Ismail ibn Musa Menk Achieving Inner Peace

Achieving Inner Peace

Mufti Ismail Menk - 19 July 2019

Opening Praise and Declaration

All praise is due to Allah who has guided us to this, and we would not have been guided if Allah had not guided us. And I seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the evil consequences of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, there is none to lead him astray; and whomsoever Allah leads astray, there is none to guide him. And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partners; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, His chosen one and beloved, and the best of His creation. May the blessings and peace of my Lord be upon him, his family, and his noble companions.

Therefore, fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly.

The Essence of Taqwa and Islamic Peace

My brothers and sisters, we should be developing what is known as taqwa or the consciousness of Allah. We should be developing the correct relationship with Allah. We call ourselves Muslim, we follow a religion known as Islam.

If you were to ask people what is the meaning of Islam, they will either tell you it means peace or they will say it means submission. Why is it that many of us are still complaining that the lives we are leading are very far from being peaceful? If we were to look at the issue of peace, we would realize that it is only by going back to the basics that we will be able to achieve that peace. Always remind yourself of the ingredients of peace that are given by Allah.

The Search for True Peace

I am in search of peace and so are you. I would like to see a continuation of the peace that I feel. I would like to see a growth of that peace. I would like to share that peace with others. I would like to see peace not only in this world but in the next as well.

First Pillar: The Declaration of Faith (Shahada)

If you are to look at the first ingredient, the most important ingredient of this peace, it is known as (شَهَادَة - shahada): (أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - ʾan lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu waʾanna muḥammadan rasūlu-llāhi ṣallā-llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam)

As simple as that may sound, it is the cornerstone of achieving inner and outer peace. The meaning of the term (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu) is I will not worship anyone besides Allah. I will only render acts of worship for Allah. I will never ever render any act of worship for anyone besides Allah. That is the meaning of (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu)

Many of us, if I were to ask you, what is the meaning of (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu) We would say, there is none worthy of worship besides Allah. Well, what exactly are you saying? You are saying, I will never render any act of worship to anyone or anything besides Allah. Similarly, when we say (مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - muḥammadun rasūlu-llāhi ṣallā-llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) what we are saying is, I will follow the example and the teachings of Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - ṣallā-llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) because I declare that he is the messenger, the final messenger sent by Allah to us.

This is the cornerstone of peace. It is known as the first pillar of Islam. It's amazing. It is not something that is by the way. It is the most important pillar, the cornerstone. When people enter the fold of Islam, they are told to declare that they will not render any act of worship except for Allah.

They are also told to declare that whatever Muhammad peace be upon him taught them, they will follow to the best of their abilities. This is what is meant by entering the fold of Islam. Once you've entered it, you feel a peace. Because you have a connection with He who made you. When I say (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu) I am saying, there is none worthy of worship besides the one who made me. Besides the one I'm going to return to. He is the only one who is owed worship.

The Five Pillars of Islam

Similarly, if you look at the hadith of Jibreel (عليه السلام - ʿalayhi as-salām), where he came to ask the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā-llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) some questions. And one of them was, ما الإسلام؟ What is Islam? He says:

Islam is to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give zakat, to fast Ramadan, and to make pilgrimage to the House if you are able.

(Sahih Muslim 8)

Second Pillar: Prayer (Salah)

We've spoken about that, the first pillar. The second pillar is, You need to establish your prayer. You need to make sure that you have connected with Allah. You have declared that you will not render any act of worship except for Allah.

Then you need to prove it by engaging in prayer for the sake of Allah. You get up in the morning for the sake of Allah. The beauty and the peace that you will feel when you connect with Allah is unmatched.

Those who believe will achieve the peace and the comfort of the heart through the remembrance of Allah. For it is through the remembrance of Allah that the hearts can attain that peace, that comfort, that tranquility. May Allah grant us an understanding.

The Power of Remembrance and Quran

You want peace? Remember Allah. Open the Quran every morning. Read it. Recite it. Be in the mind frame to sit with the word of Allah, to look into it, to try to understand it. It will calm you down.

If you would like the contentment and the peace, you need to fulfill your prayer. The minimum is the five daily prayers. It's the second pillar of Islam. You are looking for happiness, contentment, sustenance. The owner of sustenance is the one whom you are not even praying to. How do you expect that peace? May Allah strengthen all of us with our prayer. Ameen.

So (إقام الصلاة - iqam as-salah) - You have now established your link with Allah. You pray for Him. But that's not enough. It's not the only pillar. It's not your only duty.

Third Pillar: Zakah (Obligatory Charity)

There is another duty that you have unto Allah. Allah says (إيتاء الزكاة - ʾītāʾ al-zakāh). It's mentioned so many times in the Quran. Did you know that once you declare that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah and that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā-llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) is the final messenger and you pray connecting yourself to Allah, Allah tells you, Now, I want you to share whatever I have given you with others who don't have what you have. Subhanallah.

That is a pillar of Islam and it is one of the ingredients of peace. You want peace. You have to share what Allah gave you with those who don't have it. It's known as (الزكاة - al-zakāh). (الزكاة - al-zakāh) is a duty unto Allah. It is up to Allah. If He wanted, He could have made all of us wealthy. If He wanted, He could have had no one in need of the distribution or the wealth that another has. But it is part of His divine plan.

The Divine Wisdom in Wealth Distribution

He will provide and He wants to see what you do with what He has provided. Are you prepared to share it? If you are, you will achieve peace. Allah says, I created the others. I created those who don't have what you have. And I want you to dig deep in your pockets and to share it with them.

Many of us are selfish. That's why we don't see the peace. That's why we are not at peace. We look at others and we run away. We look at someone in need, we go away. We look at the Muslims, the non-Muslims, they are in need, we go away. What are you going to do with your wealth?

The Reward of Helping Others

You want happiness? Put a smile on the face of others. And see the smile Allah will place in your heart. Amazing. You put a smile on the face of someone, Allah will grant you a smile on the day of judgment. Subhanallah. Why? Because Allah says, If we wanted, we could have given them. But we are giving you so that you can get closer to us. And if you are to receive, you naturally pray for those who have made it easier for you.

(Sahih Muslim 2699)

The hadith says: Whoever is to alleviate the struggling or the suffering of another, Allah will alleviate their struggles on the day of judgment.

Another says, Allah will alleviate their struggles in this world and the next. So reach out to others.

The Practice of Generosity

It's a pillar of Islam. Zakah is a small percentage of your wealth. You can give more than that. The greater or the more you reach out, the greater the peace you will feel. If you want greater peace, learn to reach out to people.

Look at the companions of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā-llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam). In all honesty, they gave 20-50% of their wealth. In some cases we know of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه - raḍiya-llāhu ʿanhu) on a few occasions when he came up with 100% of what he had. No one's asking you for a 100%.

All we are saying, reach out to your neighbor for your own benefit, Muslim or non-Muslim. Reach out to those who are walking around, those in need for your own benefit. It will help you. Because if you don't give, someone else is going to give. Who lost out? You lost out. You want the peace? Together with prayer, you need to give what Allah has given you from it to those who don't have it. And Allah will grant you the peace.

Fourth Pillar: Fasting in Ramadan

Then we have (صوم رمضان - ṣawm ramaḍān) fasting in the month of Ramadan. It creates compassion. It will help you as an individual. The primary aim is to achieve the consciousness of Allah:

In order that you achieve the consciousness of Allah. That's the primary aim. But I tell you my brothers and sisters, as a bonus, your health will improve. You have fasted. As a bonus, your compassion improves. Your connection with Allah improves. So many other things improve. That's amazing.

Allah will grant you peace. You are meant to control your temper. You are meant to develop your character during the month of Ramadan. So you have a right over yourself as well.

Fifth Pillar: Hajj (Pilgrimage)

And the last thing that I'd like to mention is (الحج - al-ḥajj) the pilgrimage, the sacrifice, the struggle for the sake of Allah. Those who can afford it should be going to the house of Allah in Makkah al-Mukarramah.

My brothers and sisters, this is also a house of Allah. Those who frequent the houses of Allah in their own areas, Allah will take them to the ultimate house of Allah on earth, which is at the Kaaba. May Allah take us there.

The Importance of Local Participation

How hypocritical is a person who wants to go for Hajj, they want to go for Umrah, but they don't even make it to their own masajid, in their own areas, in their localities, when this too is a house of Allah. You start off on your local level. Not only should you visit the house of Allah, contribute towards it.

Make sure you've dug deep in your pockets to ensure that the light bill is paid, perhaps by your money. Everything else is done because you have helped contribute, participate, and be a member of the community. Allah will grant you peace.

Conclusion and Final Prayer

May Allah open the doors of peace. May Allah grant us a return back to these basic pillars of Islam. I've addressed them in a very very concise way, in order for us to realize when Allah decided these are pillars of faith.

Wallahi, it is a serious matter. It's not a minor matter. When we say the pillars of Islam, adopt them, follow them, understand them, and you will achieve not only peace in this world, but wallahi, peace in the hereafter as well.

I say this. And I ask Allah to forgive me and you and all Muslims. So forgive him. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.