Gift of Friends

Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim In the name of Allah subhanho wa Taala, the most generous, the Most Merciful Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Allah, Allah He was hubbies main. We praise Allah subhanho wa Taala we send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his household, his companions, we ask Allah to bless them and to bless every one of us. My brothers and sisters, the gifts of Allah upon us are many, many, I always say, every one of us, if you looked at where you were 20 to 30 years ago.

And you look at where you are today. You won't believe how much Allah has favored you. You won't believe how he has changed your life. You won't believe how much positivity and growth he has granted you. But men has a weakness. And that weakness is we complain about the few things we are missing. Or the dip in the graph as it is progressing upwards. May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us an understanding. Today I'd like to speak about some of the most unique gifts of Allah, some of the most unique gifts of Allah, that many people don't even consider a gift.

And I want to look into it from various angles.

So some people look at money, they think it's a gift some people look at a nice house nice this and that and food and outings and holidays and being able to fly in aircraft and being able to do this and having the best of clothes and perfumes and phones and gadgets and etc. All that is money and materially driven.

But I promise you,

the human resource,

the people in your lives,

that Allah blesses you with.

Those people are by far the greatest gift of Allah upon you.

If they are the right people, you are heading in the right direction. If they are the wrong people, you are doomed.

And this is why Allah tells us that when you associate with people, you need to know the limits with each individual based on who they are.

If they are fine people conscious of Allah, beautiful individuals with lovely character, honest, upright, straightforward, very fair, very balanced, they have a sense of consciousness of Allah, you can lower your guard,

you can lower your guard because you know, they will cheat, they will drop, they will deceive, they won't stab you in the back and they will be an asset. On top of that they will remind you where you are going wrong in a beautiful way that you feel like changing your life because of how they speak because of how they tell you things.

That's the best gift. That person can come in the form of a friend, friend you have and this is why the prophets of Salaam tells us a person is known by his friends, be careful who you befriend

a person is known by the type of company he enjoys being in the cable. And this is why the area you live in

your neighborhood.

There is an old Arabic saying Xiao, habla de which means when you are buying a house or thinking of shifting into an area, before you look at the house, look at the neighbors. Take a look at what type of people they are your children will interact your family members will interact, you will interact. So more important than the luxury of the home and the building of it and facility. The people around you.

It's okay to live in a hut where they are lovely people around you, you feel like you are part of a bonded solid community where they won't let you down than to live in plush posh suburbs where your neighbor is a thief and the other one's trying to do you down and this one is waiting to see your downfall and the other one is actually attacking you. What's the point? So that's a gift of Allah. It calms you. You know when you're in trouble in our lives, you can pick up the phone, you can send a message, you can call someone, they will come to your assistance.

Before the end of the day, your matter is resolved. Because what happened you have a network of people around

knew who care for you truly. Currently, we are lacking this on a global level, why people have shifted focus from those gifts of Allah, to material gifts of Allah.

When we shift focus, we will have what we have dedicated to achieve. Allah will give you if you work hard to earn you will earn.

But that's not what will bring about contentment on its own. You need to be able to have a community that you belong to. The older people cared more about community than the new generation. And the new generation has become more selfish, where if there's nothing for me in it, that I'm going to gain, I don't want to be a part of it.

The older people used to sacrifice, I don't mind losing some they don't even look at they didn't even look at it as a loss. They looked at it as a beautiful contribution to the community that my children and great grandchildren will benefit from.

And they served. They put up structures like this beautiful house of Allah, they put up places they fought 2050 years ahead. And that was a gift of Allah. Take a look at how we're using that facility today. Whose brainchild was this, the older generation who cared for our community?

Hasn't it become a little bit closed nowadays where I care for myself.

And that's it.

That's why they were happier than us. Because happiness is achieved by making others happy. Happiness is achieved by ensuring that you have reached out to someone else.

So one of the biggest gifts of Allah and there are plenty I'm not mentioning them in a specific order. But I'm mentioning something that people don't talk about. A friend you have a genuine person, it could be a brother, genuine.

Look at Musa alayhis salam. one of his biggest gifts was his brother Harun. He even asked Allah Oh Allah, He will help me. He will be by my side, he will support me. Allah says I gave it to you. No problem, take it.

Sometimes it's a son. Look at Ibrahim alayhi salam, Allah blessed him with not just one. But Allah blessed him with his heart as well as his mind.

And when he was building the Kaaba was he alone, he had his son with him.

That was a gift of Allah subhanho wa Taala. Sometimes it's a father, a father figure, look at doubt and a salon. He was the father of a man and his salon. Together, they had the Empire Empire. They manage more than anyone has ever managed.

They had armies made up of other creatures of Allah, that an ordinary human being would never be able to address.

So sometimes, Allah has blessed you with something that streamlines you into a good direction, not necessarily you becoming the wealthiest

or being able to afford the luxuries we spoke about earlier.

But you being a balanced, Muslim, human being believer.

On one hand, I work hard, but I will not earn through haram prohibited means.

My friend keeps reminding me You know what, we don't do this. Never mind how crucial the deal is never mind how much top dollar there is to earn here. But the fact that it is deception, or it is prohibited, I'm not going to do it. We won't do it. who reminded you, your friend, but I swear by Allah, if you had friends who were all dealing that way, you will also be one of them.

For you, it would be nothing to rob to cook, to steal, to pinch to deceive, so long as I'm making the dollar. Who cares? That's the attitude sometimes. And it's scary to hear that from the younger ones. Where when they want something, they will get it literally hook or crook literally. When we were young we used to say hook or crook. We didn't really mean the hook or cooking. We just meant by any means. But today they've taken it literally. They actually mean we're going to go steal it. May Allah forgive us. When we used to say beg, borrow or steal we only meant get it by all means, but they mean truly.

Allah forgive us. So

we've spoken now about how Allah has bestowed upon us the gift of people around us.

Make sure

That you identify them.

Sometimes while picking up stones, you missed the diamonds remember this.

Sometimes while picking up stones, you've picked up so many stones you left the diamonds and you carried on. So learn to appreciate the people in your life, thank them make dua for them, especially the good guys, those who might not be so good pray for their goodness and pray for yours as well for all of ours.

But the good guys try and be in the company, try and benefit from them, try and be more with them, try and interact with them. So much so that business deals as well. Wouldn't it be a pleasure to do business with a person who is upright and straightforward, and he comes up and he doesn't cheat? No deceiving. That's the reason why the professor Salaam says those business people who are honest and upright in their dealings, they will be resurrected with the prophets of Allah. How, why is such a high rank, because wealth has this ability to attract people via the whispers of the devil, to the wrong of it, to the wrong of it.

When a person gets greedy, greed begins to make you develop habits that were not in you. And you even tell yourself a I wasn't this type of a guy. I wasn't a man who used to run after money, money, money, and that's it. But I've become like that, you know why? Because of the circle of people around us. So thank Allah, identify and appreciate the people around you. Like I said, it could be a son, it could be a father could be a brother, it could be a sister or a mother, it could be an aunt, it could be more than one of those. These are the gifts of Allah. And this is why Allah chooses blessings for people, you must try, you must try, you must keep on trying to do what to filter the

people around you keep filtering, keep filtering water, when it comes out of a borehole a little bit more like a minute. People say you need a filter for what because the line over time, it might harm your kidneys. That's what we hear, right? So they put a filter to filter the water. More important than your water is your dean, your character and conduct. Remember that filter the people distance from those who are evil, those who have proven over time that they are evil, you might not know we give people the benefit of the doubt. You know, they say

a person appears to be intelligent until he opens his mouth. When he opens his mouth. It's either confirmed or he either proves himself to be the opposite

effect. Sometimes you see a brother or sister and they appear to be so good and so kind they always smiling. And then you hear them for the first time opening their mouth and you're just like shocked. Whoa, I can't believe it's the same person. The same applies. You get to know people when you deal with them. The minute you've been wronged, you'll never ever be as a believer button from the same source more than once. Never twice. Never. If you're a true believer in Allah you printed once you step back.

You either close the hole, then you can go back or you go elsewhere. But you don't drop in the same place two times. No, you're a fool.

Remember this, that's a Hadith of the Prophet sallahu

wa heydon Mauritania, true believer is sharp, he knows I will not be bitten more than once from the same source the same hole I'm not going to tip

your tire best. In a pothole, you would be foolish to best the other tire in the same pothole the next day.

First time you're excused May Allah forgive us.

But it will be quite costly, by the way.

So my brothers and sisters,

this is how we should be filtering the people around us because it has an impact on us. I give you an example. Abu Bakar Casa de la who was the friend of the Prophet peace be upon him from a young age. Look, everything I said falls in place. When you think of Abu Bakr Siddiq, Allah.

Allah blessed him

to be in the company of this young person in the same neighborhood, same community, they would like more or less neighbors.

From a young age, wow, that's a blessing of Allah, is he blessing of Allah. And they stuck together. They both had very good habits, not just the two of them. There was a group of them. You know, if you take a look at who we call the alash, Allah, Allah MOBA, sharina bilgin, the 10, who were granted good news of Paradise while they were alive. Most of those 10 were friends of each other. Most of those 10s of those 10 were friends of each other prior to Islam.

So when Ababa Casa de la who heard

From the Prophet peace be upon him the message of Islam. He was the first man to accept it. They were buddies from before they were friends from before. So as they were friends, wasn't it a gift of Allah as a result of good friendship, he stayed away from alcohol. As a result of good friendship, he became one of the best people to treat the earth after the prophets of Allah. As a result of good friendship, he was given news of Jenna while he was alive. As a result of this friendship, he there was so much that he benefited and Subhana Allah, Muhammad peace be upon him, became the son in law of aboubaker from one angle when he married his daughter eyeshadow, the law.

And there are so many other examples. Like I said, all those 10 were lovely people. Now I want to spend a few moments looking at it from another angle.

It's good for me to say,

filter your friends, make sure that you step back from people who don't have good habits. If you have the ability to correct them, you may do so it's your duty to remind them. If you don't have the ability to do that, minimum is protect yourself, protect your family members protect those around you remember this, but it's not good enough to only talk about filtering friends, we need to be the friend we would like for others. What does that mean? You know when you want to get married people say I want a husband like this like that like that. Other say I want a wife like this like that like that. The question is, Are you the wife that such a person would be looking for? Are you the husband

that such a person that you are saying would be looking for many times you want an angel that Angel doesn't want the devil like you

see the point? So many times we want to be saying I need good friends, but I'm not a good friend. I cheat I deceive I steal I Rob I bad mouth. I've got bad words. bad words. My brothers and sisters, I want to tell you something. We have made a resolution long back, cut them out. You don't need them. I swear these F's and B's and A's and zeds and x's and W's and what are the swear words are they the list is endless. All these swear words. We don't need them, cut them out. It will increase you in honor in the eyes of Allah. Why you respect yourself? We don't need those words. Try. See when you speak in a beautiful way with lovely Clean Language. You respect yourself you feel good at night.

You feel good when you get up in the morning. You're an honorable person. You don't feel low and cheap. But the minute blanket

you using all these these words from the morning to the evening, anything happens. bad word comes out of your mouth meant in the day something massive happens and you're going to die. For example, just an example inshallah we don't. And if you're used to only saying the worst words that worst word will have come out of your mouth automatically without you thinking. It's like the airbag boom comes out. The same thing. It's a bag that comes out of your mouth, bad word. But if you're used to saying Allahu Akbar Subhan Allah Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, what will happen? At that moment, you're going to say those good words. That's why we say say good words.

Be an upright person. Be honest, someone's giving you more change. Tell them brother, there's $1 more here.

And you will be a real real winner the day you say brother, there's $5,000 more here. Because the bigger the amount the more tempting it becomes.

I read the story of a person and it's a true story. Who was cabin crew on an airline and after one men use the toilet they

the cabin crew found $50,000 us cash in the bathroom.

What would you do?

What would you do? I it's Juma it's a Masjid it's a house of Allah we are meaning we will do the same that cabin crew did we will pick it up and say you know what? This last money here whoever was in the loo just now this money has been lost. You need to tell us how much it is and you identify it and come and collect. So Pamela I hope we will do that. But sometimes people will just justify it I you know in Zimbabwe we're going through problems I'm sure Lauer Forgive me, you know, you know we heard the other day allies forgiving a 50 Come on. If it was five bucks, it's okay. But 50 No, no, never. The bigger it is. We are honest. We are upright. Allah will give you Baraka worth 5 billion

will lie he

will lie. You know what is Baraka? Baraka is priceless blessings. Baraka, the blessings of Allah. You have good health, you have a happy home, you have contentment, you are not stressed. Stress is a killer. Lack of contentment is something that everybody is complaining about.

Why?

Because we don't have the blessings of Allah. So, as much as we want good people in our lives and we acknowledge it's a gift of Allah and we've given examples, we must work harder than that. To become the friend, we would like others to be for us.

I'm going to be good, I'm going to greet, I'm going to be honest, upright, I'll help wherever I can, I won't swear, I'm going to be the best person, I'm going to take care. I'll make sure no one talks about my brothers, my sisters behind their back in a derogatory way, say good things, and so on. I promise you when you show concern, for others, alone will take care of you.

When you show concern for others, alone will take care of you.

Can Allahu viani lab de macconnell, Abu fionna, he,

the Prophet sallallaahu salam says Allah continues to taking care of his slave, helping him for as long as he's busy taking care of others, helping another. That's why we're not being helped, because it's all about me. What's for me in it. That wasn't the case a few years back, our forefathers some of you may know your grandfather, your great grandfather, perhaps the those who are slightly older, your father's their concern for the larger community was far greater than all of us put together. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about.

Their concern? Right now it's becoming less and less and less worrying. Why?

It's a worrisome trend. The reason is, what's going to happen to our children?

What's going to happen to our grandchildren? We're not setting a good example. It's become such that neither do we have good friends, no, are we good friends to others, and not just about friends, our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, our, our parents, our own children, they don't see role models in us anymore. So a person who has a gift of Allah

is one who his own father or mother is his role model.

What a gift of Allah. Many people don't have that.

If your father's worked hard,

to let you see a light,

you need to thank Allah, you need to pray for him. Why? Because you saw the light just like this. Whereas there were others who were born in circumstances where a man tested the moon, they had to get that light from another person because they Father Himself, you know, they say was the light at the end of the tunnel. And I say there wasn't even a tunnel.

Allah forgive us, let alone the light at the end of that tunnel, there was no tunnel. So sometimes some of us are parents, who are so far away from the mark, that if our children had to do what we are doing today, we would be embarrassed

to see if our children had to have some of the habits we have, we would be embarrassed. So why can't we change that? Why can't we do something about it? I hope and I pray that the few words that I've said have highlighted this issue of the gifts of Allah and the human factor, the human resource as we see those around us, and to be able to not only appreciate them but to become people who others will also appreciate at some point and over and above all of that appreciation is the fact that Allah will definitely reward us with happiness in this dunya and with gender to fill those paradise in the era. Aku colada sallallahu wasallam Island Amina Mohammed