Ismail ibn Musa Menk Building Bridges - Fitting In Without Giving In
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-12T06:36:48.964202+00:00 | Topic: Quran
Building Bridges - Fitting In Without Giving In
Opening Recitation
May Allah bless them all, and bless every single one of us.
Personal Reflection on Adaptation
You see a big smile on my face, you must be wondering, what made him suddenly smile? So I can let you know, because I did not give in, but I fitted in, I tell you how. I walked into the masjid, and I know whenever I've come to Sri Lanka, subhanallah, it is very hot and humid, it is different from the weather of where I come from.
So I need to make sure that I am prepared for it. So subhanallah, this year I did not sweat as much as I've sweated the previous years for those who know. But today when I walked in here in this masjid, and I did deliver the jum'ah from the same masjid, and I did not really sweat much.
But when I walked in right now, I felt the heat, intense heat. And mashallah, I noticed two coolers, one to my right here, and one on the minbar. And usually I prefer the coolers to be in front so that they can blow. If they're at the back, they don't help me. The reason is, they will blow my cloak, they will blow the scarf, and I will be pushed towards you, subhanallah. So there was no point.
As soon as I got up, I realized, let me ask for this one to be turned off totally. Because if it is blowing, it's going to blow on my face here, where the scarf will keep on touching my nose, and I will have to keep on pushing it back, and I won't be able to talk to you. But I smiled when I realized the brother cares for me so much, he wanted to turn it on again, subhanallah.
He didn't realize that I asked that it be turned off. But I want to give you good news. When I come, usually the place where I stay, beautiful place, the air conditioning unit is working. The brothers traveling with me would know that this year I'm telling them, switch it off. Turn off the fan. Turn off the air conditioning unit.
Why? There's a reason. I believe that when I get used to the air conditioning unit and the fan, in your country, when I come for the talk, I find it difficult, I'm sweating. Because I'm used to cool weather. But if I've turned it off already in advance, and I've become used to it for a few days, what happens when I stand up in front of you? Even if it's hot, I may sweat, but not as bad as I do always. May Allah make it easy.
The reason I'm telling you this, it's part of the topic.
Global Challenges Facing Muslims
My brothers and sisters across the globe, we find the Muslims are being looked at with the wrong eyes. We do find that. And the reasons, you know. Muslims are being blamed for that which Islam does not teach. But perhaps it could be perpetrated by Muslims. Sometimes it's not perpetrated by Muslims, or it sometimes is done by people who want to spoil the name of Islam, yet themselves they're not Muslim.
And this is why be very careful. When you're on the internet, for example, those who encourage you to join groups that promote terrorism, and that promote the killing of fellow human beings, sometimes they're just people who are trying to lure you into a trap. Sometimes they could be people who are trying to nail the Muslims.
And that's all. So you are busy responding, they are trying to convince you, you don't know, they don't belong to anywhere, besides those who want to tarnish the image of Islam. So what happens, you keep on responding and replying. They keep on replying you, responding, and you find that at the end of the day, they've convinced you to do something unacceptable, and then they nail you. May Allah forgive us. So if you don't know how to use the internet correctly, don't use it. You don't need to use it. May Allah help us.
I started off with this point because it is disaster. Across the globe, we are facing challenges. Our young minds are frustrated, and rightly so. We are all frustrated to a great degree because of what's going on on the globe. We cannot say we're not frustrated. We want to see the killing stop. Everyone, as a human being, if you see killing, you become frustrated. You want to do something about it. You want to stop it. How do I stop it?
So while you're frustrated, don't allow yourself to become part of a bigger problem, instead of part of the solution.
Guidance on Dealing with Chaos and Fitna
Remember this. When there is chaos somewhere, the Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us, if you do not see that clearly, absolutely clearly, what is right and wrong, stay away from it. Stay away from it. You cannot enter into territory that is murky. You don't know. People say, I want to go. I want to go and do what? I want to go and help the oppressed. Do you know who is the oppressed? Or is there just chaos
there? Or will you be able to reach the oppressed? Which side will you be on? Will you be on the side of people who do not have the blood of human beings, the blood of the innocent on their hands?
One might argue rightly, that all the sides are guilty of having blood on their hands. All of them, without exception. All of them have the blood of innocent human beings on their hands. Whether they call it collateral damage, whether they call it whatever, in that case you stay and you pray for them. And you try and help them in a humanitarian way.
It's a hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He says:
(Bukhari hadith 7081, Muslim hadith 2886)
"There will come a time when there will be a fitna. And the one who is sitting down will be better than the one who is standing up. And the one who is standing up will be better than the one who is walking. And the one who is walking will be better than the one taking part in it."
May Allah forgive us. Why? Because of chaos. Because of confusion. Imagine you enter a place and three people, four people are fighting. And each one is trying to hit the other. And you don't know who is the thief from amongst them. You don't know who is the rapist from amongst them. You don't know who is the criminal from amongst them. What are you going to do? Are you just going to side with the guy with the beard? Perhaps he might be the biggest criminal. He may be the rapist. How do you know?
In that case, you don't know. You are confused. You really don't know. You need help to find out what's going on first. And until you don't know absolutely what's going on, you won't even be able to help the person who is struggling. May Allah grant us ease.
The Problem of Giving Up Faith
So, we have problems. Because of this type of a problem, the whole world thinks all of us are bad people. That's the reality. As a result of that, some of us have given up our faith. You know, something happened in America, something happened in France, something happened in Belgium. Bad things have happened in the name of Islam. We are not a party to it. We don't even agree with it.
But at the same time, the Muslims are affected. Sometimes immediately after that, you find the sisters begin to remove their hijab. The scarf is gone. The men, they stop. They shave off their beards if they had one in the first place. And what do they do? Thereafter they stop attending the masjid because they don't want to be seen walking to the masjid.
You start wearing shorts, you know. And you start wearing a t-shirt with pictures of women in front and the back so that you don't recognize yourself as a Muslim.
I promise you, a lot of those who perpetrated crimes in the name of Islam, where they are not a part of Islam. A lot of those who have perpetrated crimes in the name of Islam, yet those crimes are not a part of Islam. They are not a part of the teachings of Islam. Go and study their lives, I have.
The Background of Those Who Commit Crimes in Islam's Name
I have taken the time to go and look who are these people, what's their background. Their background is nightclubs, drinking, womanizing, clubbing, gambling, doing some form of bad, and perhaps the next day, the next week, something later, they perpetrated heinous crimes in the name of you and I who were born Muslim perhaps, or who've been practicing Islam for generations in communities that are really decent. And they have then lured our kids into that type of behavior.
Conned them to say, look, I'm going to do this. But go and study their lives. Sometimes they just turned to Islam recently. Somewhere behind in their history, they were far, far, far astray. People sometimes accept Islam as a revert, and may Allah strengthen them. But sometimes, in that emotional moment, they become more extreme than the people who were born Muslim, and they don't realize and understand that hang on, you've got to learn from the sunnah of Muhammad (peace be upon him). You don't just become extreme overnight.
No, you don't. And you don't even become extreme over a period of time. You've got to understand your limits and your lines. You've got to go and learn the deen.
I remember, someone gave me a story of a person who accepted Islam. And suddenly he came and he said, I want to do this, and I want to do that, and I want to damage this, and I want to go and fight here, and I want to go and kill there, and do this. And that brother says, I told him that, you know what, you're just a revert. Go and learn how to read salah first. Go and learn how to read the Quran.
The Problem of Keyboard Warriors
I have asked people who tell me, you know, who get excited, and they start saying things that are bad. Brother, do you know how to read the Quran? But you have a big mouth, very big mouth. You know, they are keyboard warriors.
You know who are keyboard warriors? They sit on Facebook, and they sit on the internet, and they swear the whole world. They call everyone kafir. They encourage people to kill one another. They encourage the Muslims to kill one another. They encourage Muslims to do bad things against others. Who utter (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ - la ilaha illallah muhammad rasul allah)
And who are they? It's a small boy, a small girl. Someone who can't even get up to save their own life. And they sound so big, like they are a nuclear power, behind the keyboard. And you don't realize, who is this? Who is behind it? It's a nobody. It's someone who can't even read the Quran. They don't know surah al-fatiha. They don't understand the meaning of the words of the Quran.
The Sanctity of Life and Prohibition of Unjust Killing
They don't understand that the hadith of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) and
several other ahadith of Rasulullah (peace be upon him). Even that of Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira (may Allah be pleased with him). So many of these narrations where the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: (أَقَتَلْتَهُ بَعْدَ مَا قَالَ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ؟ هَلَّا شَقَقْتَ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ؟ - 'aqattaltahu ba'da ma qala la 'ilaha 'illa allahu? halla shaqiqta 'an qalbih?) "You killed someone? Did you open his heart to see what was in his heart?" (Bukhari hadith 4269, Muslim hadith 96)
How could you have killed him? So they said, no, he said (لا إله إلا الله - la ilaha illallah) but he was only lying. How do you know he was lying? The minute he says (لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله - la ilaha illallah muhammad rasul allah) that's it. You cannot judge the person.
I'm talking here of inter-Muslim killing, inter-Muslim chaos. People are going out and they are saying, oh, you don't pledge allegiance to this Sheikh, so now we can kill you. Where did you get that from? Where did you get that from? Where did this deviancy come from? May Allah forgive us.
This business of thinking we can kill and we can hurt and we can harm and that one's a kafir and this one is a fajir and that one's a fasiq. Be careful of those statements. They are the root cause of civil war in many countries. Remember this. So watch out. When someone gets up and they say that man's a kafir, he is calling for civil war. That's what he's doing. He's asking for deep problems in the nation. That's what he's doing.
And the others are busy saying, stop fighting, stop killing. And then we say, no, those are deviants. But why? We are saying stop killing, stop fighting. Stop swearing each other. Start helping each other. Reach out to the Muslims, the non-Muslims.
How to Fit In Without Giving In
I'm a Muslim. How do I fit in? I fit in by keeping my identity as intact as possible and still going out to help those who are not Muslim. To show them that I might fit in. I will fit in, but I'm not going to give in.
In order to fit in any nation, you don't have to give your beliefs up. You don't have to give your dress code up. What you want to do, what you believe you'd like to do, you don't have to give that up. You have to go out and help and assist as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did.
And when you go and assist, that is when people will see that this is a sister with a hijab and mashallah, she has taught my children. And she comes out, she speaks with respect. She is honest. She returned the money that we dropped. Or this is a brother. He's wearing his headgear. He was going into the masjid and look, he helped my daughter. My daughter was about to be kidnapped and here he helped her, etc. Whatever else it is. Or the floods happen. Or something disastrous happens. In some countries, there are earthquakes. Some form of a disaster.
And you go out and you help without giving your identity up. In order to show that unity will be in diversity. We are diverse. We are different people. I speak a different language from you. But I love you. I care for you. If something happens to you, I'm there. And I will not impose on you to do something
Religious Freedom and Tolerance
Someone chooses not to be a Muslim. Allah says:
"The truth has come from your Lord. Whoever wants, they should believe. Whoever wants, they can disbelieve."
Whatever action anyone does, they will face the consequences with Allah. Allah says:
"There is no compulsion when it comes to entering the fold Islam."
You cannot force someone to enter Islam. You cannot compel people to enter the fold of Islam. If they want to choose not to enter, they are free to do that. Subhanallah. That's the verse of the Quran. I cannot shove down someone's throat to accept what I believe. It's up to them. They need to answer to Allah. They will give an answer to Allah.
All religions believe. The Christians believe that whoever doesn't take Jesus as their personal savior will go to hell, literally. They believe he has no chance. That doesn't make them extreme people. So when the Muslims say, if you don't believe in Islam, perhaps you won't have a chance in the Akhirah. Well, it's just like what the Jews say as well. That if you are not, if you don't belong to this group, that's it. You have nothing for you in the hereafter.
These are matters of belief. Everyone is free to believe what they want and they are free to propagate it in a beautiful way. It's a human right. That's what it is. If you don't know the human rights, go and find out. Subhanallah. But in the same way, you have the right. They have the right too. It's not just you who has the right. Remember this. Don't feel like you are the only one entitled and that's it.
The Day of Judgment
You are passionate about your belief. You really believe that you will go to Jannah. No problem. You keep on believing that. But you need to understand other people might believe differently. They might believe differently. And they will be as passionate about their belief as you are about yours. That's why Allah has kept a day of judgment. He says, He is the owner of the day of judgment. He's the judge. He will judge between the people.
You believe this, they believe that. You know what? We discussed it. And we did not agree. So now we will go on to the day of judgment and Allah will tell us who was right and wrong. That's what it is.
The Crisis Within the Muslim Community
But we have a crisis. What is the crisis? Inside the Muslims themselves. We already become Allah's.
Astaghfirullah. We become Aliha. We are gods on our own. This man is in Jahannam. That man's no chance. This woman is going straight to hell.
Who are you? The last time someone said that, I told him how do you know that? Are you in there already to find out who's coming in? Are you the gatekeeper of hell that you know what's happening? May Allah forgive us. Be careful of this type of deviance. It is deviance. No matter what they tell you.
Yes, you could believe that what this person is doing is disbelief. You can believe that. But you have no right to go around spreading war amongst people. The Muslims are killing each other. Wallahi. And we need to stop that. We need to stop it.
Learning to Love One Another
How do we stop it? By learning to love one another. Yes, you have your differences. Talk about them. There's no harm. With respect. Speak about what you believe with respect.
Look at the scholars who speak. Take a look at the international orators. Take a look at people in your own community who talk. You will categorize them immediately. This one only talks about other people. And they only swear these people and they only say that one's a kafir, this one's a fasiq, this one's a fajir. But they have no core teachings to teach you. They have nothing to give you. Nothing to offer you.
And another one, he never talks about it. He never talks about others. He talks about what is right and what is wrong. He wants to empower the people to say my brothers, my sisters, become better human beings. Learn to help one another. Learn to reach out to one another.
The Middle Path
So, you need to be intelligent enough to know who is teaching you that which is extreme and who is teaching you that which is acceptable. That which is the middle path. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) says:
"The best of affairs is the middle path." (Bayhaqi hadith 5128)
The middle path. That which is in the center. May Allah protect us from either extreme. Some people are not bothered about the deen at all. That's another extreme. Some people will tell you we don't believe in the sunnah of Muhammad (peace be upon him). That's an extreme. That's the other extreme. May Allah forgive us. And may Allah open our doors. May Allah help us in every way.
Reaching Out to Humanity
Like I say my brothers and sisters, it's important for us to reach out to one another. Those who are seated here and those who might have chosen not to come, no problem. Subhanallah, we still love them. And those who believe something else, they are our brothers and sisters in humanity. They are human beings.
They are. You need to remember that. And a human being is higher than an animal. You need to remember that.
Allah says that sometimes the deeds of some of the human beings are deeds that are done that perhaps might drop them lower than an animal. Like Allah says those who perhaps call out to others besides Allah. Allah says:
"They are like animals or they are like cattle or maybe even worse."
Leave that to Allah. It is the right of Allah to say what He wants. But it's not the right of ourselves to tell someone, you dog and you pig and you so on and so forth in a derogatory manner. No. If that's the case, we will cause problems. May Allah forgive us. May Allah forgive us.
You can express what you believe is right and what you believe is wrong. You have the right to express it. You have the freedom of expression and you speak in a way that is respectful. I can say, my brother, I don't agree with you on this point. You believe this, I don't actually believe that. No problem. I did not give in. But what happened? As a human being, we fit in. Subhanallah, I fitted in.
We Are All One Family
This is my family. You are members of my family from the time of Adam (peace be upon him). Subhanallah. We are all part of one family. So we need to fit in as human beings. We need to fit in in such a way that we look at each other, we compliment each other. I look at you, my brother, I respect you, I love you, I support you, I salute you.
But, if I have two disagreements with you, on those two points, I won't see eye to eye with you. Not on those points. But all the other points, you are my brother. With us, the difficulty is we have one difference of opinion, two differences or three. And that person is like already an animal and worse. And for us, they are not worth living.
Who are you to take that life away? Who are you to propagate that this person needs to die here and now? Who are you to say that? And who are you to do that? Maybe in the court of Allah, it was you who was meant to die. So, leave it to Allah. A person will live. How long will he live for? He will live for 60, 70 years. Subhanallah. After that, he has to die. He's going to die. Why do you want to take him away 20 years earlier? For what? Let him live his life. He's going to go anyway. He's going to answer Allah.
Yes, if a person has perpetrated murder and a crime, then the law will take its course. It will. And then they will be dealt with accordingly in this world. Prior to when they get to the hereafter. Because they perpetrated a heinous crime.
Being a Good Citizen
But we are talking here about fitting in with everyone else. How do I fit in? Yes, I fit in. I talk to people. I
greet the people. I respond to the greetings of the people. I respond. I will smile. I will reach out. I will help. I will contribute to community society. I will contribute to my nation. I will make sure I'm an upright citizen.
Because we all live in different countries. We cannot say, Oh, you know what? I don't need to contribute here because these are not Muslims. How? Well, why are you living here then? Subhanallah. Why are you staying here? You want to live here? You will uphold the law. The reason is, you have to contribute. Whether it's your taxes. Whether it's everything else. And even if it's voluntary. You will contribute.
When the nation is struggling, you will stand up as a citizen of the nation. And you will help and assist. Because that's what it is. Like I've said in my previous talks in this beautiful series known as building bridges. That when calamity strikes, all the lines and barriers drop. You become a human being. Human being. I'm a human being. And so is everyone else.
The Sanctity of Human Life
And the way we say this, my beloved brothers and sisters. When someone is struggling, suffering. Someone's life is at stake. A Muslim is taught to save that life. A Muslim is taught to help save the life. Not to leave it. Not to ask them, Hey, what are you? What's going on? Etc.
As much as I may not be gay. If someone is dying. He's drowning. He's suffering. And he happens to be gay. I will help him to come out. It does not give me the right to kill the man. Just because he's gay. Not at all. Remember this. He's a human being at the end of the day.
And if I was drowning, guess what? He would probably dive in to take me out. Well, I say, no, no, no. Let me dive back because you are gay. Dive back in. Let someone else come. No! You need to think what is being said. I'm not talking from fresh air. I'm giving you sound knowledge to tell you how sacred human life is. Human life is. It is sacred. We need to know this.
I'm speaking from the pulpit of this house of Allah to inform you. To let you know, my brothers and sisters, it's about time we understood how sacred life is.
Dealing with Hatred Positively
And yes, there will be people who hate us. There will be people who dislike us. But we've got to do something positive about it. Don't do something negative about it. What does that mean? Someone hates you. They dislike you. You get up and you say, I hate them. I dislike them as well. I this and I that as well. And you say swear words and everything else in return.
You know what? You've just made the problem bigger. You've just been a part of expanding the problem. You have not been a part of the solution. But if you want to solve that matter and that problem, then my
beloved brothers and sisters, you will understand this person doesn't know what he is saying. This person doesn't understand. Let's educate them.
So you reach out to them somehow. They might not want to listen to you initially. But if you sow the seeds of goodness that tree will grow even after you have passed away.
Staying Strong in Faith
People say, what's going on? What's happening in the world? Look, what's happening in the states. Look what's happening elsewhere. These people, they hate Islam. They hate the Muslims. My brothers and sisters, calm down. Calm down. Seek the help of Allah. Get up. Do your work. Don't give up your iman just because someone said Islam is a bad religion. No. If that's the case, you were never a proper Muslim.
But when you are identified as a Muslim, you will face a little bit of persecution because that the Prophet (peace be upon him) predicted it already. The Quran says:
"You will hear a lot of difficult words, a lot of verbal abuse, a lot of persecution that will come to you from people who belong to other faiths. But if you are patient and if you are God conscious, then that is the best thing you could do."
وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا You need to bear patience no matter what. Allah knows what happened to you is not even a fraction of what happened to Muhammad (peace be upon him). But what did he do? In Ta'if, he raised his hands after he was bleeding. He says:
(Bukhari hadith 3477)
"O Allah, guide my people. They don't know."
They don't know what they are doing. So Allah says, bear patience. You will hear lots of bad words. Don't give up your iman. Bear patience. Still reach out because you want to show you are the bigger person. The iman you follow is far more humanitarian than any other iman.
Muslims as the Greatest Charitable Givers
The Muslims who donate charities are by far the biggest percentage of donors of charities in the whole world. Did you know that? Go and find out. Go and see. Read about it. The Muslims who donate charities are by far the largest percentage of a single group of people who donate charities. That's because your religion has taught you to give. That's why.
So keep giving. And keep giving to the right cause. Make sure your charities are going towards something good. Give those who are trustworthy. And this is how, subhanallah, you will be able to build the bridges. You will be able to live with all those who are your neighbors and so on.
The Rights of Neighbors
You know, it brings me to a point. In Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) says:
بناء علاقات المجتمع
"Jibreel (Gabriel) continued to remind me about being good to my neighbors. Until I thought that perhaps he might tell me, when you die, a share of your inheritance must also go to your neighbor." (Bukhari hadith 6014, Muslim hadith 2624)
Did you hear the hadith? The Prophet (peace be upon him) says, the kindness to your neighbors and the fulfillment of the rights to your neighbors. Jibreel told me that so many times that I thought one day he's going to come to me and say, when you die, a share of your inheritance must go to your neighbors. But he didn't say that yet, meaning it didn't come down.
So, this hadith shows the importance of fulfilling the rights of your neighbors. And who are we talking about? Who are we talking about? A neighbor. The hadith did not say a Muslim. A neighbor. Whether he is a Muslim or not a Muslim, he has rights over you. Did you know that? That's your neighbor.
Why? Because that the neighbor and the other neighbors make up a neighborhood. The neighborhoods make up a community, a society, a little suburb. The suburbs make up a city. The cities make up a country. The country, subhanallah, it will be strengthened if the relationship between the nuclear homes is strong.
But when your relationship with your neighbor is nothing, no, he's not a Muslim, I don't need to know about him. No. Inquire about him. Find out about their health. Find out about their needs. When they're going on holiday, the relationship should be such that they can give you the keys of their house and say, you know what, we're going out for two weeks, please take care of this home.
Wow! Not like nowadays someone does that to you when they come back, the house belongs to someone else. You sold it and you got the money. And everything happened. And you went in and started pinching all the appliances. Wallahi, a Muslim should live such that they trust you so much with their belongings. When they're going, they bring their Ferrari to you and they tell you, look, I'm going to Harar, but you can keep my Ferrari for two weeks. Mashallah. Subhanallah. And when they come back after two weeks, they find it exactly as it was. Not with the tire slashed and everything, the windscreen broken and everything else happened. No! May Allah help us.
This is how we will fit in when we learn to fulfill the Islamic rights that have been delivered to the non-Muslims. They've given to the non-Muslims. And if you look at the Fuqaha, the jurists and how they've explained the rights of the neighbors, they say, if a neighbor is a non-Muslim, he has rights to be fulfilled. If he's a Muslim, he has double rights because one is that of a neighbor and two is the fact that he is your brother in faith over and above being a brother and a sister of yours in humanity. Subhanallah. And if he's a relative, he has three rights. The first of being a neighbor, the second of being a brother in faith, and the third of being related to you. Imagine. It's explained. So at least fulfill the first rights. Take care of them. Look after. Greet.
Building Community Relationships
The neighborhood must be warm. You don't have a neighborhood that is very cold and dry. People walk and go. You know, people who live in high rises, before we used to know who's living on the second floor, third floor, who's living here and there for the right reasons. Not because they have a pretty daughter. No. But for the right reasons. You see, the youngsters know what I'm talking about. You greet the uncle everyday in salah. Not because you want to greet the uncle. You're eyeing his daughter. May Allah forgive us. May Allah forgive us. And the day you hear she's married, you stop greeting the uncle. May Allah forgive us.
So there was a time when we used to know all the people we used to help. The car park and all the common area. The water. The tanks. Because we live in the same building. And we all cooperate. Because when you cooperate, you will be able to lead a peaceful life yourself to begin with.
But nowadays high rise building, you share the same lift. You go in, come out. People are frowning at each other. Each one is on his phone or her phone. Subhanallah. And you didn't know that the girl you are dating online is actually your neighbor. You're in the lift everyday. And you are in the lift saying hi. And she's replying hi. And she doesn't know it's you and you don't know it's her. May Allah forgive us.
The Problem of Social Media Antisocial Behavior
The world has become so anti-social with social media. The world has become so anti-social with social media. And this is why if you want to know how anti-social a person is in real life, you just need to ask them, you have Facebook? They say yes. You have Twitter? Yes. You have Instagram? Yes. You have Google Plus? Yes. You have LinkedIn? Yes. You have WeChat? Yes. What else? Tell me a few things. What? You have Whatsapp? Oh, I can't forget that one, man. You have Whatsapp? Yes. You have Telegram? Yes.
The minute they answer yes for all of those, you must know that there is a problem in the house. There is a problem with the children. There is a problem with the friends. They are very anti-social. They are sitting on the screen.
But when someone visited me today and I asked them, are you on Instagram? They said, no. I said, Alhamdulillah. You don't need to be on it. And I'm sure you have a happier home than others. You don't need to be on it.
Now you might think, hey, you're being a hypocrite because you're on it. If you know how to use it and you are disciplined, by all means, it's a blessing. It's a good way of contacting people. I mean, Whatsapp is a big blessing, but Whatsapp becomes a pain when you go home and instead of hugging your children and kissing your wife and, you know, you're just on Whatsapp. As you enter the door, you bump into them, your head bumps into them and you just say, hey, and you're still on your phone.
How? We've become so anti-social. You see? This is why now when I ask you, are you on Facebook? Please just tell the truth. Don't lie. Just say, yes, unfortunately I am. What I am teaching you is discipline.
I'm not saying give it up. I'm saying, set aside the time. I will check my message from this time to that time. Tell your friends if you urgently need me, phone me. Because I'm not going to be checking my Whatsapp messages throughout the day.
As soon as you hear ting-ting, ants in your pants. You can't sit down. You are scratching where it's itching. You need to pick your phone up and quickly check. Just because ting-ting, that's it. You can't even sit for a second. It's like, revelation came to you from the heavens. Come on. Relax. May Allah forgive us.
Community Participation and Da'wah
Learn to fulfill the rights of others. Do not be anti-social. How can you fit in your society when you have not even thought about them. You don't even greet them. You don't even reach out to them. Subhanallah. They have a meeting in your community to decide law and order or to decide something that affects the entire community. Everyone attends but the Muslims don't attend. Why? That's when people start looking at you and saying, look at these people. They don't want to attend.
Go for the meeting. Go with your identity. Smile at the people. Greet them. Come up with good suggestions. Contribute towards it. Sacrifice a little bit. That is called da'wah. Da'wah actually means fitting in. That's what it means. You fitted in. You presented the deen without even talking to them. Subhanallah.
But we don't participate. Why? These people are not Muslim. Well, when the trouble comes, don't blame me. Blame yourself. Because when days were easy, you did not participate. Participate. Go out. Let them see Allah has blessed you by putting people who belong to a different faith right next to you so that they can see how you live.
Don't become closed such that no one must talk to me. No one must talk to my children. No one must talk to anyone. No. We have to change that. You have to speak.
Changing Perceptions Through Actions
People think you're a terrorist. That's what they think you are. Change it. How are you going to change it? By showing them who you really are. Let them see your salah. When they hear the word Allahu Akbar coming from your house, they mustn't think that house is going to blow up just now. But that's what the media makes them think. Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. We say Allahu Akbar a million times a day. You hear the adhan. How beautiful it sounds. What do you think is going to happen immediately after that? People are going to pray. That's what's going to happen.
So when the non-Muslims hear Allahu Akbar, and they say, don't worry, that's a call to prayer for the Muslims, then you know you've interacted correctly. But you've never told them what you were about. You never shared anything. You've never invited them into your home. No, these people are dirty. They can't come in here. Is your house a masjid or something?
Even in the masjid, the Prophet used to invite the Christians and the Jews and the others. Go and learn about the delegation of Najran. A time of the Prophet. Masjid al-Nabawi. The masjid of the Prophet himself. He called in some of these people in groups. They lived there. They stayed there inside the masjid. Do you know that? Go and read about it in the seerah. The problem is we don't.
So when someone tells us, we look surprised. Hey, I think he's making a mistake. I think maybe he doesn't know what he's talking about. No, I'm giving you facts. That's what it is. But we have become so close that sometimes we are to blame. The bridges are burned by us, not built.
Inter-Muslim Relations
Go out and build these bridges. Reach out to the people. Inter-Muslim reaching out is very important as well. Someone belongs to a different sect. Be careful. How you talk about them. You need to reach out to them. You need to understand they are human beings. You need to understand what you believe. You don't want to compromise it. So learn more about what you believe. You may want to discuss it with them in a respectable way. But that doesn't mean you need to promote the idea of harming them. That's what I'm saying.
Did you hear that? It does not mean you need to promote the idea of harming them. If they are your neighbor, guess what? You still owe them that right of neighborhood. Even though they belong to another sect. Imagine. You owe them the right. You protect the property of your neighbor in his absence. That is a right that you owe your neighbor no matter who he is. Subhanallah.
My brothers and sisters, it's extremely important for us to reiterate and repeat that we need to build bridges. How will we build bridges? By not giving up your identity. You are who you are. You're a Muslim. Be proud of that Islamic identity. There's nothing bad about Islam. We've lived with Islam for years. So many people who are not Muslim, they are entering the fold of Islam every day. No need to give up your faith. No need to give up what you live by. No.
Reaching Out to Benefit Others
But, you need to start looking at the others in a way that you ask yourself, what have I done to benefit those who are not Muslims? What have I done to reach out to them to teach them about the deen? What have I done to help them in their suffering? What have I done? The reason is, when you can answer that question correctly, you will at least soften the hearts of those who dislike Islam and the Muslims. Because now they will know, these people are not actually bad.
I have a neighbor, he's got a long beard. It stretches almost to his navel. But he is such a darling. Wow. He's such a beautiful man. He actually assists and he helps. You might find some of the non-Muslim women saying, I wish I had a husband like this. And you look at the guy and say, what? The guy with the big beard like this? Yes, what a good guy. What a lovely individual.
How did that happen? Because somehow, you reached out to them. You showed them the goodness. They saw it. It doesn't mean you need to give up your faith. No. If you passionately believe something, and you don't need to insult someone else who believes differently.
Practical Examples of Respect
Take a look. I'm going to give you an example. I've given it in the past. I want to give it again. You know the Hindus. They don't eat meat. One example. It's just an example. For you as a Muslim, to go and offer them meat, knowing that they don't eat meat, that is insulting. Don't do that. Build the bridge by respecting the fact that these people don't eat meat. I don't have to think I'm a Muslim, so bugger them, forget about them. Whatever they feel, I don't mind. No. They are human beings. Respect them. Perhaps they will learn to respect you. They will learn to respect you. Because you respected them. You can even talk. I know this is not for you, so I'm sorry.
I remember visiting a certain man. He was an ambassador of a certain country. He was not a Muslim. And I visited him. He invited me to his house. And Wallahi, I will never forget. With me was my father. And I think one of my brothers was also with me. And he said that day that, you know what? In honor of you entering my home, I have removed all the alcohol from my fridges, I have taken the dogs all out, and I have put them right at the back, and I have cleaned this house.
I was thinking, do you think a Muslim would ever do that for a non-Muslim? Do you really think that? Here is an ambassador of a nation. He did not have to do that. He could have had someone come to offer me alcohol. He could have had it. Just to see how I react. He could have had it. But he did not want to insult. He said, I have removed it even from my fridge. Who told you to do that? I was not going to come. Sorry, your excellency, can I please search your fridge, you know, before I enter here. I was not going to do that.
But this is, the man was building bridges. That's what he did. The respect I had for him after that was something else. I knew this man is not a Muslim, but he is bothered about the feelings of the Muslims. How many of you as Muslims would be bothered about the feelings of someone who believes in something else from you? The answer is very few. I can answer on your behalf. Very few.
Learning from the Prophet's Example
Why? We think we are Muslims. That's it. I know we are Muslims. I know we believe we will go to Jannah. And I know we will go to Jannah. But guess what? You have to know on this earth, it doesn't work that way. On this earth, you have to build bridges. Those are human beings. The prophet (peace be upon him), built bridges. That's what he did. And that's how the people saw the beauty of Islam. If they did not enter Islam, the minimum is they stopped hating it. They realized its value. They respect you. You built a bridge.
You went to school. Who taught you? Non-Muslim teachers. Am I right? Have you ever gone back to them, written them a letter to say thank you very much. Today I'm 35 years old. I have a multi-million dollar business. And I always remember that you taught me A, B and C in grade 1. Have you ever done that? The answer is probably no for 90% of us. Why? Oh, they were non-Muslims. But they taught you goodness. And the hadith tells you not to forget goodness done by anyone for you.
I remember I visited one of my teachers who taught me in grade 6. And he was on his deathbed. And he was shocked. He told me, not even my family members have come to visit me. Here you are. And I was old, meaning I was already graduated, qualified and I was into my own business. And I heard he was not well on his deathbed. For your information, he was dying of AIDS. I still went to see him. Why? Building bridges.
The Principle of Doing Good for Allah
You might say, well, that's gonna be a dead bridge. No, not at all. It's the thought that counts. You did it for Allah, not for Him. Do you do good only to those who do good to you? If that's the case, you're not a good Muslim. When you do good to someone, don't do good to someone because they deserve the goodness from you. No!
"Allah loves those who do good."
That is why I'm doing good. I'm doing good to you not because you deserve for me to do good to you. I'm doing good to you because Allah loves those who do good. So I'm doing it for Him so that He loves me. Did you hear how to build a bridge? Allah's teaching you how to build bridges. Allah is telling you, do good to people because I love those who do good. Don't do good to people because they deserve or don't deserve. That's another issue.
When you can do good to someone who does not deserve goodness from you because of how they've harmed you and attacked you and how they've caused loss for you, that is when you earn the love of your maker who made the same person.
Our Common Creator
What do I share in common with the non-Muslims? With anyone who has different inclinations and beliefs from me? What I share in common is the maker who made me, guess what? Whether I like it or not, the exact same maker made him or her. That's what it is. The exact same maker. You look at the people of other faiths in your own nation. What do you have in common with them? A lot. But the strongest point is Allah who you worship, that person was created by the same Allah. That is why they are sacred in terms of their life. The life is sacred because the giver of the life is the exact same giver of your life. Who entitles you to take it away? Who tells you take this life away? How? You follow?
So look at them as family members, my brothers and sisters. From a distance, they are family. At the end of the day we're all from Adam. And Adam is from Turab, from the dust. Subhanallah. If Allah wanted, He
could have created Adam from gold, from silver, from platinum. But Allah says, no, man, I make you from dust for you to realize that you're all equals and you're all going to go back into the dust. That's what it is.
The superiority complex that we suffer by. Sometimes really it destroys the bridges. There are people on the globe busy trying to build bridges and others are burning every bridge that is being built. Don't be from among the latter. Don't.
Conclusion: Building Bridges Despite Challenges
So my brothers and sisters, today we've shared beautiful words. We have shared beautiful words. And these words are connected to how to deal with the crises that we're facing. Every nation faces a different problem. There are unique problems in all different countries, different problems. Some countries are busy trying to ban Islam. Some are busy trying to ban the hijab. Some are busy trying to ban the beard. I don't think they're going to get there so quickly. But anyway, some are busy trying to ban whatever else. And some will probably want to ban Muslims completely.
But, I tell you, don't panic about it. Keep on building bridges. A day will come when the public of the same nation will say, no, we won't allow this to happen. We all have friends who are Muslims. That's what they will say.
How many of you know non-Muslims? And how many of you have friends who are not Muslim? I'm sure everyone in the masjid will put up their hands. Well, you need to understand, if you do business with them or you do any dealings with them and you reach out to them in your own little way, there are 5 or 10 of the friends, well, the rest of them are deserving of your kindness just like those whom you know.
Perhaps they know someone else who's a Muslim. Sometimes you hear, I've heard some non-Muslims, some religious leaders belonging to faiths other than Islam. Sometimes I've heard their statements against the Muslims that are harsh, very harsh. And you know what I think to myself? Sometimes they say, kill these Muslims, do this to the Muslims and harm the Muslims and do this to them and that to them. And I say, if your faith teaches you that, I want you to know that my faith does not teach me that. Subhanallah.
If your faith teaches you to harm and kill and maim and destroy and burn and cause harm, cause destruction, my faith does not teach me that. It teaches me to reach out to you and give you some water when you are thirsty. Subhanallah. But sometimes people hear such fiery comments and they get fired up themselves. Subhanallah, there's no point of getting fired up.
The Global Interest in Islam
At the moment on the global level, we actually need to reach out to people. I tell you what's happening. The general non-Muslim masses across the globe are so curious to know more about Islam. Never in the
history of the globe have there been such a large number of people really looking into Islam with a magnifying glass. So what has happened? It's given me an opportunity to reach out.
(Bukhari hadith 3009, Muslim hadith 2406)
"Wallahi, if one person is to be guided by you, if Allah uses you to guide one person, it's better for you than red camels."
You know what red camels is? That which is valuable in terms of conveyance. The red camel. So my beloved brothers and sisters, let's learn to reach out to people. Let's not react in a bad way. People will do bad because maybe they were taught that way. Maybe their upbringing was somehow wrong. Maybe it was deficient in some way. Maybe their religion teaches them something bad. Our religion does not teach us bad. We will get up and do goodness.
Caring About Global Problems
And don't think for a moment that we don't want to see solutions to the problems on the globe. We all would like to see solutions to what is happening in Syria. We want to see solution to what is happening in Iraq. We are bleeding regarding what is happening in Libya. We are bleeding regarding what is happening in Palestine. We are bleeding regarding what is happening in so many places across the globe.
But my brothers and sisters, you've got to think very deeply what the solution is. Rather than just using your emotions, getting excited and going to make the problem bigger than it actually is.
Final Du'a
May Allah bless this ummah. May Allah grant us a return to the sunnah of Muhammad (peace be upon him). May Allah soften our hearts towards one another. And may Allah help us realize that we need to live with the Muslims, the non-Muslims. We need to live with those who love us, those who hate us. And we need to try and reach out to all of them in one way or another.