Ibraheem Menk – Understanding Life In Modern Society
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AI: Transcript ©
Indeed, living in today's world is not easy. We go out there. Some of
us are working, and we find ourselves surrounded by
desires. We find ourselves surrounded by people of the
mentality of just do it. Do as you want, behave as you please. We go
through institutions that teach us to change our identity if we feel
that that is suitable. They teach us to identify in whatever form we
want to identify in. And on the other hand, you have the Muslims
and Islam and Allah
teaching you differently. You grow up in a conservative family, in a
conservative community, and it becomes difficult for you to
practice your faith, because the whole world out there is
different, so it's very challenging.
And one of the results of this is that we find ourselves inching
away, moving away from the deep, from the religion, because it is
something that we didn't choose per se, but it is something that
it was taught to us from the time that we were born. It is the
environment that we were raised in. So when a child is taught that
if you don't learn your madrasa work, you will be beaten, what
happens is you tend to develop this hatred for the reason that
you are being beaten. I'm not saying we tend to hate the deen,
but because we are beaten due to the deen, we develop attachment
and association, and we associate the deep with beating. So what
happens as you grow up and you come out into this wide world that
is out there, and your teachers at school are telling you do what you
want, do as you please, behave as you want. You want to do it. Do
it. Who's stopping you?
But your parents have told you, no. This is almost an alleviating
feeling that you get. You feel freed from the
jail. My parents told me, that is Zina, don't commit it. That is
alcohol, don't drink it. That is marijuana, don't smoke it. And all
of a sudden they were telling you commit there about faith. Who's
saying that you don't need to? Who's stopping you? What are you
giving away? What are you losing? There's nothing wrong with doing
it. You don't like your identity. Change it. It's not a problem. So
you have two conflicting mindsets, two conflicting sets of
ideologies, and there is an internal conflict that begins.
And oftentimes we find that such people, Alhamdulillah, we thank
Allah and Praise be to Allah, that due to the wiring that is hidden,
they may go well for some time. You may find a person wayward for
some time. And that is why I've spoken to some youth, and I've
been trying to get to the bottom of this, why is it that you find
it so hard to open the Quran? And some of them tell tell me, I was a
half. I was a strong afib. But do you know what happened? I was
beaten during that fifth so I developed negative association
with that gift. So every time I open up the book of Allah, what do
I remember? I remember the beating that I was given. Subconsciously,
your mind is praying to tell you, Hey, you were beaten because of
this. You were beaten because of this that teaches us so many
lessons. One, the Prophet salallahu ALA, never beat anyone
due to the religion, due to the deen, the man is he comes into the
masjid, and you relate to me. Love the story. We learn how he dealt
with him. We know he was merciful towards him. Ever more so today,
we shouldn't be shoveling the deen down the throats of our
youngsters, but we should find innovative ways to interest them
in it. You have cartoons that they love watching. Get them used to
cartoons that are to do with the deed. Get them used to watching
content that will benefit them as well. And what that does is the
child is interested in learning. So you have a.
Listen on the screen teaching them Alif and BA and TA and Sir, but in
a beautiful way, perhaps a melodious way, then you find that
the child is now interested in the deen. And secondly, those who have
been beaten and those who have negative memories with regards to
their upbringing and the deen need to understand that we need to look
into this deen and disassociate the two. There is a clear
separation between the two, and that is why you find that the
Muslims will say we should believe in Allah. We should have taramah,
subhanhu wa taala, but you find that very same person is the one
who is questioning Allah subhanaw taala from time to time. Do you
know how often I receive messages from sisters? And I say sisters,
because in my case, when I receive these messages, predominantly they
are from sisters who are saying I wanted to marry so and so, and
I've been making dua in tahajjud for so long, and Allah hasn't
given that to me. Why do you know that very question that you are
asking is the reason why Allah will not respond to that dua.
You've rubber stamped a rejection on your DUA down to a Datu
karamust. The hadith says that a person will be responded to, so
long as he does not say, I called up to Allah and I called out to
Allah so I was not responded to. So the Muslims are first to claim
we should have taught good. We should have trust in Allah but
when the reality kicks in, you find a person questioning Allah.
You find a person questioning the timeline of Allah. And
interestingly, we spoke about the two different lives that a person
needs, one at home and one at the workplace, one at home and one in
university, one at home and one in school. And interestingly, do you
know who provides you the answers to that the only certain thing in
life? Let me ask you a question, what is the only certain thing in
life? Who can answer
what is the only thing you are guaranteed in life? 100% Yes,
right. That is the only thing we are guaranteed in life. Yet you
find that these people who are teaching you this libertarian
behavior do as you want, just do it. Have no answers with regards
to death. They have no answers as to why you die in the first place.
They have no answers as to what will happen after you die. So
which life is of more value? Which life is of more value? Is it the
sectarian, sorry, I forget the word, but is it the secular
education, modern education, libertarian education, that is
seeking to free you from the bounds that you grew up with, or
is it your Islam?
Is it your belief in Allahabad
that will take you to Jannah? So there's value on that which will
give you value forever, forever and ever and ever and ever. You
know when you tell a human being that forever exists, what do they
say? They can't comprehend it. What does forever mean? Because in
this world, we are given a times, a time line. So anything that we
want to do, I want to drink this water. I know it will take me two
minutes. I want to go to university. I know it will take me
four years. I want to accomplish anything. I know that it will take
me so much time. But will you tell a person
they will live therein forever and ever. It is out of your
comprehension. You can't comprehend what forever is, but
that is where, despite your lack of comprehension, you say, Amen to
be loved. I believe in Allah. Why? Because that certain thing that is
going to happen to us, which is death, they didn't answer my
question. So I believe in the one who gave me an answer, amen to be
loved. I believe in Allah.
And this is why we say, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, go
back to your teachings and re learn this process. Relearn how to
love Allah Abu as looking to why you are a Muslim in the first
place, looking to why you believe in Allah Abu asmaari.
Man,
indeed, we belong to Allah. We come from Allah, and to Him we
shall return. So that is the timeline of the believer. You know
Allah, you came from him. He created you to him, You shall
return. I know I came from somewhere, and I don't know where
it was. I know I'm going somewhere, and I don't know
exactly what it is and where it is, but because Allah told me, I
will believe he gave me the answer, and this answer of death
and that which lies beyond nobody, nobody will give you this answer,
except for Allah.
So value your faith, and this is why we say that when we look at
the examples of the when they believed they believed, when they
believed they believed, look at The mother of Nusa, Ali mu salatu
wa salam.
What?
In
and We inspired the mother of Musa that feed him and when you fear
for his life, then throw him into the river. Throw him into the
river. Allah didn't even say, place him into the river. Allah
says, throw him into the river,
and don't fear and don't be sad. Indeed, we shall return him to
you, and we will make him from amongst the messengers. This is
Allah.
Give him a promise. And Allah doesn't even pose to explain to us
how the mother of Musa Ali threw him into the river. But he goes on
immediately to explain
so the family of picked him up so that they may become an enemy and
a sad news, a point of difficulty for them. This is what Allah Jalal
says. There is no point that he mentions of Musa Alain salatul
Salam being taken by his mother and placed into the river. Do you
know why? Because she responded so quickly that the family Allah
moves on to the next chapter, she immediately responded to the
Command of Allah, which was to to throw that child that was in her
womb for nine months into a river, that child that you love so much,
that child that you care for so much. What is Allah Abu child?
Then throw him into the river? Which one of us would say? I'm
ready to do that. I'm ready to sacrifice for Allah Abu Asmaa,
asking you to throw your children into rivers Allah subhanahu wa
asked you to sacrifice your sleep at Fajr. Salah. You find it
difficult. Why do you find it difficult? It's a question you
must ask yourself, and it's a question that we must boast to
ourselves, because the reality of this dunya is that we are leaving
it. The reality of this dunya is that we are leaving it so
ultimately, every single day, when you wake up and you say,
Alhamdulillah, Praise be
to Allah, the one who brought us to life,
and he gave us death, and to Him, we shall return you remember death
at that juncture. Why is Allah reminding you of death when you
just woke up? Because you know that ultimately, the way that I
slept last night, is the way which one day I will close my eyes and
they will never open again. And then real life
will commit and then we can truly say and
Praise be to Allah Who brought us back to life. So one of the tools
to benefit from your deen, to endear yourself to your deen, is
to constantly remind yourself of death, and it doesn't need to be
gloom and do a part of death is gloomy, a part of death is.
Slowly, a part of death is something that makes us fearful.
But there is another part,
and that aspect is it makes you fierce. With regards to the dunya,
because you know what, I don't care about this dunya. I will
leave it tomorrow. Even if I have a billion, two billion, billion
dollars. It doesn't bother me if I lose every single penny of it,
because ultimately, I know in Brazil we belong to Allah and to
Him we shall Ruta. What is the value of that man that you are
pining after you are pinning after to the extent that you are
suicidal and want to kill yourself because you can't get him. What is
the value of that man in relationship to the akhiya? What
is the value of him? Let me ask yourself. Let me ask you, what is
the value of that man that you are ready to kill yourself, to get
when you think about it in the context of the akhira,
when you are standing before
Allah
and he's asking you about your good and bad deeds,
really you are telling me you will be concerned about the man that
you one day wanted and said that I will only marry him and nobody
else. And while one here, I am addressing this issue Dear
mothers, sisters and brothers, because I received many messages
from many sisters saying, it is only him I will marry Otherwise,
life is not worth living. Often times, this is just a phase in
your life. It is just a point at which you are infatuated with this
human being. And there will come a time where you will look at
yourself, not only in the Afghan, but five years from that moment,
you will sit back and say, Wow, did I really do that? Was that
really me? So Have patience. Their patience Allah didn't give you
that person because it is good for you, and that is the belief of the
believer. What happened to your tawat now? What happened to your
belief in Allah? Now, why is it that you are questioning Allah,
Subhanahu, wa taala? Now, what happened to all of the belief? I
believe in Allah. I trust Allah. So now is the time to trust Allah
Abu Asmaa, and never, ever, ever attach yourself to one human
being. Never ever say that it is him and it will be nobody else. It
is her and it will be nobody else. Oftentimes, I hear this and Allah,
what you are saying is you are limiting Allah. You have eternity
to limit the power of Allah. SubhanaHu wa doing so when
Rasulullah
say that they will be nobody better than Abu salaam, nobody
better than Abu salaam, what was his response? He says, Make this
dua, Allah,
AJ,
give me goodness. Give me a reward in this difficulty, and give me
better than him. Give me better than me. And whom did she marry?
None other than Rasulullah. Did you forget about that? Is there
any reason why you choose to insist on that person? I know
people who have fought their families, their mothers, their
fathers, their uncles, their aunts, their brothers, their
aunties, whoever it is they fought them, their grandparents. They
fight with them. Go to war and battle to marry a certain person.
Cut them off. I won't talk to them because my Habibi matters. Yes,
you forget your parents who gave birth to
your and you let go of them for your hadibi. And then when the
Habibi puts on punching drugs and he starts punching you up then you
want to go running back to your parents. No, he doesn't even put
on the gloves. He starts punching her, and she starts punching him
at times. Allah, you know sometimes today we say, Hey, you
speak in favor of the sisters, the brothers come after you. Speak in
favor of the brothers, the sisters come after you. So sometimes it
happens you see family violence where the sisters are beating up
the brothers, and you're like, now I've cut my relationship with my
family member, and I can't talk to them. I can't go to them with.
What face will I go to my parents with? What face will I go to my
brother? Yet I fought them to marry this person. Those people
loved you so much that they actually told you this person is
bad for you. They saw through the guides, but you were living with
blinkers on you know, those love blinkers where you see everything
is hearts and roses and sweet and nice and amazing, so you couldn't
listen to what they were saying.
Because your heart was telling you something else. It's time we
divorce the emotion from our decisions. At times, it's
important we divorce the emotion from our decisions and say, hold
on. Emotion matters. But first comes mental clarity, and if I'm
not thinking carefully, I need really to take into consideration
what my parents and those who love me are saying. So we are the
mother of Musa Ali salatu wa salam.
She is inspired to throw Musa Ali salatu wa salam into the river,
and she throws him into the river, and Allah Rabbul is that he wa
Jalal tells us something profound, and we need to touch upon this,
because it is a
reality
in
life as
well, And the heart of the mother of Musa, became empty. It became
empty. This is despite her following the Command of Allah Abu
Asmaa. May ask, Why did it become empty? If she responded to the
Command of Allah Abu Asmaa, is normal for the human being to go
through cycles. It is normal for you to be attached to someone. It
is normal for you to miss someone. It is normal for you to miss your
father, your brother, your son, your daughter. It is normal so she
felt empty the ayah literally says, the heart of the mother of
Musa became empty. So don't look at yourself and blame yourself
because of your feeling at that moment. At that moment, you need
to do something, and you need to do it urgently, because if you
don't listen
to
what
will happen, she
would have revealed the secret of Musa, the fact that Musa is her
son, she would have gone to the palace and said, He is my son. He
is my son. But Allah says,
Have
we not tied her heart, a heart so that she was from WHO? From the
believers? Allah says We tied her heart so that she was from the
believers. Had that not happened, had that time with beliefs? What
happened? She would have revealed the secret, which you will have
led to the detriment of Musa and her as well. They would have
probably killed them both. But what happened? Allah tied her
heart. And what is this attached to? It's attached to the first
when she trusted Allah Jalal, besides her intellect, she put her
intellect to one side and said, You know what? This doesn't make
sense to me, but I'm going to do it regardless, because Allah told
me to do it. She did it. Allah tied her heart with belief, and
then he protected the world in that process. And then the result
is amazing. The result is amazing.
Am
so we returned him to his mother so that her eyes may be cold and
she will not be sad, and she knows that the Promise of Allah is true.
The Promise of Allah is true, but most of them don't know. Most of
them don't know Allah. Abu asmaari Salatu was Salam to his mother by
safe keeping him in the very home of his enemy, returns him to his
mother, and then says, but so that most of them know that it is the
truth. The Promise of Allah is true. The Promise of Allah is
true, but most of them don't know with knowledge you equip yourself
to believe in Allah in the way that you are meant to believe in
Allah, Subhanahu wa we may not be the mother of Musa Alain Salatu
was Salaam.
We may not be Musa and Harun and we may not be Muhammad,
sallAllahu, a Salam. We are not ambiya. I agree with you, but the
ambiya existed and the examples existed for us to relive them
today, for us to revisit those moments today, to help us navigate
our lives until the moment when certainty will come
and worship Allah, until certainty comes to you. What did we say? The
one certain thing in life is, anyone remember?
Let's say that together
death. Death is one certainty in life, my dear brothers and sisters
in his life. Did you ever realize one thing? And I'll end on this
point Inshallah,
amongst this Jamal that is sitting here today,
one of us, or some of us, are deemed to go next.
And when you put it that way, you begin to realize how flimsy life
is. May Allah give us the ability to deal with our anxieties, and
may Allah, Subhanahu wa give us the ability to believe in Him,
because ultimately we are headed to well done. A lot of.