This Will Be an Amazing Ramadan

This Will Be an Amazing Ramadan

Jumuah Lecture by Mufti Menk

Opening

All praise is due to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, blessings and salutations upon Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم his household, his companions. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless them and bless every one of us and grant us goodness.

The Beginning of Ramadan 1442/2021

My brothers, my sisters, we have commenced the beautiful month of Ramadan this year, 1442 Hijri 2021. My brothers and sisters, this is the first Jumu'ah, the first Friday. If you notice, time flies.

I recall very clearly last year, Ramadan, where we had a lot of restrictions. What was very, very difficult was for us not being able to attend the house of Allah and not being able to fulfill in a way that we wanted to fulfill the month of Ramadan. But that was the decision of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

He is the owner of everything. If you take a look, we as believers always believe in a silver lining. Indeed, with hardship, there is ease and with the same hardship, there is another point of ease. So with every hardship, there are actually two points of ease.

Lessons from the Pandemic

It might have been different, but it gave us an opportunity to fulfill our prayers at home. Many of us after the lockdown was over in our countries, we didn't do that as much as we did before or during the lockdown.

It gave us time to spend with our family members. How many of us do that on an ordinary day? It gave us time to spend with our children and it made us reflect and perhaps help a little bit here and there areas where we did not used to help. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us useful at all times.

That having been said, it got us into a different routine. We thank Allah that we've come out of it and we thank Allah for the lessons that we learned. But now that we're back in the masajid, my beloved brothers, my sisters, make the most of this.

The Reality of Death

You don't know how long you're going to live. Many of our friends, our relatives have passed on. Those we know, those we don't know.

I could be next, you could be next, no one knows. That's one thing we all definitely learned from this pandemic is you never know when death can overtake and who it would overtake. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability to prepare.

So how do we prepare? We prepare primarily by making use of all the opportunities Allah has given us to earn closeness to Him. Look at this month of Ramadan. Prior to Ramadan, there is a sunnah dua that I'm sure many of us used to say:

"(Dua)"

'O Allah, grant us the acceptance to witness the month of Ramadan.'

Now we're in Ramadan. What was the big deal of that dua if we are not doing anything different this month than the previous ones? So the issue is it is the month of forgiveness.

The Month of Resetting

It is the month of resetting your relationship with Allah, looking into where you were and adjusting it in a way that you improve. May Allah make us steadfast with our five daily prayers. May Allah make us steadfast with our dress code.

May Allah make us steadfast with our recitation and learning of the Quran and practicing upon what we are supposed to be practicing upon. We've heard a lot of what's permissible and what's prohibited, what's obligatory and what's prohibited, etc. How many of us are actually following what Allah has prescribed? So this is a time when we should be reflecting over that and looking into ways of earning the closeness of Allah.

The Month of the Quran

This is the month of Ramadan. It is also known as the month of the Quran primarily because Allah mentions the term (شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ) in the Quran and with it he says it's the month of. He didn't say fasting in that particular verse.

He said it's the month within which the Quran was revealed and obviously fasting is included in the injunctions of the Quran but primarily We've heard that verse so many times. Allah says (شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ) once in the Quran. That's in Suratul Baqarah and with it he says it's the month within which I have revealed the Quran.

My brothers, my sisters, give great importance to the Quran in this month. Read it. Make sure that you practice upon it.

Make sure you try to understand it. Make sure you improve your connection with it. Make sure you have it close to you.

Don't let a day pass without you having picked up the Quran or opened the app on your phone and attempted at least to read a verse or two because you and I are going to die one day. If we've gotten into the habit of doing that all the time, the day we die, we would have started the day with a beautiful connection with the Quran and if you're connected to the Quran, you're connected to Allah and if you're connected to Allah, no need to be scared, to be fearful and no need to be sad. There will never be reason for you to have those two.

May Allah protect us from fear and from sadness.

Allah's Generous Distribution in Ramadan

My beloved brothers, my sisters, this is a month where in which Allah is dishing out, in our language, Allah is dishing out Jannatul Firdaus and forgiveness. Paradise is being given to everyone and anyone who is seeking it.

Ask Allah for Jannah. Oh Allah, I ask you to grant me Jannah. It is reported in a narration that when you constantly ask that, you've asked it once, you've asked it twice, you've asked it thrice, Jannah itself will say, oh Allah, grant this person entry into meaning into Jannah.

That's amazing. One wonders how? I don't know how as well. All I know is the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has taught that to us and it depicts the importance of asking Allah for Jannah.

Different Types of Duas

Sometimes there are things you ask Allah for, he doesn't give you immediately. He gives you later on. And sometimes you ask Allah for something, he gives you something else in return.

There is one thing that if you constantly ask Allah sincerely, he will give you exactly what you are asking, how you are asking, when you are asking, and that is Jannatul Firdaus. It is paradise because it is connected to the hereafter. Oh Allah, grant me the companionship of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم in the hereafter.

If you are serious about that dua, Allah will give it to you. But in order to prove that you desperately want it, you need to have a little connection with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم,with his sunnah, with his way, with his teachings. What's the point of saying, I love Allah, I love the messenger, peace be upon him.

But that's as far as it goes. Your actions are heading in a different direction altogether. We love paradise and entry into paradise, but our motor vehicle is facing hell fire.

This is the time to change that. You need to reroute, you need to make a u-turn as soon as possible. Otherwise, you're going to be wasting your time, effort, energy, your money, whatever else it may be, and you're heading in the wrong direction.

The Peace of Ramadan

So this is beautiful because such a month is such a great gift. We feel the peace. For a moment, where you are seated right now, ponder over the peace that we have at this moment.

Subhanallah, we have no worry about lunch today, right? Subhanallah, Allah will provide for us that which is far better than just the lunch that we're not going to be having in order to discipline ourselves and get used to following the instruction of Allah.

What is Islam all about? I promise you it's about worshipping Allah and that is about discipline. You need to get up when sometimes you might be lazy.

You need to do certain things when sometimes shaitan might come and make you feel a little bit lazy. You need to dress in a specific way even though you're so tempted to reveal that which Allah has told you not to, but you're doing it for Allah. Then Allah gives you the ability to love what he has ordained.

Building the Habit of Worship

Initially, I might find it difficult to do certain things. I might find it hard to get up for Salatul Fajr. I know of people who've asked me, they say, I can get up for Suhoor, but when it comes to Salatul Fajr, I just feel lazy again and I want to go to bed.

I tell myself five minutes, five minutes, and before I know it the sun has risen. That's not good enough. You need to be strong.

Initially, you will force yourself to do things. Wallahi, a time will come when automatically your eye will open a minute before the alarm. I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about.

Your eye will open a few minutes before that alarm and you will turn it off. That was Allah getting you up because you got used to something. Allah wants you to get up.

I feel so guilty when I get up before the alarm to actually tell myself I still have a few more minutes. I feel guilty to say that because that few minutes is now coming from shaitan telling you, just sleep. It's just now, don't worry.

You still have a few minutes and before you know it, it's already past the time. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability to love what he has made compulsory.

The Dua for Loving Iman

(Dua)

That's a powerful dua. O Allah, make beloved to us iman. Make it good to us.

Your belief, the belief we have in you and what is permissible, what is obligatory. Make us love it, O Allah, and make it difficult for us to sin. Make it very hard and detested for us to do anything that is going to be displeasing to you.

That dua was made by Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم . Surely we should make it. Listen to this dua:

(Hadith)

What a beautiful dua. O Allah, make beloved to us iman and iman includes everything to do with Allah's instruction and so on.

Make it beloved to us and beautify it in our hearts. You know when you fulfill salah in the morning and your face and your expression is so negative and your children are watching you lazily opening one eye and then quickly finishing your salah and dashing into the bed. That's not the ideal way of doing things.

The Proper Way to Perform Salah

The ideal way, get up, wash up, put a droplet of perfume. Make sure that that perfume is not one that irritates the people around you. Because nowadays you have perfume that smells like mango pickle and people think it's so beautiful yet everyone's getting a headache with it.

May Allah protect us. Have something good, a droplet for the sake of Allah and then you say Allahu Akbar and you're enjoying your salah and you have a smile on your face and you take it easy. It's not just inna a'tayna and qul huwalla in every salah.

That's not how it should be. Some of us, that's what we do. First thing, inna a'tayna kal kawthar. Allahu Akbar. Your salah is done, I agree. But you can do better than that.

Memorize another surah or two. You know, diversify, go beyond, start swimming in territory maybe you haven't when it comes to recitation of the Quran and memorization of it. See what it will do to you.

Preparing for the Meeting with Allah

You are preparing for the day you're going to die. You're preparing for the day you're going to meet with Allah. I want to tell you something.

Well, let me first translate the rest of that dua. Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala has taught this to us through the blessed lips of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Make detested for us disbelief that will earn your anger.

Anything that is sinful, make it detested, make it difficult. Oh Allah, create a barrier between me and sin. You really want to do something and suddenly there is a barrier that stopped you from it.

That was Allah telling you don't do this. It's not worth it. Don't do this.

We know what you want to do. We know shaitan is prodding you and he really wants to make you do this. But don't do it.

We put a barrier here. Understand it was us who blocked you. Subhanallah.

Anything that is sinful, anything that is in the transgression of Allah. Oh Allah, make it difficult for us. Make us from amongst the rashidun.

The Mercy of Allah

Now the point I was mentioning is look at the mercy of Allah.

We do good and I'm telling you we're preparing for the day we're going to meet with Allah. We're going to show him the good we're going to do. You know when you meet with Allah, he's going to ask you for your deeds and about your deeds and you have to present your deeds.

Subhanallah. And then they are presented to you again in book form without any error in it.

Now that's a tough one because look at us.

We're seated here Salatul Jumu'ah. So peaceful. Ramadan.

We're fasting. We're about to engage in Salah. These are brilliant deeds.

I'm packing them away one by one by one by one. Mashallah. You know and it will multiply by the will of Allah.

But I'm a human being. I might make a mistake at some point. I might commit a sin at some point.

I might fall to the trap of shaitan because my forefather Adam, may peace be upon him, also faltered. So I might falter but the question is what is there in it for me in terms of hope? I can tell you. Allah says we will never take your good deed away but your bad deeds we will wipe them away from you.

The Hadith About Ramadan and Hajj

You can have committed sin. You can intertwine good deeds and sin by human error as a sin. When you seek forgiveness, Allah will wipe out the sin but he won't wipe out your good deeds.

There's only one time that your good deeds could be lost. I'm going to tell that to you. But before we get there, let's take a careful look at the mercy of Allah.

People say and there is a hadith of Ramadan as well. Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan with full expectation of a reward from Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, with full conviction and belief in Allah and in his instruction and so on, Allah says we wipe out all their previous sins. Now that hadith is absolutely the way it should be.

Encouragement for you and I. But there is another hadith regarding the hajj where it says whoever goes for hajj and doesn't do wrong things during the hajj, they will come back as clean as the day their mothers gave birth to them. I'm sure you've heard that hadith, right? Do you know that that hadith does not refer to the formatting of your hard drive the way a computer is formatted but rather it is selective formatting because your good remains. When you were born, you were born with no good, no bad.

You were clean. When you come back from hajj, it is so pure that all the dirt is gone but all the beautification remains. Subhanallahi rabbil alameen.

That is something even better than the day you were born. So when it comes to Ramadan, the same applies. Allah is giving it out for free.

Freedom from Hellfire

There is something known as freedom from hellfire. When you try hard, you cross a certain threshold in your acts of worship and your love of the worshipping of Allah. Allah has written your name as a person who's going to be free from hellfire.

You won't go there. Why? Because you love worshipping Allah. You're still a human.

You might have faltered. You might do a thing or two wrong. Don't lose hope.

Don't lose hope. When shaitan convinced Adam and Hawwa may peace be upon them to do what they did, guess what Allah says? Allah says, they asked us once, Oh Allah, we have wronged ourselves and if you don't have mercy on us and if you don't forgive us, we will be the losers. Allah says, we forgave them just by that statement because it was sincere.

When you sincerely ask Allah for forgiveness, no matter what you did, it is wiped out. That's the mercy of Allah. Now shaitan comes back to you and makes you think, but I don't think Allah can wipe it out so easily.

That was really a bad thing. Allah says, you don't know me yet. Subhanallah, my mercy is far greater than my anger.

When Good Deeds Are at Risk

Subhanallah. And then I was mentioning the point that makes your good deeds perhaps vulnerable where you might lose good deeds. That is only when you have wronged another human being.

When you wrong another person, then your good deeds are at stake because that person is not Allah. They might not forgive you. You might arrive on the day of judgment and they might want your good deeds and then you've got to give payment.

No longer the rand that is so volatile. One day sitting this way, one day sitting that way. Subhanallah.

Who am I to talk when the zim dollar is even worse? Subhanallah. May Allah protect us. My brothers, my sisters, we need to make sure that we do not create issues with other people in the way that we have oppressed them.

Our good deeds, I'm fasting. Why must I give it to this brother? Someone you don't like, someone you really don't get along with and you're giving them salah for free, you're giving them hajj for free, you're giving them zakah for free, you're giving them your Quran tilawah for free. Subhanallah.

A Personal Story About Forgiveness

One day I heard of a person who said something really nasty about me. He was supposed to be a friend of mine. So I phoned him and I told him, brother, you better do a lot of good deeds and they better be proper.

He says, what do you mean? I said, you know what? You're going to be giving them to me and obviously this was said like jokingly to try and make him think that what you did was not right.

And so he said, what do you mean? I said, you know all the good deeds you're going to do because of what you've said and what you're doing, they're going to be coming to someone like me. And then I started laughing and I told him, no, I'm only saying this to you because I want you to realize it's not worth it.

It's not worth it. Personally, I hold nothing in my heart against anyone. Do what you have to say, what you have to for me.

My heart is too valuable to hold in it a grudge against someone. We don't need it. I need to be a happy person.

The expression on my face needs to be serene. It needs to be pure. It needs to be that filled with peace.

I don't need to look like a person who's always depressed and stressed because of what others have said or did. No problem. Their statements will not bother me by the will of Allah.

And even if they do because I'm a human being, I won't let it penetrate my heart. It's okay. Let it pass.

May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala grant us that ability. You have to work on yourself to achieve that. We're still getting there, but we're trying.

A Message of Hope and Encouragement

May Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala grant us goodness. My brothers and sisters, these are a few words I thought of sharing with you because I want to reset my relationship with Allah for the better. And I want to encourage you to do the same.

Let's reset our relationship with Allah for the better so that by the time Ramadan, you know, draws to an end, I'm so happy with what I did. Today, a brother told me, Sheikh, you have so much that you are posting on YouTube. Perhaps it will become an irritation for some people.

And I said, you know what? I don't think it will. Let the people benefit if they are. A reminder will cost you nothing.

For those who have the time, yes, they may fit into one or two of the several programs you might have on a daily basis, but that doesn't mean I am going to cut back. No, I won't. We need to constantly remind each other in a beautiful way.

I'm speaking to you today, and I am by no means better than you in any way. I'm just like you. We are the same.

We're talking to each other. We're encouraging each other. I have things I need to deal with. I have things I need to improve. And so do you. They might be slightly different.

Yes, indeed. But the love that we should be having for one another should be clear. I don't judge you based on your sin because Allah judges you based on your repentance.

Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. I don't judge you based on your sin because Allah judges you based on your repentance.

Subhanal khaliq. La ilaha illallah. That is so filled with hope.

Closing

May Allahsubhanahu wa'ta'ala grant us the best Ramadan. This might be our last Ramadan. We might not see the end of it, but the fact that we have an intention to do the right thing.

May Allah ultimately gather us in Jannatul Firdaus, Paradise, in the companionship of the greatest, the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and all those who are loved by Allah.

This Jumuah lecture was delivered by Mufti Menk.