Ismail ibn Musa Menk Building Bridges Uganda
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-11T22:37:40.12117+00:00 | Topic: Quran
Building Bridges - Uganda Khutba by Mufti Menk
Opening and Greetings
As-salāmu alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is indeed due to the Creator who created us.
All praise is indeed due to the One whom we shall be returning to. All praise is indeed due to the One who cures us when we are ill or sick. All praise is indeed due to the One who sustains us, who nourishes us, who provides for us, who protects us, who grants us the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
All praise is indeed due to Him. Was-salātu wa-s-salāmu ῾alá Rasūlillāhi wa-alá ālihi wa-așḥābihi ajma'īn. We send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad, upon all those from the time of Adam who came to us, who were sent to us by the Almighty in order to remove us from the darkness and show us the light.
Unity in Human Origin
Why I say from the time of Adam? Because they were all chosen by Allah. Adam, may peace be upon him, and Eve, may peace be upon her, also known as Hawwā. Our father and mother, today we are seated here, and before I came to Uganda, I always knew it was called the pearl of Africa, but now I understand why.
Not only is the weather so beautiful, but trust me, the food is so organic that it puts to shame the food that is in other parts of the world. But I want to tell you, Zimbabwe is not so far. May Allah bless you and bless all of us, ameen.
The Blessing of Peace and Diversity
So you are so fortunate to be here in the pearl of Africa, a peaceful, beautiful place wherein religions live side by side, people of different backgrounds live side by side. I promise you, this is one of the greatest gifts of Allah upon you. So thank Allah for that.
Today we are seated here in so much of peace, so much of harmony. I promise you, my brothers and sisters, it is important for us to look at countries and places where this is not the case, and why they have lost their peace. Why did they lose their peace and comfort? We need to learn lessons from those places where they don't have this peace.
The Need for Building Bridges
We need to learn lessons from those places where squabbles resulted in wars that caused destruction. We definitely do not want to see that extend to our parts of the world. In order to preserve peace, a very great effort is required.
Hence, we have the building bridges tour and it is not the only effort towards making people respect one another despite their differences. I'm sure there are so many people and so many organizations, so many different denominations across the globe who make an effort to try and remind people that you all come from one father and one mother despite your differences. Anyone who wants to think that he is not part of humanity has not understood where we come from.
Quranic Foundation for Human Unity
It is indeed part of Allah's message to us. He reminds us very clearly:
"O people! We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you."
O people! Allah is saying, Indeed, I have created you from a single male and female and from the two, I have caused or we have caused a multitude of men and women to spread across the globe. We have caused you to become different nations and people in order that you recognize one another. For indeed, the most honored, the highest in the eyes of the Almighty is the one who is the most conscious of the Almighty.
Understanding Divine Wisdom in Diversity
Consciousness of the Almighty entails that you realize and recognize who else the Almighty has created besides you. If you think you are the only one who has the right to exist and therefore you can perpetrate crimes against those who do not think like you or those who do not follow your faith or those who do not agree with you, then you have insulted the Lord who created them because He who created you created them too. Remember this, people are using religion today in order to disturb the peace, the tolerance, the respect, so that the growth of the nation is hindered.
We are here to tell you, do not allow that to happen. It will not happen. We must be vigilant. We must make sure that the narrative of hate never ever penetrates. The narrative of hate is never allowed to grow. We are love preachers. We are not hate preachers. We ask Allah to help us, to keep guiding us.
The Purpose of Human Differences
My brothers and sisters, the reason why the Almighty has made us different ethnicities, different tribes, different races, is not that one can say I am better than the other. It is only that you can recognize one another. Hence, even amongst the same race, we will have different features, different faces, different statures, different structure of the body and so on, so that you can recognize one another.
I always say, if everyone was created identical, perhaps we would need number plates on our foreheads in order for us to be recognized and we would be known by numbers rather than by names. But out of the love of the Almighty, He has made the fingerprint of every human being from the beginning to the end totally different, so that you can recognize one another. Your iris print from the beginning from Adam right up to the last person who shall exist on earth will be different. The way your hair grows is different.
Every zebra on earth has different stripes. Every giraffe has a different format of spots. And every leopard has a different identity. All this is part of the display of the greatness of the Maker. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. He is indeed the greatest.
Our Mission on Earth
He has created every one of us with our own intellect. If He made me with my intellect, it is my duty during my short time on earth to learn about where I was before I was born, where I am right now and why I am here, and where I am going to go after I die. This will make me develop a relationship with my Maker, and it will make me conscious of the fact that I am on a mission on earth.
And it will make me conscious of the fact that when I go back to my Maker, I need to prove that I did a good job while I was on earth. My brothers and sisters, those who believe we should be fighting one another due to our differences, I tell you, every one of us is different. No two people think alike, not even husband and wife who've been in love for years on end.
The Reality of Human Nature
Even with them, there is an element of respect and tolerance that is required for basic survival, my brothers and sisters. If those who think we were sent on to earth in order to harm those whom we disagree with had to ponder for a while, their narrative would mean that the Almighty sent us on to earth in order to fight. Did He really send us on to earth in order to fight one another? In order to kill one another? In order to destroy whatever is built by others in terms of infrastructure and advancement? Definitely not.
The Almighty sent us here to recognize one another, to serve one another, to be able to build, to create ease, to be able to leave a legacy, to be able to grow and allow others to grow.
Prophetic Guidance on Service to Humanity
And this is why the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has told us very clearly that the one who is loved by the Almighty the most is the one who is most beneficial to the rest of mankind. Do you want to hear his statement? He says:
"The best of people are those who are the most beneficial to the rest of the people."
Subhanallah. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, says, the best of people are those who are the most beneficial to the rest of the people. Those who have benefited other people in the biggest way, they have won. They have actually succeeded.
The First Command in the Quran
Yes indeed, you must worship your Maker and you must try your best to develop your relationship with your Maker. The Almighty continues to address us right from the first instruction in the Qur'an:
"O people, worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous."
O people, worship the One who made you, the One who grants you, the One who provides for you, the One who nourishes you, the One who is in control of your existence. Worship Him alone. He created you and those before you. Worship Him alone in order that you can achieve consciousness, in order that you can develop the correct relationship with Him.
Extending Love to All Creation
My brothers and sisters, as a creature of the Almighty, I want to extend my love to you all, Muslims and non-Muslims. Because not only are you creatures of the Almighty, not only are we the same species, not only do we belong to one entire family, but without that respect, we will never be able to survive on earth, my brothers and sisters.
For this reason, I call out to you, to respect one another, even with your words. Don't be hurtful. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught us that a believer never utters abusive words from his mouth. Because when you abuse someone, naturally they will abuse you back, or they will be tempted to do that. And as a result, you would create a squabble.
Controlling Our Speech
The devil comes in and makes that squabble become bigger and bigger, until you extend a hand to harm the other. From one hand, they become many hands, and from those hands, civil war can erupt. So the Almighty says, go back to the root of the problem, watch your tongue, subhanallah.
A true believer does not utter hurtful words, no swear words, no abusive words, even if you disagree with someone in religion, and they are worshipping deities besides your deity, besides Allah. Allah says:
"Don't ever utter abusive words to those who worship besides Allah, or to those who are worshipping besides Allah, because as a result, as a retaliation, they will insult Allah without knowledge."
You would have caused the insult of Allah.
The Consequences of Harsh Speech
In another narration, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, speaks about how much at loss is the person who curses his own parents. So he was asked, how can a person curse his own parents? He said, when they curse the parents of others, then those curse their parents, it was caused by the one who started the curse. Look at the beautiful teachings of this blessed faith, not only of tolerance but of respect.
Rights of Neighbors
Your neighbor has a right, my brothers and sisters, as a Muslim you are taught that if your neighbor is a non-Muslim, if you disagree with them in faith, if you don't see eye to eye with them on certain matters, you still need to reach out to them, care for them, look after their home in their absence, make sure that when you are cooking food that has a good smell, you actually make a little bit more, so that you can send a little bit to them and let them enjoy because they were smelling the beautiful food, mashallah.
Imagine the teachings of Islam. You are supposed to extend an arm of hospitality to your neighbor who is not a Muslim. And if your neighbor is a Muslim, there is an even greater right. And if they are a relative, there is an even greater right. Subhanallah. May Allah bless us.
Distinguishing Between People and Actions
When we speak about dislike, when we speak about hatred, hatred is a very strong word. My brothers and sisters, search your hearts. You should dislike the bad deeds. You should hate bad activity. You should hate that which perhaps would result in destruction.
Indeed, we all dislike those type of deeds that bring about destruction. But as for the people whom you disagree with, you need to constantly have hope and reach out to them. There is something called propagation. Let that propagation which is a right of every single human being, let it be conducted in a peaceful manner, in a respectful manner. And in this way, you shall ensure the growth not only of your nation, but you become an example of Africa and of the entire globe.
Addressing Misconceptions About Islam
My brothers and sisters, yes indeed, we face challenges today as Muslims. People look at us, as I always say, with an eye of skepticism because of the perpetration of crimes by some who claim the connection with Islam. Some who have intentionally or unintentionally misinterpreted revelation in order to
Historical Evidence of Islamic Tolerance
How many of us here were not Muslim before? How many of our parents are not Muslim? How many of our forefathers may not have been Muslim? Every single one of us at some stage have had somewhere up the ladder of their forefathers, those who were not Muslim. If Islam taught you to kill, they would have been dead a long time ago before they even entered the fold of Islam. That already proves that our very existence here depicts the peace and the peaceful coexistence that the Muslims have lived by from the very beginning.
If we were taught to kill, we would never have been here. Our forefathers would have been killed a long time back. So don't let this narrative spread and don't let this narrative go by without combating it.
Maintaining Islamic Identity with Good Character
That does not mean we are saying you should water down your faith. You should stop praying five times a day just because people look at Islam like I said with the eye of skepticism. No, we are saying you must become a better Muslim with your hijab, with your identity, with your beautiful name, with your beautiful character and conduct.
You will still spread the goodness and the peace. You will serve your family whether they are Muslim or not. You will serve your community whether they are Muslim or not. You will serve your nation. Be the majority Muslim or not. And you will ensure that when they look at Muslims, even if we are in a minority, they will nod their heads and say, these people are an asset to our country.
They have served the nation and they have served in a beautiful way. We acknowledge them. They have caused and they have actually contributed towards the building of what we have today, the pearl of Africa.
Correcting Misinterpretation of Quranic Verses
My brothers and sisters, people misinterpret verses of the Quran whereby they say that you should be hating all the Jews and the Christians and the non-Muslims. That is absolutely incorrect. It is a misinterpretation. It is actually totally wrong. Islam even allows the marriage to a person of the book, the Jews and the Christians. How could that marriage ever have been permissible if we were only taught to hate?
Imagine marrying a woman who is a Christian or who is a Jewish woman and you tell her, I'm a Muslim, I'm taught to hate you, but I'm going to marry you and have children with you. That is absurd. It already shows that that is the wrong interpretation.
Understanding Context in Religious Teachings
So my brothers and sisters, it is only those who have driven you out of your homes, who have fought you and who continue to kill in the name of their own religions that the Almighty warns us about. He says, you cannot strike an alliance with such people. You can never strike an alliance with such people. And that is common sense, common advice that a mother would give a child to say, my son, those who are fighting you, don't associate with them, walk away.
But what about those who are good and kind? There are so many of those who are non-Muslim who display characters or characteristics that are actually enshrined in Islam. I know of hundreds of non- Muslims who are lovely, superb people whom I have interacted with and continue to interact with. And I'm sure they are not only in their thousands, but in their millions.
The Power of Good Character in Da'wah
Their aim is just like your aim. My brothers and sisters, we never extend an arm of hurt to them. But rather, we extend a hand of goodness towards them and in their direction. How would people ever see the goodness of Islam if we only had hatred from our tongues?
Take a look at Far East Asia, look at Indonesia for example, where the largest number of Muslims on earth happen to be in a single country. How did Islam get there? According to some of the strongest narrations, they say, the business people who are Muslims, who went to the nation and to that region to do business were so honest in their dealings that subhanallah, the people were enlightened towards the honor, dignity and justice of Islam. Amazing! And they entered the fold of Islam, not by the sword, but simply by watching the good character of the Muslims, the peace and the calm in the faces of those who pray five times a day to the same maker who made those whom you disagree with.
True Signs of Piety
Subhanallah! If you pray five times a day, and if you are a person who gives charity to the poor, and if you are a person who fasts during Ramadan, one of the signs of you being closer to the Almighty is that your heart is softened. Piety is actually depicted through the character and conduct that is absolutely godly, so beautiful, that is character, that is a sign of the piety of an individual. It doesn't mean that a person prays five times a day that they are suddenly a good Muslim.
The Balance Between Rights of Allah and Rights of Creation
Islam has much more than five daily prayers. We pray five times a day indeed, but over and above that we ensure that we reach out to people. There is something known as huququllah, which means the rights of the Almighty to worship Him alone.
As a Muslim, we only worship He who made us. We put our heads on the ground five times a day, solely and only to declare the greatness of He who made us. That's why we put our heads on the ground five times a day, in order to declare the greatness of He who made us.
And do you know what? When you declare that greatness in the correct way, you have to come to the realization that He made with us other creatures in order to test us how will we treat the creatures that He made. Subhanallah.
The Story of the Man and the Dog
I want to give you an example that I've been giving during every lecture of the building bridges tour that has taken me to so many countries that I've lost count. I want to tell you my brothers and sisters of this beautiful narration that you need to understand and digest, and look within yourself if you have that respect that the Almighty wants you to have, the compassion that He wants you to have.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, tells us:
"As a man was walking on a path in a hot desert on a hot day,"
subhanallah, he was thirsty, he felt very thirsty and he went to look for water. As he looked for water, what happened is, he found a well and he went into the well and he drank as much water as he wanted and he emerged from the well.
He came out, he was already quenched. He was happy. He was very happy that he quenched his thirst. And as he's walking away from this well, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, says, He saw a dog. And this dog was actually sniffing at the sand out of search for water due to the thirst that the dog had. So the man looked at the dog.
Pause for a moment. What is he looking at? A dog. If you and I were to see a dog, how would we react? Subhanallah. This man saw the dog and he said:
"This dog is as thirsty as I was before I went into the well to drink water."
Where is the dog going to get water because the dog cannot go into the well. So he decided to go into the well again. He didn't have any utensil with him to bring up the water to the dog. He decided to remove his shoe. Look at your shoes today. Would you remove your shoe for a dog?
He filled water in the shoe. Look at your shoes today. My dear brothers and sisters, you have come out to this beautiful day of Eid for us here in Uganda. I'm sure you have worn beautiful clothes with lovely shoes.
Would you take your shoe and fill it with water in order to come out to quench the thirst of a dog? That's a question you can answer within yourself only.
We don't want embarrassment because perhaps myself to begin with, I will think two times with these clocks that I have. But my brothers and sisters, this dog was brought closer to the man. He decided as he came up with the water in his leather sock. It's known as a khuf. It's a shoe that they used to wear at the time. And he made the dog drink from that shoe.
The Almighty was watching. The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him says, Allah loved the fact that this man was so compassionate towards another creature of the same maker that Allah forgave his sins and granted him paradise. Subhanallah. Amazing my brothers and sisters.
Personal Reflection on Sacrifice
Amazing. Did you see the box of tissue that came for me here now? I promised myself today, I'm not going to use the tissue. If you are sitting in the sun from so many hours, how can I sit in the shade and not taste what you are tasting? Subhanallah.
If you have been seated, I was looking at the brothers and sisters in the corner there and in the corner on that side. And I'm thinking, Wallahi, I love you for the sake of Allah. You came here to listen to a good message, to be uplifted spiritually, to go back with a sense of direction and a sense of belonging, my brothers and sisters.
Prayers for the Congregation
We are proud to be brothers and sisters. If you have had many hours seated here of sweating before the shade actually came in, may Allah grant you a blessing for every moment that you endured the sun. We are all suffering and struggling in our own personal lives to different magnitudes in one way or another.
I ask the maker who made you and I to grant you all ease in whatever you are struggling with. Ameen. Those who are ill and sick, may Allah grant you cure. May Allah, the owner of cure, grant you cure. Those who are in debt, may Allah help you pay those debts. Those who are struggling without jobs, may Allah help you get the job.
Keep searching, keep looking, keep hunting. Don't lose hope in the mercy of Allah, my brothers and sisters. Those who have passed on, may Allah have mercy on them. And the day He takes us away, may He be pleased with us.
The Two Categories of Rights
Your mission on earth is to serve Allah. And to serve the rest of the creatures of the same Allah.
حُقُوقُ الْعِبَادِ
The rights of the others whom Allah has created.
Remember, it is your duty to reach out to people, my brothers and sisters.
Loving Non-Muslim Family Members
When the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, who was not a Muslim, was on his deathbed, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, invited him to Islam. And the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, expressed his love for his uncle, even though his uncle was not a Muslim. It is not wrong to love your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, those who are not Muslim.
Allah says about your parents, that you need to fulfill their rights. If they are trying to make you do something that is in the displeasure of the Almighty, respectfully excuse yourself, because you will not obey someone in the disobedience of the Maker. If they are hindering you from your prayer, you will still pray. If they are trying to lure you into the disobedience of your Maker, you will still be respectful, but you can excuse yourself from what they are calling you towards, if it is in the displeasure of Allah.
Mutual Respect in Propagation
My brothers and sisters, it is important for us to know, as I said earlier, that just like propagation and da'wah is our duty as Muslims, those who are not Muslim believe the same. They also have an equal right to come out and propagate whatever, they are convinced by. We call on the non-Muslims to do so respectfully, because just like the non-Muslims would not like us to insult what they are doing, and I have told you my beloved brethren, who are Muslims, never to insult those who are not Muslim, or what they worship.
If you want to express your disagreement in anything, you need to do it respectfully, with utmost respect. In the same way, we would tell our brothers and sisters who are not Muslim, that please do not insult Islam. Please do not insult the Prophet Muhammad. Please do not insult Allah. Please do not insult us. We are not bad people.
The Reality of Extremism in All Faiths
We are a few billion on earth. We are really, really dedicated individuals who are worshiping Allah, who try our best to reach out to the rest of humanity, who care for the globe. But there are a few in every faith, in every denomination. It's not exclusive to Islam. In every faith, there are a few extreme elements who need guidance and help. They need to be reminded.
And at times, they perpetrate crimes unfortunately, in the names of those religions that do not teach those crimes. May Allah strengthen us.
Warning Against Incitement to Violence
I call on you my brothers and sisters in the Pearl of Africa to be vigilant, to watch out for those who try to incite violence, those who try to create hatred in your hearts and minds. Be careful of them. Watch out. At times they may appear to be very religious and they use the verses of the Almighty in order to make you think that you are the only one who has the right to exist.
If you think that way, you have insulted your maker because you are taking away the life of those whom the giver of your life has given the life to. Subhanallah. It doesn't make sense at all. Why would Allah give life to people? Asking you to take that life away. For what? If He wanted, He wouldn't have made them. Subhanallah.
The Proper Way of Disagreement
But Allah asks you to extend a hand. You will discuss your differences. You will try to convince each other. You will propagate what you believe. They will propagate what they believe. And everyone will propagate what they believe.
We may disagree, and we will disagree. But that disagreement must never result in fighting, in killing, in harming, in abusing. It must never result in swearing one another, insulting one another. Not at all, my brothers and sisters. Here we have such a great blessing of the Almighty.
Building Bridges - Starting with Yourself
I want to deliver to you another message today. My brothers and sisters, when we talk of building bridges, the first bridge that you need to build is within yourself. Remember that. Learn to respect yourself. You will respect yourself by recognizing who you are. You carry yourself with utmost respect. You need to recognize yourself.
Remove from your heart the bad qualities, the jealousy, the envy, the hate. All these qualities of the heart, they need to be combated. You will never be at peace with others if you are not at peace with yourself. Learn to keep yourself in such a way that you are of sound morals and values. Hold back from sinful behavior. Do not engage in that which will destroy your relationship with your Maker.
So you respect yourself. You are full of calmness. You are full of serenity. When people look at you, they can see the face of calmness. And they will understand that this person belongs to the Almighty. Subhanallah.
Building Bridges with Family
Thereafter we build bridges within our families. Don't allow people to destroy your relationship with your own parents, your children, your brothers, your sisters, your uncles and aunts, your in-laws and outlaws. May Allah bless us. May He make it easy for us.
Allah taught us to start off with the circle, the circle of your family. He has kept a great reward for those who struggle and strive towards resolving matters within their own families. For you is jannah. Just by your intention. What is your squabble about? Is it about wealth? Is it about money? Is it about power and position? You can solve your problem if you actually deal with your own ego.
The Danger of Pride and Arrogance
May Allah help us dealing with our egos. Your pride. Imagine the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) speaks about arrogance. And he says, A person in whose heart there is even a mustard seed's weight worth of arrogance or pride shall not enter paradise. The reason why he says this is to discourage us very strongly from bad habits, from pride, from arrogance, haughtiness. What makes you better than the other?
Yes, we thank Allah that we have iman. We are believers. What guarantee do you have that you will die upon the condition of belief? We need to keep building my brothers and sisters. Be humble. Humble yourself. Understand that you are just a number like everyone else. Humble yourself.
The Reality of Material Possessions
No matter what you have got, it was the blessing of the Almighty. When you came on to the earth, you were naked. The clothes you have now, you found them on earth. You didn't have a penny. The money you have now, you found it on earth. And the Almighty tells you, when you leave, you are going to leave without all of those things.
Your money is going to be left behind. You will continue to where you came from. So make sure you utilize this time in a humble way. Subhanallah.
The Command of Mercy
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, teaches us about the next level of building bridges. And he tells us, Allah will not have mercy upon those who don't have mercy on mankind.
Did you hear that? That's just the next bridge. We are building a bridge. I said you start off within yourself. Then you extend it to your families, your circles, your communities. Then you extend it to the rest of mankind. We build bridges. We don't destroy bridges. We respect people of other faiths. We live side by side with them.
Call for Mutual Interaction
And we ask them to respect us in the same way. Do not judge us by the actions of a few. And we ask the non-Muslims to develop some form of a relationship with the Muslims. To interact with them at least to be able to know that the Muslims are really good people. And we ask the Muslims as well to interact with
the non-Muslims in a way that they can see that the Muslims are good people. This is how you will build bridges.
The Metaphor of the Ship
How are you going to let people know the goodness you have if you refuse to interact with them, you refuse to greet them, you refuse to acknowledge them, you refuse to be a positive citizen of your own nation? How can you divorce yourself from the nation when you were born, brought up or you are living in the same nation?
We are like in a huge ship. Every one of us would suffer if we allowed people to drill a hole in the ship. That ship belongs to all of us. We respect all those on the ship. We cannot cause a war in the ship because it will result in the sinking of every one of us. My brothers and sisters, this is what building bridges is all about.
Accepting Differences
Respect those whom you differ with. They will not think like you. They don't have to think like you. If they are convinced otherwise, so be it. It is up to Allah. The Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) uncle passed away, and the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was sad. And Allah revealed verses:
"You do not guide whom you love. It is Allah who guides whomsoever He wishes." (Quran 28:56)
Amazing verse. Allah says, you do not guide whom you love. It is Allah who guides whomsoever He wishes. This verse, the term ahbabta, actually proves that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, loved his uncle who was not a Muslim.
Subhanallah. La tahdi man ahbabta. You won't guide the one you love to what you want him to be. It's up to the Almighty to guide. And this is why I say, we are never here to convert people. It is up to the Almighty which way He wants to sway the heart. May Allah grant us goodness. May the Almighty bless everyone of us.
Building Bridges with Other Faiths
So this is building the bridge with people of other faiths. And building these bridges require genuineness on all sides, not just on one side. We are being sincere in our message. We would never have spent so much time, money, effort, energy. None of you would have come up here if you thought we were joking or we were not serious.
The fact that more than 35 to 40 thousand have come out today, it already is evidence that we as Muslims are serious about building bridges. We really want to see the growth of the nation. And we
disassociate ourselves from all those who want to cause harm, who want to create disunity amongst us. We have to be able to unite and come together for a greater cause. We are one family, my brothers and sisters.
Unity vs Uniformity
Those who call for unity, you will always have a small group who say, they are deviant, we cannot be united. Unity, my brothers and sisters, is not uniformity. Unity is the ability to tolerate the one whom you disagree with. That will be unity. To be able to respect the rights of others in a similar way that you want them to respect your rights. That will be unity.
We are united with our differences. When we say we are united, we are not saying give up your religion. We are not saying give up your faith. We are not saying water down your faith. But what we are saying is in the same way, you want to uphold and uplift your faith. The others have a similar right.
Rejecting Messages of Hate
Respectfully, may Allah grant us an understanding. So don't let the small number of people who are spewing messages of hate and messages that we can never be united, don't let them turn you away or lead you astray. Don't let them bother you.
Today we have a message for them to say, it is about time you understood that without the unity and without respecting one another, we would never be able to grow as mankind. And I always challenge those who claim that religion instructs them to be hateful. I challenge them and I say, do you really think the Almighty created us on earth in order to spew hate and abusive language and to destroy and to fight and to be at war from the beginning to the end of your life? Is that what the Almighty made you for? You are foolish if that's what you think.
Global Concerns About Violence
May Allah grant us goodness. We are saddened, my brothers and sisters. We are all saddened by what is going on across the globe in different countries to different people in terms of oppression and warfare, destruction. And that which is unnecessary, senseless killings, we are definitely against all of that. We disagree with it.
We call on all politicians to respect themselves and to respect the rest of mankind and to resolve matters and to solve problems even if it takes you a few years. Don't make haste towards killing others for indeed we, the men of God and the women of God, we disagree with any killing no matter what it's for. May Allah protect us from senseless killing. And may we be vehicles of resolving matters and of stopping warfare and the destruction that we see helplessly across the globe.
We are sitting helpless. We are witnessing people kill each other for no reason. For reasons that really are not good enough. Hundreds of thousands if not millions are losing their lives on an annual basis. And we are sitting by watching because those who are in power at times are the ones who are guilty of fueling this. And then they blame religion.
The True Nature of Religion
May Allah forgive us. Religion has come about with peace, with goodness, with submission unto the Almighty. We are all brothers and sisters. We respect each other. These messages are very strong.
Addressing Extremism
People say, what are the Muslims doing to combat the extremist ideology within them. We have two messages for those. Number one, that extremist ideology makes up 0.0001% perhaps of the Muslims who exist on earth. Number two, what we have done today is proof that we are doing something about it.
We are doing something about it. Do you think all these people have spent their money on transport and everything else for no reason? Do you think we have come here, all of us in great numbers from different countries of the globe just for no reason? It is in order to consolidate the idea of building bridges and respecting each other. We will never agree to warfare in our nations. Not for as long as we can.
The Call to Action
May Allah grant us the ability to bring people together and not destroy them and rip them apart. So the message is loud and clear. It is up to us to build these bridges. Extend an arm of goodness and understanding even to those who don't like you. The minimum is when you greet them, when you talk to them, when you interact them, one day they will have to nod their heads and say, these people whom we thought were bad are actually not bad.
The movement from their thinking from bad to not bad is already a victory for humanity. Because we will be able to coexist peacefully and build our nations. The generations to come need to know that we have built a beautiful place for them, protecting their faith, protecting their religion.
Like I said, not watering it down, but at the same time charting the way forward for them regarding how to respect people of other faiths and even people who don't have a faith at all. Their answerability is to Allah. Allah made them and Allah gave us all a short life.
The Brevity of Life
The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him says:
Addressing Real Challenges
We have so many other issues that we need to deal with alleviation of poverty. We need to deal with the creation of jobs for our young and old. We need to deal with matters that affect us. We need to deal with matters that affect us. We need to deal with providing clean water. We need to deal with combating disease. We need to deal with educating our children, providing for them the best health care.
All of these will not be possible if we are fighting with each other based on what religion you belong to. May Allah grant us ease.
Unity Among Muslims
Among the Muslims, we need to strengthen and build bridges as well. We have people, for small reasons, they create such disunity that we lose all respect in the eyes of others. Don't we say:
"There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"
That is an entry point. Beyond that there will be differences. We will discuss the differences. We will try our best to convince each other regarding what exactly is in the Qur'an and in the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, according to the most correct understanding that we believe. But others might not believe that that is the most correct understanding.
What should we do with those? We will continue in what is known as positive propagation. But we don't engage in negative propagation. Nothing negative. You keep promoting, no need to swear people. No need to call people donkeys and monkeys, and dogs and pigs. Because if they were that, we look just like them. What would that make us?
No need to call people idiots. No need to call them bad words. Because those words don't build bridges. They actually destroy bridges that may have already existed. And this starts within your families, within your communities, in your own capacities.
The Beauty of Our Religion
My brothers and sisters, we have a religion that is indeed heavenly. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has taught us so much of goodness. It is up to us to emulate. It is up to us to learn. It is up to us to go forth and to convey the good message.
And remember, conveying the message in the most powerful way is actually so simple, it only requires you to practice upon it. Without even opening your mouth, if you had to practice upon Islam, you would actually beam the correct image of Islam. And like I said earlier, we need to correct ourselves.
Qualities of Success
Become honest in your business dealings. Be productive people. Serve your communities, serve your societies, serve your families, serve your nation in a dedicated way. Be honest and hardworking. The Prophet Moses, may peace be upon him, when he was sent to the Pharaoh, just prior to that, he met with Shu'aib, alayhis-salam. And the girls, the two daughters of Shu'aib, told their father, Oh our father, this man is strong and he's honest. Two qualities, he is hardworking, he is honest. Why don't you give him a job?
"One of the girls said to their father, Oh father, why don't you employ this man? He is very honest and hardworking. The best of those whom you could employ are those who are honest and hardworking."
Why am I saying this? Because if you want a job, you need to have two qualities in you, only two qualities. If you have these two qualities, you will succeed. You need to be hardworking and you need to be honest.
If you have honesty and you work hard, you will succeed. If you have one of the two and not the other, you will fail. You can be as honest as ever, but if you are not hardworking, you will not achieve anything. And you can be as hardworking as ever, but if you are not honest, you will not achieve anything. So this is the prophetic advice. Something mentioned in the Quran, and my brothers and sisters talking about building bridges.
The Example of Moses and Pharaoh
Allah Almighty instructed the Prophet Moses to try his best to build bridges with the Pharaoh. And Allah tells him, when you go to him, remind him that what he is doing is wrong, but speak to him with respect. Listen to this very carefully. Allah is telling the Prophet Moses who was the best of the time, to go and address the Pharaoh who was perhaps the worst of the time. And remind him, Allah says, remind him with gentle words.
"Go to the Pharaoh. Oh Moses and Aaron, Musa and Harun, go to the Pharaoh. Speak to him with soft words, in a very lenient way, in a respectful way, perhaps that might make him remember or become conscious of the Almighty."
This shows us that when you use harsh words, hard words, you will destroy bridges. Even when you are calling the worst of the lot, you use the best words. I remind you in a beautiful way, if the Prophet Moses who was the best of the time, was told to go to the Pharaoh who was the worst of the time, and still speak with beautiful, respectful, lenient and soft words, then none of us is the best of our time. None of us is the best of our times.
And nobody we address can be the worst. Nobody we talk to can ever be worse than the Pharaoh. The Prophet Moses was instructed to speak with soft words. We are not better than Moses, we should be speaking with softer words. He was sent to a person as bad as the Pharaoh, nobody we will ever address will be worse than the Pharaoh. The point here is, watch your tongue.
The Trust of This Message
My brothers and sisters, this message I've delivered to you is an amanah. It is a trust. It is up to us to convey it, to take it far and wide, to make sure that we do not become vehicles of hate, we do not become vehicles of destruction. We actually build the bridges.
When Allah addressed the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, he told him, it is a sign of the mercy of the Almighty. Alhamdulillah. He told him it is a sign of the mercy of the Almighty. A sign of the mercy of the Almighty that you are lenient. If you were harsh, hard-hearted, no one would have listened to you.
Closing
May Allah bless everyone of you and grant you goodness. As you can see, I have a lump in my throat. I'm actually very passionate about what I'm saying. And I pray that the Almighty accept it from everyone of us. I've spoken for exactly 1 hour and 14 seconds on the dot. So my time is up. Perhaps this throat was a reminder to say, now your time is up. Let them digest what you have said. May Allah bless you all.
My brothers, my sisters, all of you, I love you for the sake of Allah. I saw the passion and I've witnessed the love and I've seen the excitement. But let us translate it by uniting the hearts, by bringing people together.
I say this. And peace be upon you.