The Game of Life - Mufti Menk
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-10T14:17:21.220564+00:00 | Topic: Iman
The Game of Life - Mufti Menk
Opening
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Bismillahir rahmanir raheem.
We always praise Allah. We send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad ﷺ, his household, his companions. We ask Allah to bless them, to bless everyone of us and to grant us the best of this world and the next. Ameen.
Purpose of Life
My brothers and sisters, it's important for us to keep reminding ourselves why we were brought into this world. Why did we come onto earth? Why did Allah choose us to come into this world? And it's important for us to realize that we're all going to leave as well.
You know, when we are healthy and when we are okay, we tend to think that we are not really going to die. Until the day comes when you actually end up dying. And by that time, sometimes it is a little bit too late because people have not understood the whole purpose of their existence.
Someone made me, someone made you. We are believers, we believe that. That's why we are seated here in this beautiful house of Allah, here in the blessed suburb of Boston in Johannesburg. May Allah grant us ease.
We have commenced this year 2020 and we ask Allah to grant us an understanding as the days pass, as the years pass. Yes, I do know 2020 belongs to the Gregorian calendar. We don't use it for Islamic dates or for that which is connected to our religion, but it is totally permissible to use it for that which is not directly connected to your deen. Hence, we always use this particular calendar 2020 we say and we know what we mean. It doesn't make me a non-Muslim because I said we entered into 2020.
If you ask me, what's the date? I will tell you today is the 10th of January, Friday, 2020, subhanallah. And I'm not referring to cricket. I know there is a type of cricket also. They call it 2020. They're going to have to change it to 1010 or something in order not to confuse it with this particular year, but that's quite serious.
Allah as the Creator and Rule-Maker
My brothers and sisters, Allah created us and he wants to test us. So just like when you are going to be tested, you need to learn, you need to see the rules and regulations. If for example, there was a sports match, if there was a game of any sort and life is not a game, but we draw lesson from the games we play because of the dedication we offer, the games that happens to go beyond the dedication we offer to real life. Yet, if there are some similarities, so if you were to play a game, you would learn the rules, regulations, you enter the game, you click start.
From the moment you press start, you're not allowed to break any rules. Who made the rules? Well, whoever created the game. Who decided rugby will be played this way? Who decided cricket will be played this way? Who decided football will be played this way? Etc. Those who created the game.
Allah created you and I. We are no game, but he is the one who decides how and what we will do and we will not do. The rules and regulations of this game called life, though it's not a game, are decided by Allah.
"Behold, He is the owner, He is the creator. Therefore, He has the right to dictate, to decide."
Why does Allah have the right to decide what we should be doing and we shouldn't be doing? Because He created us.
What evidence do I have that Allah created us? I don't even know where I was one year before I was born besides from Allah. And I have no clue where I'm going to go as soon as I die besides from Allah. I came from somewhere. I'm so sophisticated that I'm sitting with you today and I'm feeling the warmth. I can feel the love. I feel the brotherhood. I feel so much more. I understand we're all part and parcel of one ummah.
If anyone of us right now were to drop this way or that way, the whole masjid would rush to the person. Don't you agree? May Allah grant us love. May Allah unite us as an ummah. Even without differences, there is no harm. We can still be united. We will not be disunited over little matters. We will live as an ummah.
Primary Purpose: Worship Allah Alone
My brothers and sisters, primarily Allah wants you to find Him and worship Him alone. Don't render any act of worship for anyone or to anyone besides Allah. Because He created you and you're going to go back to Him.
You say, O you who made me, I worship you. O you who made me, I will worship you alone. I will do it the way you want it. O you whom I'm going to return to, have mercy on me the day you take me away. Ameen. That's what we say. That's what we should be saying.
In the process, Allah gives you certain things. And He does not give you certain things. Allah allows certain things. And He does not allow certain things. So you cannot suddenly decide why is this prohibited in rugby. It's rugby. Play it or play soccer. SubhanAllah. Right? If this is not permissible in rugby, it's not permissible in rugby. That's it. The rule is there.
If Allah has prohibited something for you in your life, keep away from it. The rule is there. Allah made it prohibited. That's it. You have no option.
"It is not for a believing male or a believing female to decide that they have a choice regarding what Allah or His messenger have said to them or dictated."
Notice I'm saying believing. The Quran says believing, mu'min or mu'mina. Once you believe and you claim that you believe in Allah, you're a Muslim, you're a mu'min, then you will follow the rules of the game.
It is not for a believing male or female to decide that they have a choice regarding what Allah or His messenger have said to them or dictated. Because you're a believer. If you think you have a choice and that Allah is wrong and that, you know, May Allah protect us. If someone thinks that Allah's rules are wrong, totally wrong. What's the point of calling himself Muslim, right or wrong? Why would you call yourself a Muslim then? You have not submitted.
But if you're a Muslim, you say, no, alhamdulillah, I believe what Allah has dictated is right. Even if I'm weak and I've fallen into some of those things that I'm not supposed to be doing. But I know that what I did was actually wrong.
Heaven and Hell: For Sinners Who Repent vs. Those Who Are Proud
My brothers and sisters, Heaven was created for sinners who repent. A repentful sinner. Heaven was created for you. Jannah is created for those who are sinful but repent. And Jahannam was created for those who are sinful but they are proud and arrogant. La ilaha illallah.
Notice both sides, they are sinners. Don't think that Jannah is created for the perfect because nobody is perfect. And don't think that Jahannam, there is no Muslim that may... May Allah safeguard us head in the wrong direction. You and I know that they are Muslimin, claim to be Muslimin. What do they do?
Everything that Islam has prohibited such that we become embarrassed to associate with them. Let us not be from among those.
When someone associates with you, Are you a proud ambassador of the messenger ﷺ? Are you a proud ambassador of Allah? Are you a good person? Are you trying to behave in a correct way? May Allah grant us goodness.
The Reality of Loneliness in Life
So, whilst on earth Allah gives us certain things, One of those things is that Allah gives us a spouse. May Allah bless those who don't have wives or husbands with wives or husbands. Remember one youngster said, Jazakallah khair, thank you for saying it in plural. La ilaha illallah.
When we're talking of wives here, We're talking of at least get a wife. May Allah grant us at least a wife, subhanallah. But because we are many, that's why I said wives. Please don't leave me wrong. Remember, there are people, they will take from what you say, Whatever they think you, they want you to have said. And they will leave the crux of the matter. May Allah bless us with children, let's word it that way. Ameen. Because if Allah gives us that, then He will give us this as well.
My brothers and sisters, in the process, We become lonelier than we were at certain stages in our lives. Let me explain. When you're young, you may have siblings. Or you might have been the first child or an only child. You have your parents. It's a test. You have your parents. And as you grow older, you don't realize, You're on your own in this world.
Did you know that? You're on your own. You have to earn. You have to go out. You have to sweat. You have to work. You have to do a lot. Male and female. Yes, we have different roles to play. But primarily, we're on our own. We have to fend for ourselves. There will come a time when there might not be another person looking after you.
Don't pity yourself. Get up and work and walk. SubhanAllah. Don't pity yourself. You will be lonely. You might have had 10 siblings. And you might not be with even one of them. Life might separate you. This world, as someone says, is a world where we separate from each other. Either through death or through distance.
You might want to travel to New Zealand because your daughter married there. No problem. Alhamdulillah. But you might go there and you might not be close to some others. Whereas, you will have some other goodness there. SubhanAllah. You can see all the smiles. Everyone wants to go to New Zealand, right? May Allah grant us happiness.
Sometimes we don't realize the virtue we are in until we are no longer in it. SubhanAllah. Sometimes we don't realize the value of what we have until we no longer have it. Remember my brothers and sisters, just thank Allah for what you have. Don't pity yourself. Don't pity yourself. Get up. Try hard.
You are not well. You are ill. Don't wait for someone to pamper you. A day will come when there might not be anyone. You have to get up. You have to do something. You have to go. You might have to cook. You might have to clean yourself. Remember to do all of this. It's part of what Allah wants you to do.
Coming and Going Alone
You are on your own. You will be resurrected on your own. When you came into this world, you came on your own. SubhanAllah. Or if you were twins, you're lucky. Some triplets, quadruplets, but that's a little bit beyond the stretch. I think we have a maternity clinic down the road, right? I'm not too sure how many quintuplets they've had there. But generally most of the people, you're born alone. You came alone. When you die, you die alone. You're gone alone. You'll be resurrected alone.
"On the day of Qiyamah, Allah says, Here you have come to us on your own. Like the time when we created you for the first time. And we don't see all those other things and people that you had as company on earth."
We don't see anyone. You're here on your own. You're coming to give your accounts, your deeds.
"Where are those you claimed were interceding on your behalf here? We don't even see them, Allah says."
So Allah says, you want, you build your reputation with me. You don't worship sticks and stones and people. But Rasulullah ﷺ, Allah has blessed him with that power of intercession. So we ask Allah always to grant us the intercession of Rasulullah ﷺ. May we not be from amongst those who are an embarrassment on the day of Qiyamah.
Learning to Let Go and Not Control Everything
My brothers, my sisters, like I said, on earth, you will have days when, mashallah, as you grow older, you remember with your little siblings how you used to eat those sandwiches and you used to walk to school and walk in the rain and you used to walk 10-15 minutes. Nowadays, even if the school is across the road, you got to go by car. La ilaha illallah. Look at how things have changed, right?
But we remember the days that we go back to how we used to have a little two cents and a tiki and whatever else they used to call it, right? And we could buy so much with all of that. It's good to think of that. But when you look at yourself now, aren't you a little bit lonely? While Allah is telling you, well, build a relationship with me now. Come, subhanallah, la ilaha illallah.
You know your children, no matter how many you have, they're going to get married. The biggest mistake we make, we want to control. Control who? Everyone else. Listen, to a certain extent, you can let them know. Even your own children. You can let them know what to do, what not to do. But control. Trust me, you will develop a huge problem if you want to control everyone around.
Sometimes, because of the wealth we have, because of the power we have, the authority we have, the little position that we have, we want to control everyone around us. We break our families and communities into pieces, because we want to have the only say. Yes, if you're the ameer or if you're a chairman, for example, of, say, a masjid like this, you have a final say, but you must listen to everyone. And you must do that which is beneficial for the community. But you do have a final say, because there has to be one leader who decides.
But when there are little families, say, for example, I grow older, I'd love to have Eid the same way we've had it when we were young, when all the brothers and sisters got together on the day of Eid. But guess what? Now they start getting married. Each one of them has their own children. They have in-laws. It's not fair to always have Eid in one place. I need to make sure that I let loose a little bit.
I will be a bit lonely. The Eids are not going to be like they were all the time. I don't have to be everywhere, every time, at every Eid. Break loose, you're still united. Didn't I say, may Allah give us unity. Even if we're not together, we can be united. Even if we don't think exactly the same.
Even if we didn't, subhanallah, celebrate Eid on the same day in some countries. Here in this country, we are fortunate. Mostly we celebrate Eid together. May Allah keep it that way. But there are some countries I've been to, they celebrate Eid. If Eid was on a Friday, according to some, some would have made it
already on a Thursday, some on a Saturday. And you won't believe it, sometimes even two, three days later. And how the discrepancy, Allah knows.
Unity Despite Differences
But you can still be united, you know what? For as long as that opinion has some form of validation in the Quran and Sunnah and in Islam, let it be. Don't force yours on them. For as long as it has some form of validation in Islam, let it be. You may disagree, you may say, look, according to me, it's this. And the brother says, well, according to me, it's that. You say, you know what, it's fine. You can go ahead.
We have issues, for example, when it comes to the halal authorities. Here in this country, someone will say, well, I don't eat here. Why? Because it's not MJC approved. And I don't eat here because it's not Sanha approved. And I don't eat here. Fair and good. But if someone else wants to eat from Sanha or from MJC or from whatever else there is, for example, for as long as they have some form of justification within them, it may not be your opinion. But let them be.
The minute you try to force, you will destroy. There will be disunity. That's one of the reasons why we are so fragmented. We all think our opinion is sacred. No, that child of mine, he's a white lover. What's so bad about being a white lover? I love my wife too, subhanallah. You love her, subhanallah, we all do. It doesn't mean just because I took her out somewhere on a honeymoon 10 years after I got married, that suddenly I'm a bad person because I missed the function in the home. So what? May Allah grant us an understanding.
Life Lessons and Maturity
My brothers and sisters, it's very important for us to know that life has lessons. We don't learn them sometimes. Allah says, you know, when you're young, it's not going to be the same as you grow older. When you grow older, things have to change. The baton is passed on. Your parents and grandparents will pass away. You become a grandparent. But some of us are still little children, subhanallah. We behave like we're teenagers.
Uncle, you can't even walk correctly. And look at you, the way you're eyeing out all those cherries on the side there. May Allah grant us ease. By the way, for those who may not know, in the South African slang here, this part of the world, I think cherries, it doesn't refer to the fruit, right? It refers to it partially in the season. Otherwise, it refers to a good-looking girl. May Allah grant us all goodness.
Wallahi, my brothers and sisters, be conscious of Allah. Yes, we are human. Yes, we do have human nature. But we should be disciplining it with the discipline of Islam. It will help us. It will take us to Jannat ul- Firdaws. It will make us the best of people.
Don't be too hard and fast on others, even your own family members. Sometimes we're too hard on our own spouses. The man comes into the home and he treats his wife like you can't believe. Recently, someone showed me a clip of a gentleman who was being treated by his own wife like I couldn't believe, subhanallah. So it happens vice versa as well.
We need to learn, my brothers, my sisters, subhanallah, that Allah is watching us. Allah is taking a record. The angels are writing everything. We're going to see it on the day of judgment. The good thing is you can erase it, no doubt, by asking Allah for forgiveness. Asking every day, make your slate clean again, subhanallah.
And Allah will open your doors. You don't have to become depressed because you've committed a sin. One of the traps of the devil is after you sought the forgiveness of Allah, the shaitan makes you think that you're not forgiven. So you become so depressed that you can't move forward. Move forward, my brothers, my sisters, don't waste your days. Engage in the remembrance of Allah and try to become a better person and you'll see how your life will change.
The Temporary Nature of Wealth
And then as you grow older, guess what Allah gives you? You know, if any one of you have played that little game called Monopoly. Here in this country, it has a special, a different type of a jail. When they say go to jail, if it's South Africa, really the children gets jailed. If it's other countries, they say no problem, I'll spend time in jail, right?
But if you've ever played that game, what happens? You would actually be building your little properties and you would actually becoming a wealthier and wealthier person. What happens to all that money? At the end of the day, I want the match, I want the game. Did anyone give you a cent that was real? Nobody, you understand? It was all fake.
On earth, Allah decided that He will allow us to give value to certain items which are actually valueless. In His eyes. For example, gold. Gold has no value in the eyes of Allah, zero. Silver, silver has no value in the eyes of Allah. But Allah allowed us to give it value for purposes of the dunya.
It's mined from dust, from dirt. Anything you found on earth was from the earth and you will leave it here. It does not qualify to go to the hereafter. Did you know that? Even your own bodies and mind created from soil, from dust. Allah says, Jannah, we're going to give you another perfect body. Not this one here, perfect.
When your wife says, I don't want this man in Jannah. I heard people say, if I'm going to get the same man in Jannah, I don't even want to go to Jannah. But you know what? When you see him, you're going to think, why? Who's this guy here, man? SubhanAllah. And then when you told, hey, that's your man. My man? Yeah. And then you find the uncle saying, hey, I'm no longer that old uncle I used to be, you know. May Allah grant us ease.
To get there, my brothers and sisters, don't lose focus. Everything you have here is actually valueless. Don't fight over it. You need a little bit in order to survive while you are in your game. Remember, we call it a game, although it's not a game. Only to bring it closer to the money. While you're here, you're using that. You must learn to give when you get, because you get more. And when you get, don't become too connected to it, because people will laugh at you. Those who know the true value of the valueless money will actually laugh at you.
You must be thinking what valueless? I can only buy a car with that. What if Allah doesn't give you a life to live in the house you built? What if Allah doesn't give you life to drive that Porsche you actually bought? Then what? What was the point of a Masih?
"What a beautiful surah in which Allah is warning us about the one who actually becomes miserly. He thinks it's going to make him live forever on Earth because he's got a lot counting the notes every little while." Quran 104:1-3
Counting how much you got, checking your bank balance every five seconds, auto balance, five rands goes here, your balance, you get a balance. Another five, it's not wrong to have a balance by the way, but it's wrong to become obsessed, obsessed to the degree that it's more important than your salah, more important than your relationship with Allah to check how much balance you got.
Then you start compromising halal and haram to make that balance grow and you won't be able to live this world and you're going to lose your hereafter which is coming sooner than you think. So think, my brothers and sisters. When Allah gives you wealth, he tells us:
"All the wealth belongs to Allah."
He gave it to you temporarily to see what you're going to do with it. When your child grows a bit older, and then for Eid, when I was young, we used to get 10 cents. We were so excited. Look at the auntie's hand and then Eid day. Eid Mubarak. My son, I've been watching. 10 cents coming. We used to get excited. Today, I think if you give the kids 10 rands, they still say, Uncle, too little. If I'm in a posh, give me 10 rands. Doesn't work. We used to get excited.
With a small little coin, we used to count, Hey, I made $3 back in my country. $3 today. $3 for Eid. Eid. I wish the next Eid comes quickly. Then when it comes to the Eid, where they sacrifice Eid ul Adha, the coins are less. Why? They start feeding meat. They start feeding hay. Feeding meat here. May Allah protect us.
My brothers, my sisters, a beautiful life Allah has blessed us with. Let's not become greedy. Let's not become people who lose focus. Remember, when Allah gave you the wealth, He just gave you to watch what you're going to do. I was saying a little child, you give the child 10 cents and you watch. If the child uses responsibly, you might give the child more.
Imagine you give your child 100 rands, a week later the child comes back with 200 rands and says, Daddy, I did a bit of business. I bought a few rings online. And you know what? I sold them. SubhanAllah. Sold them at school or wherever else I sold them. You might say, Hey, come here. You've made a bigger profit than mine. Take a thousand. Be careful. He might come back with nothing. La ilaha illallah.
But the point is, it's the issue of testing and checking. Do the right thing with your money. With us as well. Do you know evidence that the money doesn't belong to you unless you spend it. It's actually the fact that as soon as you die, you don't even have a say where that money is going to go. Besides one thing.
Islamic Inheritance Laws
Did you know that as a Muslim, I surrender to Allah. One of the rules that Allah has kept, the rules of inheritance, where Allah says, you know the money, when you came on earth, what did you come with? Nothing. When you leave, you're going to leave with nothing. Nothing. When I came onto the earth, I came with zero. I can never suffer a loss. I can never have less than zero. If you get what I mean. Because even when I'm buried, they're going to use two pieces of cloth. It's more than what I took. It's more than what I had when I first came in. I didn't even have those two pieces of cloth. Now I've got two pieces of cloth. Allah says, We'll give you that honor of discovering you with something. It's okay.
But all the rest of the money, what should happen? Leave it to Allah. Today people are fighting and arguing over money that their parents left because they're too lazy to earn their own money. Yes, it's your right, but you must remember, you don't have to break relations for it. Give the wealth, Allah will give you more. If it belongs to someone else, according to Allah's rules, give it. You pass your test, you'll have Jannah.
What's the point of having a million rams on earth and you lost your hereafter? I'd rather give the million, keep my sisters happy, my aunt happy. Whoever else was old, if they were old, give it, no stress. Have a big heart, pass your test. Allah is watching. Allah is seeing. People are cheating their sisters. Even their daughters sometimes are being cheated, subhanallah. May Allah protect us.
Conclusion: Distribute Wealth in Your Lifetime
This is why I tell my brothers and sisters, if Allah blessed you with a lot of wealth, and I'm going to end on this point, not because I want to end, but because the time is up. Look, it shows you that everything is per time. The Imam told me you can take five or seven minutes more. I said, no, I want to finish on the button. I shouldn't have said that, subhanallah. But he told me, I said, you know, Muslims are normally late. We want to change that. We want to be on time. You say one o'clock, one o'clock. So can I just finish up what I'm saying? La ilaha illallah.
Anyway, they gave me a few minutes. My brothers and sisters, when Allah blessed you with wealth, try to sort it out in your lifetime. What? Your daughters, set them up. They are your daughters. They might have husbands who are not your sons. So what? Or your sons, set them up. What are you going to do with all this wealth if you don't do that? Reach out to the poor. Give them wealth. Build a few people's lives. And then you're ready to go. When you're ready to go, have minimum next to your name. You know what? Your accounts will be quite simple.
Look at the prophet. The most beloved unto Allah, the highest of all prophets, the highest of all creatures, the most noble of all anbiya, the best of creation. You say whatever you want in terms of height
of value, of status, he has higher than that. SubhanAllah. Yet when he passed away, he left nothing. Nothing.
If Allah wanted, he could have left the mount full of gold. Wallahi, he could have. Wallahi, he could have. But you know what? He left very little. His sword and very little. That's it. SubhanAllah. May Allah grant us a lesson. When you have less as you grow older, it's a good thing. Allah is helping you to get closer to Him, to prepare.
My brothers and sisters, I end up by saying, remember this life is a test. I promise you. It's a test. Allah is just watching. We want good things. Let's turn to Allah. Worship Him. Let's try and understand. Life will change as we progress, as we age. Embrace that change within the obedience of Allah. And don't worry.
Don't impose your views on everyone. Don't want people to live how you want them to live. For as long as what they are doing is permissible, please let it happen. These are your own children, your own brothers or sisters. Let it happen. When people are non-Muslim, we don't even have a say. We don't even have a say. Like they say, I'm a Muslim, I'm not free to do what I want. Because I'm a Muslim, I'm going to do what others want. But if someone is not a Muslim, they are free to do whatever they want. It's between them and whoever made them, who is the same Allah, who made me.
May Allah grant us every form of ease and give us good guidance.