Mufti Menk – Why Luqman was mentioned.

			Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.
		

			smilla rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillah wa Salatu was Salam.
		

			ala Alejandra here.
		

			We praise Allah subhanho wa Taala we send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam. He's in touch entire household and all his companions May Allah bless them all and bless
every single one of us, my beloved brothers and sisters in the eyes of Allah subhanho wa Taala. The
closest to him is the one who tried his or her best to be close to him. If you try to get closer to
Allah, Allah subhanho wa Jalla tells us that he will be even closer to you then your trial. And this
is why in a hadith could see which means a hadith where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is
narrating what Allah subhanho wa Taala has said. Allah subhanho wa Taala says, Whoever comes to me
		

			walking, I come to him rushing
		

			in in the same duration. It starts off by saying whoever comes to me a hands fan, I come to him and
entire foot. And this goes to show that if we make an effort to get closer to Allah subhanho wa
Taala we will always find that Allah will be closer to us than our own trial. May Allah subhanho wa
Taala grant us closeness to him and May he be close to us to this having been said, if you take a
look at Revelation, and the Quran in particular, you will come to realize that the stories that are
mentioned in the Quran are not only connected to the prophets of Allah subhanho wa Taala but Allah
has selected certain worshipers of him to be mentioned in the Quran, who perhaps unknown and who
		

			would have been absolutely unknown to us, had they not been made mention of by Allah subhanho wa
Taala. For example, Luqman the wise man last peace and blessings be upon us all upon him and upon
all the messengers of Allah subhanho wa Taala he was a wise man.
		

			The narration say he was an African from Africa and Nova meaning from Sudan. And what was it that
was so great about him that mentioned was made of him and his advice to his son in the Quran. If we
just stop there for a moment, we will learn a lesson from that. That when we do something good that
is close to Allah, Allah subhanho wa Taala appreciates Allah subhanho wa Taala is also thankful he
shows gratitude as well, although he does not need to do that. But Allah subhanho wa Taala refers to
him to himself as a shackle as well. The one who is also thankful The one who shows gratitude so can
Allah. So Allah made mentioned Subhana, Allah to Allah of a man who perhaps some might have
		

			considered insignificant but in the eyes of Allah, he was very significant, because he struggled, he
strove to earn the pleasure of Allah and on top of that, he fulfilled the mission that he was sent
to on earth for what was that mission to worship Allah alone and to pass the torch to pass the torch
to the next generation, and worshiping Allah I try my best if Allah has blessed us with children, it
is our duty to try our best to convey the message minimum to our kids to those whom we interact
with. And this is why the advice of Luqman alayhis salam is made mention of in the Quran. Imagine an
entire surah a whole portion of the Quran is named after this man. He was not a prophet of Allah
		

			subhanho wa Taala was just a wise man and he was a pious person. So Allah is what we call an oboe
man when he Benny
		

			buena de Allah to shinnick Billa in a shield.
		

			Now we remember when Look, man the wise told his son, oh my son, do not associate partners with
Allah for indeed, association of partnership with Allah subhanho wa Taala is the greatest error and
oppression you could ever commit. That's the beginning. So Allah subhanho wa Taala, saying,
remember, there was a wise man and this is what he said, to whom live in he to his son. He spoke to
his son in a beautiful way. He won his son's heart over by speaking in the correct manner. And from
this, we learn that when you want to win people over you will never win them over with harshness,
you will never win them over by force, they may become subservient, but their hearts will not be
		

			with you. Because nothing happens by force. You need to convince you need to be a person of high
values of high morals of beautiful speech of respect of all and this is when you will be able to win
people. This is when you win them truly, they will be convinced that the message that I'm hearing is
actually the truth. The message that this person has come with is actually beautiful. Look at how
lovely this person is. I'd like to emulate
		

			I'd like to follow and for this reason, Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was sent upon the
highest level of character and conduct while in Allah Allah Philippine army. Allah describes him
saying you are Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam upon the highest level of a great level, the
greatest level of character and conduct. So, if we have developed our character and conduct we will
be much more effective in terms of being able to convince people to do what is right and being able
to convince them to abstain from that which is wrong by the will of Allah subhanho data. So, look
man, the wise as he advises his son, he continues and we won't mention all the pieces of advice, but
		

			we will mention some of it. The idea is for us to be able to gain the closeness to Allah subhanho wa
Taala that he achieved, it was something great. So if I want to achieve that closeness, I need to
know that it's for that reason that Allah makes mention of his advice in the book in the Quran. So
he says regarding prayer regarding Salah yagoona Yaki Miss Allah tala mobiel man, oh, all my son,
establish your prayer. Don't just read your Salah, you know, don't just perform, you know the term
sometimes in the English language, it's quite difficult because in Arabic, you say suddenly, and
that's made up of 201 might say three letters sad and two lamps suddenly, meaning fulfill your
		

			Salah, and to translate it into the English language is so difficult because even if you use two or
three words, you won't ever get the feel of the term suddenly in the Arabic language. So some people
say perform your Salah, and others argue that Salah is not a performance. It's not something that
you're performing. It's actually an act of worship and act of closeness to Allah. rather use the
word fulfill your prayer, or better still establish your prayer. It is something to be established
as a Muslim Salah is not just a one off thing, establishment of it would mean that on a regular
basis, when the time sets in, you are worried about if you establish it, this is the establishment
		

			of prayer. So this is advice number one, or one of the very, very important pieces of advice.
establish your prayer. Obviously at that time, their prayer was not exactly like ours, but it was
somehow an act of worship to Allah subhanho wa Taala he's instructing his son, may Allah subhanho wa
Taala help us fulfill this instruction in the in terms of our Sharia, and at the same time, may he
help us convey that message to our children as well. So establishment of prayer never be lazy, no
matter what fulfill that prayer if for some reason, like the Prophet sallallahu Sallam says Manama
Ancelotti Alessia de de de cada, whoever has slept over a Salah, uncalculated sleeping, what does
		

			that mean? That means that you don't just say, Okay, I'm going to sleep, and I'll set my clock for
eight o'clock. It's fine. That is calculated in that case we are sinful. But uncalculated meaning I
set it for four o'clock, for how for something happened, and I didn't get up. You know, I overslept.
The Hadith says whoever has overslept or forgotten total forgetfulness, they should fulfill the
Salah. As soon as they remember, as soon as you get up as soon as you remember, fulfill the Salah
that you've just missed, and Allah subhanho wa Taala will forgive you by his will. So this goes to
show that establishment of prayer is such that if for some reason, you have skipped it, and that we
		

			are talking here of valid reasons, like sleep or forgetfulness, and so on, in that case, you would
fulfill it immediately still ask Allah Subhana which Allah to forgive you for having forgotten or
delayed and so on. Now, Allah Subhana Allah to Allah forgive us, but extremely important, it is the
founding pillar of the rest of your deeds, your Salah is in order, the rest of your deeds will be in
order you find in the Quran, Allah subhanho wa Taala says Luma
		

			amin Ankita.
		

			In Salah.
		

			Allah is instructing Mohammed salatu salam, saying, read from that which has been revealed to you
that which has been revealed to you meaning the Koran, read it, recite it, understand it, and so on,
convey the message and so on and establish your prayer. For indeed, prayer will protect you from
immorality and evil. It protects you. So if you have the concern, I mean, who do I mean ablution I'm
worried about my next prayer. No matter what sin is around you, you will immediately think to
yourself, you know what, Allah comes before all these pleasures of the world. You know, there has to
come a time when in the life of an individual he or she realizes that whatever sin is committed in
		

			the past is actually not beneficial at all. In fact, it's harmful. What did I gain by it? What am I
going to gain by drop it, cut it and turn to Allah you will find the preparation for the hereafter
will be such
		

			That Allah will be pleased with you may he be pleased with you and I and as all i mean. So, that is
the message, the first message that we are speaking about this afternoon, that of Salah. And on top
of that, the same verse says, enjoying that which is good, encourage people to do good and
discourage them from evil in a beautiful way. You know, I've always seen the messages of the Koran
such that when it comes to conveying the message to the non Muslims, Allah says, speak to them, you
know with calmness, speak to them with good words. I give you two examples. When Moses the prophet
may peace be upon him was that a Salaam was sent to the pharaohs around? He was told you and your
		

			brother go to the Pharaoh.
		

			Kula Allahu
		

			Allah Allah.
		

			Go and speak to him with soft words. Perhaps he might remember he might take he perhaps he might be
fearful.
		

			What was it that was going to make him fearful, soft words, you cannot come to someone say I'll beat
you up. If you don't read your Salah, and I'll thoroughly destroy you. If you don't do this. They
might become subservient for a moment, but their hearts won't be convinced. But if you talk to them,
Look, my brother, it's not good for you to do this and so on my sister, you know, this dress code or
my brother, whatever it is, but in a beautiful way they will they are more likely not only to lend
you an M, but to understand what you are saying and to fulfill it. So this is why look at what Allah
subhana wa Taala tells Musa alayhis salam, when he's instructing him to go to the worst tyrant that
		

			existed at the time, the one who used to say I'm the God and Allah says, relax, when you go to him
cool. You know, take it easy. Speak to him with soft words even though you are from us. We are
sending you with revelation with power, with signs with miracles, we are with you but speak to him
come. This shows us when we speak to the non Muslims we are instructed to speak you know with soft
terms. What about the Muslim in amongst us, let's learn to spread love. Let's learn to spread peace.
People are doing something wrong, no need to swear No need to abuse No need to become violent. No,
we will use soft terms and we will continue praying to Allah, if they are guided Alhamdulillah it
		

			was always from Allah if they are not guided. So that is their link with Allah subhanho wa Taala he
Sabu whom Allah Allah, their account is with Allah not with you, not with AI. So don't become
violent as a result, not at all don't become abusive as a result, lest you not only lose your own
respect, but you present the wrong image of this entire Deen and religion that we have to propagate
the goodness that you have will not be looked at as goodness, because of the way you approached it.
May Allah Subhana Allah Allah forgive us, may he make us from those who are come, sometimes we want
to see results immediately. I talk to you and I want to see results. Now. If not, I will put it up
		

			on Facebook and everywhere else, this person is astray. And this person is not fit to be spoken to
us is that Islam? That's not Islam. I pray and I continue praying and guess what if I die and you
die, and if you die upon misguidance, it's not going to harm me in any way. In fact, I will get a
reward for having tried. But your guidance is up to you, between you and Allah. In fact, it is Allah
who guides so it's not even totally and wholly up to you. But it's between you and Allah subhanho wa
Taala May Allah subhanho wa Taala guide us all, and may He opened our doors. This is how we should
encourage people to do good. This is how we should try and discourage people from bad without abuse
		

			without becoming violent without using words that are derogatory, without becoming hurtful, this is
how we do things. If you see a man or a woman or someone doing something bad and you'd like to guide
them, there is a way of doing things. There is a system there is a style. And that style is
prophetic. And it is in the Quran. And Allah has given so many examples of it. And Allah shown us
results of that. Remember this, so if a person has done something wrong, understand that it is your
duty not to make it worse. So that's something important. Sometimes you have a person perhaps I'm
giving an example off the cuff, and you happen to see them with a bottle of alcohol, and you'd like
		

			to remind them so you could you could look at them. And you could choose perhaps to spit at them to
swear at them to shout at them to abuse them to you know, perhaps become violent. And so that would
be wrong. Not only is it a derogatory but perhaps you'd be penalized in terms of the law of the
land. The better way of doing things the more prophetic way of doing things. The more correct way of
doing things is to begin with humbleness, with character with conduct. Trust me if they were to
leave that bad habit because of an effort that Allah allowed you to make. It's better for you than
whatever material item this world holds. This is why I would not be valuable in the long run. When
		

			it comes to the day of labor, the prophets of Salaam says to him while la isla Ania de la cucaracha
la hidden.
		

			Marina if Allah has chosen you to guide even one person
		

			It's better for you than whatever material items this world holds. So the first example was that
around where Allah subhanho wa Taala says, speak to him come speak to him with soft words. The other
example is when Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about debating with the people of the book or
presenting the opposite argument to the People of the Book. How should it be done? Here? We're
talking of people who are not Muslim. You want to convince them you want to discuss with them. So it
shows that yes, you should be but the discussion must be with respect. The discussion must not be
abusive, no insults, Allah Subhana Allah Allah says, we'll do a lesson Sabina be cabanel Hekmati.
		

			Eva Tina Hasina will
		

			be letting you
		

			call towards the path of your Lord, with wisdom with tact. Call in the most beautiful way to panela
and motiva AlHassan the reminder that is the most beautiful way of doing things. Call towards your
Lord with beauty, in your speech, in your style, in your way, in your habit. Don't just condemn
people to hellfire. And this is sometimes what people are doing. You see someone you say Oh, the
builder Narayana, this man is Indiana. That one is Indiana, as though you are the only one who's got
a rubber stamp on your shoulder saying okay, Paradise is yours. You're the owner, you stand at the
door and decide who goes in and out. That's wrong.
		

			paradise belongs to the owner, who is Allah subhanho wa Taala the same Lord who's telling you that
call people towards goodness, Allahu Akbar. And this is why Allah says, God, whom billet II action,
even if you have to discuss with them a mutual discussion,
		

			or you have to debate with them a mutual mutual debate, you know, both parties are talking,
presenting arguments, responding to the arguments, let it be in the best possible way most
respectful, imagine, this is our duty towards the non Muslims. This is our duty towards the non
Muslims. Imagine our relationship with the Muslims themselves and how it should be on a much higher
level. Sadly, today, a small difference of opinion and the next thing we don't want to greet we
don't want to respond the greeting we want to start spreading this and spreading that, that does not
serve the Muslim Ummah any good. In fact, it only causes harm, and it only causes hatred. Let's
		

			learn to cleanse our hearts. And this is why if I were to continue with what Look man, Allah His
Salatu was Salam has said you will find that he says was Bill alhama azabache. Immediately after
saying enjoying that which is good and discourage people from bad he says patience regarding that
which has got to you which might not be as positive as you would have liked. So if something got to
you that is negative there patients, ask a lot to help you and continue bearing that patients also
suffer also refers to restraining yourself, restrain yourself. You know, don't just vent your
frustration. Don't just react to every action know, restrain yourself Calm down, think very hard.
		

			Think of an action think of its reaction, think of absolutely every angle that you can think of
before you act. And sometimes you might want to sit down and pray to Allah subhanho wa Taala and
leave it at that. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us
		

			also this great man, look, man, the wise, may Allah subhanho wa Taala peace be upon us all. He says
to his son, oh, my son, when you walk, make sure you walk correctly, the walk, how to walk, let them
chill. When you're walking, don't walk like an arrogant person on earth. Imagine the walk the style
of walking needs to be modified. May Allah help us on May Allah make us from those who are calm. A
lot of the times we wouldn't have thought that the way I walk can be an arrogant walk. So you know
I'm bouncing around my shoulder this way. And that way, when I turn around how I look at people, all
this could determine that I'm an arrogant person. May Allah forgive us all. This is why let's take a
		

			moment in sha Allah to purify our conduct, the way we speak, the way we talk the way we walk. And
even when raising the voice. This same verse speaks about how the worst of voices is that of a brain
acts meaning a donkey.
		

			You can't understand. Sometimes we happen to scream and yell and shout with someone we work with or
we work for or they work for us. No need for that your movement you feel Allah Calm down, lower your
tone, relax, take it easy. This is a lie. It's his message and you are being taught that the most
noble were those who had these characters and this is why look man the wise is made mention of in
the Quran. These beautiful messages. May Allah give us all the opportunity to go through the
beautiful Surah Surah Luqman I call on you to go through that surah when you have a moment in the
English language so you can understand the messages. They are quite clear and it's a beautiful
		

			Active worship. But let's not just go through the verse without thinking of its meaning. And let's
not just think of its meaning without thinking of practicing upon it. It's important for us to
practice as best as we can develop yourself for the sake of Allah and see the difference not only in
your life, but in the lives of all those around you as though a candle has been lit and everyone
receives from its light. May Allah subhanahu wa taala grant us that was Allahu wa salam ala nabina
Muhammad