What Makes You Happy? - Mufti Menk

What Makes You Happy? - Mufti Menk

Opening

We praise Allah with His blessings and salutations upon Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) his household, his companions. We ask Allah to bless them, to bless every one of us, and to ultimately grant every one of us gentlemen, girls in paradise.

The Question of Happiness

My brothers and sisters, if I were to ask you what makes you happy, what would you say? What makes you happy? What would you say?

To be honest, everyone would have different answers based on what would make them happy. Subhanallah. Some people, what would make them happy is something haram, if they won the lottery. They are telling, if I win the jackpot of millions, I will be so happy. Yet, if you look at it, it's not permissible in Islam to participate in something of that nature. But the reason why they will say that I will be happy is because they will have in their hands what they think is the source of happiness and contentment, yet it is not.

Subhanallah. Evidence of it is, look at the people who have millions. Most of them are not content unless they have in them, connection with Allah. La ilaha illallah. Did you think of that? Most of those who have a lot of money, have a lot of stress, most of them cannot sleep except with pills unless they have a connection with Allah and unless their deens have been clean and clear and unless their character has been refined.

Marriage and Material Desires

So if I were to ask you what exactly makes you happy, someone might say, well, if I marry that particular person, it will make me happy. Many a time, people say that particular person based on looks. You know, they look hot. Subhanallah. Why do they use the word hot? Have you ever thought of it? Heat. What's the heat all about? When they say this person looks hot, because he burns.

La ilaha illallah. You will be burnt, my brothers and my sisters. Remember, what Allah is pleased with is cool. La ilaha illallah. It brings about the coolness of the heart. Even if you are not a religious person, you are happy with what Allah has bestowed upon you.

So what would make you happy? Subhanallah. If I find that that person gives me a job, I will be happy. That's a very materialistic answer. You are ready to become a slave of a person who is going to pay you 20,000 pounds a month. Subhanallah. You are ready to do what that person says. He says, come at 5 o'clock. You are there 5 o'clock. You leave at 5 o'clock. You leave at 5 past 5. But when Allah said you

actually have the owner of this world and the next, the owner, the one in whose hands lies absolute control of entire existence. When he tells you to do something, do you allow him to have that control that your boss at work has for you or a partner in business may have for you or above you because of the goodness of the business relationship? May Allah forgive us. We work hard.

We earn. That earning is not going to help you for more than a few days of this dunya, my brothers and sisters.

Material Happiness is Temporary

Now I ask another question. As a believer, what should really make you happy? What should make you happy? If I ask you from a dunya perspective, from this worldly perspective, what would make you happy? Like I said, people will give you different answers. Some will say, if I have that car, it will make me happy. That Lamborghini will make me happy. Wallahi. People say, that phone will make me happy. Some people say, the day I own an aircraft, it will make me happy.

Some say, the day I can do this or I have this clothing or this watch, it will make me happy. The day I have this perfume, it will make me happy. The day I walk on the street and everybody turns around and says, wow, will make me happy. Subhanallah. All those answers are very very materialistic. Wallahi.

They will not last for a few days of this dunya. If you get the car you want, the next year you will not want that car because there is a later model. If you get a phone you want, the next few days you will not want the phone when you hear that there is a later phone. If you have a perfume you want, the day you hear that everyone else has it, you will not want that one anymore. And so on. The dunya, this world, runs faster than you can ever catch up with it.

The Source of True Happiness

But there is something that will make you truly happy.

All of that we are about to tell you. What is better than everything that they gather? [Quran 10:58]

Before I tell you, let me explain. You have everything in this world. If that heart, you know you put your hand on your chest for a moment, you feel, what's happening? You can hear, doof, doof, doof, doof. Can you hear that? It's going on without a battery. It's going on without anything. It is solely and only the qudra and the power of Allah that is allowing the heart to pound. If it stops for one split moment, a small qiyamah happens in our system.

Wallahi, if your heart was in the hands of man, he would charge you for every time it beat. Subhanallah. He would charge you. He would tell you, one cent a beat. You still won't afford it. One cent a beat. 136,000 beats a day. You will not afford but one cent a beat. You won't.

Allah's Gift of Life

Allah says, I am giving it to you for your charge. All I want you to do, acknowledge Me. Come and do your salah. Dress properly. Turn to Me. Recognize Me. Worship Me alone. Understand, I am the controller of that heart. If I want you, as far as you might have gone away from Me, I can only, not stop the heart, but only cause the fluctuation of the beat a little bit out of tune, you will change.

How many people, they were not close to Allah. They got sick and became close to Allah. How many of you? So sickness is a gift. It's a gift from Allah. It's a blessing. If you are sinning every day, when your heart goes weird, it's a gift of Allah because that's what brought you close to Allah.

If He did not do that to you, you were not going to come close to Him. Sometimes we are too healthy, so we commit adultery. We are too healthy, so we cheat and steal. We are too healthy, so we commit crime and sin. Allah says, Wait, I know how to bring you to Me. Take your other way. You won't come. Then you go to the doctor because you have money. You think the doctor is going to cure you, one after the other. You travel the whole world. You depleted your money. You still have to come back crying to Allah, Oh Allah, my money didn't help me. My children didn't help me. How we trolled. Allah said, In the beginning, we sent to you a messenger, Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).

The Blessing in Difficulties

And you still didn't turn. Still, it's a blessing of Allah. These negative things that happen to you, around you, Wallahi for a believer, they are never ending. Never, ever. You lost your family member, Allah keep them in Jannah. It's not an evil thing. They will go to Jannah and if you change your life because of that and you realize what you are here for, you will also go to Jannah. Wasn't it a gift of Allah? Things happen. You lost your property, you lost your job, people burnt this and did that. People treated you badly, all of that. If you are a good man, it's a good thing for you. If it brings you closer to Allah.

I want to tell you a statement, you should never forget. If what you see as negativity brought you closer to Allah, it was not negativity, it was positive. If what you saw as positivity brought you or took you away from Allah, it was not positive, it is definitely negative.

La ilaha illallah. You got a good job. Your salary is 200,000 a month and you started going to the clubs and you started doing all sorts of haram. Was that a blessing? Wallahi, it was the biggest punishment of Allah. So Allah says, We want to keep you where you are. Some people have Jannah in the dunya and they will have nothing in the akhira. And some people have nothing in the dunya. Allah says, Wait a moment, you will have the eternal Jannah. It's all about sorrow.

True Sources of Happiness

So now let's go back to the verse that I read. Allah says, You know what is better for you?

You know what is better than everything that they gather? What do they gather? The wealthy material items they gather. Yes, we all need a little bit of money. You know, where is not for free here? I need to earn. Yes, we need to earn. But when we earn, we don't earn compromising our relationship with Allah.

We earn halal with barakah, even if it is less. When Allah gives you more, it is a bigger test. When Allah takes away from you, it is still a test.

So Allah says, What is better than everything you can gather? Let me tell you.

The description of two things. The virtue of Allah, the favor of Allah. [Quran 10:58]

That is what should make you happy. The fact that you are a member of the ummah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) should make you very very happy, excited. You worship your maker alone without associating partners with him.

That is why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) speaks about those who recognize Allah.

Sleeping. Their sides are actually separated from their beds out of the love of Allah, the fear of Allah. [Quran 32:16]

It is born out of his love and they engage in the night in prayer. It is better than anything that this world has to offer you. When you spend in the cause of Allah to help someone who is another human being just like you. If you can take it to your pocket and take out something and have a person in need, it is better for you than what the dunya they do because you are giving back. La ilaha illa Allah. No matter who you are, even if you only have five hands today and you took out 10 cents, it is a bigger percentage than a man who has five million and took out 1000.

(Sahih Muslim 1652)

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says, The two sunnah that are read before salat fajr, they are better than the whole world and whatever it can offer you. [Sahih Muslim 1652]

True Daily Happiness

That is now what should make you excited. My brothers, my sisters, the day you got up for salatul fajr early and you read the two units of sunnah and the two of farad, that is the day you have the right to be happy. That is true happiness.

Did you do that? And you are looking for happiness. The day that passes when you have not committed a sin is the day that you have happiness. That is happiness. True happiness is when the day passed and no pornography was watched. That is true happiness. When the day passed, no adultery was committed. That is true happiness. Nobody was abused. That is true happiness.

When the day passed and you did not use one swear word, that is the day of happiness. When the day passed and five salat were fulfilled, that is the day of happiness. That is better than anything that they can gather.

Wallahi, if you missed your ship or your flight or your bus or whatever it was, but you did not miss salat, it was better for you than anything else. May Allah count us for this. Don't worry.

Trust in Allah's Wisdom

When Allah made you miss something, He knows. Just be excited about missing whatever you missed for as long as it is not your iʻtiyād, for as long as it is not your natural wish. You don't know. You might miss a plane. You don't know why you did it. Maybe plane crashed, okay? That you were safe from. That might be fine. But maybe you were meant to meet someone else while you were waiting for the next plane who, because of your association with them, either you benefited in me or in dunya. That is not right.

If you were a person who were upset upset because of Allah's choice when you had no say in it, you are not yet a true mu'min. Because the hadith says, A true believer, his affairs are amazing. No matter what happens to him or her, it's always looked at as profit by a true believer.

Dealing with Hardships

That's what the Quran says. What did you lose? Electricity went for two days. Your fish tanks, all the fish died. You just say, and you continue. What could you do about it? The electricity came back. And there was a power surge. All your appliances blew. What do you do about it? You have two or three things you might do. You might get angry. You might get hot. You might start swearing. Did it bring back your appliances? No.

It only took away your own health. There was a power surge in your body. It destroyed your kidneys and your heart. And it increased you in stress, which is a killer in itself. May Allah grant us protection. Take it easy. Relax. So people say bad things about you. In this world, you cannot stop the mouth.

You know, Whatsapp has its own mouth. You know, Whatsapp has its own mouth. The tongue of Whatsapp is shown at the bottom of the icon of Whatsapp. Have you ever seen it? It's a round icon like this, and it's got a tongue sticking out. You notice, right at the bottom. That's the tongue. It has more gossip than those who are known for gossiping. But it's a door that you can use either for judgment or for another place. You see what I'm saying? Technology is a beautiful thing only if you can use it correctly.

Just like a knife is a beautiful thing if you're using it for food and for various other permissible things. The minute you use these things that Allah has bestowed upon you and I in the wrong way, that is when you are responsible my brothers and sisters.

Dressing Properly and True Achievement

So when the day passes and you have managed to dress appropriately on that day, there was a wedding and you covered yourself correctly, that's the day you should be excited. But if there is a wedding and you muted yourself so that everyone can say, Wow, remember something. Wow is at the end of the alphabet. You have taken yourself right to the back of the line. You need to start again. That's not an achievement.

When you are cutting your clothing for your weddings or wherever else, whatever it may be, remember, do you want the happiness that Allah has promised or not? If it is, just do it properly. You will lose nothing. You will be dignified. I have visited countries in Far East Asia where I have seen brides who are dressed in such a wedding that if I were to describe Nikkah completely, what are you doing in Nikkah today? And she will say, well, you know what, I am not comfortable in exposing myself when there are so many people, this and that.

Whatever their response is, the question is, what am I doing? No one is telling you to get to a very high level, but at least an acceptable level. Something acceptable. Dress modestly. Dress correctly. People think that, you know, on days of happiness we can do what we like. People think when they are going on holiday they can forget about the fact that they are hosting.

Starting Each Day Right

The day that you go on holiday and you have not missed your Salah is the day you are a true Humin, you have the right to be happy. That is what is better than everything that the Qur'an says, everything that they gather and they amass. You follow what I am saying? You want the true happiness, the delight? Learn to obey Allah's instruction.

The day you started your day with Qur'an, that is the day you have the right to be excited. It is better than everything that people will learn during that day. When you start your day with istighfar, when you leave your home with the dua, when you meet your children and you spend time with your family members, that is the day that you are supposed to be happy and excited.

When the sin was staring you in the face and it was so easy to be committed and you quit it for the sake of Allah, you can turn to Allah and say, Ya Allah, I love you more than I love the sin. So much that I am not going to displease you. Allah says, you know what? It is better than the whole world and what it had to offer you. What you did is very very commendable.

Replacing Hatred with Love

When things that are coming all around you, you know, the hatred we have in the hearts of the people today is unbelievable. Learn to extinguish the hate and replace it with love. You might disagree with someone but you love them, you care for them, you will reach out to them, you will talk to them, you will communicate, you will make sure that positivity comes from you. That is what it is.

The difficulty in today's world, Allah has bestowed us with so much but wallahi, we are complaining more than our forefathers who didn't even have electricity at all. Your fathers and grandfathers and my and great grandfathers, what did they have? What did they have? Did they have these water coolers we have at this main day masjid? Did they have whatever else, the sun we have, everything else we have, the food, the water, the clothing, the salaries, the jobs, the cars, the roads, nothing of that nature. Did they complain as much as we do? No, they didn't. They were happier people.

The Example of Rasulullah

You know what? That proves to you that true happiness is not in material items. Now, I want to tell you something that is extremely powerful. This is carefully, it moves me every time I think of it. It actually draws me to tears when I think of it. Who is the best of creation? The most noble of all messengers? No doubt, Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Right? Answer me. Correct?

If success and the happiness of Allah and the closeness to Allah was determined by how much technological advancement you had, Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would have had all of the latest technologies. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants to show us that technological advancement is not connected to true contentment and happiness. Nor is it connected to your closeness to Allah.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala decided that Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) will live in an age where this technological fitna we have right now will not be there. That is why internet has come now. Everything else has come now. So much so that water from a tap did not exist at the time. They were happier than us going to the wells and drawing water. We have water running in a tap. Hot water without a fire. Subhanallah against them. And returning on, but there is no thankfulness to Allah.

Our gratitude is less and the favours of Allah upon us are far more. To see where we're heading. That's why we're upset. That's why we're so looking and searching for more and more. I tell you, look and search for how to get closer to Allah. How to improve on your salah. How to improve on your ibadah. How to quit your sins. How to become a better person.

Remembering Our Return

A day is going to come when you and I will return back to Allah. Possibly today in this country, South Africa, especially here in Johannesburg, especially here in this area we are living in right now. There's no guarantee that you're even going to walk out of that door. One crazy guy amongst us here could actually punch up someone at any time and maybe even worse. Can it not happen? It can happen. May Allah save us all.

May Allah take us away the moment He knows that it's better for us to go. In a condition where He is pleased with us. But we can never ever sit and think for a moment that no, I need to only prepare for this world to care about my akhirah.

The Blessing of Rain and Masjid

This is why when rain came at the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he taught them a dua.

(Sahih al-Bukhari 1032)

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