A lecture delivered at Masjid Al Falaah in Harare Zimbabwe. A brief explanation of being pleased with Allah, Islam and the Prophet pbuh.
Mufti Menk – Contentment & Ramadan
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smilla rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah who Allah Allah he was.
All praises indeed due to Allah subhanho wa Taala blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
his companions his household May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless them all and May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless every one of us, my beloved brothers and sisters in Islam.
If we were to look at the reasons why we are happy, when we are happy, we will find that there is only one reason whereby we will be truly happy in a continuous way.
And that is when we are pleased with the fact that Allah is our up and Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is done. And Islam is the deen that we are following. When we are pleased with these three things in totality in a way that our life moves towards the three rather than away from the three one law he we will taste a sweetness even in the morsel of food that we put in our mouth. Now you might ask Where are we heading? The month of Ramadan is around the corner, all of us including some of the non Muslims who witness us, they feel the difference in the month of Ramadan as soon as the moon is cited, there is excitement between the sighting of the moon and the beginning of the first
time away is a very short period of time. It is such a transformation within that hour or hour and a half two hours say such a transformation that everything changes completely and totally. And we have Tara we as we are walking out of taraweeh we are full swing in Ramadan but we only saw the moon a few hours ago. Why? Today I want to pick up a hadith of Allah.
Allah wherein he says I heard the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Say something. And Omar it will happen. The Allahu anhu when he heard this, he used to repeat it often. What was it? He says that about money money, that the sweetness of Eman or the taste of a man a man has a taste okay? That means when you're a believer, you taste it. How do you taste it? At times of difficulty. You're still smiling. You're still okay. You know when something doesn't happen your way you're still smiling because you know, it ultimately always happens along the way. You want to buy something the deal did not go through. If you're a true Muslim, you will smile and be happy at the decree of
Allah. But when your Eman is weak, you become sad, you become agitated. Why did my friend get the deal? I didn't get the deal. That's a sign of distance from Allah. It's a sign of weakness of faith. When you are happy, no matter what you've lost, you are actually content because you are happy with Allah. So if you look at a passive nap, demoted rhodiola and when he says that he heard the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says the sweetness of Eman is tasted by he who? Morocco Morocco, Monrovia biLlahi aka he who is pleased of the fact that Allah is is
I'm happy that Allah is my Rob, what does that mean? Allah looks after me. He created me He made me he's in control of me and I'm going to return to Him. I'm happy with it. It means I declare firmly that Allah is in charge. I cannot move a finger. I cannot hold this microphone up without the permission of Allah subhanho wa Taala the power he gave me to hold it, I wouldn't be able to do that. If he does not want me to get something I want. If he wants for something to happen, it will happen.
So the sweetness of Eman is only tasted or the taste of a man which is sweet obviously is only tasted by he who is pleased with the fact that Allah is up in completion totally.
And marva Bella Hera ba wabi Islami, Dena, and whoever is very happy and content with the fact that Islam is my deal. What does that mean? It means all the rules and regulations that are stipulated in Islam. I am super happy with every one of them. I have no objection. I have no rejection. I have no sleep, meaning blinking of an eyelid no flinching at all regarding any one of those rules. I'm happy with all of them. If Allah said this is haram, it's Haram. If Allah said interest is haram, it's Haram, a velocity pork is haram Haram. I'm not even interested in knowing why. Because I'm a movement
I don't even want to know why I might understand some of it, but I may not understand some of it. So you do not taste the sweetness of Eman unless you are happy with a lab in Europe and with every rule of Islam being a rule that you have happily followed happy. If Allah says this is not allowed, I don't care if I'm suffering a loss. I consider it not allowed. Allah says in return, you taste the sweetness that others do not taste. You taste the sweetness that others do not taste. And the third thing
that Papa Malema and Mr. Ravi Abdullah hear about Islam Medina would be Mohammed insula LA or LA he alayhi wa sallam lama nebia o Rasool Allah. And the third thing is I am happy and totally satisfied and absolutely believe in the fact that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the name of Allah sent by Allah, the prophet of Allah. Everything he did was from Allah subhanho wa Taala of
Rama, Rosalie, the best of creation, the most noble of prophets of Allah. Beautiful, absolutely lovely. Once I firmly confirm these three things, I have to taste a man. That's the statement of the prophets of Allah. Allah says, EMA How do you taste the man you're always a happy person. Now I want to go back to the issue of Ramadan. Why do we feel the difference? Because every one of us including the sinful Muslim, when the moon is cited, he has an intention, I'm going to quit my bad, right? Even if he has an intention, it's going to happen for the month of Ramadan. before Ramadan. Now we're in shambles a week left for Ramadan. Perhaps next Friday, we might see the first tarawih
and what may happen from now, even those who are sinful they start saying hey, Ramadan is around the corner. I've got to back up my ideas. Those who don't grow their beards, for example, they forget about what Gillette is during the month of Ramadan, right? They forget everything. They start growing their beards, it's just an example. So the intention is there the practice already in full swing. And the sins people are committing adultery, *, gambling, anything else month of Ramadan. They already say No way, no chance so much so that the non Muslims say that these people are now real Muslims. But we will always Muslim but now in Ramadan, no drinking, no gambling, no
adultery, no fornication, no *, whatever else. People might not like these few words that we keep on repeating. The reason why we keep on repeating it is it's a reality. We don't need to hide behind anything. It's a fact. So therefore, once you have decided to quit things, what are you doing? You're getting closer to those three things mentioned in the Hadith. Allah is my Islam is my Deen the Prophet salallahu Salam is meant to be and you know what, when you get into the grave, those are the questions you're going to be asked if you have tasted that he man, the answer will be very easy. We can know the answer today. But if you haven't practiced upon it in the grave, you will
fumble for the answers. Who is your What is your dean? Who is your nubby who was Mohammed Salah, Salah some of the questions in the grave, all the same. So the sweetness of the morsel of food that you put at the time of his bar is very different from the same food you're going to eat today. You know some of us we might have womenfolk in the house who prepay for Ramadan by perhaps making a few savories and freezing them. And sometimes they might try a few or they might bake a few they might decide to taste a few before Ramadan. You and I know it's the same batch doesn't taste the same. It tastes very different because there is a sweetness of a man in the other one here. It's not another
thing when you see the moon of he and there's no taraweeh that day, it's a different feeling altogether. It's a very different feeling why this is the sweetness being spoken about of the month of Ramadan when the Eman and the level of closeness with Allah subhanho wa Taala is absolutely amazing. It's on a different note. So this is why beyond Ramadan, we need to make sure that we get close to Allah you will taste the sweetness. Let me give you some examples. Sometimes we get up very early for tahajjud we read Salah tahajjud maybe we've had a bath or we've cleaned ourselves and then we come with it a lot when we go out. We feel so good when you sip the tea in the morning one sip
and you say Al Hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah my sustenance is halaal I am a brilliant person I'm trying my best to be a brilliant person. And I have just fulfilled such a great act of worship for the pleasure of Allah. how Allah has blessed me with this cup. Allah has blessed me with tea, other people don't even have water to drink.
It's a different feeling because you are close to Allah, Almighty Allah and when he heard this he used to keep saying Robbie to biLlahi aka Islam, Medina or the Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam Albion wa sola. I am pleased he used to say
I am definitely pleased with Allah is my IRA with Islam is my deal and with Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as my inner beam and there are some who are sent to me, the messenger. He used to keep saying this. It's a powerful drop as well. Robbie to Billa Europa, Islam Medina, Wadi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi, wa salam ala rasulillah be here. It's amazing. So my beloved brothers, let's try and earn the, the contentment of this world by getting closer to Allah, the sweetness of the food we put in our mouth by getting close to Allah. Allah when you're when you're Rosie your sustenance is halaal.
That muscle tastes different when you've stolen the money or usurped it or somehow fraudulently got it, it does not taste the same. You don't enjoy it. Because there is no happiness. You might have a little you might have less but you will be happy. You will smile, you will be okay. Even though you may be going through problems and challenges one after the other. Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam went through so many challenges. He was always smiling. He never ever complained about the situation. rather he complained about himself his own weakness. He never said this situation is terrible. I can't cope. I can't manage. No. He complained about himself online week Allah Khomeini
Escuela de la hora de according to one Hadith, at the time of our event, some other places as well where he says, or LA, I complained to you, I'm the one who's weak. So Panama, but he was always smiling. He was always happy. He never ever questioned the last degree. He said at that juncture, during the problem of pi is that Oh Allah, if you are happy with me, then there's nothing I'm worried about. For as long as you are happy with me, I'm okay. If Allah is not happy with you, even if you have the whole dunya at your feet, it's not good enough. And if Allah is pleased with you, even if you don't have anything and you die a pauper, in the eyes of Allah, you are the richest. Now
Allah subhanho wa Taala grant is understanding. So I decided to share these words because Ramadan is around the corner. And from now we should start preparing for Oman how
tell you primarily, we need to get close to Allah subhanho wa Taala. Because we should be practicing God to be law.
We need to improve the tongue, it's something a lot of us are guilty of improve how you speak Allah, He your mouth, the same mouth, you see your Shahada by, be careful what type of words come out of that mouth, especially to your family members, we will pay a heavy price. If we abuse our family members, we will pay a price in the dunya and the after the prophets Allah sometimes says so you come early, I'm sure we know that of by heart now. The best of you best to your wives best to your children. That's the best. That's the best. So we need to become best from now by by learning to control our tongues. Watch what we're saying. Say good words after that, which is absolutely
beautiful. make someone smile. Imagine it harder. So if you build movement, to to, to put happiness in the heart of a movement is a great act of worship. What if it is your own wife? You go home, you tell her something so beautiful, amazing. What if it is your own family members? You make them feel good. your children, your parents, those who are related to you, you make them feel so good. If you're not going to do that, who do you expect to do that? Who? So this is why it's important for us to know if I make someone else happy. It's an act of worship. What if that is a person related to me? May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us the same applies we should stop lying. We should stop
deceiving with our mouth we should stop saying swear words we should utter the vicar of Allah. The time is actually a tool. If we do not occupy it with the remembrance of Allah it will occupy us with the disobedience of Allah. If you don't wet your tongue and voice in it with the vicar and the remembrance of Allah and good words, then it will occupy you with bad words dirty words and so on. So be conscious of your time. conscious, conscious meaning Do you know there is a hadith way mahabubnagar of the Allahu anhu was in the company of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the Prophet sallallahu Sallam told him to control his tongue, obliquely Sonic and he says, Oh
Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam or messenger sallallahu Sallam will we be penalized because of our tongues? And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, oh, Mohan, what do you think you're saying? And the people of jahannam would they be in jahannam for any other reason? Besides how they use their tongues? Will they be dragged face down that's the Hadith actually says will they be dragged face down in jahannam for any other purpose besides how they use their tongues, which means the tongue is absolutely important.
It takes you into jungle or into, into jungle or out of Jenga, tower. Be careful. Use it to remember Allah praise Allah. When you praise Allah you get closer to Allah. Then we need to also make sure that he by that that we engage in a proper Don't rush in an act of worship, take it easy. Don't rush in an act of worship, take your time. Have a moment for Allah. So your Salah that you read your favorite Salah especially, and even that which is extra, make sure you've taken your time in it. The Sahaba they allow us to read the beautiful Salah amazing, there are so many stories of the Sahaba of the Allahu anhu when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told them suddenly salata medalling you
should read your Salah, as though it's the last Salah molekule mode is waiting for you, the Angel of Death is waiting for you. He's just waiting for you to finish your Salah and you are going Imagine if that was the case, what type of Salah would you read? So we the Salah, like that the Sahaba of Allah Allah, we have something to learn from them. They used to perfect it as best as they could sapan Allah, what about us, may Allah subhanho wa Taala help us and guide us. In order to concentrate in Salah. You need to read your mind and your heart of hearts and unnecessary things. We have a mind and a heart similar to a computer or the memory of your phone. If your memory is 64
gigabytes in your phone and you have unnecessary pictures, unnecessary voice notes, unnecessary things every day you are downloading this and that which is not necessary. Then when you want to download something necessary. Two things happen. One is your hard drive is full, and two is the phone slows down so much you press a button and you're waiting for three minutes for this application to open because you've got too much unnecessary things in there. The same thing happens to a computer. The same thing happens to your brain and to your heart. Too much unnecessary things are given to this guy. You have a deal with this guy that went sour. You have some problem with
this. You have * in the head, you have music and all the other things piled up how are you going to memorize all those bollywood songs Hollywood songs, Nollywood songs and bollywood songs. We know all of them everything we know of by heart. What about surah
Yaseen, we don't know it off by heart, we still make mistakes. So this is why we say read it. read your mind and heart of unnecessary things sinful and even that which is unnecessary, take it out, you will find your processing speed becomes quick. When you say Allahu Akbar, your concentration is in Salah because why I don't have too much of unnecessary things happening outside Salah. So in Salah it's quick, but if there's unnecessary things, the minute you say Allahu Akbar, you know what happens? Your mind first goes, Hey, you know, this morning, I saw a very, very nice car. What happened? You are listening to the mom supposed to be he's telling you in a Serato. Mr. Kim, you're
supposed to say I mean, it's only happening by default. It's not happening because you concentrate it. Many people will did very well to be a Malabo on me without thinking they say amin Am I right? I mean whether it's softly or aloud depending on what you're doing. They say that mean agreed. Sometimes when the taraweeh is going on, the Imam is reading from somewhere else in the Quran. And he is saying another verse that ends in the same way barley and you hear the Imam reading that verse when he says that barley and people are just saying me because they are tuned to say amin every time they hear barley, that means your mind is somewhere else. Now Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us
I've heard it with my own ears in the masjid. So my beloved brothers, let us realize this, let us understand gaining closeness to Allah be happy with the decree of Allah strive towards pleasing Allah from now and this is why the Prophet sallallahu Sallam used to fast in the month of Shabbat a lot. So let us still fast the Monday the Thursday Mashallah, tomorrow is Thursday. I encourage myself and yourselves to fast on the day and the next Monday that is coming in Sharla we fast on that day by the word of Allah subhanho wa Taala. We try also to read the Quran. My brothers and sisters, you know, the link we have with the book of Allah will help us on the day of judgment
because the Hadith tells us aloha jetan laka alayka this Koran will bear witness for you or against you simple Howdy. But did you pick it up? How many times we've heard the heartbeat heartbeat of this person bearing witness for you pick it up, read it, read it with us with a good heart while you're smiling. You know, when we read grant, we look at it like it's a burden and we read the little bit and we struggle and we close it and put it away like you're at least that did something, try and change that attitude. Be happy. rabito means I'm happy. I'm happy with it. So inshallah in that way, we will definitely be able to achieve the pleasure of Allah subhanho wa Taala. Now, the last thing I
want to say, My beloved brothers and sisters is in the same way that we need to fulfill that
which pleases Allah subhanho wa Taala. We need to search in our own lives. We need to search in our own lives, asking ourselves, what is it that I am doing? That displeases Allah? What is it that I am doing, that Allah would not be happy with? And we need to cut it off or we need to eradicate it bearing in mind, it's not too late, it will only be too late when it comes to us when the pangs of death come to us, it can happen to anyone anytime. So therefore, remember to take account of yourself before you are taken account of. You see when the taxman comes, and he, there is a raid or a blitz at your business and it happens to everyone. If your books are in order, you've already
checked them. your accountant has already done everything. You're a happy man, you just say speak to my accountant, and you can go on a holiday. But when you haven't done the hisab and you don't know what's going on, and everything is not in order, you lose your sleep, you lose your sleep, what's going on what's happening so on. May Allah forgive us May Allah grant a strength. But imagine the court of Allah is far more serious than that. It is far more difficult than that. If Malakal mode comes and says, I'm taking you now what are you going to say? Give me 10 minutes, send me back one more day, five days, you know, take a bunch of bond notes and do what you have to come back
tomorrow. That doesn't work. May Allah Subhana Allah Allah forgive us? Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us all my brothers and sisters. Let's make Toba from now because we don't know a lot here if we're going to be alive for the month of Ramadan. None of us myself included. I don't know if I may die before Ramadan, Allah forgive me and forgive all of us.
May we become better people make an intention from now that he Allah from now. Whatever is happening, I want to improve myself. You will tomorrow morning or tonight when you go home and you have a cup of tea or a morsel of food or a biscuit. It will taste different. Why? He is the Sustainer the owner of sustenance, you are pleasing Him He will make it taste differently. They will and that Alhamdulillah A lot of us we eat we forget to say Bismillah we even forget to say any other Deacon we forget Allah the whole equation is very void of including Allah it is not there. We eat we have been we walk out and we call for a good meal. We even forget whether it was good or not we
enjoy it. But imagine when you're a movement you as soon as you see the food you think a lot Oh look at this. There are people dying without even a droplet of food. No even water. We sit we drink. What else do we have? We have food we are eating Masha Allah subhanaw taala so let's thank Allah we said hamdu lillahi Allah Allah Allah, may Allah subhanho wa Taala help us? Definitely we should be repeating Robbie to Billa Europa. Islami Deena will be Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa salam ala rasulillah Nana BIA subhana wa hispanica lahoma behind the conditions in our land.