Ibraheem Menk – Igniting the Flame – Cultivating Love for Allah
AI: Summary ©
The belief that death is a terrifying thing for most human beings is discussed, with emphasis on the natural fear and sadness that comes with leaving a family, wealth, and causing people to feel sad. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a connection with the god and avoiding loss of focus on one's journey towards Islam. The journey is a combination of both physical and mental, and finding the right destination is crucial to achieving Islam's goal.
AI: Summary ©
Back in the day when we explained to people that Allah Abu as said
something, or rasulallahu alayhi wa sallam had said something, then
we didn't need to explain why. It was simply Samir wa attainah. We
have heard and we have obeyed,
and that was due to the Iman within the hearts of people. They
understood that because Allah said this, I will do it, because
Rasulullah sallam said this, I will do it, and because Allah
prohibited me from this, I will not do it. But today,
increasingly, we find ourselves in a situation where people are
questioning why they want to know the reasons behind what they are
doing and the reason why they have been prohibited from doing
something, and the reality of it is Allah Rabbul, izzatti, while
Jalal has explained to us in certain circumstances why we are
meant to do certain things, but at other times and other injunctions,
we find that there is no explanation. There is simply a
command or a prohibition. And that is where our iman should come into
play. That is where our belief in allahab is being tested. When a
person breaks wind, then they are meant to wash every other organ,
or many other organs, besides the part where the wind came out from.
This doesn't make sense to an ordinary human being, but because
Allah Abu as told me to do it, then I will do it. And that is
Iman. That is faith, that is belief in Allah Rabbul, izzatti,
while Jalal, when Allah subhanahu wa taala says something, we say
it, we do it simply because it comes from Allah. We acknowledge
that this is a command from my maker, the one who brought me into
existence, the one by whom I exist today, the one to whom I shall
return so because he told me to do this, I will do it. Because He
prohibited me from doing this. I will not do it. And that is Iman.
But the other reason that we find is the growth of the love and the
two are actually intertwined. They are collected, the growth of the
love of the dunya in our hearts. So we've begun to love the dunya,
and we love it such, and we are connected to it such that the
thought of death and leaving it terrifies us. It terrifies us.
I've got to leave my family. I've got to leave my business. I'm not
ready, if I am to ask myself, let alone all of you, am I ready
today, right now, right here to say I'm ready to let go and I'm
ready to go to Allah Abu as atival jaral, I have to be honest with
myself, I have to sit and ask myself whether I am actually
ready. And the believer is in a constant state of preparedness to
meet Allah Abu Asmaa, because we know that at any moment we can
meet Allah subhanahu wa Yes, death is a terrifying thing for most
human beings. Yes, it is something that we are scared of, because it
is the fear of the unknown, and that is a normal fear, a natural
fear. In fact, as Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is
leaving this world, he says in nali Moti la saqat, indeed, death
has its pangs. So he himself experienced the pangs of death.
This was none other than Khairul khalpi ajmarin, the best creation
on ever to exist on Earth. Allahu Akbar. This was Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So it is natural to fear death, but the
fear of leaving the dunya is the problem. The fear of leaving your
family, the fear of leaving your business, the fear of leaving your
wealth behind. That attachment is the problem when we become so
attached that the very thought of leaving the dunya is terrifying.
But a believer focuses on something else. A believer focuses
on the fact that my death is the My birth into the akhira. My death
is my birth into the akhira. I'm going to a Better Life, A Better
existence. So beyond that natural fear of death comes a feeling of
elation, a.
Happiness. Why? Because I'm going to meet Allah Abu as which Lord is
this? This is the Lord who is most forgiving, Most Merciful. This is
the Lord who is who wants to forgive me, and he has told me
that he wants to forgive me. Man Aha, Balika, Allah ahaba, Allahu,
the one who loves to meet Allah. Allah loves to meet him. And
that's what we should be doing, growing the love of the dunya in
our hearts, and lessening the love of this world in our hearts. And
that, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, is Zuid, that is
asceticism. That is what you call divorcing yourself from the dunya.
It is not dressing in rags and driving the worst of, you know,
modes of transport and having the worst of homes. No, that is not
zohod. You can have a man in a palace who's not attached to that
palace, and he is closer to Allah Abu as and you can have a man on
the street walking with nothing, no shoes to cover his feet, and he
is so attached to this dunya that it's become a point of punishment
for him, because he's deprived of it. He loves it so much that he's
depressed due to it. So Allah Abu Asmaa, he tells us, belt thirun al
Hayata dunya, well, Abu
give preference to the life of this world, and the akhira is
better and longer lasting. The akhira is better and longer
lasting. So someone may ask, but hold on, how do I practically
inculcate the love of Allah Abu Asmaa heart? And naturally, when
you begin to fill your heart with the love of Allah subhanahu wa,
you will find a decrease in the love of the dunya, because the
two, they don't exist simultaneously in one heart. When
I say they don't exist simultaneously. What I mean is
that the two once you have so much of the love of Allah Jalal, you
will reach a point where it doesn't matter what you lose of
this dunya, it doesn't matter what you lose of this dunya, it saddens
you for a short while, because you know it is temporary, and you know
you are going to Allah Rabbul, izzatti wa Jalal, learn the names
of Allah subhanahu wa, the attributes of Allah Abu as
when you understand whom Allah subhanahu wa is, Then naturally
your journey towards Allah subhanahu wa becomes easier. It
becomes fruitful. It becomes such that you will enjoy it because you
are looking forward to the destination. What we tend to do is
to focus upon the journey. And we talk about how we should establish
our salah, and we should give our Zakat, and we should fast in the
month of Ramadan, and that is all good and well, that is the
journey. But when you focus on where you are going and whom you
are going to, then it becomes amazing. You know, if I were to
stand here and tell you that there is a destination in the Maldives,
and the island is beautiful. This crystalline blue waters. What
happens? Automatically, your heart begins to pump. You think, hey,
wow, that's an amazing destination. And maybe as you are
on that journey, you get into the plane, for example, and you are on
the journey. What is it that excites you? Is it the journey
itself? No, it's the destination you're waiting to get to that
place. You can't wait to see that island. Allah has the highest of
examples. Walila, Allah and we are on a journey. We are headed where
to Allah, Rabbul, izzatti, wala Jalal. So when we learn about the
being whom we are going to how merciful he is, how great he is,
his magnanimity, then we look forward to meeting Allah Abu as
atiwa Jalad. And naturally the dunya falls away. We are living in
this dunya. We can't ignore the fact that we get up every day and
we have to earn a living. Everybody needs money. Everybody
needs to earn something in order to survive, but never lose focus
of your destination, and that will really help you when we see the
example of Karun in the Quran Allah Abu as atival Jalal is
basically telling us that he allowed the dun.
Niya into his heart to the extent where it affected his mentality,
and he believed in nama UTI to hualahim in Indi I was given this
due to the knowledge that I have. He didn't attribute it to Allah,
Subhanahu wa that was the problem. What was Allah's injunction to us?
Waving televima
Dunya was an
Allah
and seek with that which Allah has given you of the dunya. Seek. What
did he say? Seek the dunya? No, he said, Seek the akhira. Seek the
akhira with the dunya that you have, seek the everlasting, and
that is a truly wealthy person. But Allah didn't end there. Wala
10 se nasiba, kaminat Dunya, and don't forget your portion of the
dunya. When it comes to the dunya, he describes it as a portion. Why
eat of it, drink of it, enjoy of it. Halal. Allah has made halal
for you. Enjoy of it. No problem with the right intention, even
that Halal of the dunya becomes rewarding in the akhira. So enjoy
of it. Wala tan Sana si ba kamena, dunya wa aksan, Allahu, ilaik, and
be good to others in the way that Allah has been good to you. Ihsan
is the highest form of ibadah. To be good to Allah, Rabbul, izzatti
wa Jalal, excellent in your Ibadah and to be good to your fellow
human beings. Don't forget that Allah gave you in order for you to
build the everlasting so be good to them. Help them. Donate. Give
something of that which Allah has given you. Nobody wants to give.
If we believed only in this world, there would be motive, no
motivator, for us to give at all, there would be no motivator. Why?
Because I'm simply taking out that which is valuable and it's gone.
But Allah gave us the ultimate motivator, and that is, you will
receive it with me, you will. I will be pleased with you. That's
what Allah Abu is, that you will Jalal is promising. Wan fasadah,
Phil Abu, and don't seek corruption on earth. Don't go
looking looking out to cause corruption and spread fitna and
facade. Why does this come at the end? Because naturally, when you
seek out Allah Abu as
you purify your heart, and this injunction becomes easy for you to
follow. This commandment becomes easy for you to follow, because I
am a believer in Allah where I have wronged someone, I will seek
forgiveness where I have wronged myself by sinning between me and
Allah Rabbul izzatti Will jala, I will seek forgiveness from Allah
subhanahu wa taala and move ahead. May Allah subhanahu wa give us the
ability to remove the love of the dunya from our hearts and to love
the akhirah and to love our destination, and to love Allah
subhanahu wa.