Mufti Menk – Embracing Humility

			knock you out completely. One of the disasters we are facing in many societies is those who have
served time in correctional services, or what is known as prisons in other less fancy countries, I
can tell you, they come out and they are not fitting in society and community because people
excommunicate them not realizing that this was just a person who served some time, correctional
services, they corrected themselves, they were in prison for a while now that they're out, give them
a chance, give them a chance, a careful chance, but that chance needs to be given. When I say a
careful chance. I mean, you watch you see, if you notice that there is no change. Yes, you are
		

			right, in perhaps trying to minimize some contact some relation to a degree. But you cannot suddenly
say, No, I don't want to have anything to do with this person. They could be anyone, it could be you
tomorrow, you might have been accused wrongly of something, spend time in prison, does that mean
it's the end of the world for you? Similarly, what happens my beloved brothers and sisters is within
ourselves, if our parents have done something wrong in life, it's not the end of the world. I do
know. And I will make an exception when it comes to a father or a mother, mostly fathers. Well, when
I say mostly, I mean, it's very rare, but it does happen from among those who do it. It's mostly
		

			fathers, fathers who have abused their daughters or their children, sometimes to sexual abuse. In
that particular case, yes, we deal with it differently. I cannot come and tell you, No, you know
what, relax, take it easy. It's okay. That's your father, we have to protect you, my beloved child,
more than anyone else, this adult, abused his status as a father. So in that case, I'm just showing
you there is an exception. But when it comes
		

			to the fact that they might be harsh, they might be strict. They might not like much the that you do
and so on, they might be picking on everything you say or do that doesn't make them evil people.
That's your father, generally, he would like to see you succeed. Some of them are different
Subhanallah different in the sense that the way they deal with you is different from what you might
have learned at school or your father's should play with you and spend time with you and communicate
with you and gel with you and go out with you and take you here and there. Some fathers are so busy
trying to earn a living so that you can eat and they don't have time for all of that and then you
		

			hold that against them. And if they were to come for that they wouldn't have had something for you
to eat. So which one do you want? It's difficult, excuse them. Alhamdulillah you might want to
communicate and communication is important. No matter who you are. You can be a father or a child
communication is absolutely important.
		

			But your mother, your mother is someone chosen by Allah as a test for you