Ibraheem Menk – Created With Hardship
AI: Summary ©
The difficulty of life can lead to loss of consciousness and loss of consciousness is often discussed as a way to remove oneself from the people and become "weird." Islam's approach to death is to remove oneself from the people and to be "weird." One woman, Maryam, was secluded to keep herself from the people and was thrown into the depths of the world. The importance of finding peace and comfort, finding a partner who is a good fit, learning to navigate through difficult situations, and finding a way to navigate them in a better way is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
Allah
created
us in struggle,
in strife,
in
into an existence
that will be
with difficulty.
And he promised us this.
Indeed we created man with difficulty
into difficulty.
So when a person looks at the life
of the most blessed of creation,
he will come to realize that he was
tested the most.
And this was because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
loved him the most.
Hence,
Allah tested him the most.
So when you see yourself going through difficulty,
don't think that you are being punished by
Allah
But ask yourself,
where is that trial tribulation
test
taking you?
Is it taking you closer to Allah
or is it taking you further away from
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
And we find with the example of Rasoolullah
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam obviously
it drew him closer and closer to
In fact, the very beginning
of wahi
from Allah
was a difficult
period for Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
He used to go
and take some solitude.
He would
seclude himself
in the cave of Qira.
And he did this because he was actually
disenfranchised.
He was not happy
with the situation in Mecca. People were worshiping
idols. People were committing zina. People were drinking
alcohol.
People who are partying. So Muhammad salallahu alayhi
wa sallam would seclude himself and worship Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And while he is in the cave one
day,
Jibreel
appears to Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
Recite.
Read.
And Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says, Maaana
Bilqari.
I am not a reader.
I am not a reciter.
So he holds him and he squeezes him
until he was about to be unconscious. And
he says,
read,
recite.
So Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says,
I am not a reader.
I am not a reciter. I cannot read.
I am unleaded.
So he holds him once again and he
squeezes him
until
he is about to lose consciousness.
And he says,
Read in the name of your Lord who
created.
The beginning of revelation
from Allah
Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is shocked by
what has happened. He's frightened.
So he rushes down to Khadija
and he says
cover me cover me.
I actually feared for myself.
I feared that I would die today.
So Khadija
says to
him,
No. Most definitely
Allah will never humiliate
you. Indeed, you are the one who joins
the ties of kingship.
You keep family ties.
And you speak the truth.
And you help the poor and those who
are in need to carry their goods.
And
and you actually
honor the guest as well.
And you stand up for justice that which
is the truth, you stand for it. So
Allah will never humiliate you. And then she
takes him to Waratah Tun Nunawfad
where
Waratah was a cousin of Khadija radiAllahu anha.
And Waratah was well known and well versed
with the bible.
He was looking into Christianity
and he was reading into the verses etcetera.
So he was a knowledgeable man. So she
took him to Walakah took Nunufan.
And one of them says,
the one who has come to you,
this angel, he is the very angel that
came to Musa Alaihi Salam to
So
your people will persecute you and worry you
and harm you and cause problems for you
In the same way that they harmed the
rest of the Ambiya alayhi mus salatu wa
salam. In fact, they will remove you from
your city. They will banish
you from your own city.
So Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says,
Will they remove
me from my own city? He says, Yes.
Because all of those who came with the
message that you have come with were removed
from their cities. They were banished. They were
persecuted.
They were harmed in all different forms.
So Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam is being
told that you will be harmed. Why? Because
of
the the
the prophet Hud that Allah
gave him. Now, if we take a look
at this beginning of Wahi,
1st and foremost, it began with solitude
secluding himself from the people.
You know, sometimes
we feel all alone.
We feel like nobody understands us. Nobody gets
us. We are the
as
they call it in community. So
you are the person who is different to
everybody else.
And we need to ask ourselves when we
are at this juncture, why are we different?
Is it because we are further away from
or is it because we are closer to
Allah
And if the answer is that we are
closer to Allah
then we need to be happy
with the fact that we are different.
We need to be happy with the fact
that we are secluding ourselves from the people.
We need to be happy with the fact
that Allah saved us from that which the
people are engaged in. And that is bringing
them closer to the fire
and bringing us closer to Allah
You see here Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was
not happy with what was happening in Makkah.
He was unhappy. And
he actually secluded himself
because he didn't want to engage in the
activities that they were engaging. Today, people are
partying,
people are drinking,
people are smoking, people are engaged in drugs,
people are engaged in illegitimate
sexual *.
This is something that people are doing. It
is common.
If you have removed yourself from the people
and secluded yourself from the people and kept
away from them because you are keeping keeping
away from that harm. Then have the glad
tidings of Allah
Islam began as something strange.
And it will return to being strange in
the manner that it began.
So glad tidings
to those who are strange. You are strange
because you pray in the masjid. Glad tidings
to you are strange because you put on
a scarf. Glad tidings to you are strange
because you dress modestly. Glad tidings to you.
You are strange because you don't smoke glad
tidings to you. You know why? You know
why? Because that is taking you closer to
Allah,
is taking you closer to your meeting with
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Such that He will
be pleased with you when you meet Him.
So when you find yourself alone
because you are with Allah
and know that that is a good thing.
Many different Ambiya and religious
figures
in community
were actually tested with solitude. In fact, they
secluded
themselves
when they saw the situation. Muhammad salallahu alayhi
wa sallam being the prime example.
We look at the story of
And see,
let us mention the story of Maryam when
she took
a part
of the eastern
part of the city. She moved. She went
and she secluded herself.
Why? She wanted to draw closer to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And in the story of Yusuf alaihi salatu
wa salam,
what happens there? He is thrown into the
well. He is all alone abandoned by his
brothers and his own kit and kin, his
own blood. Those whom he thought would never
let him down. Abandoned by them.
And he's thrown into the depths of the
world.
And that story ends where? With Yusuf alaihis
salatu wa sallam at this stage of leadership.
Allah raised
him from the well to the stage of
leadership.
She secludes herself.
The miraculous child born without a father, Allahu
Akbar.
The child that is mentioned in the Quran
today.
So you see how the story begins. It
always begins with seclusion alone. Nobody understands me.
They are not getting me. My people
don't understand the way I come from.
And secluded for the right reasons.
And let us make that clear because we
don't want people getting the wrong idea as
well.
Where I have this identity and I have
that identity and I am different and that
is why
I am actually blessed. No. Hold on. If
you have an identity that takes you closer
to Allah
then you are blessed. If you have an
identity
that takes you further away from Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala, then perhaps you need to consider
the fact that you may be cursed.
You may actually be cursed
by Allah
So think about why you are secluding yourself.
But many a seclusion
began with seclusion and strangeness
being different to people.
And that ended up
with the greatest
feat
ever to be recorded in history. That was
Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
beginning in the cave of Hera, all alone.
And he ends up where the Nabi of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and we today are
sitting here because Muhammad
received that wahi. You see where being all
alone can start and where it can end
up. So
sometimes we just need to consider this fact.
Then if we take a look at the
verses that Allah
reveals to Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
Read. Read in the name
of the lord who created.
You see Allah
is reminding him that you were created by
Allah
And then he tells him
He created
man from a blood clot. So 1,
you have been created by Allah
They have been created by Allah
Read in the name of the one who
created and 2, He created human beings from
the blood clot.
What is this? This is empowering Muhammad
that recite in the name of the one
who created you. So that is your purpose.
He is telling you to recite. He, Allah
is commanding you. In the same manner, my
dear brothers and sisters in Islam. You are
going through life.
You are going through difficulty.
You are going through problems.
What is your
solace?
What is your peace?
What is your happiness?
Your solace, your peace, your happiness
is all
connected to Allah
You see Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was
tested the most.
But why was he described
as the one
who was most happy by his companions?
Why is it said
He loved being optimistic.
He was seen smiling so often, yet he
was tested the most.
His heart was with Allah
So no matter what you are going through,
read the word of Allah
and coincidentally
and amazingly,
we are in the month of Ramadan which
is the month of the Quran and the
Quran was revealed
in the month of the Quran as well.
In the month of Ramadan as well.
So Allah
says to us
The month of Ramadan in which the Quran
was revealed was revealed as a guy
as a guide. So when you read word
of Allah
no matter what you are going through, it
will give you guidance. It will give you
peace. It will give you happiness,
it will bring you solace into your life.
Read that word of Allah
and remember that human beings were created from
a blood clot.
And that is what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
says.
1, remember your lord who created you. 2,
remember the human beings are just a blood
clot, so don't fear them.
Don't worry about what they will do, what
they will say, how they will do, how
they will say. Don't worry about that.
Worry about the fact that Allah has given
you a task and that is to pass
on the message of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
So
you see
how he goes down the mountain.
He goes down the mountain and whom does
he go to?
His very own wife Khadija radiAllahu anha.
And he seeks
cover from his wife.
This is important as well.
When we are going through problems we need
to surround ourselves
with people
who believe in us,
with people who will give us that peace,
that comfort,
with people whom we know we can turn
to when we are frightened, when we are
scared,
when we need
a bit of comfort. So he goes to
Khadija
and he says
cover me cover me and she covers him.
Allahu Akbar.
Imagine this most amazing
moment,
most beautiful intimate moment between husband and wife.
This draws our attention to something.
Your wife, your spouse can bring about a
lot of peace and comfort in your life.
It depends on how you nurture that relationship.
Have you nurtured it such that it is
based on the love of Allah
Then it will bring you peace, then it
will bring you comfort, then it will bring
you solace,
then your sorrow will dissipate and it will
melt away.
Why? Because you are connected with another human
being solely for Allah
Adam
had everything in Jannah.
He had everything in Jannah.
Allah
gave him his heart's desire, but he still
desired
for a companion and Allah
gave that to him. You see insan was
created with this innate wants
to lean towards
the opposite gender.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave that within
us for a reason.
To test us will we do the right
thing and will we get married and find
peace and comfort in our spouses
or will we do the wrong thing and
lean towards that which is haram? And do
that which is
which angers Allah
So
So he finds peace and comfort in his
wife. Surround yourself with those who believe in
you, those who trust you, those who will
support you, those who will comfort you. And
find yourself
a wife that is actually
or a spouse
that is actually the coolness of your eyes.
Someone whom you can turn to in times
of difficulty.
You don't want a person whom when you
walk into the home everyday,
as soon as you're walking, why are you
late? Where were you? What did you do?
Why didn't you do this? You see, you
should have come,
from the store and picked up so on
and so forth. Hold on. The first thing
I want, I enter the home. I want
someone who smiles at me, someone who hugs
me, Someone who comforts me. I've just come
out from a long difficult day out there.
I've been in the sun all day
trying to earn a living.
Now that I come home, I want some
peace. I want some comfort. It is not
that much of an ask, but it begins
when you search for your spouse.
And if you are searching for your spouse
in the night club,
then I ask you what kind of a
spouse will you find?
If you are searching your for your spouse
in the raves and the parties
and the drug.
The drugs that are being taken in different
houses.
Then
is that way you will find your Khadija?
Is that way you will find your Aisha?
Is that where you will find
wives like those of the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam?
Or is it
where you will find those who are connected
to the dunya?
Those who base their relationship on the dunya.
So we need to ask ourselves where we
are looking for our spouses and what types
of spouse we are looking for as well.
And that will actually help us a lot
in our lives. So here Muhammad
had Khadija
And lastly I will end off with this
point.
When Khadija
saw that this is what happened to Muhammad
Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, she told him
that let me take you to Warakat of
Munafar.
And this was a man who had knowledge
of the previous scriptures, he knew the Bible,
especially the Bible. He was a man who
had accepted Christianity
at the time. Christianity
was there because
it was the religion that came before Islam.
So it was Christianity
and some of them were following it in
its purest form in the way
that
had preached it. In the way that Ibrahim
salam had worshipped Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, it
was actually
Islam.
It was actually a form of Islam Islam
which was reliant on monotheism.
Worshipping Allah
alone. Except
that they would not call it Islam.
So
was studying the bible, and he understood the
scripture. And Khadija takes
Muhammad
to war of God. Why? Because he has
knowledge. When you are struggling,
you are going through difficulty, you are going
through trial and tribulation,
the place to go to is your ulema.
The place to go to is your scholars.
The place to go to is a place
of knowledge. Why? You
may not find the
solution,
but you will find a way to navigate
your life through that problem. So sometimes
people will come and say, hold on, but
I have a drug problem.
I have a drug problem. I went to
the Quran. I can't find anything about drugs.
So I can't find the solution in the
Quran.
No. Hold on. 1, you may not have
as much knowledge as you should. 2,
understand
that
that knowledge is actually
given to you by Allah
And
Allah will give you the understanding.
But
the problem itself,
you may not find a solution to it.
100%
exactly specifically mentioned by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
But Allah
talks about generalities.
Allah teaches you
Allah
teaches you how to navigate your life through
that problem, through that difficulty,
through that trial and through that tribulation.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala will teach you that
iman
and belief in Allah
Allah will take you through that difficulty
and it will you will be able to
see the light at the end of the
tunnel.
So read the word of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala. Go back to the scholars.
Go back to the
recordings that are out there and listen to
what they have have to say. Enlighten yourself
to be able to move through the problem
and navigate
through it in a better way. May Allah
grant us the ability to understand.
May Allah
gather us in the manner
that He has gathered us here today.