Ismail ibn Musa Menk The Reaction

Notice I said dollars, not rands. That people were waiting for, subhanallah, came to you. But what happened the five years? You struggled, suddenly you shot up to the top.

That was Allah. Why? You reacted with hope. In the face of that, which would have brought about hopelessness to those who don't believe.

Allahu Akbar. (حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيل - hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel). Allah is sufficient for me, for us, and He is the best disposer of our affairs. Allah says, the verse after that, what a beautiful verse.

"(Quran 3:174) So they returned with grace and bounty from Allah, and no harm touched them."

Allah says, as a result of that conviction that they had and the dua that they made (حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلٌ - hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel) we actually converted for them whatever there was in terms of fear that they may have been warned about into a beautiful coolness, a calmness, success, and victory. How did victory come? They reacted correctly.

How to React to News

Let me give you another reaction in the Quran.

You know sometimes we hear some news. News is either good or bad. It's either about peace or about war. It's either about something positive or negative. Important pieces of news. How do we react? Let me tell you typically what we do.

Someone says, you know what? There is... Okay, let me make it a bit interesting. Rather than saying something negative, you say, you desperately need butter, for example. Let's say ghee.

Now ghee, you know what ghee is, okay? Not many people know. So, you desperately need it. And someone tells you it's at one-tenth of the price at the store that is across the road.

What are you going to do? A lot of people would start forwarding messages with a good heart. This I'm giving you a very light example. With a good heart you start forwarding messages.

Mashallah, it's good. But the problem is if you need it, what you've got to do is make sure you've secured your one or two tins before everybody else gets it. So you start making a move.

But if you're going to announce it before you've done anything about yourself, you might sit and say, guy, you know what, I needed it more desperately than everybody else, but they've all got it and I don't have it. Okay? That's a simple light example. What would be the best thing to do? The best thing is make your plan, and while you're doing that, you can let the rest know.

There's a time to tell the people. There's a place to tell the people.

A More Serious Example

I give you a more serious example. If there is a man with a gun out there, and someone sees it, there are so many ways of reacting. He can either start screaming, yelling, and then this guy takes, what happens with a thief? You ask those who know. I think here in Cape Town people know.

When someone wants to hijack a vehicle from Gatesville, he is a fool. The reason is you can't come out of Gatesville. You're not going to get out of this place.

And when that happens, do you know that he will start panicking. If he has a weapon, the thieves a lot of the times they use these weapons when they start panicking, okay? So if you're in the wrong place, wrong time, there's going to be crossfire. Do you understand what I'm saying? When a thief comes in, if he's armed, there's a different way of dealing with this.

We are fortunate, we are from Africa, that's why we taught this drill. People who are hearing this lecture, living in other countries might be saying, what is he talking about? But it's a fact, if a man is armed, you deal with him differently. Very different.

You got to make sure, he says, you say, look, take what you want. He says, look down, you look down. Look up, you look up.

Things that you wouldn't even do in salah, astaghfirullah. You know a lot of us, when Allah says, do this, do that, we don't do it. But a thief with a gun says, do it, we did it.

Khalas. On the ground, you're on the ground. But five salah, we're not on the ground.

Allahu Akbar. May Allah forgive us. So, you know how to react because, or you should be, because if you react wrongly, it's going to become dangerous.

So, if you scream and the guy panics, there's a problem. Rather, you deal with the situation. You can let one or two people know, you know a certain uncle, you know someone else, you know the security of the masjid.

For example, there's always security in the masjids. Mostly, like we say, unmarked vehicles, there are unmarked security members that are here. A lot of you might know them, some of you might not know them, but they're there.

So now what happens, subhanallah, you deal with them in a beautiful way. The problem is solved. When people come out, they heard there was a guy who tried his luck, but he was dealt with.

Because you dealt with it and you reacted in the correct way.

The Quranic Teaching About Broadcasting News

So, Allah speaks about this in the Quran (وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِّنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ - wa idha ja'ahum amrun minal amni awil khawfi adha'u bih) (Quran 4:83). You

"(Quran 4:83) When there comes to them some matter touching security or alarm, they broadcast it; but if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those of them who can draw the correct conclusions from it, would have understood it."

know the hypocrites, Allah says, when news of peace, security, or war, or uncertainty, lack of security comes to them, they broadcast it without thinking.

They broadcast it. First thing they do, they let the whole world know, this is what happened. And Allah says, (وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَى أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ - wa law radduhu ilar rasuli wa ila uli al-amri minhum la'alimahulladhina yastanbitunahu minhum) (4:83 Quran).

Had they approached the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wasalam), had they approached those with sound intellect, sound knowledge, with that piece of information, they would have known how to process that information and react as a result of what they heard or what they know.

When you get news that is very important, you don't just broadcast it. When you get news that is serious, either way, whether it's good or bad, you don't just broadcast it. First you ask yourself, what am I about to do? When you make a profit of a million rands, you don't broadcast it.

People might become jealous. The thieves will know where to go because you broadcasted it. When you have a loss, sometimes you don't just broadcast it.

Sometimes you might want to keep it within because you don't want to give an opportunity for those who dislike you to laugh and to become happy at your loss. It happens. That's why there is a dua where we are taught to say, O Allah, do not let our enemies become happy at our loss.

Subhanallah. Don't give our enemies a chance to laugh at us. That's a dua.

May Allah grant us ease.

Summary of Reactions

So my brothers and sisters, to react, the Quran is telling you, when something happens to you, you need to know how to react. Either (إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلٌ - inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel). Or you need to know whether or not to broadcast that news, and how, and to who.

The Current Challenge of Blasphemy

Now I get to one serious matter that came to me a few days ago, two, three days ago. So, there are people who hate Islam, you know that. That hatred is based a lot of the times on ignorance.

Because of that, they hate the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) due to that ignorance. I'd like to put it at ignorance. I don't want to get it further because I've seen people who've hated, and later on, they became Muslim.

Okay. So we don't want to say anything besides ignorance. They're ignorant.

So one of the Dutch MPs, senior guy in the political hierarchy, he decided to fire up something called, draw a cartoon of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) 2018. Right? And the competition is on, (أَعُوذُ - a'udhu)

May Allah protect us and may Allah guide everyone.

What will it do to us? It is provoking us. That's what it is. Provocation.

Someone telling you, we're going to draw dirty cartoons, and it's my right to do it. We tell them, my dear brother in humanity, you're making a mistake. You don't know the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

You don't know Islam. You're blaming a faith that has promoted peace over the centuries by looking at a few issues that have affected you and perhaps those around you and a few others, and you're blaming two billion people. And on top of that, the Messenger peace be upon him who brought about a lot of the goodness that we have today from Allah.

I'm talking of as mankind. A lot of what we have today is taken from Islam, whether you like it or not. You might be ignorant, but it actually is.

So we say, my dear brother in humanity, we'd like you to rethink that position. You are inciting and provoking people to do that which nobody on earth wants, and that is violence, that is hatred, that is enmity, that is warfare. We don't want it.

The Muslims are being killed more than anything else. Take a look at the millions that have been killed within the last 12 years, 15 years. Who killed them? Go back and check.

May Allah forgive us. May Allah strengthen us as an ummah. May Allah grant us wisdom.

How to React to Blasphemy

So the reaction, how should it be? They will keep on drawing their cartoons, but I want you to consider something. When they harmed Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in Ta'if and in his life, in his person, he reacted with a beautiful dua. He reacted in a calm way.

As a result, they turned to Islam wholesale. I guarantee you, my brothers and sisters from this pulpit of Friday, here in Masjidul Quds in Cape Town, I want to tell you every time they have drawn cartoons or come out with blasphemous videos, scores of people have turned to Islam as a direct result of what they did. I guarantee you, that is what has happened and keeps on happening today.

It's very difficult to enter the fold of Islam, because it's difficult to be a Muslim the way we're looked at with the eye of skepticism. But there are people against all odds turning to Islam. Because they saw a cartoon, they saw a video, they decided, you know, we know so many Muslims, let's go into it, let's study.

So these videos and cartoons have actually made people want to look into the reality. When they went into the reality, they said, this is the truth. Wallahi, I know people personally, not just one, but many, whom this has happened to.

But when we react with hooliganism, we are now vindicating those who are saying Islam is a barbaric faith. Therefore, my call and my plea to you, my beloved brothers and sisters, from the bottom of my heart, I'm telling you, when you see negativity, please react in the wise way. Ask yourself, how would Nabi Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) react? He would not make, astaghfirullah, I don't even want to say it.

He wouldn't do anything negative. So, yes, we are provoked. Yes, we will be upset.

But be proactive. Use the opportunity to educate people. Give a little pamphlet.

You saw those cartoons? Yes, I did. Well, I just want you to read about the person they're trying to blaspheme. Because Allah says in the Quran (إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ - inna kafaynakal mustahzi'in) (Quran 15:95).

"(Quran 15:95) Indeed, We are sufficient for you against the mockers"

Muhammad, peace be upon him, you are way beyond everybody else. In your rank, in your status, no matter what anyone does against you, to mock at you, to try and make a fool of you, they will only be making a fool of themselves. They will be mocking at themselves. Your status is engraved.

It's already there. Nothing will change it. That's the guarantee of the Quran.

Allah tells Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alaihi wasallam), we have protected your reputation from the mockery of those who want to mock. Subhanallah. When they mocked, what happened? It destroyed their reputation.

Not Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alaihi wasallam's). More and more people are following it.

Good News About the Growth of Islam

I want to give you another piece of good news. I don't believe my half an hour is up. If it wasn't Jumu'ah, I would have probably lengthened it. But my brothers and sisters, a powerful example I want to give you right now.

It makes me shiver when I think my brothers and sisters, do you know the population of the globe at the moment is more than it ever was before. Do you agree? And the population of Muslims on earth who make sujood for Allah is more than it ever was from the beginning of humanity to this day. I promise you, don't lose hope in the mercy of Allah.

The deen of Allah is solid, it is strong. Yes, we do have problems, we will manage them by the help of Allah. We do have crises, do not be despondent.

We do have splits, we do have disunity, but by the help of Allah. If we keep on reminding people of our duties unto one another, to speak with each other with respect, to be able to react correctly when things go wrong, when things don't go the way we'd like them to go, then we will definitely be serving the deen. There is a lot to hope for.

The Full Masjid as a Sign of Hope

Look at this masjid, my brothers and sisters. I want to let you know, the masjid is packed to capacity. Isn't that a sign that we are connected to Allah? Why lose hope? This is the house of Allah.

We are about to put our heads on the ground for Allah. I'm going to put my head on the ground insha'Allah for the sake of Allah, not once, but so many times. Whereas those magicians at the time of the Prophet Musa alayhi salam, they were evil people, but when they turned to the deen and when they made one prostration, not two, not five, one prostration for Allah, Allah says, we wiped out all their sins, granted them jannah in return.

If one prostration could wipe out everything they did, my brothers and sisters, I've made thousands of prostrations, may Allah accept at least one. So have you. So have all of us.

Smile, there is hope. Allah is Rabbul Ghafoor. Allah is Most Merciful.

Allah is the Most Forgiving, the Most Beneficent.

Conclusion

And I end off with the same statement, my brothers and sisters, let's learn not to react in a negative way to anything that happens to us.

"I say this statement, and may Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad"