Ibraheem Menk – Helpless- How To Cope
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the anxiety and discomfort of the world and the importance of showing faith in Islam and patience. They stress the need for people to show faith and patience, avoid suffering and loss of life, and see happiness and peace in life. The negative consequences of w unacceptable behavior and Facebook's " Lloydy approach" have led to over expenditure and over stimulated consumption, causing dissatisfaction and overwhelming behavior.
AI: Summary ©
Today we have many a people say that
we feel empty, we feel as though there
is something lacking in our lives, we feel
like there is no purpose to our lives,
we feel as we see the happenings in
Palestine and in the rest of the world
that is in turmoil, we feel as though
we are helpless, we don't know how to
change the situation and when a person looks
at his dua for the last year and
his prayer and his charity and the fact
that he attended protests and whatever else he
did, sometimes it leads the person to becoming
despondent and hopeless and feeling as though whatever
I do, the situation is not changing.
I'd like to draw your attention to something,
it is not only you that has this
feeling, it is not only you that feels
this way but before all of us is
the Anbiya alayhimus salatu was salam.
Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal says حَتَّىٰ إِذَا
اسْتَيْيَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا
فَنُجِّيَ مَنَّ شَاءُ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ
الْمُجْرِمِينَ Until the messengers began to lose hope,
they were wondering when is the help of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala going to come.
Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal doesn't say ثُمَّ
جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا.
He doesn't say فَجَاءَ نَصْرُنَا.
Then our help came to them.
No, he says جاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا.
Our help came to them.
Do you know why?
Because all along they were on that path
to Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
They didn't pay attention to why isn't the
help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not
coming?
Why are we not receiving this help?
They questioned themselves.
Are we on the path to Allah Rabbul
Izzati wal Jalal?
Are we pleasing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
That is what matters.
As for that which is in the decree
of Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal, His jurisdiction,
they didn't question.
They didn't say why didn't Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala send the help?
Notice elsewhere in the Qur'an when Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks about the question
that they asked.
He says that متى نصر الله?
They asked when is the help of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala coming?
They didn't question whether it would come or
not.
They knew it was coming.
Why?
Because we are in the right place.
We are worshipping Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
We are doing our best.
We are pleasing our maker.
He will never let us down.
And that is the attitude of the believers.
And that is the attitude that we need
to have.
We cannot become despondent.
We cannot lose hope.
Do you know what the enemy is banking
on?
On all of us losing hope.
On the fact that you sit and say
well it's been one year.
Nothing has changed.
So why keep making dua?
That is what they are waiting for.
Why keep boycotting?
That is what they are waiting for.
Because it should become something to you that
is just Palestine.
It has its problems.
It has its issues.
So it doesn't matter.
We carry on with our lives.
I'm not saying don't carry on with your
life.
But remember them in your dua daily.
Call out to Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to open
up their doors and never lose hope.
That is what the devil wants.
He wants you to lose hope.
And imagine a person who was brought closer
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala due to
this conflict.
Due to this problem.
That person was already in sin.
He was already far away from Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
He was already distant from Allah Rabbul Izzati
wal Jalal.
That for him, that conflict has come as
a bounty from Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
I'm not saying it is a bounty that
our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered.
No.
Obviously not.
But for that particular individual it drew him
closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
I want you to know my dear brother,
my dear sister, yours is not to question
Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
The jurisdiction of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
leave to him.
But ask yourself how your life has improved
as a result of you coming closer to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
la yus'alu amma yaf'alu wa hum
yus'alun.
He is not to be questioned about what
he does.
He is Allah.
He is Allah.
He is not to be questioned about when
he will send thee help.
He is not to be questioned about when
he will help.
He is not to be questioned about what
he has to do.
But as for us we will all be
questioned.
We are all answerable to Allah Rabbul Izzati
wal Jalal.
Sometimes what happens is we tend to forget
our position with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
The fact that we are slaves.
We are owned by Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
We are slaves of Allah Rabbul Izzati wal
Jalal.
Do you know what that means?
Every single hair on your head is owned
by Allah.
Your skin is owned by Allah.
Your eyes are owned by Allah.
Your heart is owned by Allah.
Your nafs is owned by Allah.
Your ruh is owned by Allah.
Your entire life is owned by Allah Rabbul
Izzati wal Jalal.
Hence when we see the calamity what does
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tell us?
What does he say?
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبًا And give
glad tidings to those who have patience.
What do they say?
And we will go back to that part
the part of patience.
But let us move on.
What do they say?
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ We belong to
Allah.
What does that mean?
I belong to Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
Me, my family, my life, my business, my
everything belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
I belong to Him.
And to Him I shall return.
So not only do I belong to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, but my ultimate return
is to Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
So He will do as He wishes with
me.
And in the meantime, وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ And give
glad tidings to those who are patient.
Give glad tidings to those who are patient.
It is only when you have truly understood
your position with Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal
and your position in life, the fact that
you live today and you are moving to
Allah that you can have true patience.
That you can bear a beautiful patience.
Because then you know that ultimately الدُّنْيَا لَهُمْ
وَالْأُخْرَى لَنَا The dunya is for them.
They will have it.
They will enjoy it.
They will live in it.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave it
to them.
That's why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave
Firaun the control of so much of the
dunya.
He gave her man wealth beyond our understanding.
Why?
Because Allah doesn't care for that.
He gave those whom He loves and those
whom He dislikes, this dunya.
But as for the Akhirah and as for
Jannah and as for His pleasure and as
for meeting Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam and
as for that which is everlasting, it is
for you.
Because you believe in Allah Rabbul Izzati wal
Jalal.
What kind of a ni'mah is that?
When you understand that, then you have understood
life.
Then you can have sabr and patience that
is beautiful.
Knowing that Ya Allah, I have done my
best.
I leave it to You.
Do Your best and to Allah leave the
rest.
Do Your best and to Allah leave the
rest and never become despondent.
When Ya'qub alayhi wa sallam has lost
not only one son but he has lost
both of his children.
What does he say to them?
Oh my sons, go and look for Yusuf
and his brother.
And who is he telling?
The very ones that are the culprits for
Yusuf to be missing.
What does he say to them?
Go and look for your brothers.
And don't lose hope in the mercy of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
When you watch our brothers and sisters being
butchered and they lose their lives, remember that
this life ultimately their suffering ends when their
soul escapes their lips.
And the suffering of those who are torturing
them if they do not repent and they
do not believe in Allah Rabbul Izzati wal
Jalal is forever and ever and ever.
So the day that the soul escapes their
lips is when it all begins for them
and it will never end.
And that my dear brothers and sisters in
Islam is justice.
You know sometimes we have this anger that
develops within and we feel like what can
we do to get back at these guys?
How can we stop the suffering?
How can we end it?
And the response is simple.
Remember that if you were to give a
choice to those people who are being oppressed
as to whether they would love to see
their oppressors being punished here for a short
period of time and then they would die
and it would be over for them, they
would prefer for those people to be punished
with Allah Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
You know why?
Because they know that the punishment lasts forever
and ever and ever and wallahi we have
some souls that are inherently wretched, inherently wretched,
inherently evil.
How can you kill a baby, a baby?
Allahu Akbar.
One, let alone one, 15, 20, 30,000
innocent lives.
Do you think that Allah is not watching?
Do you think that Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala does not know?
And this is leading to this despondency amongst
the people where we begin to question Allah
Rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
We should never question Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
I want to draw your attention to the
fact that even your life, what is your
connection to your life?
Have you ever thought about it?
What is my connection to my life?
My connection to my life is simply the
breath that I take.
It is simply the breath that I take.
So my family, my car, my home, my
friends, my surroundings, my community, my country, everything,
everything for me comes to an end the
day I take my last breath.
I'm saying it like it's a day in
the future.
Who knows wallah, who knows that if we
are to walk out of this masjid and
drop dead, who knows?
Nobody knows.
Life is flimsy brothers and sisters in Islam.
Life is flimsy.
Your connection to this dunya is weak.
But you have to understand that using that
temporary dunya that Allah gave you to build
your akhirah is what your goal should be.
And when your aspirations are higher, you can
never lose hope in Allah Rabbul Izzati wal
Jalal.
And seek with that which Allah gave you
of the dunya, seek what?
Did he say seek more dunya?
He said seek the akhirah.
He said seek the akhirah.
And don't forget your nasib, your portion of
the dunya.
When Allah spoke about the akhirah, He said
build, He said seek, He said compete with
one another.
And then He said, meaning don't forget while
you are on that pursuit that you are
living here as well.
So enjoy yourself, have a good time, live
with your family, spend on them, be good
to others, and be good.
As Allah has been good to you, don't
forget others.
So help them, be charitable towards them, support
the cause.
And don't seek corruption on earth.
Don't seek to be a corrupt person, to
be an evil person.
If you want a banner in life to
live by, this is an ayah you can
actually adopt into your life.
When you understand this, then no matter whether
Allah takes or He gives or He has
granted you or He has taken it back,
you will always be under all circumstances Alhamdulillah.
I thank Allah.
The one who gave me took it away.
It doesn't matter.
It's okay.
I lost a life today in my family.
Allah leased that life to me.
Allah gave me access to that person for
20, 30, 40 years, and He chose to
take that person back.
So everything is attributed to Allah.
I lose my wealth.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala took it away.
He is the one who gave me.
It is okay.
I thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Your attitude changes.
You smile regardless of the situation.
Why?
Because you know what will happen is what
Allah has decreed.
I submit to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And that is what our attitude needs to
be.
Another thing that I feel is a pertinent
issue, it is very important today, is that
we over consume information and we are over
stimulated by our devices.
So we constantly watching other people's lives, what
is happening in other countries, the news, what
is happening out there, and we almost have
a fear of missing out.
And we want to be stimulated all the
time.
We want to be able to enjoy our
lives constantly.
But what we don't realize is over consumption
of this dunya will lead to a desensitization.
You begin not to feel.
Because you are chasing feeling all the time,
you begin not to feel.
And that which you previously enjoyed is not
so enjoyable anymore.
You don't enjoy it.
Why?
Because you are constantly consuming.
And I'll give you an example of this.
If you sit and wait 3, 4, 5,
7, 10 hours and you don't eat or
drink for those 10 hours, that first gulp
of water, how do you appreciate it?
You love it.
You enjoy it.
You feel the drops going down your parched
throat into your stomach and the coolness spreading
within.
You can describe how you enjoy it, that
sip of water.
Why?
Because you deprived yourself.
We as the are people of deprivation even
if we have.
We are people of deprivation even if we
have.
If Allah has given us, we say we
will consume as much as necessary for us
to live in this world and a little
bit more.
And that is okay.
That is enough.
We are a people of deprivation.
You need to deprive your soul in order
to enjoy the little halal that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala has given you.
When you look at haram all day, day
in day out, your phone is open, you're
looking at haram.
You're looking at that which is wrong.
How can you enjoy the halal that Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala gave you?
You're telling me if you look at the
legs of a woman and the * of
a woman and her body, her naked body,
the whole day you're watching these things online
and then you want to come back to
your wife no matter how beautiful she is.
There's nothing.
You feel nothing.
You want to enjoy your wife?
Deprive yourself.
Deprive yourself of all those other women.
Deprive yourself of all of that haram.
And then you will enjoy that relationship with
her in a manner that you cannot imagine.
And that is why Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala tells us, قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ
وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجًا ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ
بِمَا تَفْعَلُونَ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ So,
Allah rabbul Izzati wal Jalal tells you to
lower your gaze.
Why?
Why is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala saying
that?
Because you will be able to protect your
private parts.
Look at where it went from.
From right up here to right down there.
You lower your gaze and you are protected.
You will be able to protect your private
parts.
ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ That is more pure for
them.
When you have purity in your life, then
the rest of your life, the halal becomes
enjoyable.
You enjoy it, you love it.
And that is why in Ramadan when we
fast, we enjoy that iftar because we are
actually partaking of it after a long time
of deprivation.
Similarly, my dear brother and sister in Islam,
your entire life is a fast until you
meet Allah rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
And your death is an iftar for your
Jannah.
You need to fast from the haram in
this world in order to enjoy the iftar
with Allah rabbul Izzati wal Jalal.
So, we are a people of deprivation and
the biggest hindrance from that, the biggest distraction
is this phone.
Today, majority of our sin is committed from
this phone.
We pick up the phone, we look through
haram.
We want to order something haram, we order
it from the phone.
We want to engage in something, you know,
with someone in haram, we hook up with
them through what?
On the phone.
So, that very phone becomes a means of
our torment.
And what happens when you become desensitized?
And we oftentimes don't just sit and look
at what we are doing and study what
is happening.
We don't actually look at the consequences of
our action.
What happens?
You become desensitized and you feel no more.
When you feel no more, there is no
meaning and purpose to your life.
When there is no meaning and purpose to
your life, you feel like you want to
end it.
You think I am lying?
I have received messages from youth, 19 years
old, 18 years old, 15 years old.
I have been addicted to these scenes of
filth and dirt.
And today, after four years of this consumption
and being addicted to it, I want to
kill myself.
I can't live anymore.
But the man is doing haram every day.
He's living the life.
So, why does he want to kill himself?
You see how we say, Islam is your
answer.
Allah is your answer.
Your salah is your answer.
Your charity is your answer.
Your fast is your answer.
Your connection with your creator, your taqwa, is
your answer.
And that is how you will be able
to survive the difficulty of this life.