An interesting episode as Mufti Ismail Menk has a word with children thereby making mention of following the footsteps of Prophet SAW, encouraging to follow sunnah, achievement of long term happiness, how to please Allah SWT and emphasizes on the importance of greeting one another in Islam.
Mufti Menk – Children and Sunnah
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AI: Transcript ©
Salam aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
smilla rahmanir rahim In the name of Allah most Gracious, Most Merciful Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah where Allah Allah, he was happy. I mean, we praise Allah subhanho wa Taala we thank him we send blessings and salutations upon
upon
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his household, his companions. We asked Allah subhanho wa Taala to bless them all. I'm so happy to be speaking to you. And I want to speak to you about Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
We are supposed to be following his footsteps, right?
We are supposed to be following
his footsteps. What does that mean? Can anyone tell me what that means? Yes.
We follow him? Yes, that's correct. That's what footsteps means means him. And when we say follow Him, in what things do we follow him? Who can tell me?
Yes.
Say a bit loudly.
Salah? Yes. Correct. Yes.
The way he
the way he lived completely everything he did. Today, I'm speaking to younger people. So I'm going to speak on your level. That's why I started by asking you questions. Okay. So you can concentrate? Because I'm going to ask you so many questions. Is it okay to ask questions?
Okay, so we have to follow the way he lived. So he taught so many of his companions. What were the companions known as?
Yes.
Sahaba, the Allahu anhu? May Allah be pleased with them? He taught so many of them Koran. Am I right?
Did he ever beat up any one of them to say he didn't learn? What you? Did you ever do that?
No, he didn't. So it means when we are teaching and learning, we need to be enthusiastic. And nobody's going to scold us and shout us because the Sahaba of the Allahu anhu they will not lazy, they will not people who do a distracted very easily they used to concentrate, they used to learn they used to deliver. And this is why there was a lot of happiness. So if you are not lazy, if you work hard, if you concentrate, and if you try your best, your teacher doesn't need to get upset with you, right?
If you know your work, does your teacher get upset.
But when you don't know your work, what happens?
He gets upset, or she gets even more upset. Now Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us. So this is the path and the way of Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, because Islam is all about knowledge. It's all about learning. The more you know, the better Muslim you are, you need to know that. If you know less, you cannot be a good Muslim because you don't know what Islam is. When I said earlier, what is the meaning of following his footsteps? Someone correctly answered saying you follow his life? If you don't know how he lived? How will you be able to follow that? If you don't know what he did? How will you be able to do it? So in order to know all that you need to learn in order to learn you need
to be dedicated and work hard. And if you work hard, nobody gets upset.
So what do you learn here at this institution? Who can tell me tell me one thing that you learned put up your hand? Yes.
You learn Quran Did you hear that? So the Quran is the word of who the word of Allah subhanho wa Taala. Allah revealed the Quran to Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam and that is the primary source of all rules and regulations in Islam, which means that is what we follow. So when we say follow Mohammed, peace be upon him. It's the four arm that is telling us to follow him. That's why we follow him. Subhana Allah. So Allah says
to him, buena de la Tabby oni Bebo, como la jolla, uno Banku la
se, which means O Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, tell your companions tell the people if you love Allah, then follow me. Follow Muhammad Allah Allah Allah. If you follow Allah follow if you love Allah, follow me. And Allah will love you in return and he will forgive your sins For indeed he is most forgiving, Most Merciful. So if you want the love of Allah, what do you need to do you need to follow
mozzarella while he was selling and if you want to follow Mohamed Salah lesson you need to understand how he lived and you need to try and live in the same way. So did he ever utter a lie?
No. How many of us tell little lies? Sometimes we just lie. You know you're guilty and your mommy says Who did you say not me, not me. And you know it was you.
Right? We are taught Muhammad Sallallahu sallam. Firstly, he wasn't a mischievous person. Even when he was young, he was a very calm person. He was dedicated he was always truthful. Do you know when he was young? He was known as something as he grew up, he was known as something who knows what he was known as two words two titles he had Yes.
A Sadiq and Ameen wow Mashallah great Alhamdulillah aside it I mean, what's the meaning of a sudden?
The truthful and I mean?
Yes, that
trustworthy then we are Mashallah the truthful and the trustworthy. How many of us would be called are known as the truthful and trustworthy journey. If you're truthful and trustworthy put up your hand.
You are
supposed to be truthful and trustworthy I'm sure you are. Yes. See all these little truthful and trustworthy boys putting up their hands? Mashallah. Are we truthful and trustworthy put up our hands.
inshallah, amen. hamdulillah. That's beautiful. Okay. Okay, that's great. Alhamdulillah. So Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam was truthful and trustworthy. That's his way. That's his style. That's his path. That's his Sunnah. That's his entire life. He was truthful and trustworthy. So remember that as you grow older, truthfulness, trustworthiness and you know what, if you want to be truthful and trustworthy, you need to have great company, your friends need to be good people. Mohammed salatu salam did not befriend people who are drunkards. You know, like today you have someone who's on drugs and who is best friend or her best friend, you know what would happen? You wouldn't be able to
be truthful and trustworthy because your friends are not truthful and trustworthy. So if you want to be truthful, trustworthy, you need to have friends who are also
truthful and trustworthy. Did we follow? So how many of you are going to choose friends who are going to be truthful and trustworthy? Put up your hands? Oh, Mashallah. That means you Alhamdulillah Can you can put down your hands.
So, inshallah, as the days passed, we will try our best to follow the example of Muhammad Sallallahu sallam. One of the reasons is, if you want happiness, you want to smile you want to be content. What makes you happy? Can I ask you guys a question? What makes you very very happy? Tell me Can someone put up their hands? Something happens to you when you become so happy if I want to make you happy right now. What do you think? What should I do for you to make you happy? Yes.
You found the 20 grand and you walked away?
But you were happy when you found it, isn't it? Why? Because you walked away You were truthful, trustworthy. Oh, that's great. So what why does your mommy make you happy? Tell us
so the 29th is included in that money. But you just told me you didn't pick it up.
Or you didn't pick it up? Oh, okay. No problem.
We'll talk about that later.
But Mashallah, okay, what can you tell me?
salon makes you happy? Wow. That's great. That's a brilliant answer. Yes.
technology makes you happy. That's a sweet way intelligent way of saying the phone cell phones and games and everything else. That's technology. Am I right? makes you very happy. Okay, what else? Who else is becomes happy if someone gives them a PlayStation you'll be excited put up your hand.
All the boys right? Mashallah. You've got one already? Okay, put your hands down. Now let me tell you something. You become happy. Not with these things. These things will make you happy for a short period of time because you got a PlayStation three. By the time a PlayStation four comes out You already said because now yours is not the latest. Am I right?
You don't want the later one. When you got the late if you have the latest Lamborghini today, and we sitting in 2015. When 2020 comes no one will want to look at your Lamborghini. You want another one? Isn't it? The latest car It must be this yours? You do when someone gives you a Nakia a phone of 1996 they used to call them bricks before you were born. If they give you that phone you won't even want it. Am I right? It's a big it's bigger than you. I'm telling you to hold it like this with two hands.
No one wants it but at that time it was the in thing it made everything
Happy it shows us that there is temporary happiness and long term happiness. temporary happiness is achieved when you get things items like he said technology technological things you get excited because temporary for a little while you have the phone for as long as it's the latest you happy, the minute it's not you're not happy. So Allah tells us if you want long term happiness, there is endurance. You need to work hard you need to follow the sooner you need to make sure you're doing a lot in terms of trying to please Allah you will get happy if you make Allah happy. And you will make Allah happy by following the footsteps of
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam so if you follow the footsteps of Mohammed Salah Salaam you make Allah happy if Allah happy you become happy even if you don't have a phone even if you don't have a car Have you seen any one of you might have been to perhaps one of the poor areas where people don't have phones they don't have homes they don't have food. They're under a tree perhaps they're homeless but they smiling and they happy even without all the teeth Am I right? Have you seen them?
Am I right? And sometimes we have so much we've got phones and cars and we eating the latest you know top food expensive stuff everyday you eating out but you're not happy you you get home and you're still angry, you upset you got a temper, how many of you have a temper
Mashallah quite a few and hamdulillah you need to work on the temper. You need to try not to become angry quickly. You need to try not to become angry quickly and inshallah you will succeed. So we've got all the gifts of Allah that are temporary that have been given to us that will not bring about long term happiness. Long term happiness is when you fulfill your Salah when you are good and kind person you have a good heart. You understand you reach out to people you respect everyone you greet. Do you know a greeting brings about so much of happiness. When you say Assalamualaikum to someone you don't know. And they say well, aleikum wa salam back to you. You become so happy. It's a
happiness that perhaps sometimes is not immediately felt, but it's long term. You feel a part of the community when you see each other Salam aleikum. Wow. Mashallah, that's why one of the scholars when he was asked at a school, can you give us one piece of advice? He gave a powerful piece of piece of advice, and I want to give it to you one thing, learn to greet everyone. That's all. What did I say?
Everyone learn to greet them, no matter who they are. As Salaam Alaikum, Salam Allah, that greeting alone will bring about internal and external happiness, you will be such a pleasant child and you build a nation, a whole nation just by greeting. The greeting is so important in Islam, Allah says, what we
be talking
for how you been accent I mean,
when you are greeted with a greeting, reply with a better greeting, or at least give the same greeting back if someone says Salam Alaikum what's a bit of greeting In response, while como Salama?
warahmatullahi wabarakatuh so I greet it with a bit of greeting.
And I don't have to say hi, because you know, what's the opposite of high? Buy? Exactly. So the highs and the bias, they only work if you were to say, uh, Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah and they respond to you, and the Hadith says, Al Abadi. ob salami Berry, amin and kibble. It's an aeration. The prophet SAW Selim says, the one who starts with the greeting is free of pride. It's a sign that you free of pride. Don't wait for someone to greet you. Then you say, yeah, Salah, you know, here in Cape Town, they just look into the Salah, you read that way. Exactly like that, right?
You gotta read properly, and you make sure you say a Salam alikoum and break into a smile. If you smile, even if a person is depressed, they start smiling. Yesterday, I can indicate time. And I won't lie to you. They I was quite tired. I came the previous day. But yesterday, I went into the hotel, and I saw one old men not so old, but he he looked at me and he says, Can I take a selfie with you? Can I take a selfie with you? And I tell him Okay, okay, okay. You know, I thought he was gonna beat me up. So I said, Okay, okay, fine. And then he's taking a selfie and he's so you know, he's like, not smiling, so serious. I told him, I want to see your tea. And he says, and he had no
tea. Not at all. And I took the selfie without his teeth. Every time I'm feeling a little bit stressed. I'm looking at this picture since yesterday, and I just start laughing Mashallah, Mashallah, Mashallah technology again? Subhana Allah. So yes, you can use it in the right direction, but the message I had for you today
to greet one another that's the most powerful message I have for you today because that's the way of Muhammad peace be upon him and we all learning to follow his way yes you have to say something
What did you say?
You have a phone
far older than you Wow Mashallah, you know, if you keep that phone for 60 years, you will be able to sell it for a large sum of money because it will become an antique and it will become a piece but the problem is your children might have to sell it for you.
Why are you so shy? You don't have kids? inshallah, you will one day Mashallah. And Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us all. So we've had a beautiful session. I'm so happy and delighted to have been here this afternoon, and to have tried to encourage one and all to follow the sooner Muhammad wa salam. And his path is indeed extremely important. It's the forum that actually takes us to the son of Mohamed Salah Sam, I know we do have some of the older learners who are here. May Allah make things easy for you remember to be dedicated, the advice is definitely for you. Although I might have worded it in a way that would be more clearly understood by little children, but at the same
time, the message is solid I hope May Allah bless us all sallallahu wasallam ah Baraka, Allah novena, Mama