Ismail ibn Musa Menk How to Protect your Good Deeds

How to Protect Your Good Deeds

Introduction: The Connection Between Ramadan and Hajj

My brothers and sisters, just after the month of Ramadan, the months of Hajj commence. And this is something unique. After having achieved the forgiveness of Allah in the month of Ramadan and becoming more serious about our commitment to Allah and becoming more serious about our duties unto Allah, a primary duty from among the pillars of Islam is Hajj.

If you can afford it and if you can manage that particular trip, Allah says:

And indeed it is a duty upon man from Allah - Hajj for the one who can manage that particular journey.

So it's one of the pillars.

The Beginning of Hajj: Ibrahim's Announcement

How did it start? Allah has named an entire surah, Surah Al-Hajj. And in that surah Allah says, He instructed Ibrahim (peace be upon him). He instructed Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to announce the Hajj. If we take a look at verse number 27 of Surah Al-Hajj, Allah says:

Asking Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to announce to the people the Hajj and he will find that they come to you on foot and on every lean camel.

The Mufassireen make mention of an interesting point. They say, this means from all over the world and with every mode of transport, subhanAllah. You take a look at the Hujjaj today, there are some who arrive on air, some by land, some by car, etc, etc. All the different modes of transport, there are people who will arrive for Hajj.

But when the announcement was made, there was no internet, there was no mobile phones. In fact, there was no even microphone. There was no even loud hailer at the time.

The Power of Sincerity in Good Deeds

This proves to us that when a deed is done with sincerity, adopting the law of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, fulfilling the law of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala sincerely, Allah will grant it success. Allah ensured that this announcement that was made to a very small number of people carried through in a way that today, all of us would love to fulfill the Hajj if we haven't. And even if we have, we'd love to go back there again.

Look at the sincerity of the dua of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). We ask Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala to grant us sincerity in our deeds. The reason I make mention of this is, we can save ourselves from losing our deeds or the essence of our deeds by being sincere when we fulfill those deeds. So let us learn to do things for the sake of Allah.

Don't worry about how far is this thing going to go. If it's not going to go far, I'm keeping quiet. No, even if one person is listening to you, for as long as what you have said is of value sincerely for the sake of Allah, Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala will grant it, Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala will grant it acceptance.

May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala accept from us all our deeds.

Understanding the True Beneficiary of Good Deeds

Similarly, when it comes to doing deeds for the sake of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, we need to realize that Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala does not benefit from our deeds. When I fulfill salah, it's me who benefits, not Allah. When I sacrifice an animal, for example, for the Eid al-Adha, the sacrificial animal that we would slaughter, we would actually benefit from it. Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala does not benefit from it. He doesn't need it.

The benefit is for us. So every time we are truthful, every time we abstain from sin, it's actually for us to benefit from it. It's not Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala.

Many people think, okay, let me do this for the sake of Allah so that at least Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala... And before they finish the sentence, they realize that yes, it is for the sake of Allah. But it's not Allah who's going to benefit from it. It's me who's going to benefit from this deed.

When you fulfill your salah, you come early, you abstain from prohibition, Wallahi, it is the taqwa that reaches Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. That is what makes him happy. The fact that you are conscious of his command, his instruction, and the fact that you have abstained from the prohibitions.

This is why in verse number 37, Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah Al-Hajj:

That sacrificial animal, it's not the meat that reaches Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. Nor is it the blood that reaches Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. But it is the taqwa behind it.

The obedience of Allah, the consciousness of Allah that is achieved and derived, and as a result of which one has sacrificed this animal. That is what pleases Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala be pleased with our deeds. And this is why we say, my brothers and sisters, save yourselves from your deeds being wasted by having the correct intentions for those particular deeds.

So that they are not wasted. May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala grant us ease.

The Helplessness of False Deities

Then Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala also in Surah Al-Hajj towards the end makes mention of how helpless man is and how helpless those who man calls to besides Allah are.

When people call out to sticks and stones and other people and some creatures of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala is saying, that is wrong. When you call out to those besides Allah, you need to know you have wasted your deeds, you have wasted your time, you have earned the anger of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. He says, those whom you call out to besides Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, they cannot create even a fly.

Even a fly. Imagine that's the example given in the Quran. Verse number 73 of Surah Al-Hajj. Allah says:

O people, an example has been given so listen to it. Those whom you call out to besides Allah, they will never be able to create a fly. Even if they gather together in order to try and create that fly, all of them can come together, they won't create a fly.

Why is the example of a fly given? Because a fly is considered something irritating, something that is small, something that is actually ridiculous in the sense that it's of no value to me and you when we look at it. Subhanallah. Every time we see a fly, we want to swat it.

That's what it is. Allah says, even that you're not going to be able to create a fly. And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, even if you gather, you still won't.

Then Allah says, And if that fly has to take something away from them, they will never ever be able to get it back. They will never ever be able to get it back from that fly. Subhanallah.

You know when the fly is sitting, this is a scientific issue. It's something that they have looked into already. If it sits on that sugar and it happens, first it actually takes out something and then it sucks in something.

You will never ever be able to return that to its form once the fly has done that. Impossible. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, forget about creating that fly.

When the fly does something to you, you won't be able to go back and you won't be able to retrieve that which was taken by the fly. This is showing the helplessness of man and the greatness of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. So my brothers and sisters, let us understand the greatness of this maker.

When we call out, we call out to Allah. Don't waste your deeds. Don't waste your acts of worship by calling out to those besides Allah. For indeed, association of partnership with Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala is one of the greatest crimes.

The Qualities of Successful Believers - Surah Al-Mu'minun

Let's move on to the next surah. Named after al-mu'minun, the believers. The opening verse of that surah, Allah speaks of victory, success. Every one of us is hunting, searching for victory and success. I want to be successful. You want to be successful. Remember, from the very beginning, the true success is a person who succeeds on the day of judgment. That is ultimate success.

In this world, success is relative. Some people will say you are very successful when others will say, that's not success. May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala grant us success in the world and in the next.

Bearing in mind that the day you receive your book in your right hands on the day of judgment, may Allah make us from among those. That is the day you will be able to call yourself truly successful. So Allah says, do you want to know how that is achieved?

The true believers are indeed successful.

They have succeeded. They are successful. What are their qualities?

Quality 1: Concentration in Prayer (Khushu')

Those who are concentrating, they have khushu'a, they have humbleness, humility, together with concentration in their prayer.

If you can concentrate in your prayer, it means you are plugged in on a very high level with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The bulk of us, myself included, we have to do a lot more in order to be able to improve on that level of concentration. Let's be honest. When we start the salah, our concentration is never 100%.

Sometimes if you are really fortunate, you get to about 80%. Allahu Akbar. Small distraction, someone this and that, a little sound, your mobile phone buzzes and suddenly you start thinking, who might that be? Allahu Akbar.

Turn off your phone. Subhanallah. When you want to start the prayer, turn it off. You have flight mode. Go into your flight. Subhanallah. The flight, where are you going to? Allahu Akbar. I'm actually connected with Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala.

Quality 2: Staying Away From Futile Things

So, the concentration levels, if I want to know how to increase them, and I want to save myself from

Those who stay away from, they turn away from, that which is vain and futile.

When something is unnecessary, don't involve in it. Today, we sit and we talk to each other about what? Things that do not concern us, they do not have any benefit for us, they are futile, absolutely unnecessary.

We argue and debate about those things in such a way that the space in our hard drive, or should I call it a soft drive, because the brain is a bit soft. May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala grant us ease. The space in there is being filled by that which is unnecessary, totally futile.

People want to sit and watch movies, and they take up so much of that space, because it becomes real. You know when people watch movies, they start crying, because, subhanallah, someone died in the movie. My brother, they were paid to pretend to be dead.

Come on, and you are lying by crying to yourself. May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us. And people cry, they follow the soaps in such a way that that soap is only good to wash. To wash what? Brainwash a person. May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us.

Remember this, don't get too deeply involved in all of that, because if you do that, the space that is taken up by images and videos is very high, even in your phone. You know, I need to delete some of this, for my phone to work a little bit quicker. It's become too slow, it's become sluggish. The same applies to your brain.

Take all of those images out. Never be involved in the watching of pornography, or any form of involvement with pornography, because that takes up huge memory in your brain, and it slows you down when it comes to your salah and the obedience of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. So seek Allah's forgiveness, delete all of that, turn back to Allah, and you watch, you'll be able to concentrate in your prayer.

You'll be able to concentrate in salah. So if you want to concentrate in your salah, you need to cleanse yourself in a different way.

Quality 3: Giving Zakah and Self-Purification

Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala says in the next verse:

Those who do their zakah.

فَعَلَ means to do. Those who do their zakah. Why does Allah say do? Why doesn't He say, those who give their zakah? Because zakah refers primarily to two things.

Quality 3: Giving Zakah

Number one, zakah refers to the money that is given, which we all know, in terms of a certain percentage, it's called a charity, but it does have a certain element of it being compulsory and obligatory as well.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, yes, that is included in it, you need to give your zakah. Do not let your heart be connected to materialism. If your heart is connected too deeply to that which is material, you won't be able to stay away from that which is futile, and you won't be able to concentrate in your prayer.

Yet successful are those who concentrate in their prayer. So look how it's connected. Once I'm too involved, I saw a Mercedes as I was coming to the masjid, and I'm thinking, what was that? Was that a G63 or what was it? And I'm busy standing in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Where? What type of success do I want? I might drop dead there. There's no G63s in the akhira, no way, not at all. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us.

So remember this my brothers and sisters, one is to give wealth, to give your zakah, in a way that you understand that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's instruction, comes such that my love for Him will be more than my love for the wealth I have. So I'm going to give it. If Allah says give, I will give. And I will give more voluntarily.

But secondly, zakah also refers to cleansing yourself, your nafs, your soul, tazkiyah, to cleanse yourself, to improve your character, your conduct, to be able to cleanse the heart from the bad habits and qualities such as jealousy and hatred, enmity and envy, etc, etc. That is also known as zakah.

Did you ever know that? It is referred to as zakah. So my brothers and sisters, if you want to be able to abstain from that which is futile, and as a result concentrate in your salah, and as a result be from among the successful, you need to improve your habits, your ways, your qualities, you need to clean your heart, rid it of jealousy, hatred, envy, etc. Fill it with love and goodness, kindness and the best of character and conduct.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us.

Quality 4: Protecting Private Parts

Once you've cleansed yourself, and you have become a person who is now not connected too deeply with that which is around him in terms of materialistic life, you will find that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that a person would require to protect their private parts. Allahu Akbar.

Protect your private parts. Successful are those who protect their private parts.

If you don't protect your private parts, and that's a verse straight in the Quran. If you can control your tongue as well as your private parts, you need to know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will grant you success. Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says very beautifully:

Sahih Bukhari 6474

Whoever guarantees me the correct use of that which lies between his cheeks, the tongue, and that which lies between his thighs, meaning the private parts, I guarantee him a place in paradise.

Subhanallah.

Speak carefully, and at the same time, make sure you protect your chastity, morality. You are a person who upholds a high standard of morality, and at the same time, you never abuse your private parts. If you've made mistakes in the past, seek Allah's forgiveness.

He is most forgiving. He is merciful. He knows it is Ramadan. Subhanallah. You turn to Allah, admitting your sin, regretting it, promising not to do it again, and at the same time, asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's forgiveness. Once you have met those qualities, the sin is wiped out.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will write for you on the slate, something equivalent to a person who didn't commit the sin at all.

Ibn Majah hadith 4250

The one who seeks forgiveness from a sin is equivalent to the one who did not commit that sin.

But you need to seek that forgiveness. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us. So, it is important for us to make sure that we look after ourselves. It seems quite easy when you say tongue and private parts, but that is what entire life is all about.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us.

Quality 5: Being Trustworthy

Thereafter, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is obviously telling us how you will be able to achieve that. You will be able to achieve that, Allah says:

Those who consider what they are entrusted with and their pledges, whatever they have promised.

If you are conscious of it and you fulfill it correctly, you become a trustworthy person.

When you are trustworthy, listen to what your own wife will say, I trust him, we don't have trust issues. Listen to what your husband will say, we don't have trust issues. What does that mean? That is trust regarding morality, regarding your behavior, regarding the opposite sex perhaps, but it goes to a higher level.

Trust in the sense that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will write your name from among those who are definitely fulfilling of the trust that they have actually undertaken. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us success.

So my brothers and sisters remember, if you are a person who is trustworthy in such a way that people know, this person does not do that which is bad or evil, they won't let us down, then by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala it is a sign that you have cleansed yourself in a great way.

And from there it would be a person, you would become a person or known as a person who doesn't do that which is vain. Look at how they are all connected. You waste your time, you sit doing things which are futile, it leads you to doing things which are sinful.

So if you want to stop from one, you stop from the other. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will open your doors.

Quality 6: Maintaining Regular Prayer (The Foundation)

Now, one might ask, well, what's the beginning point? Where do I start? What is the starting point? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Those who protect their five salah.

That is the beginning of everything. It's the beginning of everything. You want a link with Allah, start off with your prayer.

Make sure you fulfill it five times a day. What's the difference between the salah mentioned at the beginning of this surah and the salah we spoke about just now that is in verse number 9? The difference is, the first one is speaking about the quality of the prayer, khushu' in the prayer, and this one is speaking about the quantity of the prayer. Salawat is plural.

It means, initially you will start off because of your dedication to Allah, the fact that you've turned to Allah, by fulfilling the five daily prayers. You may not have full concentration. You may not be a person who has developed all the other aspects of closeness to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

But when you start on that footing where you are regular with your prayer, come what may, as soon as the time of a prayer clocks in, you are found concerned about that prayer, and you fulfill it. If that's the case, do you know what will happen? Automatically Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will start protecting you from evil and vice, immorality. Especially if you fulfill your salah in the masjid, and you are concerned about it five times a day.

You know what will happen? You read salatul fajr, mashallah, you go to work. Allahu Akbar. A lot of the sins are not committed early morning, they're committed later on, afternoon and evening and night.

So then what happens? Come salatul dhuhr, and you are worried about the masjid, you go for salah. And after that, salatul asr. If you want to commit a sin between the two, no matter what it is, you're going to think to yourself, hey, I'm about to stand in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

I'm going to be going for salatul asr. Why should I do this right now? It's not going to be good. I won't be able to go to the masjid.

If you are serious and dedicated, it will save you from the sin. And after asr, you're preparing for maghrib. After maghrib, you're preparing for isha.

After salatul isha, you're going to sleep concerned about waking up early for salatul fajr at least. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala strengthen us. So this is so beautiful that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us that you start with that, you will be able to become a person who fulfills their trust with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Once you fulfill your trust with Allah, you will automatically be able to fulfill your trust with the rest of mankind. Those who protect themselves from adultery and fornication, it would be because they have a link with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala before anything else. There's no point in us hiding and committing that sin.

Allah knows. So if you already fulfill your salah for the one who sees you when no one else sees you, then automatically, you will be able to save yourselves from the sins that he watches whilst the others may not be watching. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us safety.

The Reward for the Successful Believers

And in this way, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will protect us from so many things. This is why we say, brothers and sisters, save yourselves from all the evil that is mentioned by fulfilling with goodness all of the beautiful qualities mentioned at the beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minun. This is why in verse number 10, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Those are the heirs. The heirs who will be granted paradise. They will be inheriting paradise.

Not only any ordinary paradise but a special rank in paradise, a special place in paradise for those who have developed these qualities that we have spoken about at the beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minun.

Warning Against the Devil's Whispers

As a result, you and I know, on our journey towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the devil appears. And he appears so many times. And you know what he does? He actually comes and tells us that you know what? Allah is most forgiving. Allah is merciful. Don't worry. You know, you've been a good person generally.

We heard about the scale on the day of judgment. You've done so many good deeds. I'm sure you can do one or two bad ones. It won't really affect it. All that is from the devil. Because that is a way of taking away, a way of snatching your good deeds.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala warns us. He gives an instruction to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) but the lesson is for us. Verse number 97 of the same surah:

We need to save ourselves from the plot of the devil. Allah says, Say, O Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). My Rabb, I seek refuge in you from the whispers of the devil. And I seek refuge in you from the devil, even coming in my presence.

Keep on saying it. Don't think that you're just going to be a strong person, I'm going to fulfill my salah. I don't need to ask Allah's protection from the devil because I'm a strong person.

I will fight the devil. No. Ask Allah's protection you don't know. The devil is affected by that prayer that you make in a way that he runs away. The devil is affected by statements you utter, by verses of the Quran that you happen to say, because the devil knows that these are powerful words. They are the words of Allah.

This is why we believe to be protected from shaitan, you need to read some chapters of the Quran. The short surahs, I seek refuge in the Lord of the Heavens, I seek refuge in the Lord of the people, etc. The last two surahs of the Quran, Ayatul Kursi, I'm sure we would know that. Read those on a daily basis, morning and evening if you can, after every prayer, so that you will be protected from the devil, so that you can be a successful person, and so that you can attain paradise.

May Allah grant us Jannah.

The Fate of Those Who Turn Away

Because a person who does not seek protection from the devil falls into his trap. And what will happen? There comes a day when he wrongs himself. That is known as dhulm. He wrongs himself. And the height

of that oppression is when someone associates the partners with Allah. And Allah says, such people when they die, as they die, Allah describes their condition, verse number 99 of Surah Al-Mu'minun:

Such a person when death gets to him, he will say, Oh my Rabb, please give me another chance. Just send me back once more. (Quran 23:99)

Now I've seen, now I know what this is all about. I know what the punishment is all about. What good deeds, what the benefit of good deeds are. Just send me back. Oh my Rabb. And Allah says, this person says, let me go back and do good deeds.

In what I've left behind, Allah says, Nay, never. That's not going to happen. No way. We gave you a chance. We told you. We instructed you.

But, did my verses not come to you? Were they not read to you? Verse number 105, Allah says, He will ask:

Were my verses not read to you? But you belied them. You turned away from them. You did not believe them. (Quran 23:105)

Allah says, There were a group of people. In fact, the same people will say:

Now they will be at a loss. They will say, Oh our Rabb, we were indeed stupid. Our stupidity overtook us. Our stupidity overtook us. We heard those verses, but we did not listen to them. We were indeed from amongst the astray. (Quran 23:106)

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will tell them, Do you know, there were people in your midst who used to pray. There were people in your midst who used to supplicate. Who used to call out to us. But you used to laugh at them. You used to laugh at them.

Allah says, There were a group of people who used to say, Our Lord, indeed we have believed in You. And we are asking You to have mercy on us and forgive us. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, But you used to laugh at them.

You took them as a mockery. So, we made you forget. We made this message not impact upon you because you used to laugh at those who were close to us.

The Purpose of Creation

These are beautiful verses. If we go through the translation of these verses, Surah Al-Mu'minun verse

number 107, beyond Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala indeed has favored us. We call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless us.

One of the last verses, in fact the last verse of this particular surah, one of the last verses, verse number 115. Allah says:

Do you really think we created you in vain, without purpose and that you're not going to go back to us? (Quran 23:115)

Brothers and sisters, the answer of that we know. Allah created us with a purpose in order to worship Him. And we are going to go back to Him. Many of us have already gone. Most of us have actually gone.

When I say most, the number of those who went is far more than the number on earth today. So, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala warns us. He says, Make sure that you learn a lesson.

People stronger than you, with greater power than you, with more wealth than you, have died in the past and they have already returned. You have a chance while you're alive. Make sure you worship me alone.

Make sure you come towards me so that you can save yourself by the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from the torment in this world and the next. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless us all.