Change yourself for a better tomorrow 27-04-2015 ~ Mufti Ismail Menk (Trinidad & Tobago), ROU Muslim Fair
Mufti Menk – Change Yourself For A Better Tomorrow
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of forgiveness and embracing one's mistake to achieve pleasure and happiness. They stress the need for people to be aware of one's own actions and forgive oneself. The importance of forgiveness and embracing one's mistake is also highlighted. The need for people to be aware of one's actions is also emphasized.
AI: Transcript ©
Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.
smilla rahmanir rahim In the name of Allah subhanho wa Taala Most Gracious, Most Merciful al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen All praise is indeed due to Allah subhanho wa Taala creator nourisher cherishes. sustainer provide a protector cure the one in absolute control of every aspect of existence. What was suddenly what was suddenly more laughable in South Asia marine Nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi
complete blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he's entirely entire household all his companions May Allah subhanahu wa Jalla bless them all. And may Allah subhanho wa Taala bless every single one of us and grant us all goodness and ease. I mean, my brothers and sisters, you will have to concentrate a little bit in order to listen very carefully. Because we are in this beautiful
rum john Stadium in Trinidad, Mashallah.
And I noticed I have substitutes on my left and my right.
So if something goes wrong, someone else will take over each other. Mashallah, oh, they de has put his hand up.
Alhamdulillah it's a beautiful setup, the weather's quite nice and hamdulillah we thank Allah subhanho wa Taala. for it, I want to start by asking you a question. And each one of you should answer this question within yourselves. How many Islamic reminders Have you heard in your life?
I don't know. That's the answer, isn't it? How many Islamic reminders? Have you heard in your life, whether it's a book you've read, or a CD you've heard, or a radio program, or a television program or something on the internet, perhaps on YouTube, or Facebook or Twitter, whatever it is, anyway? How many reminders? Have you had someone tell you what to do? and what not to do? The answer is countless. I don't know, I have lost count.
Well, how many more would you like before you transform before you change yourself before you become closer to Allah, before you start cutting your bad habits, and before you begin to fulfill your Salah, before you begin to start dressing appropriately? Before you begin to start correcting the way you speak? And the way you address others? How many more reminders would you like?
Can you put a number to these reminders?
The answer is no. We cannot put a number to the remainders. In fact, we should be ashamed of ourselves. If we've been told so many times that we've lost count what to do and what not to do. And we are still doing the wrong thing. So Panama, we should be ashamed of ourselves. And this is why you have heard
the last two years,
lectures within what is known as revival of the oma conferences, some of the best speakers, internationally who speak in your language. So panela have I come to you to remind you, everyone's mind was directed towards one thing, get close to Allah.
Get out of the trap of shape and get closer to your maker, you are going to return to him very, very soon, just like your friends and relatives have ever returned to him.
And so get closer to Allah. So you've had the finest from the globe come to you and tell you to get close to Allah subhanho wa Taala. And at the same time,
I don't need the watershed.
At the same time, we are still the same people we are have we changed if we haven't changed then something is wrong. Because then it's a waste of time coming to a talk telling yourself Wow, it was a good talk. It was something great and grand but our lives have not moved an inch, not even a centimeter not even a millimeter nothing. So what's the point? Why should we be from amongst those who just enjoy listening to a good talk? And if we don't bat an eyelid, we don't even change we are not transformed in any way. What is wrong? Well, I can tell you what is wrong.
Point number one. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam speaks of a certain piece of flesh in the body.
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either Salah had Sala Cuckoo
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in the Hadith.
In Sahih Muslim the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is reported to have spoken about halal and haram and towards the end of the head
He says, indeed, behold, in the body, there is a certain piece of flesh. If it is pure and good, then the entire body will be pure and good. And if it is bad and corrupt, then the entire body will be bad and corrupt. Indeed, behold, that piece of flesh is the heart, the heart has no bone Subhanallah it pumps the blood, it is the seat of governance of the entire body, the heart.
If there is a disease within you, you have to have a blood test. And then you will tell what is in your blood and what is wrong with you. May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us goodness. So the Prophet sallallahu wasallam tells us if this heart is good, and if it is correct, then the entire body will be good and correct. And if the heart is corrupt, everything will be corrupt. Sometimes people have a bad heart. So they have bad thoughts and ideas, everything they see they related to something bad and evil.
And sometimes some people are so innocent, they have such good hearts, that even when they see evil in front of them, they have a good thought to say no, no, perhaps this is something decent. You know, like we say, sometimes we are so good, that when the robber comes to steal, we actually give away our goods. And we think that it's someone who's just come to hold our goods for a little while. You know, I recall,
a maid who worked for us, she fell for a scam once, after she had his salary at the end of the year.
She went with the salary to one of the markets to the city center. And there was a scam at the time where were the shops, you know, you have window shopping, a lot of us are professional window shoppers, which means we don't actually buy but we enjoy looking Mashallah. So, you have the window shopping, and there was some shoes being sold. And she was looking from the window. So a man appears with a dust coat and says, Can I help you man? She says What do you mean? So the man says, and this is a true story. The man says, I work in the shop, whatever you see in this window, I can get it for you at a 10% discount. So she says okay, I want those shoes. And she gave her size. And she gave him
the money. And the men disappeared completely, never to be seen again.
So if we take a look at this, we would actually realize some people's hearts are so clean, so good, that they give you the rubber the money with their own hands and they say take it. And they know that this man is outside of the shop, for example. And they know Subhanallah that this man has made me outside the door. I'm giving him money, I've got no guarantee I'm going to get my things, but that's the heart. Your heart was clean and his heart was so dirty, that he robbed unsuspecting people. And he took their money away. So Allah subhanho wa Taala warns us through the blessed lives of Muhammad salatu salam ala to have good intentions. When you have sincerity of the heart.
Immediately these talks that you hear will impact upon your life and your life will change. And it will not just change one day, but it will continue changing and you will continue getting closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala until the day you meet him.
Because if I can say that, okay, I heard a certain lecture lecturing. And I heard a certain reminder, and I heard certain verses of the Quran being recited. And it changed me and I changed my life.
That's not good enough. So Panama, why is it good enough? Don't use the past tense and say changed my life. But say it started the change in my life that will continue to the day I die. That's what it is. Because if for example, you cried tears of repentance, and you asked the last forgiveness, and you started reading your five Salah a day, and you think that that's Islam, then there are so many criminals who read five sala de What about them?
When I say that, what I mean? There are people who read five Salah a day and think that that is the only thing Islam asks you for. And then they beat up their wives, or maybe they beat up their husbands Allah knows best. And at the same time, they are rough with their mouths, they cheat and deceive, they rob and they might be doing so many other bad things. So that shows us that repentance is not just connected to one thing. transformation is a lifelong commitment that you need to make unto Allah subhanho wa Taala so when I cry tears of repentance and I say Allah, forgive me, grant me a new beginning. It's not like everything's going to become so peaceful overnight.
You might achieve peace in your heart.
But you will have to work so hard
Hard to achieve peace in your life. Because to become a true believer, a great effort is required. Allah will test you a has even
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do the people think that it is enough for them to say that I believe and then they are not tested to say we believe, and then they are not tested by Allah subhanho wa Taala. Allah says, indeed we have tested those before you and we will test you as well. This is a plan this is a system. So Allah says when you become a monk, meaning when we will repent to Allah, when you become closer to Allah, guess what will happen?
He will test you even more. Because you've entered the examination room. Subhan, Allah.
Allah, Allah,
Allah.
When Allah loves his worshiper, he tests him or her much more.
That's when he tests him. That's when he tests her. I declared, I'm a believer. So Allah says, okay, so that means you've entered the exam room. Now let's test you. So you're going to struggle because you're going to suffer financial loss. What do you do? Does it strengthen your faith or does it weaken it? You're going to struggle because certain things will not happen the way you want it? What do you do? How would you react to it? Subhana Allah, this is Allah subhanho wa Taala his way, this is a last plan. When you're not in the exam room, you may enjoy life. Take a look at the disbelievers Allah says
Nakata una de naka de la de Mata.
Pani, don't let the fact that the disbelievers are enjoying their life deceive you. Allah says that those are just provisions for a short period of time, after which they will get what they deserve.
They haven't entered the exam room. What's the point of asking me all the old level questions when I haven't even paid my fee for the examination? And I haven't even entered the room. But when I entered the room, I expect a lot of questions and tough ones. And you need to enjoy the hard questions the difficult ones because those are the questions that separate the horses from the donkeys SubhanAllah.
Not to say any any one of us are donkeys but at the same time, none of us are horses either.
It's just an example.
How would you like it? If all questions of your own a level examinations were so simple that everyone got a plus a star?
It would be worthless pointless. What was the point of me working so hard, we all got a stars, the one who didn't work and the one who struggled all night and every day got the same results. So Allah says the same applies. We will test all of you to see who from amongst you in yours and who does not?
Lana savini do you think you're simply just going to enter paradise? When Allah subhanho wa Taala says, We have not yet tested you who from amongst you is ready to struggle who from amongst you is patient can endure Subhan Allah
May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us droplets of mercy amin
hamdulillah
transformation comes when we feel that Allah subhanho wa Taala has mercy is descending upon us and He wants us to change and it is a huge effort. Do you know now that we feel a slight drizzle, let me give you an example. A beautiful example. And that is when you want to plant any plantation. The first thing you need to do is clear the land. So if you have mountains and if you have rocky land, and if you have huge trees, you need to uproot the trees, you need to remove the boulders and the stones and the rocks and you need to flatten the land and perhaps moisten it and soften it with some water and thereafter make it such that it is now ready to cultivate. So the effort required is so
great. It is not just a simple matter. I don't expect today to be a day when my life has changed and I don't need to worry anymore. Yes, your life will change. Anything must change and it has to change.
But it's only the beginning of the change. That's what it is. Now what you need to do is remove those trees that will disturb the growth of the plantation that you'd like to plant. What are those trees? Those are the trees that have sin in them. For example, the boulders the rocks need to be removed, they require a great effort. And if you're lazy, guess what happens? plantation begins to grow around those rocks and spoiled or should I say the plantation is then spoiled.
But if you make an effort Subhanallah you will find Allah will open your doors, the day the seeds are sown, then another effort is required. What is that effort, that effort is for you to look after, and nurture the seedlings. The most difficult stage is when it is a seedling stage, your cultivation
any little change in weather, some extreme change or lack of water will kill your seedling perhaps you won't have the crop that you desire. The same applies now that I've made a firm intention to change. These are the days when I need to water my seedlings, I need to make sure laziness does not overtake me. I need to make sure I don't lose hope in the mercy of Allah when the tests come in my direction. I need to thank Allah subhanho wa Taala rise to the occasion as they say you need to utter the praise of Allah upon all conditions and move further go beyond.
This is how Allah subhanho wa Taala will open your doors.
If for example, you didn't have a job, you remained unemployed for a long time looking for a job. One day, you got a job, Mashallah I looked for it. Someone's prayers are accepted. The effort I made Allah allowed it to bear fruit and I found the job and become the first week Can you say to your boss, oh, my boss, do you know what I need leave? Why my son has a cough. My son has a cough, you need to leave, you need to leave or you need leave of work. That's not good enough.
Or you say you know my uncle's brother in law's sister in law's wife.
There's a sister in law have a wife.
That's what I mean. You want to create such a story that you start lying? You make a blunder that catches you. And you say oh, well, she died. It's such a distant relative.
I need to go. But you just started your work this week? What impression does that leave upon your boss? He's going to say this person is not really serious. It's the seedling phase. Yes, if you've worked for five years without missing a day, then you come to your boss and said, You know what, I need a day off. Even if you don't explain why the boss will say you can have two days off.
Sorry, he might not say that. But I hope he does. Now Allah subhanho wa Taala make us good bosses. Any one of us who happens to have employed people remember, it's just a phase, it's just a test. It doesn't mean you're greater than them just because you pay them a salary. No, perhaps in the eyes of Allah, they may be greater than you and who knows, maybe your paradise might come through
there, or through some relation that you've had with them, perhaps they might have worked on you. How many of us have people working for us who spoken to us in such a beautiful way reminded us of Allah subhanho wa Taala in such a way that our lives have changed yet. In this world, we were actually the ones who paid them.
May Allah subhanho wa Taala make us unique may make us from those who can help one another whether we are employed or the employee.
So in the early stages, when you've just repented, you need to be sincere in that repentance, say Oh Allah, I don't want to go back to the adultery I've been committing. I don't want to go back to the gambling that I've been engaging in. I don't want to go back to the drugs and to the bottle that I've been having, oh, Allah helped me so that I don't go back and then you need to change your company that the company that drove you to the evil, you need to take it out. You need to get rid of it or you need to transform it with those from amongst them who've transformed with you. They will be of help to you and those who haven't will be to your detriment
need to change your company. If you've repented and you say Oh ALLAH forgive me for all the Salah I've missed, and you still in the company of those who don't read Salah. What do you expect?
It will just last a day and that's it. And after the day you say we felt good so we ordered salatu salam ala Aisha Mashallah beautiful stadium here, something historic, I would say something really great, what a nice feeling, but it's just the only Salah you
Read in a long time
Oh, you say I'm transformed Oh Allah never gonna miss a Salah again. And then when you have to set your clock for solitude, you say it's okay if I wake up I wake up if I don't, it's fine I set the clock, set the clock. And you know what? When the clock rings, snooze is not an option.
Like I've said before, if you snooze, you lose love Akbar. Allah subhanho wa Taala blesses meaning should never press snooze on his clock. No way that is not an option for a believer 530 or five o'clock that alarm rings you are up that is transformation. You are up and you get up and wash your face with cold water beautiful water and you make sure that you can leave that alarm ringing because the rest of your home also needs to be up
bring it loud, even if they get irritated so what it's a pleasant irritation
oh if your elder brother smacks you don't come and say there was a blessing smack.
Elena Baker's from amongst those
it might have been a blessing smack Alhamdulillah Yes, it was in the right course Masha, Allah Subhana Allah.
My brothers and sisters, the point being raised is when you've turned to Allah make an effort to maintain it and grow upon that. Today we hear a good talk. I want to ask you a question. How many of us seated here and I want you to show me by raising your hands. How many of us seated here would like to become closer to Allah put up your hand
100% of us Alhamdulillah So how many of us are ready to change our lives for the sake of Allah put up your hand.
There we are. Now let's put our hands down because here comes the tough question. How many of us are prepared to get up tomorrow morning? Without fail?
Okay, I've got a talk here tomorrow. I'm going to ask you, how many of you got up this morning? And then we'll have to show the hands.
Mashallah, may Allah subhanahu wa tada help us?
May Allah subhanho wa Taala open our doors rarely, it's easy to say I want to change your law. But when shaytan starts massaging you at the wrong time, you know when he starts shaytan starts with you at night. And he tells you it's only a movie there's only three hours remaining. Just watch it. It's fine. That's the beginning of the end of salado. That's what it is. Because he knows you're going to sleep late. You're going to sit with your friends, the corner of the street, the pavement, or sometimes the circulation. Have you seen people smoking? You know when they go to the house of Allah, they go right to the house of Allah, the citizen at the door of the house of secret.
You have a bad habit. Please don't go to the house of Allah to prove that you have a bad habit that bad happened needs to be something that's private between you and Allah. Don't be proud of the bad habit.
So even if you do have the bad habit of smoking a cigarette, I think it's an insult to go to Allah house and smoke there.
May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us all quit our bad habits. I mean,
I didn't hear loud enough. I mean, I think there are a lot of smokers here. So
Allah help us quit smoking. Amelie Oh, that was a loud one. Mashallah. Well, I need to say I mean, you know, there was a brother who fell in love so much of smoking, that he asks he says, You know what?
Okay, if I give up smoking here, will I be able to smoke in general?
What a question.
So I told him, brother, there's just one problem.
to light the cigarette, you're gonna need a fire to get the fire. The fire is only found in gentlemen.
Allah subhanho wa Taala safeguard us. Allah protect us.
My brothers and sisters, you want to do something, don't just say oh, I'm weak. You're not weak.
You're not weak. You are strong, less creative. You're strong. You need to develop the willpower for the sake of Allah. Allah subhanho wa Taala help us transform before we meet with him. Take a look at what happened today. In Nepal in Kathmandu. May Allah make it easy for them to grant those who have been martyred in that earthquake. Shahada May Allah grant them a lofty ranking Jelena goes from amongst the woman who lost their lives. While ah here it is so severe, so serious.
That we need to take a lesson. innocent life just like myself and yourself. People who were seated just like we are here today, certainly no more, because an earthquake came in and swallowed them.
This happened earlier today.
What do we say?
for some strange reason we still think that cannot happen to us.
Don't we? for some strange reason people die. We still think you know what i know i'm going to die. But I don't think I'm doing right now. Come on, you know, I'm still planning as soon as you need to commit.
Who knows? Don't ever do that this might be our last day one lucky my brothers and sisters, it couldn't be every prayer that you fulfill. The Prophet salallahu Salam says,
fulfill it as though it's the last prayer that you're ever going to be fulfilling. You know, what's the secret behind that? One day it will be your last.
One day it will be your last one.
My brothers and sisters Come on. We need to make an effort. Don't allow shavon to keep you up for no reason.
When the time of sleeping has come in, it's bedtime.
You don't just get to bed because you're scared of your wife. No, you get to bed because you fear Allah subhanho wa Taala and then you see your wife smiling, Mashallah.
I remember brother telling me that if he doesn't get to bed early, there is a baton waiting for him.
I told him brother, if you were a good Muslim, you wouldn't even need the baton. You would be in bed before your spouse, Allah subhanho wa Taala help us I mean, he opened our doors. These are just some of the examples of how the world has changed, hasn't it?
Subhana Allah. So we will make an effort we will get up we will make sure that we fulfill our Salah come What made if you've missed your prayer, say for example, I asked the last forgiveness and I said Oh Allah, I don't want to miss a prayer from today and something happened and I missed one immediately manansala
remember the Hadith of the prophets of Salaam wherever has slept over a Salah by error, and whoever has forgotten it, read it as soon as you remember it. So I slept
and I got up and the sun has already risen as soon as I get up, make my booboo. Read my salah and continue with the rest of my day. Read it as cover. It's definitely something that you've now done.
So your record is still sitting at zero missed from the time I sought forgiveness, zero misses because I made up those that I missed and do not be lazy. laziness is such that when it comes to food and drink and nice things, we're not lazy. We can go to a mall and walk around window shopping with Not a penny in our pockets all afternoon just to look nice. And just so that people can say wow, that's all people can do this. Do you know that
I've met a few people in a mall
in a certain country
and I was there with my kids and we were trying to
you know get to the kids area where there was a bit of entertainment for the little ones. And I met these people and they greeted me O'Shea's Mashallah you know, and I agree with him on hamdulillah Mashallah, so this What are you doing here? I said I've just come Why is there is there something different that you can do? What are you guys doing is just walking around walking around Okay, working on here in the mall? Okay, yeah walking around in the mall.
I've come with my children for my children to play my children want to see the kids area Do you know as the kids area? No I'm not sure. Okay, but now
you guys come from here don't Yes we do. You don't know where's the kids area? Okay, there's an information counter here you can ask they say fine. So we went we enjoyed ourselves we came back we saw the same people on our way out walking around again. So I said guys you still here yeah we walking around. See you still walking around? It's a few hours later. Oh, we've been here since the morning. Doing what? No shopping no bag no not just walking around disturbing the opposite *. That's what it is nothing else. They just want you you just want to show them I've got muscle. And I've got this and I've got a senate and that sense. They're not foolish. They know you've just
walked into the perfume shops and tested all the perfumes. You don't actually own anything Subhanallah and so you smelling so good until the next time you walk into the more that
you know when we go into the airport duty free and you find people going into the perfume area, take a look at how many perfumes
the rest of them are just like me Mashallah.
May Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us. We need to be serious. You want to do something a person is ready to walk all day through the mall and not prepared to read Salah. not prepared to face Allah subhanho wa Taala for a few minutes. Imagine if that's your last day. There are so many room that has been the last day. You don't want that to happen. So fulfill your prayer. Worship Allah alone cleanse your heart. If you cleanse your heart, it becomes easier for you to be a good Muslim.
clench your heart, learn to love others learn to look at those who have achieved more than you in terms of closeness to Allah. And don't look at those who've achieved more than you in terms of material living.
We have a bad habit yesterday I asked a question for those who were at the dinner.
What car they liked. And I think some of the people said Range Rover, didn't they?
Can I tell you something? The reality is, we look at people with beautiful cars, with lovely homes with so much and sometimes we say When I grow up, I'd like to be like this. How many of us look at those who are close to Allah and say, I want to be like that. Now. closeness to Allah has nothing to do with growing up, you got to do it. Now. I want to be like this. Now, I tell you, everyone who has something material, those who passed away from among them from amongst them have left all that behind every single thing behind but those who did deeds for the sake of Allah to call those deeds with them, and went along.
So we say Wow, what a lucky man.
Does anyone say What a lucky man he left behind $10 million. No one says that. He wasn't lucky.
He left it behind for someone else. He was so miserly
that he spent nothing. Nothing at all he just a mastic and then he went away leaving it all behind. But when a person has done good deeds, What a lucky sister she went for hombre and guess what? Allah took her away in Mecca Mashallah.
What a fortunate brother. He went for Rama Allah took him away in Mecca. Subhan Allah
what a fortunate sister she was reading Salah she passed away in sujood in frustration
Subhan Allah, what are the chances of someone passing away in frustration? Well, I can tell you if you don't read Salah the chances are no
because you don't read the Salah, and the more Salah you read the day, the chances are greater and for someone to have passed away in sujood It must be meaning that that person read Salah even when they were feeling not well.
Even when they weren't unwell. They were still reading their Salah.
How many of us for any little excuse? We won't be
we won't even read the Quran. How many of us have read the Quran with its meaning? cover to cover?
Very few hands, okay. I tell you what, if Allah gives us life, and this is a challenge, and I'm not joking, I will remember I see the faces
Mashallah, I appointed you next time inshallah.
Next year, by the will of Allah, if Allah grants us the life.
I want to come here and ask the question, it's not because we want to show off, but because I want to motivate you, to transform
to change yourself. How dare you live a life given by the owner of that life?
That man heard a few verses of the Quran and he started crying to three verses of the Quran. Take a look at Omar.
He came out to assassinate Mohammed.
And in the way on the route on the way he happened to divert to his sister. And then he heard a few verses of the Quran and guess what happened?
transformation took place. Do you know why? He had a good heart.
He was searching for goodness. He was searching for answers. He found that Subhan Allah that was
taken look at the companions of Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, any one of them who looked at him,
believed in him
if he had a good heart,
and once he believed in him, immediately he was known as
melody pleased with him, or may Allah be pleased with her. So if you say the name of any of the companions of Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, what do you have to say with it? You have to say, may Allah be pleased with him? May Allah be pleased with her. Wouldn't you like it? If people said your name and after your name, they said Allah have mercy on him. May Allah have mercy on her Rama to La La Rahim Allah, may Allah have mercy on him or her or Allah Subhana Allah. Well, if you have the correct heart, you will be able to pick up goodness because there were others from amongst the kuffaar of Quraysh from amongst the disbelievers who saw Muhammad salatu salam and knew him and some
of them were related to him, but they never believed
because they looked at him with the wrong eyes.
They looked at him with malice. They looked at him with jealousy with hatred with evil feeling that kept him away from the straight path. It kept him away from goodness SubhanAllah. So if you would like to achieve goodness, you need to fight your hatred and jealousy, envy animosity. You need to fight the bad habits, the bad qualities against others. If I have a bad feeling against my fellow believers, if I have hatred and enmity, how do I expect to be transformed? How do I expect change? I need to learn to be a member of the oma by loving the rest of you.
In fact, I need to turn to humanity at large, and I need to be able to reach out to them so that they see the goodness in Islam. Islam, Don't be selfish with it. It does not belong to you as a possession. No, it is an Amana entrusted to you, you need to deliver the goods to the rest of humanity.
So for those who think that every non Muslim out there doesn't even deserve to live, they are so foolish because they've forgotten that some way up the ladder. We are our ancestors were not Muslim.
And we accepted Islam. Because of someone, someone's effort, someone somewhere down the line tried, someone definitely spoke, someone transformed, someone changed. So today we are seated here.
How many of us are ready to make an effort on others? We're not even ready to make an effort on ourselves, let alone others Subhan Allah?
May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us to make an effort on ourselves, my brothers,
my sisters?
How long are we going to continue swearing?
How long are we going to continue making others lives difficult? Whether it's in the home or outside? How long are we going to continue synonym? when we sin, we don't appreciate what is permissible. When we engage in that which is prohibited. Allah snatches away the beauty and the essence and the sweetness from that which is permissible, because we are seeking pleasure in that which is prohibited.
When a man has earned a lot of wealth, but he goes to gamble, the blessings from that wealth is gone. And he loses his money. When a man or a woman is engaging in that which is prohibited, say for example, illicit relationships, the blessings are snatched away from his or her life, then we start finding difficulties that we cannot resolve in our lives. Our wealth is gone. We don't know why is it that all this money I had? I earn so much at the end of the month, oh, I did such a good deal. And I earned millions and where is it all gone? Well, the blessing is was snatched away. This is why those who earned one 10th of your salary, live a much more content life when you
learn to turn to Allah and Allah subhanho wa Taala will turn towards you.
In terms of Allah.
If you adopt the instruction of Allah, you get close to Allah Allah becomes closer to you, man attain Iam she attained to Allah, whoever comes close to Allah walking, Allah rushes to the last great allies forgiving, never lose hope in the mercy of Allah. We need to change for the sake of Allah subhanho wa Taala, I am not going to be here every day to remind you. And my reminders, the reminders I get will not be every single day.
But you will have different reminders, it's up to you to make an effort. If a reminder makes you feel good. Today, we have something known as a recording, video recording audio recording, go and listen to me repeat it.
Repeat the lecture, Go back. Go and listen to it again. It's a dose, it's a dose of an antibiotic, for example, to combat the spiritual diseases that we may have. So listen, again and again. Repeatedly be in good company, be with those who are like minded
and learn to respect those who are not.
When I say learn to respect those who are not remember that one day we might have been in their shoes, we might have been in that condition. We might have been in that position. Maybe Maybe not. But
if you are kind and good and you reach out to those, for example, just a simple example, you see a sister who's not dressed appropriately, for example, if you're arrogant, and you don't greet him because she doesn't for example, have a scarf on her head. What impression do you leave?
And you know what Islam is only for people, not for me for these others.
But if you greet her, make her feel part of the community and so a day will come when she will feel in her heart. I'm also a part of this nation. This oma this community. This is mine
My identity, let me do what I have to finally, mela make that easy for us. This is how transformation will come in others as well. But if I belittle those who might not be on the path, where was I just a few years back? May Allah subhanho wa Taala strengthen us all.
And one of the cornerstones of transformation is when we seek forgiveness, don't let the devil entrap you once again by making you think you know what, okay allies before Rahimi forgives. The Toba is definitely accepted all the time, but not for me because I have just crossed the line
that is now destroying your seedlings. That's what it is.
The seedlings of change have come and here comes shape on making you think that you're not good enough.
Making you think that allows mercy does not encompass you, it encompasses everyone else. My brothers and sisters, no matter what you have done, no matter what it was. Allah's mercy and forgiveness extends well beyond your sin and your crime. All you need to do is to repent, to ask forgiveness, to admit your guilt, to regret it to ask Allah subhanho wa Taala His forgiveness and to promise not to do it again. This is what it is. This is the promise of Allah subhanho wa Taala. He forgives everyone who seeks forgiveness, even those who have engaged in
association of partnership with the law.
If they seek forgiveness before they die,
there is hope for them.
That's the mercy of Allah subhanho wa Taala.
If they seek forgiveness before they die, there is hope for them. So never lose hope in the mercy of Allah subhanho wa Taala you are forgiven by Allah and Allah is the forgiveness of sin.
and thereafter inshallah we change our lives we become better people become conscious of your words. If you would like to be close to Allah, you cannot have even with swear words lies, falsehood, bad things come out of your mouth, no, and you cannot have bad things come into your mouth as well. Today we are conscious about Hillel.
We want to ask is this valid is that because we are worried about what goes into our mouths, how many of us are equally worried about what comes out of our mouths, that also needs to be highlighted. Sometimes what comes out of our mouths is worse than pork, worse than in swine, so to speak. Worse than the flesh of a swine of swine low.
It's just blurted out of your mouth.
To those who are closest to you in relation to your spouse, your children, your parents, your brothers and sisters. And guess what? Whether you like it or not, your in laws.
Why? Learn to say good words, learn to speak about the goodness of others.
Learn to embrace, learn to smile. Today, we only greet people who we know it's a sign of the hour. Do you know that
the Prophet salla salaam says there will come a time when greeting will only be to those whom people know Salah most
people will just greet those who they know Solomonic. So these five people are just greet you
know, you greet those you know and those you don't know to suddenly him Allah Colima, NAFTA.
you greet those you know, and those who don't know, the sisters will beat the sisters whom they know and whom they don't know how many times do we have Islamic gatherings where we have little cliques of people, each one is on their own. So when there's a brother or sister, nobody pays attention because nobody knows why. That's terrible. But that's happening in
how do we extract transformation when we live in little cliques? Greet at least who knows that greeting will really help someone to the degree that a burden on their shoulders would be lifted just because you told him how are you my brother? How's things Is everything okay, man, you have a nice day. May Allah bless you. May Allah grant you ease in whatever difficulty you may be going through and the person just looks at you. How did you know I was going through a difficulty? I don't know. But I do know that all human beings go through difficulties. And I seize this opportunity to say, may Allah bless you all. May Allah grant you all ease in whatever difficulties you are going
through, say I mean.
I mean,
my brothers and sisters, it's about time we started caring for one another. We started reaching out to one another. We need to feel like in
a family, a nation is part and parcel of the followers of Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam
We always say one will be one four on one Qibla one Allah one this one letter, but we our hearts are divided. Why? What is the case? Going back to the heartbeat I started with. When the heart has a disease, the whole body has a disease. When your heart is clean, your body is clean. you greet someone, you know, one day.
In the masjid, I asked the people to greet the people next to them,
and to get to know them. And a few days later, somebody came to me and said, my brother shake, you know, what is the problem? What's the problem? The problem is you needed to make an announcement to say when you greet people for the sake of Allah, let it be for the sake of Allah. Because a brother asked me, What do you do? So I told him about this business. He says, Okay, I'm coming. He came to my shop. He says, you know, I'm a brother of yours, I need a 10% discount.
So is that why we greeted each other in the masjid?
Why is it that when you walk into a Jewish or a Christian, or a non Muslim shop, you never ever asked for a discount, you pay the price, and you walk out with a smile. But when you walk into a Muslim shop, you're expecting freebies. Why is that the case? Why is it, it happens in a lot of instances.
In fact, it's supposed to be the other way around. When you walk into a Muslim shop, you should be happy to be spending, because this is your brother in the deal. If Allah has kept his sustenance through your spending, let it be it's an act of worship.
Subhan Allah? Yes. If he comes forward and gives you a discount, Brother, don't worry, I'll give it to you. At a better rate. Don't worry, you're my brother.
But how do you know some people might be struggling? And this is why a lot of Muslims have told me in other countries that we don't like to do business with other Muslims. We don't those are the people who don't pay their bills because they think oh, that's Abdullah. Abdullah. Don't worry, ma'am. You know, he's okay. He's fine. They pay John's debt first, you know, Subhan Allah
because he's a Muslim you trampling all over him?
You know, the days when we used to write checks, I think some people still write checks don't take
bank certified checks, and they begin to bounce.
Bounce. What happened? Oh, it was just a fake stuff.
Did you ever hear of that?
It can only be a Muslim? I hope not. That's what I was told to Muslim guy.
Why?
Let's transform. We don't need to be greedy. You don't need to be stingy, miserly, selfish, you need to learn selflessness. Learn to be honest and upright. You cannot afford something. Don't buy it.
And this is why if you want your life to change and you want contentment, they do not live beyond your means. Don't be shy to downgrade your standard of living based on your income. Don't be shy. It doesn't mean they have an iPhone seven, so I need to have the iPhone seven. No.
I don't mind having a phone. That is Mashallah made in China. Guess what? They work and some of some of them work even better. Before the dual sim came out in Korea, it was already out in China right now. They've got a phone with four sons.
So panda life reminds me of that joke. Have you heard it?
Yeah, someone said yes. So you can tell those who don't know it.
You say there was a guy
whose wife asked him how much do you love me? See? How much do you love me? Okay, this is you got to take it. It's on a lighter note, isn't it? Mashallah, so the guy says, Now he's caught offside because he wants to try and word it in the most romantic way. And at the same time, he doesn't want to lie. That's tough.
He says oh, you know, my life. Wow.
I love you so much. I love you so much. You know, you're so important in my life. You know, I am like the phone and you're like my sim you know, I cannot do without you
imagine a sim without a phone. Oh, she was so delighted.
Oh darling. Wow, Mashallah. So excited. And then he goes back and tells his friends you know, this is what happened today. But she doesn't realize I've got a phone with four sons.
Mashallah
Allah forgive us, is not the attitude that should not be the attitude anyway, that was just a joke. It was just something on a lighter note because this is the way sometimes we treat one another we lie we deceive. If you want to be a happy person. live according to your means be happy. Say words of romance to the people whom you need to say them to
With us the problem is we say the sweetest words, our words will be shocked that we can actually say those words, but she's just caught it on the phone, you said it to someone else.
I promise you, some of us are the most romantic people that can be living. But with the wrong people,
your wife won't believe you bought a rose. Guess what? It wasn't for her. That's why she can't believe it.
Why this is
making us lose the sweetness of that which is really sweet for us in the eyes of Allah subhanho wa Taala.
You lose all sweetness, why you now heading in the wrong direction. Like I said, if you want to achieve pleasure through that which is prohibited, Allah takes away the sweetness from that which is permissible, because you don't have any intention of coming back to Allah number one, repent and turn.
And if a few hearts have to be broken, for as long as you're building other hearts, it's fine. Allahu Akbar, did you hear what I just said? If you have an illicit relationship, Haram, totally ban, adulterous, and so on. And you're not quitting it because you think you're going to break someone's heart, you need to know that the hearts of those who mean much more are already broken. SubhanAllah you need to manage those build them. You need to know that when it comes to the link with a law it comes first that will heal. The people will move on if you allow them to move on to Panama.
But you will never move on
to the sins that they've been committed with the excuses that the devil puts in your minds. Now Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us.
Be honest and upright, don't make false promises to people. No, don't. Don't promise people so many people. And this has just come to my mind because we talking of marriage.
Promise others that they will marry them.
And when push comes to shove they walk away. Have you seen that?
Why did you promise? Why didn't you just be open from day one? Just be honest.
Just be honest, from day one.
Be an upright mommy you will have a lot of contentment. Allah will bless you in so many ways. Trust me the amount of happiness you achieved by sticking to that which Allah has ordained and made permissible and beautiful and correct and upright and pure and clean is so great, that it is incompatible. You cannot compare it to anything else. That is a law.
And the amount of stress and anxiety
that comes with it is so much that it is not worth it at all.
May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us transformation. May we make us from those who take lessons.
We don't need to wait until we are struggling and suffering before we turn.
Are you waiting to lose your eyesight before you become a good person? Are you waiting to suffer a huge car accident and break your looms and be slightly paralyzed this way or that way before you turn to Allah subhanho wa Taala May Allah grant cure to those whom that has happened to
a wise man is he who learns
by what Allah has revealed and Allah has said,
easy for us.
My brothers and sisters tomorrow inshallah we'll be gathering here again
in order to continue
and I have something very important to say. And I will keep it in store for you tomorrow by the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala. If Allah gives us the opportunity, we will come back here, and we will speak about it.
As for this evening, we've heard quite a bit. I hope that the few words we've heard, have motivated us to begin this transformation.
The change towards Allah becoming closer to Allah. Islam is a beautiful religion. It allows you to enjoy life, within the limits of Allah. Imagine if the religion was such that we were told you're not allowed to enjoy anything. That's it. You have to remain in the synagogue or in the masjid, or in the place of worship or your life. That's the only time you're going to get paradise. Imagine if that was the instruction. What would we have done?
But the instruction is go out, enjoy, eat, going by going work going earn, but spend it in the correct way. Be polite, be people who are bright and have clean fun. You don't need to have dirty fun, because that's not fun. Let it be clean. Let it be beautiful. Enjoy yourself. Don't be extravagant go
out, and perhaps go for a picnic, go to the ocean, go and enjoy whatever it is panela
go for a boat ride, canoe jetski whatever it is, you might want to join me for a skydive the next time.
So Panama,
may Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us the ability to understand
that He has given us a lot of room, a lot of room to do so many things that would make us happy that we would enjoy in this world and at the same time.
paradise. And this is why to spend time with your family is a good deal. You can actually earn paradise through that
to fulfill the obligations of your home. You can earn paradise through that.
It says it's an act that is full of reward. May Allah help us imagine? And I want to end with this. If it is a reward to smile at the face of a person you don't even know what do you think the reward is to smile at your own wife or husband?
Mashallah, did you hear that?
But when we go home,
that's
frowning all day. That's it, no smile. Show your tea. Even if one or two are missing, like I say Subhana Allah, the most genuine smile is the smile. Where the person has no teeth to show. It's genuine because as embarrassed as they might feel, they broke into the smiles.
And you see no teeth.
Mashallah, wow. A genuine smile isn't? It isn't. It is an act of worship. Remember that? So what's the point of going around the dunya and smiling at everybody? And when you come home? That's frowning once again?
No, let's see Sharla show the transformation today in our homes. We'd like to see this change. And don't say oh, I've had a big problem. You don't have my house. It can't happen. Forget about everything. Please, throw it out. change your life today. Learn to forgive and forget, learn to forgive and forget put it behind you turn a new leaf, start a fresh today. ask Allah forgiveness, and open the doors, develop a link with Allah and open the doors, even in your own home, have a brilliant house where when you are there, the house is beautiful. When you're not there. people miss you. They actually miss you so desperately that they sometimes begin to cry because you're not a lot
of what a home would that be? And as soon as you come, everyone's busy smiling, you know, running rushing towards you. And so on. Now, Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us goodness, Allah opened our doors. I spoken for my hour. And I thank Allah subhanho wa Taala for this opportunity to be speaking at this rum john Stadium in Trinidad. Am I saying it wrong? Everyone's laughing?
It's wrong.
Oh, rum is alcohol. Well, at least he didn't say Ron Mohammed. Or Rama, Rama. It's john Sharla. I saw how it was spelled j h o n. You know, so the Muslims don't drink you know that.
Al Hamdulillah is it john?
It's john. I saw I really I looked at how it was spelt a BB. Yeah, j h o n Exactly.
Am I right?
Oh, okay. Yeah, it's still a sorry. Yeah.
Let's hope we are feeling a bit revived. Obviously, you know, normally when I speak, I like to add a little bit of human flavor because we're human beings. You need to speak like a human being not like I'm coming here to just address you, in order to pretend like I'm the boss, telling you what to do. No, I need to do the same. So we're just sharing ideas here. That's what we're doing. And we just trying to live a life that inshallah will be in the pleasure of Allah subhanho wa Taala brothers and sisters, it was such a brilliant idea to have this talk in the stage and you know why? This is the closest that people are actually to me, so close, you know, close range, I can actually see the
color of your eyes Mashallah. I hope it's not just colored contact lenses May Allah subhanho wa Taala places and grant us ease sallallahu wasallam or Baraka.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow.