about it. That was a great act of worship. Just made him feel happy. Something happened.

You know, you're walking out and there's an elderly man reaching out for his shoes, and you say, uncle, hang on, I'll get it for you. You get it, salamu alaikum, and you're smiling at him, and you put the shoes down, and he's so happy. That was an act of worship. Huge. That could be your Jannah, you know.

So what about your own family members inside your house? What about within, like I told you, certain deeds, there are very limited number of people who could actually do it in a halal way, and we don't. We don't think about it.

The Challenge of Kindness at Home

So, I challenge you, with your children, with your spouses, with whoever else is around you, to be the kindest person possible. With the best possible words, and you will be in the company of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) on the day of judgment.

I tell you why. The Sahaba (رضي الله عنهم) asked him, or messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), tell us about the people who will enter Jannah and their qualities. We want to know the qualities that would have made people enter into Jannah. Tell us.

He said, (تَقْوَىٰ اللَّهِ وَحُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ - Taqwa of Allah and good character)." (Tirmidhi)

Simple as that. He says, there are two qualities. People of Jannah, you will find within them two qualities. What are the qualities? Consciousness of Allah, known as taqwa, and the greatness of their character and conduct. Wow.

The Connection Between Worship and Character

Now, if you have a person whose tongue is filthy, and they are reading five salah a day, there's a problem with the salah. Right? Because when you are close to Allah through your salah and your acts of worship, it has a direct impact upon your character and conduct. Direct.

So, the closer you become to Allah through your struggle and striving, I'm fast every other day, I read as much Quran, I do as much dhikr, I'm in the first saf, I make my five salah, I make more than five salah because I get up for tahajjud as well, it should show clearly in your character. Clearly.

You're a softened person, you're loving. When someone goes wrong or does something wrong, you want to correct it in the most beloved way. Think how would the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam do this.

Avoiding Spiritual Pride

If a man as great as Umar ibn al-Khattab radiallahu anhu, used to think that he may just be a hypocrite, how can we just sit calm and think that, you know what, I'm done. I make my salah in the first saf. That guy, he doesn't even make salah.

I know it is something that you need to be happy about, that Allah has given you the acceptance to read salah, but the minute you think that now it makes everybody else bad and you're someone who doesn't need to worry anymore, you've gone wrong. You've gone wrong. This is where your peace goes away.

And then you start hating. Hating people who don't have a beard as long as yours. Hating people perhaps who don't find themselves within the masjid so often as you.

And what does the hate do? Takes away your peace. You're gone. When you don't speak well to the people in your home, what does it do? Takes away your peace.

Understanding Our Attitude Problems

If you have no peace, sometimes it's because of your attitude. If you have no peace and you're struggling, it's because of your attitude. Either your attitude towards Allah we spoke about, or your attitude towards the rest.

Why does Allah connect them? Simple. He connects the two because Allah made you and told you to worship Him. Exactly as He made you, He made billions and trillions of other people.

Recognizing Our Common Humanity

So when you see the non-Muslims for example walking on the street, do you ever think of the fact that that Allah who made you made them? Do you ever think of it? The fact that they are related to you a few generations up, a lot of people don't believe. Wallahi we are. We're related.

You know sometimes as you develop, as we grow and the new generations come along they don't know relatives. I'm one of those guilty. A person will come and say, you know I'm related to you.

And then they explain to me how your uncles, cousins, mothers, sister-in-laws, wives well a sister-in-law can't have a wife, but anyway. However and you're connected somehow. And you say, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.

And you're thinking to yourself, if my father was here, he would have known exactly who this is. Right? It happens because we've become less bothered about relatives. That also is a disease.

Why is it a disease? Because Allah tells you to fulfill the rights of your relatives and you don't even know who they are. So how are you going to fulfill their rights? May Allah forgive me and all of us.

I told you I'm one of those who really, sometimes a person comes to me and says you know what, I'm related to you. And I say, yeah, by the way, Abu Nuh alayhi salam, you're right. We were all connected, you know. Because I start thinking, you know, now these guys are coming with their stories.

But you're wrong. Sometimes you're you're related. And you know what, you're related in a unique way sometimes to a neighbor who might be from a different race altogether. But maybe 15, 20, 30, 50, 100 generations back there was some form of link. There has to have been. And if not, then you definitely do go to Abu Nuh alayhi salam.

The Prophet's Example with Former Enemies

But no. We look at them with the eye of hate sometimes. Look at these guys. What are they doing? No. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he made a clear distinction between a deed that you dislike and another human being.

That's why he continued to make dua for Khalid ibn al-Walid radiallahu anhu, even after the battle of Uhud. And he said in his heart that I am convinced. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told al-Walid ibn al-Walid radiallahu anhu who was the brother of Khalid ibn al-Walid who accepted Islam before Khalid ibn al-Walid radiallahu anhum jamee'an.

And you know that Khalid ibn al-Walid radiallahu anhu he inflicted a lot of damage and harm against the Muslims. And you know what happened? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, A man like Khalid, I am convinced he will not be ignorant of the correctness of this religion of Islam. If you are so intelligent and you study religions, you will come to the conclusion that Islam has the merit.

And a few days later, according to some narrations, here comes Khalid ibn al-Walid radiallahu anhu. So look at how he kept making dua. May Allah make it easy for everyone of us.

Conclusion: Love and Prayer for One Another

We need to pray for one another. We need to love one another. In a nutshell, in conclusion, we spoke about getting closer to Allah, improving our quality of worship and understanding that everything comes from Allah. And secondly, improving our relationship with the rest of the creation of Allah.

Just like you think you are important, trust me, everyone else is also a VIP. Everyone else is important. The smallest person in the dunya terms could be the biggest VIP in the eyes of Allah.

So be careful how you treat people and how you look at them, how you talk to them because that is what will determine whether or not you have that inner peace.

"I say what I have said and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and for you, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad."