Mufti Menk – Bringing the Masjid Home

			Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim al hamdu Lillah wa Salatu was
Salam ala rasulillah where Allah Allah He was happy he ultramarine we praise Allah subhanho wa Taala
we send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam, his household, his
companions, we ask Allah to bless them all and to bless every one of us, to grant us protection to
give us ease to make us from among the righteous, and to make us from those who can take heed, learn
lesson and change our lives for the better. As the days pass, my beloved brothers and sisters, it is
indeed an honor to be a part of this light upon light online conference entitled A unique Ramadan
		

			unique month of Ramadan indeed, you and I know that Allah subhanho wa Taala has given the greatest
of importance to worship. Allah subhanho wa Taala says,
		

			One final quote to Jean
		

			laniado I have not created mankind or Jin kind except in order that they worship me. So this would
mean that we need to worship Allah subhanho wa Taala. And worship means we do that which pleases
Allah and abstain from that which displeases Allah through our 24 hours, every single day. That is
an amazing statement because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself has taught us that we
must make sure that we worship Allah and Allah alone. And he has spoken about the issue of
association of partnership with Allah and that it really upsets Allah the Most. In fact, it is the
greatest sin that one could commit. So we should always be from among those who worship Allah alone.
		

			May Allah subhanho wa Taala make that easy for us. We came from Allah, we are at a place where Allah
once and we will be returning back to Allah. And we are hoping that we get something known as the
eternal bliss, genital for DOS, the paradise that is eternal and the highest ranks of it. May Allah
grant that to us, my brothers and sisters, from the time we're young, we are taught to pray. And
that prayer is five times a day, the term used in the Arabic language is a Salah, Salah itself is
unique and amazing, it's amazing because it does not translate actually as prayer fully because it
has actions as well as some words and specific types of words in specific postures and positions,
		

			all of that based on the instruction of the one who wants us to worship Him. When you want a job
from someone and you're the boss, you actually decide how that person is going to do the job. So you
will say, Can you drive from this point to that point at this speed using this road and do this
delivery or that or whatever it may be. But the boss is always the one who decides how the employee
would actually behave or what they would do. So my beloved brothers and sisters, Allah being the
Creator is far beyond any boss of this world, he decides and dictates how he wants to be worshipped.
So he said to us, you will do this and you will do that. And if you take a look at that, the Prophet
		

			sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has taught us the intention, the way we should face what we should do
prior to getting to Salah in terms of washing ourselves in terms of cleanliness, and then the
clothing and then the intention standing in prayer and how we should face and where we should face
where we should stand, how we should stand. And then how we should raise our hands what we should
say and how we drop the hands whether we tie them or not. And how we tie them all of the details are
mentioned by Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, amazing. So this is a favor of Allah. This is a
blessing that Allah has bestowed upon us, my brothers, my sisters, something we need to know is,
		

			Allah says the places of worship belong to Allah, the places of worship belong to Allah. In the
Arabic language, we use the term sujood referring to prostration specific type of worship where
seven bones are on the ground in a specific way, saying some words of praise of Allah subhanho wa
Taala and that's called sujood from sajida to prostrate
		

			To be in frustration or the frustration itself. So the place of frustration is known as mes. g Don't
mess g done means a place of frustration, generally in the Arabic language based on the context
wherein we're using the language. The term Masjid also refers to the building known as the house of
Allah, where people go to put their heads Institute. So where everyone goes to put their head into
sujood, it is actually called a Masjid, which means a place where people would go to put their heads
in sujood house of Allah. In a nutshell, it is a place of worship, and it belongs to Allah. And in
that place of worship, only good acts of worship are allowed, that which concerns the oma is
		

			allowed, that which is clean and beneficial is allowed, but that which is not clean, that which is
immoral, impure, etc. is not allowed in the houses of worship in the houses that belong to Allah. So
Allah says in the Quran in surah, two Jin y
		

			messaggi danila. He violated the
		

			law he had indeed the houses of prayer meaning the massage it belongs to Allah, the places of
prostration belong to Allah.
		

			Allah alone, what and massage EDA Lila we could say the massage it or the masjid as we call them in
English, you know, we've transliterated it but we know what it means. The Masjid belongs to Allah
alone, one meaning. Another is the places of prostration belong to Allah alone, cannot prostrate for
anyone besides Allah that prostration is simply only holy solely for Allah. That's it. So Anil
messaggi danila the machines belong to Allah. And then Allah says fella tada Omar Allah he had. So
don't call out don't supplicate to don't call out in worship to anyone besides Allah. Amazing how
Allah words this. So on one hand, he says the machines belong to me. So don't worship anyone besides
		

			me. Subhana Allah. Another translation, he would be saying, the places of prostration belong to me,
so don't worship anyone besides me. You and I know that from a young age, we're taught about the
importance of the houses of Allah. So much so that at the beginning of the advent of the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when he went and I'm not going to go back to Adam alayhis, salaam
Ibrahim alayhis salam, those who initially built the Kaaba and the beta la el Haram in Makkah, but
rather we're just going to the prophets of Allah sallam, when he had the first opportunity as he
arrived in the outskirts of Mecca in a suburb known as Tibet. The first thing he did was, he built
		

			the masjid because the life of a Muslim rotates around the masjid. Right.
		

			The life of a Muslim rotates around the masjid so much so that the prophets of Salaam told us that
one of the seven categories of people who will be attaining a special rank in paradise or prior to
paradise in on the Day of Judgment under the shade of Allah subhanho wa Taala in a way that is
befitting to him, he says, Raja Luna boo mala Campbell masajid a person whose heart is connected or
hanging in the masajid the the message the places of worship prostration the houses of Allah
subhanho wa Taala. So you fulfill one prayer, you worried about the next one, you fulfill the next
one, you worried about the following one and so on. So anyone who has that quality, Allah is
		

			offering you a very great elevated status on the Day of Judgment, when there will be so much of heat
when people will be dying, well, when people will be suffering because they would have they would
have already been resurrected. But you know, we use the word I'm dying of hunger, which means I'm
very hungry. So when we say when people will actually be suffering on that day because of their
sweat and because of how hot it will be. Allah says that those whose hearts was stuck to the places
of frustration, they're the ones who deserve a will or a shade on this particular day. That's the
importance of these places of worship or places of frustration. Similarly, he buildmaster Koba, and
		

			Allah describes that place in the Quran, Allah subhanho wa Taala says, that must be done dawn or
CSR. Taco I mean,
		

			I have
		

			taco Murphy, fi didomi buena
		

			tapa.
		

			The houses are the one that was built First, the first house,
		

			the one that was built upon taqwa from the first day. Speaking about Monsieur Koba is
		

			Better Allah subhanho wa Taala is saying
		

			Lamas chicken Oh, Susana taco mean our Liam, it is better for you to stand in it because there are
people there who are very very keen and they cleanse themselves in a very good way and the verses
are basically praising the people who pray in Masjid, Koba and SubhanAllah. That's the first
question. Now if we take a look at what the prophet SAW Selim did when he left that suburb and went
into Madina, munawwara amazing. He actually then decided one of the first things to do a game was to
build a machine this time, it was to be called in must you do never we, or must you do Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the masjid of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and must
		

			be the number one. And we all know that that Masjid holds a very, very high value in the eyes of
Allah subhanho wa Taala where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has told us Salah tune famous
GD ha the lumen alpha Salatin famous Eva who in mal Masjid al Haram, the a prayer that is rendered
in my Masjid, this one here meaning referring to Al Madina, munawwara al Masjid, one is higher in
value than 1000 prayers that are prayed elsewhere besides that Masjid al Haram, which means in Mecca
to makara, which has a value of 100,000. But in another narration, it even pushes it up to 10,000.
All that I'm trying to show you is that the value of the masjid very, very high. However, my
		

			brothers and sisters sometimes Allah Subhana, Allah to Allah dictates upon us something that we have
no choice about, we have to rise to the occasion.
		

			You see, if you look at the issue of Salatu jamara, Salah in congregation, it is absolutely
important to the degree that some of the scholars have taken it to compulsory for the males who are
able and capable to fulfill their Salah in congregation in the masjid. And then you look at the
reward of it goes to a beautiful Hadith worded in a very, very interesting way, especially for those
of us who are looking into it right now. He says Salatu Shama IGF one lumen Salatin, fxdb
sublingual, chilena de Raja, and in one narration hum sing one shilling, Salah in congregation is
better 25 times than that, which is not done in congregation. Did he use the word Masjid here? No,
		

			he didn't. So if I am going to fulfill my Salah in congregation, I'm getting a 2527 times greater
reward than if I were to fulfill the prayer alone. Right? What if I were to do that in the masjid?
Well, that is much more in terms of multiplication of the reward Subhana Allah, I hope you get that.
So 25 times is only for Salatu jamara or 27. Beyond that, if you're in the masjid, there is a
greater reward that goes way beyond 2527 because not only are you doing the JAMA, but on top of that
you're in the house of Allah subhanho wa Taala amazing and if you are used to going to the houses of
Allah and one day you're not well or for some reason you cannot go Guess what, you get the reward of
		

			it, you get the reward of having gone to the masjid because you're sick or ill or incapable or
unable to go or for some reason Something happened and you could not go but you're used to doing the
deed, the angels write that deed for you by the instruction of Allah or Buddha to Jelani.
		

			So, it's amazing how if you look at that narration it doesn't talk about the masjid although there
is definitely very, very great reward and it's even an injunction to go to the massage it however,
it is in order for us for us not to despair. The times that we cannot go to the masjid sometimes
you're on a journey. You cannot make it you're unwell. You cannot make it. You're taking care of
something very important. You cannot make it sometimes you may have overslept, or just forgotten.
The professor send them says Manama onsala tiene una sia ha value suddenly her either the Callaghan
whoever over sleeps a prayer, or whoever is simply forgotten out of human forgetfulness should
		

			actually fulfill that prayer as soon as they remember soon as you remember, fulfill it as Allah
subhanho wa Taala, meaning that which you've missed and you're now you know, fulfilling as a missed
prayer. It's called Kava, Allah will forward it to fulfill that which you have missed in from its
rightful time. Okay. So it's very difficult for us to sometimes be at the masjid because of some of
the reasons I've given you when a person is sick. If you have a contagious sickness, don't go to the
masjid because diseases can be contagious. The Hadith that says la dua does not mean that Allah or
his messenger sallallahu wasallam are negating the
		

			fact that contagious diseases exist. But what they are saying is when a disease has spread, don't
blame a person for spreading it rather say it got to me by the decree of Allah. That doesn't mean
you don't take precautions, nor does it mean that you can be relaxed and you can say, I'm going to
do whatever I want. What it does mean is don't blame people but got to you got to you because Allah
wanted you to get it even though you took every precaution. So it's strengthening our faith actually
in Allah subhanho wa Taala. My brothers and sisters, so la dua we've just heard what it means. At
the same time when you do fear that you may give others a disease you have or a sickness.
		

			Because it's contagious, you don't go will you get a reward of having gone under two circumstances
you will number one is you used to often go then you couldn't go you get a full reward or you didn't
used to often go but in your heart you desperately would like to go Allah will give you that reward.
So I desperately want to go but I can't go. Allah says Don't worry, you have the reward of it
because Allah knows what's in your heart. And the Nia is more important than anything. You know,
many of them who had been have commenced their books, including a Sahil Jamia of Imam Bukhari
Rahmatullah Allah Muhammad nice marine. He says, he started the book, the compilation of the Sahaba
		

			with the hadith of Omar, Abdullah the Allahu anhu, wherein he says he heard the messenger sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam clearly say on the member in Amman, Mr. Roubini, it were in the Malika livery in
Managua. Indeed, all actions are judged by their underlying intentions and every person shall have a
reward connected to what the intention was amazing. So I really desperately wanted to go to the
masjid. I couldn't because of some valid reason, guess what, I got the reward, or I used to go off
and then I couldn't guess what I got the reward. Mashallah tabarrok Allah. So, under these
circumstances that we're facing right now, you and I know Coronavirus COVID-19. Not all the masajid
		

			across the globe are closed. No, but many of them have restrictions. Some of them in some countries
are totally closed, depending on where you are, and the time of the Coronavirus in your particular
area or country. For example, in some countries, it is still open but they're using disinfectant as
the muscle is walking in.
		

			And some of them are actually distancing and whatever. that's a that's a topic on its own. However,
let's talk about the broader term restrictions. We have restrictions. Let's face it, there may be
nothing that we can do about it during the month of Ramadan this year 2020. So what do we do? Well,
it's not the end of the world. Subhan Allah, He bada continues, so now what congregation continues,
in fact, perhaps if there was one congregation in your area in the masjid, Allah wants you to have
1000 congregations in your homes, you get what I mean? That is that that is also a blessing of
Allah. When have the men lead their their households in prayer? When have people ever learned about
		

			how to fulfill Salah with Gemma within the home? Sometimes the women don't even know sometimes the
young children we've never let them in Salah. So perhaps Allah wants us to give that greater
importance and Subhana Allah it is an act of worship, a great act of worship. You know, the Hadith
of the Prophet SAW Selim speaks about doing some form of acts of worship in your house and he says
it very interestingly, he says Natacha nobuta Kamakura Gianluca Brie de la salata, kutub, loony
hateful content, amazing narration he says,
		

			Don't make your houses into graves. What does that mean?
		

			a grave is a place where no acts of worship are happening. So don't convert your houses into graves
by never worshipping Allah in your own house. They must be the law of the Quran, they must be
declared they must be reminders to your children or your family members on a daily basis
collectively or singularly or whatever way possible. They must be solid solid with Gemma they must
be solid nephila, whatever else you must talk about it, you must help your child, your children and
your family members, you must encourage them and you must be enthusiastic about all of this and your
house will not be a cupboard or a grave. You see, some of us didn't know this. And that's why a
		

			houseware in Surah, Al Baqarah is red shayateen will never come into that house. Subhana Allah
Subhan Allah mean, you got to read all the suitors. You got to worship Allah in a house when it's
alive, the shayateen stay away. But when the house is dead, then everything wrong happens in that
home. So my brothers and sisters the second part of that had it just because I mentioned it it says
la De Luca de de, which means don't come to my grave on a fixed timetable.
		

			You know, we visit the graves and the grave of Rasulullah saw Sonam whenever we can once in a while
in order to remember the fact that we're going to be going there. As the prophet SAW Selim says in
another Hadith, he says come tonight to commands era Telugu booty Allah zu ha ha ha to the Cairo
como la. I used to prohibit you from visiting visiting the graves, but now you visit them in order
for them to remind you about the era. So we would visit the grave of the professor Salaam say Salaam
to him and so on. However, he says immediately after that Shalu Allah final salata, Kuta blooney Hey
for quantum your blessings and salutations that you send upon me, do them wherever you are, they
		

			will reach me. In what way Allah knows best. Allah knows how he has a mechanism in place where the
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam receives the people's blessings and salutations upon him whenever
and where they do it. And wherever they are. That is by the qudra the power, the mercy of Allah, the
miracle, something granted to Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and it was not granted to
others. So Han Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah me, so that was the Hadith. But going back to the issue of
the house, so we need to make the most of our houses. I know I'm speaking to an international
audience. In the low density areas where people have larger homes, you may have a specialized room,
		

			which is called Salah room, or Salah facility, or a Masjid or a masala within the house. You're
fortunate it's designated, you use that place you frequent it, you do your Jama in it, and inshallah
you're set for this month of Ramadan, make sure the bad increases, you're going to be home more than
you have been in a long, long time in most cases. But in the medium to low to high density areas
where people don't have a specialized room, you may have a specialized area. So what you do, it's a
demarcated area in the house sometimes within the the lounge in one corner where the agenda is where
the places of salute. Now I want to take you back to the beginning of this talk where I said that
		

			you know what, the places of sujood belong to Allah and the same verse translates as the houses of
sujood which means the masjid belong to Allah. Look at how it applies even here that suggests that
place of prostration belongs to Allah, your forehead and your the bones that are put down on the
ground. When you are prostrating you don't do it except for Allah Subhana Allah Look at this. So you
designate a place and make sure that you worship Allah there and worship him a lot. Do you know why?
A Korra boo Maya Kunal Abu Dhabi, Hua Hua Sajid, the closest that a slave can be to his Lord is when
he or she is in prostration Institute. So my brothers and sisters make sure that you use this and
		

			during the month of Ramadan, more so it is a beautiful month a month where these acts of worship are
loved by Allah subhanho wa Taala imagine being in sujood that act of worship wherein you are the
closest to Allah subhanho wa Taala and on top of that, there is a designated area in your living
room or somewhere in the house where you usually would sit. Brothers and sisters Some of us are not
as fortunate and some of the homes are even smaller, some people are living in one room, one
bedroom, little apartment, some of them have even less space than that what to do Subhan Allah so
here's what to do. When it comes to the time of Salah you can move some of your furniture and you
		

			can then lay that beautiful carpet or the designated area put some cloth or something that would
actually get you into that mode. And then what you do is you dedicate yourself, you dedicate
yourself for Allah subhanho wa Taala you know, it's like a small Maha will bait it's a small little
place of worship where the pulpit of the house, so panel of a member in your own home, learn to talk
to your children, those whom you are living with, in the case of those who are living with people if
you're all on your own. Don't speak to yourself but engage in Vicar speak to Allah subhanho wa Taala
by worshipping Him through avocado Subhana Allah and hamdu Lillah Allahu Akbar. These are acts of
		

			worship that are loved by Allah statements. Amazing. Listen to what he says. Through the lips of
Rasulullah Salaam we've been told Kelly mahtani huffy, fettuccine Ellen. Lisa nice appeal attorney
Phil myzone. Habib attorney, Illa Rahmani Subhana Allah He will be Hamdi Subhana Allah Levine, two
words that are very
		

			heavy on the scales very light on the tongue, very light on the tongue very heavy on the scales very
loved by Allah, what are they? So behind Allah He will be Hamdi Subhana Allah Allah when praising
Allah and glorifying Allah imagine if you were just to glorify glorify You or Allah, I praise you
all.
		

			You are the only one worthy of praise Allah you are the greatest. You are the owner you are the
cherisher You are the nourisher You are the Sustainer You are the protector, you are the provider,
you are the one in whose hands lies, absolute control of every aspect of existence You are my Lord,
I will return to you. You made me in the first place I owe my life to you, I'm going to return to
you have mercy on me, the day I returned to you, you are praising Allah, all those words in the
Arabic language and if you don't know them in the Arabic language, say it in whatever language you
would like Subhana Allah, praise Allah glorify Him, thank him, seek from him, ask Allah. So my
		

			brothers and sisters were bringing the masjid into our homes. And as much as we are
		

			definitely in pain, in pain because of the massage it being restricted, the most. The most wise, the
wisest, or the most honorable thing to do at this moment, is to ensure that we don't risk other's
lives, and we don't risk our own life. So for as long as we have to, we will as soon as we do not
have to anymore, we would love to return back to normal. My brothers and sisters, may Allah subhanho
wa Taala grant us a beautiful month of Ramadan. If you were sitting in that corner of yours in that
position of yours in that place, and you did not get up as the Hadith speaks about those who fulfill
Salatin federal and stay up to the morning prayer, you know the post sunrise prayer that Shahrukh,
		

			Shahrukh and so on, they will have a specific reward. If you were to use your designated place, you
would definitely be achieving a similar reward in the case where you are unable to go to the house
of Allah because Allah knows and Allah will reward us let's let's read to Allah let's turn back to
Allah let's seek His forgiveness. Let's ask him to alleviate the suffering of all those suffering
and struggling to grant cure to all those who are sick and Ill to have mercy upon those who have
passed away to have to give patients to those and subject jahmene to those whom who have lost loved
ones, and to eradicate this virus completely and wholly from across the globe and make us better
		

			people not only through the month of Ramadan, but from now my brothers and sisters and throughout
the month and even beyond the month of Ramadan. These are a few words that I thought of sharing on
this particular beautiful occasion of this unique Ramadan conference held by light upon light. May
Allah subhanho wa Taala bless every one of you. Aku Kohli hava masala Allahu wa sallam robotica
Allah Nabina Muhammad was Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.