Mufti Menk – Faith in Storms – Hong Kong 2024
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the loss of loved ones in storms, the importance of faith and braving storm-related problems, and the importance of protecting property and family. They emphasize the need for faith and braving storm-related problems, avoiding drastic events, and avoiding negative behavior. They also discuss the importance of charity and avoiding small talk, and emphasize the need for forgiveness and preparation for difficult situations. The speakers stress the importance of avoiding negative emotions and staying true to oneself. They also touch on the concept of "remedy" words in the Bible and emphasize the importance of forgiveness and staying true to oneself.
AI: Summary ©
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Bismillāhi wa-l-ḥamdu lillāhi wa-s-salātu
wa-s-salāmu ʿalá Rasūlillāhi wa-alá ālihi
wa-sahbihi ajma'īn.
I'm really happy to be here in Hong
Kong once again by the will of Allah
ﷻ.
It brings me great joy to see the
numbers of brothers and sisters.
And every year, mā shā'a Llāh, we
have some faces that are very familiar who
have been attending for the last 10 years
or more.
Alhamdulillah, may Allah bless you guys.
And there are new faces every time as
well.
I look forward to meeting you guys.
Today we're talking about the storm.
If you see behind me, it says, braving
the storm.
What storm are we talking about?
Difficulty, hardship, navigating through challenges, loss, loss in
terms of people who might have passed on
around you, loss in terms of your health,
maybe diagnosis of something that was very negative.
Perhaps you might have had loss of a
job, you might have lost a relationship, you
might have failed at school or college, you
might have been told something that was really
negative, or there might have been any form
of loss.
Anyone wants to say some loss that perhaps
I didn't mention already?
Can you put up your hand?
Yes?
Sorry?
Financial loss.
Yes, financial loss.
You could have suffered in business, you could
have suffered loss of your shares, cryptocurrency suddenly
disappeared and so on.
And yes, that's one.
Another one?
Health, we mentioned health, but inshallah that's correct.
In terms of diagnosis of an illness or
something, perhaps you're not energetic, perhaps you have
some disorder, maybe mental health as well, that's
also a storm.
We all go through it, where we have
ups and downs, some days are better than
others.
Anyone from the sisters wants to mention a
loss?
Or maybe you guys don't suffer loss?
Yes?
Anyone?
Okay.
Yes?
In your?
Your loved ones.
Yes, the loss of a loved one, someone
near you, perhaps loss not just in terms
of death, but relation.
I know of cases where people are married
or they want to get married, and suddenly
one of the two don't want it anymore.
So the husband is saying, I don't want
this marriage.
And the wife says, but please, please give
us a chance, or the other way around.
And sometimes, before the marriage, everything is okay,
and last minute the engagement is broken.
I want to tell you something, when an
engagement is broken, it's one of the biggest
blessings of Allah regarding your marriage.
I'd rather they break it now than to
wait until I have two kids and then
break it.
So when an engagement is broken, it's a
blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, honestly.
And don't be shy, or ashamed, or afraid
to say, I don't want to go ahead
with this.
For as long as you don't have a
problem in that you doubt everything in life.
If that's the case, you might want to
seek the help of those who love you
the most around you, your parents, your siblings,
and so on.
But if you don't really have that type
of a problem, and you really are not
at ease with something that's about to go
ahead changing your life, don't go ahead, wait,
wait, give it a bit of time.
So today I want to talk about faith,
regarding the storms, braving the storm, the role
of faith.
What is faith?
Number one, you need to realize that it
does not mean, point number one, it does
not mean that if you have a storm
in your life, that Allah does not like
you, that Allah is punishing you.
No, it does not mean that.
If that was the case, the Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him, what about him?
He was the most loved by Allah.
He went through challenge upon challenge.
He was born an orphan.
He lost his mother at the age of
six, his grandfather at the age of eight.
He lost his wife, his uncle.
He lost his children, one after the other.
That's only talking about loss of life.
Loved ones, as the sister said.
And then I tell you something, he went
through challenge upon challenge, because when he grew
up, it was such a beautiful upbringing.
He was known as As-Sadiq Al-Amin,
the truthful, the trustworthy.
And when he grew older, and Allah chose
him to give him revelation, and he told
his people, who loved him, who trusted him,
you know what, I want you to worship
Allah alone.
They immediately turned against him, his own people
drove him out of Makkah, they stole his
property.
Those were storms.
What happened?
Is it a sign of the anger of
Allah?
In fact, that was a sign of the
love of Allah.
Allah chose you, that's why you're going through
this.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ عَبْدًا إِبْتَلَاهُ When Allah
loves a slave, He tests him, lets him
go through storms.
عِظَمُ الْأَجْرِ مَعَ عِظَمِ الْإِبْتِلَاءِ We're gonna hear
this over and over again in the next
two days, because it's connected to the topic.
The greater the storm, the greater the reward.
Greater reward is with a greater storm.
You need a bigger umbrella for larger rain,
right?
Rain drops, big, mashaAllah, huge, subhanAllah.
Tornado and you got a big umbrella, or
you just don't go out, right?
May Allah Almighty grant us all protection.
So, point number one, the storm is not
a sign of the anger of Allah, nor
is it a sign of the love of
Allah always.
What does that mean?
If you're a person far from Allah, and
you're not bothered, and you don't care, and
you have no relation with your Maker, you
have no faith, and so on.
If the storm brought you closer to Allah,
it is a blessing.
How many of us, we are far from
Allah, we don't even think of Him, we
don't even pray.
Many people, they commit things that they know
are wrong, but for them, they don't even
care, because everything is going smooth.
When Allah loves you, what happens?
He makes you go through a hardship.
You end up coming to Him.
You end up praying for the first time
in your life, you open the Qur'an.
You did adhkar for the first time in
your life.
What was that?
That is Allah bringing you to say, you
know what, don't stay in that condition, come,
come, come.
The only way we're gonna bring you here,
and we know that this is the way
you're going to come, is by taking things
away.
We're gonna put a huge storm.
When there is a storm, what will you
do?
You start protecting yourself.
How do you protect yourself?
Get close to Allah.
MashaAllah.
So that's a blessing.
But if a storm comes in your life,
and it drifts you away from Allah, then
you have a major, major problem.
Can I give you an example?
Say there is a person, relatively religious or
not so religious, and they suffer a loss,
from one of those things we mentioned a
little bit earlier.
And then, they start going to the club
and the pub, and drinking and drugging and
everything else, and lose themselves and gambling and
what not.
What happened?
You're making it worse.
Is an intoxicant going to solve your problem?
You had a major loss.
So you go to the bar, and you
start drinking, drinking.
And what happens?
You don't even know whether you're walking or
you're sitting.
And you say, I've asked people who are
into intoxicants, why do you do it?
They say, well, we forget our problems.
I say, what, for five minutes?
They say, no, for the night.
So you get up in the morning, you
have a bigger problem, because you have a
hangover.
They call it a hangover, which means you
get up in the morning, and you feel
so down, so groggy.
I'm not too sure exactly how, because I've
never done it.
But, does anyone know how it feels?
Okay, let me not say that.
But nonetheless, it's just a feeling they say,
that you feel even lower.
So what was the point?
You want to solve the problem.
It's not going to be resolved by going
into intoxicants, be it drugs, be it alcohol,
be it binging into that, which is the
displeasure of Allah.
Just go and have a party, that's it.
Just go and do whatever you like.
No, you will only help solve your problem
when you discipline yourself.
Calm down.
First thing you must remember, whenever we have
a storm, listen to what Allah says.
Are we not talking about faith?
Faith, when it comes to the storm, and
its role, the role that faith plays in
braving the storm.
أَلَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ
وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Those whom, when a storm
that we're talking about, a difficulty, a hardship,
right?
When it affects them, they say, what do
they say?
We belong to Allah, and unto Allah we're
going to return.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Something bad happened.
The first statement of your faith and your
reassurance, renewal of your faith, is to say,
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ We belong to
Allah, and to Allah is our ultimate return.
Why?
Because you came here by the divine decision
of your Maker.
None of us seated here.
Whether you come from Wan Chai or Chai
Wan, doesn't make a difference.
Right?
None of us seated here are here on
earth because we wanted to be here.
You ever thought of that?
Every one of us, we are here because
someone else wanted us to be here.
I don't mean the whole, I don't mean
Hong Kong per se, I mean on earth.
If I were to ask you, who came
on earth?
Because they said, I wanna go to earth.
Anyone?
No one.
That proves that there is a Maker behind
you.
Subhanallah.
Someone put you here.
And guess what?
Whoever put you here, you have to go
back to them because I know when I
close my eyes, I'm so sophisticated, I'm a
human.
Every single one of us has a different
thumbprint, first fingerprint and so on.
I was speaking a few days ago in
a country, Tanzania, Zanzibar.
I'm sure you guys might have seen some
of our jet skiing there.
By the way, that was just a 10
minute binge.
Nothing haram.
But people thought you guys went there to
enjoy.
No, we actually did some hard work.
And we had 10 minutes of a little
bit of fun.
But that's what the world wanted to see,
you see.
And nonetheless, I do know there are crises
right now.
The people of Palestine, Lebanon are suffering, struggling,
perhaps the biggest genocide we're ever going to
witness in our lives.
And it's something so ugly, so unacceptable, so
wrong.
May Allah Almighty protect them and all of
us and grant them goodness and victory and
all of us.
It's so bad.
But, do you know that in Palestine with
all of the bombing, there are still weddings.
Did you know that?
There are still people who have parties, small
little parties.
Why?
To celebrate something.
What?
They're getting married, things are happening, they're distracting
the children by showing them, look, let's play
a game.
They jump.
We have aid organizations working right inside there.
And we know that life has to carry
on as bad as the bombardment is.
Because we don't want people to become so
depressed and so bad in terms of their
mental condition, which is relatively difficult to avoid
in that scenario.
But the older people realized, you know, we
have to protect everyone.
You have to keep going, keep the children
protected, keep people with a bit of hope.
There is hope.
So that's why life carries on.
You don't know how many years it will
go on for.
When people went into refugee camps, I'm talking
about this because it's a storm.
So it's part of what we want to
say.
When people went into refugee camps a few
years ago, they thought we're going into the
refugee...
We knew, based on other experiences that they're
going to be here for a very, very
long time.
If you go to the camps in Jordan,
they're called the Zaatari camps.
And the other camps, you will notice people
in a storm, living in the storm.
And they're living in it for the last
20 years, more, longer.
What's happening?
They got married, they got children, and their
children are also married.
It doesn't mean life must stop.
But unfortunately, because of our current frustration, people
begin to blame each other.
How could you be on a jet ski
in Zanzibar when the world is dying?
Hang on, that was a 10-minute thing.
The same people commented who are struggling to
say, wow, a breath of fresh air, inshallah,
one day we'll be there.
So it depends how you want to look
at it.
Come on, life has to go on.
Life has to go on.
And we're not saying it belittling anything.
If anything, we are so frustrated about what's
going on.
But themselves, they'll tell you, please try, please
try to let our children know that there
is hope in the ummah.
That's what we want.
We're talking about a storm.
Imagine you go through a storm and someone
comes to you and says, sister, it's over,
it's finished, prepare to die, dig your grave
and wait on the side.
Come on, man, come on.
That's not faith.
Faith is when you pray and you have
hope.
Hope is very, very important in your life
and the lives of everyone.
To have a laugh in the midst of
something serious is human.
It's human.
I can crack a joke right now and
you can all laugh, subhanallah.
It's okay, it's human.
It doesn't mean it's not a serious talk.
It's a very serious talk.
So you need to know faith related to
Allah.
Remember, you're a human.
You were created in a situation under the
control of Allah.
He wants you to eat still.
It doesn't mean because there's a problem you
can't eat or you must eat food that
is so, so unhealthy simply because others are
eating unhealthy food.
No.
You can eat, you can drink, you can
live your life.
You reach out to them in whatever way
you can depending on who you are and
what you can do.
People's capacities are different.
You might go to someone after the loss
of your child or being diagnosed cancer and
they might not be able to give you
so much because they don't have the capacity,
they don't know and you could be sitting
next to someone and they can tell you
one sentence that can change your whole perception.
It's possible.
Everyone's capacity is different.
So, the point being raised we belong to
Allah.
There are difficulties, hardships going on on earth.
We know that and in our lives too.
I have a problem, you have a problem,
I have issues, you have issues and as
we grow older these issues will increase in
size and in seriousness.
When you're small your problem is the battery
ran out from my toy.
That's the problem.
Oh, there's a storm.
Let's brave the storm.
What happened?
Hey, the battery is gone.
Come on, what storm is that?
When you're older there's a much bigger problem.
Why?
Because now that battery means nothing, man.
Right?
In fact, I know little kids the biggest
problem they'll cry and scream and yell for
two days simply because you did not give
them the exact toy they wanted.
We went to the store, you didn't buy
that thing.
Ah, come on.
For them it's like qiyam has come.
And yet it's so insignificant so everyone's problems
are on different levels and that's the reason
why your faith, this is another point, your
faith should lead you to looking at those
with bigger problems than yours.
You have to.
You have to look at someone with a
bigger problem.
They say, you don't have shoes.
Oh, you don't have shoes?
Okay, yes, that's a major issue.
In fact, in Palestine a lot of them
would ask for shoes, slippers because they walk
barefoot on what?
Shrapnel.
May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to
understand and appreciate the fact that we have
shoes and slippers.
You don't have shoes?
Guess what?
I know someone who doesn't have feet.
You don't have feet?
I know someone who doesn't have legs.
You don't have legs?
I know someone who doesn't have hands and
legs.
Do you get what I mean?
Then you start appreciating, you look at them
and you say, you know what, subhanallah, Allah's
favoured us.
Imagine you are saying Allah's favoured us when
you have a major problem.
Why?
Your faith led you to looking at those
who have a bigger problem than yours.
Never ever look at those who have more
than you in terms of the worldly items.
More than you, there's only one case when
you look at them.
When it's to do with your connection with
Allah, your deen, your religion, your faith, then
you look at those above you.
This one prays five times a day and
to hajjud, whoa, I need to do better.
This one dresses so beautifully, inshallah, one day
I'm gonna get there.
Make that day come soon, inshallah.
Because I remember seeing a youngster, every time
I tell him whatever his bad habit was,
hey brother, you need to do something because
I'm close to him.
He says, make dua.
I said, brother, you've been saying make dua
for the last four years, come on man,
do something about it.
You can't make dua.
Imagine a guy with a bad habit, right?
Every time you see him, he has to
go, and then they quickly look at you
like they haven't smoked but when they smell
so bad, you get closer and you know
what?
You have to, you have to cut the
habit.
Cut it.
Those of you who smoke, cut it.
Today is the day.
Today is the day.
Don't tell me make dua, inshallah.
No, no, no, relax.
You can drop it and chop it without
the dua.
May Allah grant us goodness.
However, I'm not belittling the issue of dua.
Make the dua but I'm saying don't use
it as a sentence void of meaning.
It must be meaning.
Make dua, I will make the effort.
Next time I see you by the will
of Allah, I won't be smoking or I
won't have this bad habit.
So when it comes to things that are
coming in the way of you and Allah
and the connection there, look at those who
are more well connected than you are.
It will help you.
But when it comes to the storms, look
at those in a bigger storm.
We had rain, we had floods.
Talking of the literal storms.
The flooding, the roads were flooded.
Some of the cars were damaged.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us.
When you look at what happened in other
places where it went into the homes, it
went so high, it destroyed so much of
their property and so on.
You tell yourself alhamdulillah.
Alhamdulillah for what?
People are going to look at you like
a crazy person.
You just had a huge flood and you're
saying alhamdulillah.
That's because my faith teaches me to thank
Allah it could have been worse.
That statement is a statement of faith.
Anytime anything happens, you as a believer are
taught to say it could have been worse
because it could have.
So in order to help yourself be a
charitable person, what is the meaning of charity?
Charity has a very broad meaning in Islam.
It's not just connected to the monetary giving
although that's the biggest part of it.
Charity is connected to your attitude and your
character, your conduct.
Many of us are not on a level
where we are charitable with our character.
At home we cause fights.
Within our circles we are jealous, we cause
issues, we cause problems.
On our WhatsApp we message dirty messages.
Is that a charity?
No.
You're actually asking for trouble from who?
From Allah.
It has to come back to you.
Allah has a scale of justice.
You do something bad it has to come
back to you.
So the best thing to do quickly make
amends.
Astaghfirullah.
Oh Allah, forgive me.
And the person who you wronged, my brother,
I wronged you, forgive me.
Yesterday we went out on an outing.
One of the brothers was there and as
I walked in I noticed there were people
and there were a few tables and so
I looked at the tables and I thought
let me tuck myself into the corner and
I went in and tucked myself in the
corner.
A little while later one of the brothers
comes in, beautiful brother and he tells me
we have to move a table from here
to there.
I said, no brother I'm not interested in
moving I'm staying here.
You know I couldn't sleep well at night
because in my heart I thought perhaps I
was too abrupt with this brother.
This morning when I met him or this
afternoon I told him brother forgive me I
think I was too hard on you.
I think I was abrupt.
Yesterday how I spoke was not right.
He said, no no no it's ok we
were tired and what what what why?
Because I'm supposed to be charitable with the
way I talk to you.
It's a free charity.
I look at you brother assalamu alaikum lovely
to see you.
What did I do?
It's a sadaqa.
I'm not saying it because well I don't
want to say I don't believe it I
do believe it but what I mean is
I'm not saying it because I want to
impress you more than you I want to
impress Allah oh Allah look look look what
I'm gonna make I'm gonna make this person
feel like the most amazing person on earth.
Brother mashallah you won't believe it I'm so
excited to see you.
What did I do?
I'm impressing Allah and I'm giving a charity
for Allah.
Why am I saying I'm impressing Allah?
I don't know you.
Sometimes I don't I don't think you deserve
kindness because you are not a kind person
but I will be kind because I'm not
doing it based on whether you deserve my
kindness or not I'm doing it because Allah
loves those who are kind so I'm kind
not you you are not even in my
equation you're just an opportunity that's all you
follow what faith is when you give that
type of charity guess what happens I greet
you assalamu alaikum I don't know you I'm
making you feel important you might say I've
had it people who don't like us they
believe we are weird people they spit on
your face I don't mind hey it's okay
my brother it's fine and he just looks
at you like weird you supposed to have
gotten angry not me I didn't greet you
for you in the first place I greeted
you for Allah not for you so whatever
you did was besides the point I know
Allah wouldn't ever do that for me my
reward is written and guess what the charity
I gave will protect me from harm that
might be coming in my path wow I'm
a believer have you ever heard the older
people before you're going you say mum we're
travelling to China today she'll say give out
a little charity before you go have you
ever heard that give out a sadaqa before
you go what is that that is part
of the sunnah in the sense that as
sadaqa tutfi ul balaa charity extinguishes balaa balaa
means calamity even if the calamity was going
to come it will be made small you
were going to make a huge accident and
lose a limb rather than that it was
very small minor you just tripped and you
cleaned your bruise that's it that's why when
you clean your bruise what do you say
you might say but you also say alhamdulillah
it could have been worse faith have faith
these are the storms small things we're talking
about may Allah almighty grant us ease another
thing very important third point the minute the
storm happens watch your tongue the angels are
saying ameen ameen and what do you say
shhh am I right or wrong you heard
what I said no I didn't say it
habibi can I tell you something it's a
problem because the angels are waiting waiting also
for you to make a dua and the
first thing you say you fell down you
say a big F 10 F's and big
big you know colorful swear words no faith
faith remember your faith I've got to say
something I've got to say alhamdulillah o inna
lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon o a
'udhu billahi minash shaitanir rajim seek Allah's protection
from shaitan the accursed thank Allah because it
could have been worse or declare that you
are all going to return to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala you're returning to Allah that
is an amazing amazing teaching because like I
said you came on earth you were brought
onto this earth not by your choice by
Allah's choice so you will leave also by
Allah's choice when you say inna lillahi you
are saying we belong to Allah anyway I
don't care what has happened here because I
know that ultimately I'm going to go back
to the one who made me I was
talking about how we have different fingers right
the fingerprints everyone from the beginning Adam right
up to the end the last person will
have a different fingerprint and not just fingerprint
the iris print as they call it right
and can I tell you what that itself
is evidence that you are going to be
taken account of by Allah because if there
was no need to take account there would
be no need to have different identities when
Allah brings you to account on the day
of judgment there is no doubt whatever you
are guilty of you are guilty of why
we've got 1000 different ways of proving it
was just you no one else your DNA
is unique unique there's no way that it
can be confused with someone else imagine a
criminal what they do in the states a
lot of the times and with all due
respect to whoever is there they execute people
later to find out oh that guy was
innocent oh they jailed him for 20 years
50 years an old 60 year old is
coming out they say the guy committed a
crime in 1980 and you know what now
we found out that he was innocent and
the guy he's on a wheelchair or he's
got a walking stick he's coming out and
they expect him to just say oh sorry
we made a mistake at least now you're
free in the court of Allah that doesn't
happen and by the way in the sharia
that can never happen impossible because there's a
big difference one is the courts in the
western world operate in a way where they
say something very interesting they say beyond reasonable
doubt we found this man guilty so he's
going to go to the gallows that's what
they say in Islam if there is a
single droplet of doubt you cannot send him
to the gallows done did you ever know
that there has to be no doubt whatsoever
if there is doubt there has to be
a lesser punishment or no punishment or a
lesser punishment but when there is absolutely no
doubt that's the only time you can serve
the highest of the punishments very big difference
between the western courts and the sharia courts
one will tell you beyond reasonable doubts all
of us feel that this on the other
they will tell you we know this is
what happened done so the level of error
is between the earth and the skies and
the heavens may Allah grant us goodness going
back to what we were saying if we're
all so unique and so sophisticated look I
have a feeling I love and I dislike
too I get attached I have a family
I have loved ones I have people I'd
like to meet and get to know more
I'd like to sit with some but I
can't for many reasons primarily because I'm human
and there's not enough time on earth right
now I'd like to sit and greet everyone
I can't why no time but I can
tell you something interesting if I'm so sophisticated
I can see you right now and if
I were to die now do you really
reckon that's the end of everything no it's
not my faith leads me to believe that
I have to go somewhere and when I
go to that place back to whoever made
me if I have the opportunity and Allah
will grant it if you want it and
you've gotten to the right place to meet
and to do what I wanted to I
will then be able to do things that's
why you hear people saying I'll get married
to you in jannah have you heard that
I hear that a lot people say I'll
get married to you in jannah nobody said
it married to you my brother maybe wear
a thong grow a beard and perhaps start
giving talks may Allah bless you I'm just
saying it everyone feels certain things certain times
you know you have to and your children
your family sometimes you might not be there
for them long time sometimes children have lost
their parents and it affects them those are
storms those are huge storms I know of
people whom later on in life and I've
sat and discussed and spoken and psychologically you
get to the bottom of it sometimes the
way they behave later on in life is
very closely connected to some storm which they
didn't brave correctly when they were younger so
many times it happens I know a youngster
whose father passed away when he was 11
he lost the path yet he came from
such a beautiful home because because the father
was a pillar in his home may Allah
allow us to be an asset to our
children and that's why people get married after
they get married they want children when they
get children what do they want they want
to bring those children up and see them
married someone says when would you like to
die I'd like to die after all my
children are married when would you like to
die after I have grandchildren when would you
like to die I'd like to see my
grandchildren married now when would you like to
die I'd like to see my great grandchildren
when would you to die I'd to see
great grandchildren after when would to die I'd
like to see my great you like to
I'd like to
see my great grandchildren would you like to
die my great I'd paradise the way it
is on earth nothing Lets a hadith of
the Prophet said Prophet says no eyes
have seen no ears have heard and it
hasn't even crossed your imagination wait until you
get there when I came on earth I
came with absolutely nothing they had to clothe
me and my time there were no disposable
nappies do you know that they had to
clothe me and when I leave I leave
with nothing nothing all these nice things and
beautiful scents and lovely clothing and whatever else
all of that is irrelevant man gone gone
so then what am I gonna get believe
that I'm going to get something amazing I
for one am convinced that as sinful as
I may be I'm a human I'm a
believer I love my Lord if I've sinned
I've sinned only because of my human weakness
and not because I want to defy the
one who made me I seek forgiveness every
day and I ask Allah and I try
to be a good person I try to
be as kind-hearted as possible I try
to fulfill my obligations unto Allah as a
human I will falter I will make mistakes
but I believe through the mercy of my
maker we will go to paradise we will
go to paradise don't be such a low
person who has no hope in paradise no
man no are you evil no well then
you have hope if you are evil and
you have a dirty heart and you wish
bad for others and you really are so
difficult then you need to work hard on
yourself because one day you're gonna go back
to Allah one day you're gonna go back
to Allah there's a difference between sinning out
of your human weakness and sinning out of
being pure evil pure evil I mean I
want to make your life difficult why I
don't like your face come on you expect
paradise do you know you have a Lord
to go back to Allah says man kind
of you mean will be lucky when you'll
be lucky if I'll yet will fire and
only a small whoever believes in Allah and
the last day say that which is good
or keep quiet because Allah's gonna ask you
every word you've uttered my beloved brothers my
sisters something happens to you say a good
word that's actually point number three without saying
a bad word like I say if I
tripped from here to there may Allah protect
us the first thing I should say is
not a swear word and that's what the
world teaches us to say everyone swears and
they make like there's nothing wrong I've seen
religious people who pray five times a day
but they just swear like they don't even
consider it a swear word anymore it is
the words are written everything you utter I'd
rather have a good word written on my
scale I'd rather have a lovely beautiful subhanallah
stop for a lot or in Alila he
when I rather have that written than a
big F word and an SH word and
a B word and whatever else it might
be all those words are not they're not
needed in the scale of a believer no
you don't need them may Allah forgive me
for every time I might have said such
words and may Allah strengthen all of us
so we don't use those words make a
change in your life your life will change
you know they say Allah will guide whoever
he wants to guide that statement is correct
but sometimes Shaitaan makes you abuse the statement
by making you think you don't have to
play a role in it Allah says he
guides those who wants the guidance he guides
those who want guidance so if I say
oh Allah guide me to the path and
I'm walking to the pub I say well
if Allah wants to guide me I won't
be able to enter here but you're entering
you're making an effort to do something and
you're asking for something else Allah says ask
for something and make an effort towards the
same thing then see what happens then see
what happens you want to make a change
in your life make an effort towards the
change and Allah will definitely open your door
nobody on earth has asked Allah for guidance
and walked towards the guidance and not been
guided no it doesn't happen Allah says it
himself well I mean a jahadu feena Lana
Deanna whom subhalana whoever strives and makes an
effort towards Allah Allah says we will guide
them to our paths there's no chance we
won't Allah's promise the problem with man we
know predestiny but we abuse predestiny to justify
what bad we might be doing don't do
that anyway let's get to the storm how
many of us engage in the remembrance of
Allah on a daily basis I'm not talking
of salah I'm talking of a car a
car is one of the one of the
acts of worship that many of us are
guilty of abandoning what our car subhanallah subhanallah
subhanallah subhanallah subhanallah subhanallah subhanallah someone might think
if they don't know they might think I'm
a madman I'm not mad I'm madly in
love with Allah what am I doing I'm
repeating Allah is the greatest glory be to
Allah all praise be to Allah hum de
la hum de la hum de la hum
de la hum de la hum de la
imagine I tell you I love you I
love you I love you I love you
I love you I love you I love
you I say shut up right with Allah
it's called zikr for as long as Nabi
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam has taught you something
some form of zikr and you repeating that
zikr you are in the right place all
of us myself included are we not guilty
of not doing zikr on a daily basis
if I tell you what are the pillars
of Islam you can mention them salah did
you read yes I did what about your
Alkar Alkar problem why we didn't do a
car how many times did you do a
stone for Allah say it nicely don't just
go like no Allah doesn't need it for
you say alhamdulillah correctly Allah doesn't need it
imagine you need it I need it say
alhamdulillah alhamdulillah yesterday yesterday when we arrived on
the day before they gave me a basket
with a few things you won't believe it
in it there was an electronic counter I
actually took it and I said alhamdulillah alhamdulillah
and I'm just to see how it works
you know and I saw it went to
four or five I said okay it's fine
I'll use my fingers too but nonetheless whatever
you use use that to use your fingers
the idea is a hundred times a day
33 times after every prayer find out the
hadith why braving a storm Allah tells you
to prepare for it before it comes what
is it the other of Allah if it
get acquainted with Allah during your days of
ease and then watch when the storm comes
Allah will get acquainted with you you're happy
something happened I remember in South Africa there
was some xenophobic attacks and some people lost
their entire business and guess what happened the
guy says alhamdulillah I enjoyed life for 30
years Allah blessed me with millions today I
lost everything we will start again but I'm
going to thank Allah how can I be
upset I want to ask you a question
all of us seated here I said this
usually I say it in a lot of
places your parents what was their condition their
parents that means your grandparents what was their
condition and their parents what was their condition
are you not in a better condition than
all of those well I am joking has
Allah not favored you has he not raised
you up beyond your grandparents if they were
here today they wouldn't even recognize Wow you
actually have a place Wow you have water
from a tap amazed you guys are so
you have a car subhanallah think of where
they were where I am relatively I might
be going through turbulence now if I'm not
going to ponder over the broad gift of
Allah I'm never going to recognize the favor
of Allah upon me we were saying Taraf
in Allah if you're a high a risk
of his Shida get acquainted with Allah by
what remembering him I stayed away from haram
to the best of my ability and wherever
I fell I quickly repented to Allah that
quick repentance is such a big blessing because
when the storm comes Allah will help you
through the storm you always turn back to
him even during your human weakness you turn
back to Allah you missed your prayer you
were so regretful oh Allah forgive me and
you move on don't let Shaitan depress you
that's a very important point you see you're
a human you're not perfect you might miss
a prayer you might end up doing something
wrong when you do something wrong Allah shows
you a way out he says I love
it when you seek forgiveness so seek forgiveness
believing that Allah loved what you just did
in terms of seeking forgiveness after that close
the chapter throw it out and forget about
it and don't think oh am I forgiven
am I not forgiven am I forgiven am
I not forgiven for 20 years am I
forgiven am I chill that's Shaitan spoiling the
rest of your worship he's spoiling the rest
of your connection with Allah that's what he's
doing yes whenever you think of it you're
a human just say Astaghfirullah oh Allah I
thank you for being so merciful I remember
my period of Jahiliyya when I used to
do so many evil things I sought forgiveness
from you I'm so hopeful you've forgiven me
but I was you know it's like when
when you really love someone and you really
respect someone and say you swore them and
then you say I'm so sorry I swore
you I'm so sorry I really I feel
bad if you really felt bad the next
time you see them you said I'm on
a comb how are you brother a I
can't I can't forget the fact that I
swore you right they already forgave you you're
repeating it not because you're doubting the forgiveness
it's your embarrassment that's why I'm saying it
again I see you after 20 years a
brother I still feel ashamed when we were
kids you remember what I did to you
but I broke a bottle on your head
right you might say that you're not saying
it because you want to ask for forgiveness
again but you're saying I was so foolish
when you see Allah in your life and
you start saying oh Allah when I was
I did this I did this I thank
you for being so merciful and kind that's
Allah I thank you for being merciful and
kind that's Allah imagine if he wasn't that
merciful so the repetition should never be because
you're doubting Allah don't doubt Allah Allah says
la taqnatu don't lose hope you're losing hope
don't doubt the mercy of Allah you're doubting
Allah says don't doubt so shaitan enters a
door especially with the young who start practicing
shaitan enters the door after you seek forgiveness
he comes to you and gives you OCD
did Allah accept did he not accept did
you did your salah go for it you
made 20 mistakes in it with those 20
mistakes Allah accepted it and loved it you
went to the bathroom you washed up and
walked out in one minute no problem one
or two small blunders a little bit this
way that way no Allah doesn't require perfection
from you there will always be something a
little bit amiss you're a human treat yourself
as a human you're not a perfect being
Allah loves it the way it is let's
move move let's go do your salah oh
but I might not be 100% pure
no problem are you 80 90 what I
go read your salah it's better than being
OCD about it and not enjoying your whole
prayer Allah doesn't need that from you you
need it yourself I hope what I've said
has at least helped a few people who
might have that problem so the most important
thing you need to do is remember Allah
he will remember you I want to deal
with a storm before the storm comes by
preparing someone tells you listen there's gonna be
a cyclone what do you do you start
getting your sandbags you start getting whatever you
have to you start preparing you start going
in an elevated place and whatever need be
I might want to evacuate before the sandstorm
before the storm when the tornado comes whatever
comes comes I've already prepared for it you
and I are taught you are going to
suffer in this world losses because the world
is created in order for you to endure
the losses did you ever know that none
from amongst us has ever had whatever they've
wanted on earth you've only had whatever Allah
wanted you to have from among those things
you wanted and even from among those things
you did not want that's Allah so I
tell you we came on this earth to
be tested the word tested really means hardship
difficulty coming in your direction Allah says in
the then he says give good news to
those who are patient if Allah is going
to test you and he tells you prepare
for that before it comes to you you
know if you haven't lost a loved one
yet you're gonna have to lose a loved
one I'm sorry to give carry the news
to you today you have to someone has
to die they can't be alive forever either
you die before them or they die before
you or you die together there's no fourth
option so prepare from now make the most
of your relatives they say you have sisters
treat them with respect because they're not going
to be there forever you have brothers treat
them with goodness seek forgiveness from them be
kind be good to everyone or you have
parents spend some time with them solve the
problems be easy on each other Allah will
be easy on those who are easy on
one another Allah has mercy upon those who
have mercy on one another so in this
life prepare for those tough days by being
a better person remember Allah he'll remember you
prepare for the storm by worshipping Allah to
the best of your ability I want to
say two things my time is up number
one please ensure that you revive your daily
adhkar adhkar means the remembrance of Allah with
short phrases subhanallah alhamdulillah Allah say it every
day a hundred times it will change your
life I swear by Allah it will change
it will grant you a calmness of your
soul and your heart contentment al-ladhina amanoo
wa tatma'innu quloobuhum bi dhikri Allah alaa
bi dhikri Allahi tatma'innu al-quloob those
who believe they achieve comfort of the heart
by the remembrance of Allah for indeed it
is the remembrance of Allah that will comfort
the heart you want comfort remember Allah what
is the remembrance here referring to it has
a broader meaning and a specific meaning the
specific meaning is the remembrance of Allah adhkar
the broader meaning is all acts of worship
that's remembrance of Allah to stay away from
prohibition is remembrance of Allah so the first
thing I wanted to say is these adhkar
revive them la ilaha illa allahu wahdahu la
sharika lahu lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu yuhyi
wa yumeetu wahuwa ala kulli shay'in qadeer
powerful dhikr powerful repeated after your fardh prayer
ten times sunnah fajr asr repeated again subhanallahi
wa bi hamlihi subhanallahil azeem read about that
in the hadith Allah says two words that
are very light on sorry on the tongue
very heavy on the scale very loved by
Allah those are the sentences that's the words
say them repeat them they are loved by
Allah number two I want to tell you
something very important and I'll close the Quran
build a relationship with it well I read
it every day pick it up in the
morning first thing after fajr before fajr right
in the morning first thing or in the
evening before you recline to bed pick it
up open it read one verse and then
go to bed one verse just one a
day read the meaning read the verse close
it go to bed it will change your
life the Quran has two things many things
I want to mention two number one is
it's magnetic you started with one verse you're
gonna end up doing two three five ten
before you know it you're doing two pages
five pages six pages 20 pages a day
the Quran is magnetic why because it's the
word of Allah and Allah tells you whoever
comes towards me one foot I will come
towards them much more than that whoever comes
to me walking I will come to him
rushing it's a Hadith so when you make
a small effort with the Quran the Quran
will make in fact Allah will bless you
through that Quran by a much bigger effort
that you can now make and you achieve
so much more it's easier that's Allah Quran
is magnetizing number two the owner of time
is Allah when you've made time for the
owner of time even if you don't have
time time is made I hope you understood
what I said can I explain it to
you quickly people say I haven't read Quran
because I don't have time oh I haven't
read Quran because I don't have time guess
what the Quran is the word of the
owner of time force yourself to cut and
cancel whatever needs to be canceled and spend
five minutes with the Quran when you started
your day early morning at Fajr with the
Quran wallahi I tell you people I've asked
I did the research on my own asking
people they say that day we don't know
how much we were so blessed with time
we had so much time that we were
wondering a is there anything else I can
do today how did you get the time
you got the time because you thought you
didn't have the time but you made the
time for the owner of time a few
minutes in order to read his kalam his
word and he said hang on we're gonna
bless your day with so much of time
that's Allah that's Allah the most powerful word
in existence it is the owner of time
whose word it is may Allah bless you
all we're talking about braving the storms when
you connect with the Quran Allah says it
in the Quran you know my hair as
I'm standing is actually standing to subhanallah Allah
says it in the Quran to Muhammad sallallahu
alayhi wasallam wakul and I was so I
like a mean and you're so limit up
be to be here for a deck whenever
we've mentioned any of the stories of the
Prophet city it is in order to strengthen
you and your soul and your heart Oh
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam all of what we've
said in is to make you a stronger
person and to to allow you to connect
with Allah in a better way all of
us the message is for us if the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is being told go
through this and it will help you what
do you think it's going to do to
you and I may Allah Almighty help us
all brave storms aquluq only had I was
sallallahu wasallam a baraka Allah Nabi Muhammad wassalamu
alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh