Ismail ibn Musa Menk Respecting the Difference

"You O Muhammad (peace be upon him) would not guide whomsoever you wish, but rather we are the ones who guide. We are the ones who guide."

Allah says, guidance is in our hands, don't be saddened. That's Allah.

Our Duty Towards Those We Differ With

Our duty towards those we are different from is to discuss the matter, to raise the issue. If it is a matter that is not of importance, don't even raise it. It's not of importance. Some of these things that I might have mentioned earlier on regarding your spouse or your children, a lot of it is not even worth mentioning.

You make an issue out of it, you destroy a relationship for nothing. People destroy their relationships based on what color motor vehicle we purchased. Hey, we've got a car. Others don't even have a car. Thank Allah. You want a blue vehicle and she wants a red vehicle. Paint half of it blue and half of it red if you want. That's a petty issue. How can you divorce over the color of your vehicle? That's what people are doing.

You might differ when building a home or a house or when shifting into a house regarding a few details. Don't worry. Have a big heart. My brothers and sisters, accommodate people, Allah will accommodate you. Remember that. Accommodate people.

The Problem of Materialism

Too many marriages are breaking, too many houses are breaking, too many brothers are not speaking to each other for decades based on material, based on money, based on something that you can really do without, based on something that you are not going to be questioned about in your grave. Give it up. Don't worry.

Sometimes we make money. When we did not have the money, we had more love. When we have the money, we become distant. Why? Because your love for your wealth has become more than your love for others who are your family members and human beings of the same species.

So what did Allah say? Allah says, the minute you make more than a certain amount, zakat is farad. Why? Reach out to those who don't have what we gave you so that you can be appreciated even by them. That is why the most loved people are the most charitable people. Do you know that?

The Charity of a Smile

And Allah says, charity is not only monetary, it is also through the expression on your face. People of Mombasa, don't just look at me, smile, smile. It's an ibadah. Engage in the ibadah. The expression on your face boosts you. Wallahi, it boosts you.

You know, my teeth are not straight. No one notices because he just smiled, that's it. They just see the smile. They don't notice these teeth are all not aligned. Even my children tell me, Dad, you need railway tracks. And I say, I don't think I do.

You people who are young, you've become too conscious, my nose is bent, my eyes are like this, my face is like this, this side is more than that. No one ever notices it. You are looking too much in the mirror. Crack all of these mirrors and throw them out. Enjoy what Allah has created.

The Importance of All Creation

Allah made us different for us to enjoy the earth. Imagine if there were no reptiles, there were no lions because they are harmful. There were no cheetahs and no snakes. And there were no crocodiles or reptiles. Life would be boring honestly. And Kenya wouldn't make that much money by the way. But Allah has blessed you. You have everything. It's beautiful.

Call people who haven't seen the elephant to come and see what the elephant is all about. The big five. They will come and see, Allah has made it. What do we do with those animals? We actually fulfill their rights as far as we can. We appreciate, we don't want to destroy and become destructive, but we seize the opportunity of growth through those differences that we have.

Don't you think human beings are far more important? Human beings are far more important. The man you don't get along with, I don't want to say mother-in-law, but the person you don't get along with is not a reptile, they are not crocodiles, they are not lions, that's a human being. Set aside your differences, talk to each other. Make life easy for someone, Allah will make life easy for you.

The Hadith on Removing Hardships

Imagine, the hadith says:

(Muslim)

"Whoever removes a hardship from a Muslim in the dunya, Allah will create ease for them in the akhira."

And in another narration, in this world and the next. And another narration speaks about humanity at large:

(Tirmidhi 1924)

"The prophet (peace be upon him) says, have mercy upon those on earth and the one in the heavens will have mercy upon you. Allah will not have mercy on one who does not have mercy on the people."

Not only on the Muslims, have mercy only on this, have mercy no ارْحَمُوا مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ - "Have mercy upon those on earth, and the one in the heavens will have mercy upon you."

Ask yourself, am I merciful? Am I merciful to my brothers, my sisters, my parents, my children, my in-laws, whether they be daughter-in-law, son-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, whoever else, am I merciful towards these people? If I am,then (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ - alhamdulillah). If I am not, you need to build the bridge.

The Bridge to Paradise

If you don't, how are you going to cross into Jannah? You need a bridge to cross into paradise. It is As-Sirah. We hear about it in the hadith. We've read about it in the Quran. Yes, it is of a different nature, but your living on earth will determine in which manner you will cross that bridge. Some will cross it like a flash. Some will struggle on it. Some will drop into Jahannam. Do we want that to happen to us? No.

So learn to build your bridges here, and Allah will help you cross that bridge there. We are living the test that I was speaking about. Collect as many crystals as you can, you will get to Jannah. Don't worry about how much the other man has collected. You collect them. Every opportunity, do good. Reach out to people. Be the best you can. Fulfill both rights. The right of Allah and the right of the creatures of the same Allah.

Everything Belongs to Allah

And that brings me to a very interesting point. Everything you see around you was created by Allah. He who created you. It belongs to Him. The earth belongs to Him. The heavens belong to Him, not to you. You belong to Him.

So whatever you see, tell yourself, Allah is testing me, how is my relation with all these things? The road that you are driving on, honor it, respect it. You know what the hadith says?

(Muslim 269)

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) says, be careful of the two who are cursed. So the Sahabah asked, what are the two who will be cursed? What are the two things that would be making people become cursed? Or who are the two cursed people? He says, the one, listen carefully, the one who relieves himself on the path of the people or in the shade where the people achieve shade from."

How come? Because you are harming the other creatures of Allah. You are harming the other creatures of Allah. Imagine people urinate under a tree, and they think it's okay. Someone wants to come and have a picnic, romantic moment. They lay down their little carpet, and suddenly you say, oh, it's smelling here, what's going on? Automatically the one who made it smell was wrong. He should have chosen a better place.

Look at the cats, look at the dogs. When they want to relieve themselves, a lot of the times, they will choose the place. They will dig a little hole. They will make sure that they have covered it, in most cases. Those are dogs and cats. What about us? Shouldn't we be better than that?

Removing Harm as an Act of Faith

If the hadith goes as far as looking after the places where people might benefit from the shade, who are we to harm people physically when Allah says, you are not allowed to harm them with the smell. Look at the hadith, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) speaks about those who remove a harmful object from the path of the people, have shown that they are true believers in Allah because it is a part of belief.

(Muslim 35)

"Part of your iman is to remove a harmful object."

When you are driving, when you are walking, you see a rock on the road, you swerved, and you missed it. What should you do if you are a true believer? If you really have iman, you should think for a moment, let me collect my crystal. How do I do it? I park my car, make sure the traffic is in order, I don't want anyone to bump me, but I will pick up this rock only and solely for the sake of Allah. That is your crystal. I pick it up, and I threw it away on the side in such a way that whoever passes this road, my friend, not my friend, Muslim, not Muslim, whoever they are, they will not be harmed by that rock.

I'm sure you've heard that this is part of iman. Have you heard about it? Look, we are nodding our heads. Yes, we have. Now, why don't we think that the same Allah who is telling us that part of your iman is to remove a rock from the road so that others are not harmed by it. Do you think that that Allah would tell you to harm other people physically and say, you are a good Muslim.

The Contradiction of Violence in Islam

That's what people are doing. In the name of Islam, they are killing. In the name of Islam, they are destroying. Who? Other Muslims. People who might differ with you in sect. People who might differ with you in faith. My brother, don't be a coward. My sister, it is a sign of your own weakness because you are supposed to be so powerful in your mind and your knowledge that you know what I have is so convincing.

When I talk to them two times, three times, at least they will acknowledge that we are good people. When you talk to the non-Muslims, my aim is not to revert them or to convert them. No. My aim is not to do that. I will deliver the message. It's up to Allah what happens. But I do know when I deliver the message, even the staunchest non-Muslims who dislike Islam, they will have to nod their heads and say, well done, it's a good religion. I acknowledge you guys have some good teachings.

Isn't it about time we did that? We have to. We must. We interact with people everyday. Like I said, for dunya, please, remember to interact with people for deen. It's more important. If you have tolerated your differences for dunya, remember, you have a bigger responsibility to tolerate them in a bigger fashion for your deen. The product of deen is far more important than any product of the dunya that you might want to market to them. Remember this.

The Treaties of the Prophet

And this is why it's important for us to understand our rights. To understand our duties towards one another. No matter who we are. Look at Rasulullah (peace be upon him) when he arrived in Medina Munawwara, one of the first things he did was he struck a treaty. With whom? With those who don't belong to our faith. Who were they? The Jews who were in Medina Munawwara. The people of the book.

He called them and he wrote a proper treaty. Please go back to the books of seerah and check what was written there. You will be shocked at the way people are calling themselves followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) today and harming those whom they disagree with.

When we are talking of the Jewish people of Medina Munawwara, whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) struck an agreement with. And he spoke about their rights. We will defend you. We will ensure whatever we have for ourselves, you have the same rights, etc, etc. Yes, they might have broken the treaty later on, but the point being raised is there was a treaty in place.

Later on, there was the treaty of Hudaybiyah. Have you seen it? What was it? What was the benefit of the treaty of Hudaybiyah? Can I tell you some of the benefits? You will have to go back and look at what the treaty was all about. When the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) felt, Oh messenger, is this fair? Is it fair? You know, there were some clauses in the treaty that looked like they were against the Muslims. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) obviously from Allah revealed revelation. This was what was meant to be done. It was done. No mistakes in it.

As a result, Islam spread far and wide. The opportunity arose for that message to be delivered going all over. So the point being raised, my brothers and sisters, remember yesterday in Nairobi, I spoke about mending relations. And I felt the message was more for me than anyone else.

Appreciating Differences

Today, I've touched a little bit about differences and the fact that we need to enjoy. We need to understand. Appreciate is the word. Appreciate the differences. Acknowledge them. You know, I've come across young people who come to me and say, I'm not feeling well. Why? Because this person or someone else told me that you're ugly and you're this. And I always tell them, you're not. You're absolutely stunning. But it needs the right eyes. That's all. It needs the right heart.

None of us is ugly. None of us is thrown out of the mercy of Allah. Every one of us is within the mercy of Allah. No matter what you look like, no matter what your complexion is, no matter what your size is, Allah has created us so diverse that someone somewhere will really look at you and die to be with you. Literally. And the reason I say this is we have a different taste.

You find sometimes, you know, some people might look somewhere and say, Oh, wow, did you see this? Look at how good. Someone else will say, What? What are you looking at? But that's how Allah has made

The Uniqueness of Creation

And that's why, have you thought about it? Do you know what I learned? I learned that if you shave your head, the way your hair grows, it's totally unique. You can actually in future have, I don't know what do they want to call it, a hair print? You know, for recognition, we have the iris, unique. We have, for example, the thumbprint, unique. Everything is unique.

Did you know that there are no two zebras on earth that have the same stripes? You would know because you are from Kenya, right? No two zebras have the same stripes. No two leopards have the same spots.

"This is the creation of Allah. Show me what those besides Allah have created."

That's the creation of Allah. Allah challenges us. He is the proud. He is the one who says, Look, I made this. Show me what others have made. All of you have a different identity. You know what is DNA? I'm sure you've heard it. But go and read about it. Go and research. You will be shocked. Wallahi.

I gave a little bit of saliva for a DNA test of my own to find out more about myself, who am I, where I come from. And they gave me back 15 generations where you are from. DNA. What was it? Little bit of saliva. In a small little spittoon. Wow. Me, unique me. They will tell me who I'm related to, who I'm not related to.

But my brothers and sisters, don't you think it's amazing? It's the creation of Allah. We are different. Totally different. We will appreciate those differences. We will acknowledge them. Really. And we will enjoy the fact that we are different. Unique. Look at your features. Thank Allah. Look at the others. Thank Allah.

The Danger of Pride

But remember, it's a test. The minute anyone thinks they are better than the other because of what Allah has given them, that is the very minute that they have dropped all their crystals. Sometimes you collect a bag of crystals. You know what the crystals are. I was speaking about them from the beginning, right? You collected a whole bag. But because of one big thing, you dropped the whole bag.

Let me show you:

(Ahmad 23489)

"No virtue of an Arab over a non-Arab or a non-Arab over an Arab, and no white over a black or black over a white, except by taqwa (God-consciousness)."

You heard that hadith before? The minute you think because my complexion is lighter or darker or because I belong to this tribe or because I belong to this particular nationality or because I am this or I am that that I am better, that's the same minute you have dropped your crystals. Your whole bag is dropped. Why? Because now you have kibr, pride.

What is that pride?

(Muslim 91)

"He will not enter Jannah in whose heart there is a mustard seed's weight worth of pride."

You need to deal with it. You need to deal with the pride. Remember you are just a number. Everyone else is like you trying to please Allah.

The Brotherhood of Believers

Yesterday when we walked out of that particular venue we had which was so beautiful, I saw many brothers and sisters walking and they were going towards where the public transport was. And wallahi in my heart and I even told some of those who were with me, look at these people. They all want to please Allah. Everyone wants to please Allah.

If you don't feel the love in your heart for one another, you are sick. You are sick. Wallahi you need help. If you think you are the only Muslim on earth, you are the only one, you are sick. Jannah is very broad. It is huge. It's not just for you.

I listen to people who think that because they differ with others, the others are not going to go to Jannah at all. You know what? They say these people will not go to Jannah. Those say these people will not go to Jannah. A third party says both of you are not going to Jannah. A fourth one says all three of you are not going to Jannah and it continues. And I sit and I think, wait, Jannah is going to be empty man. There is no one there. No one there.

If Jannah was according to you and your mercy, truly it would be empty. But it is not yours. It belongs to Allah. And you know who is Allah? The Most Merciful. The Most Forgiving.

Allah's Continuous Forgiveness

"Allah says, I will continue forgiving."

You know what is Ghaffar? Ghaffar means one who continually forgives. Not Ghafoor. Ghafoor also is someone who forgives. But Ghaffar is Mubalagha. It is something, it is in the Arabic language, it shows that this quality is repeated so much. Allah forgives you once, twice, ten times, twenty times, hundred times, for as long as you are seeking forgiveness.

"Whoever seeks forgiveness, Allah will forgive him."

"Allah continues to forgive His slaves for as long as they have not reached the point of death."

When the ghargara comes, it's called ghargara, when your soul gets to your throat and it's about to be removed from your body, that is the time it's too late. Up to that point you will be forgiven so many times.

Don't Judge Others

So who are we looking at others and saying, you know what? This one is going to Jahannam. That one is going to Jahannam, this one is going to Jahannam, etc., etc. We don't know how we are going to end and how they are going to end.

I know of a pop star. A guy who spent his time in the nightclubs. A guy who spent his time singing and dancing with naked people and nudity and whatever else there was. And guess what? One day, he decided to quit all of this. He came into a pure life. And you know what happened to him? He became so relevant in terms of the deen because people watched him. And they were like, you mean you quit your whole life in order to come here? Are you crazy?

You know people think when you become a sheikh, you are crazy, you are mad. You rather have stayed in the life of limelight. That's not true. The limelight is not what is important. What is important is the light of the path. You need to tread the path.

So this man became so famous and he used whatever Allah gave him in terms of capacity to spread good. Yet, he himself says there were people who used to say he is going to Jahannam. A long time back, people used to say, this man, totally out, going to hell. And there were people who were pious who went back that way and him, he came this way here and guess what? There was a time when he passed away. And I promise you, his janazah was attended not by one thousand, not by ten thousand, not by a hundred thousand, but hundreds of thousands. And his time was very short on earth. Very short. You wonder what was the purpose of this person on earth. And then you realize, Allah is showing you, don't judge people.

Never Give Up on People

He used to say himself, this person I'm talking about, he used to say himself, please, when you see children in the nightclubs, have hope, work on them, try with them, reach out to them because I used to be there. When you see children on drugs, and that is a problem across the globe, drugs has overtaken the whole world. Pray for them, work on them, have hope with them, try with them, keep on trying.

Someone might say, well, when do I give up? You don't give up until you die. Don't drop your crystals, have hope, keep trying. They just need one day when they might drop all their bad habits. Trust me, they will be better than you. Imagine a person doing a lot of bad, and suddenly they do a lot of good. They

use all the energy they used to use for bad, for good. Because you help them, you get a full reward for that.

But we are too lazy. We just want to harm, we want to kill, we want to fight, we want to destroy. That is not Islam, that's not the sign of a Muslim. I don't know how I'm going to end, just like I don't know how you are going to end. I have hope for myself, and I have hope for yourself. And the winners are those who want to take as many people as possible to Jannah.

The Example of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)

That was Muhammad (peace be upon him). Do you know the kuffar of Quraysh? He used to go to them, he used to talk to them, he used to try with them, and many of them accepted Islam. They accepted Islam. Some of them didn't, but a lot of them did. He had hope, he kept trying, he wanted to take maximum number.

When the people of Ta'if were about to be crushed by the angels waiting for one instruction, that instruction did not come from him (peace be upon him). He just says, if they don't accept, inshallah their offspring will accept. What happened? A few years later, there was a victory, they accepted Islam. Let's be patient.

My brothers and sisters, we need to be patient. In order for us, to be able to build bridges, we have to be very patient. We have to be very forgiving. We have to be very understanding. We have to be very accommodating.

Beyond Tolerance to Respect

Not just tolerance. Tolerance is no longer a good word. Now we go beyond tolerance to respect. We respect the difference. Remember this. We used to say, we tolerate each other. Do you know what's the meaning of tolerate? Have you thought of it? Tolerate means, I really don't like you. I really don't agree with you. I don't even want to talk to you. You are such an enemy of mine, but I'm going to tolerate you. I'll tolerate the fact. You use the word tolerance to say, I'm on edge, but I'm just tolerating. That's what tolerance is. We've got to go beyond that.

I respect you. We differ. Let's talk about it. Don't think for a moment that I am saying, don't do dawah. Don't propagate. Don't call. No, I didn't say that. I am saying, you will propagate respectfully. And you have to understand, the right you have, the others have it as well. They are also living on earth. They are citizens perhaps of the same land. They have equal rights.

You might think you are superior because of your faith. They will also think they are superior because of their faith. But that superiority is not necessarily with humanity. Rather, because you believe something. They have the right to believe.

A Discussion on Faith

I want to end with one point. Just came to my mind now. I was sitting one day on an aircraft. The guy was talking to me about faith because he asked me, Oh, you look like a religious man and so on. He said, You know what? Your religion is very bad. I told him, What do you believe in? He says, I am just a free thinker. I don't believe in anything.

So, I said, When you die, what happens? He says, Nothing. Nothing happens. You just go back. I said, Wait. He says, Nothing. You become whatever you were before. I said, You believe something. You are believing something. Anyway, the discussion ended.

How? He started asking me about Muslims. And he said, You people are horrible. I said, Why? Because you believe that anyone who is not a Muslim is going to go to hell. I said, Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Are you familiar with Christianity? He said, Yes. I said, They have a belief similar to that. Are you familiar with Judaism? He said, Yes. They have a belief similar to that. Why are you picking on me?

You shouldn't even be talking because you don't even believe in the hereafter. He just looked at me. He said, What? You just told me you don't believe. Why are you so worried about whether I believe you are in heaven or hell? Heaven or hell? Why are you so worried about it? You don't even believe. So, leave it alone.

That is something that some people pick on sometimes. How can you believe people are going to hell? I'm going to tell them, Look, you know what? The Bible has verses. The Torah has verses. The Quran has verses. These verses are in their place. You talk to a Christian, he'll give you similar lines. You talk to a Muslim, they'll give you similar lines. You talk to a Jewish person, similar lines. You talk to people of many faiths, they'll give you similar lines. If you don't follow what I follow for example, I don't think there's much chance for you.

But, that is what everyone believes. However, it does not justify you to do bad to someone because you need to know your heaven is determined by how you are going to treat the very creatures of Allah that have differed with you. They've differed with you. How did you treat them? This is why we talk about differences.

The Reality of Religious Diversity

We will never just have one common faith on earth. Everybody comes, let's give up half of Islam, give up half of this, half of that and come and create one huge universal faith which is just all about hello and how are you. No. People are passionate about their faith. We want to pray five times, nothing will stop us from praying. I believe if you don't pray, you are wrong. So? It's okay. But I will not harm you, I will not hurt you, I will not kill you. All I will do is I will keep on engaging you, talking to you, showing you and I will market the product I have.