Teen Session – Peace and Unity Convention 2018 , Abuja Nigeria.
Mufti Menk – Lessons from Surah Ikhlaas
AI: Summary ©
The importance of Islam is discussed, including its relation to the culture of the United States and the need for acceptance of one's actions. The success of graduates of the University of Mississippi and potential billionaire receive is also highlighted. The importance of affirming one's beliefs and emotions is emphasized, as well as showing evidence and proving one's right or wrong to others. The need for acceptance of one's actions is emphasized as a means of building a relationship with God.
AI: Summary ©
Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.
Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim, we always start in the name of Allah. Why? Why?
speak aloud my brother, because he's the greatest that is called to eat. The minute you say Bismillah. You have started in the name of the one. Why? Because the oneness of Allah is called to heat. What is it called? The heat refers to the oneness of Allah, in your life, whether you know it or not, you have this inclination to Allah, because he's your maker, you either nurture that or you destroy it based on several factors. So we started off by saying, Bismillah, in the name of who, Allah, that Hadith says whoever starts off with anything important without the name of Allah, that will be cut void of Baraka, void of blessings void of everything else. So whatever good you are
doing, you shall start with
Bismillah you shall start with Bismillah because we believe in Allah, He is the one who's going to grant us success. That's already to hate. He is the one who's going to grant us success. Success means
success means to achieve your goal what you want, what is the ultimate success to get gentlemen, but there are small successes in this world such as perhaps you want to
passing your examinations you want to be content you etc, etc, all these little successes, but we think Allah subhanho wa Taala we started off by the name of Allah subhanho wa Taala. Then we say was salatu salam ala rasulillah he, we send blessings and salutations upon who
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam why
Can someone tell me why?
If you're not going to raise your hand, I will have to choose I will have to pick Yes Why?
Allah told us to why else Why else? Another reason?
Why do we have to send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam for what? Yes.
Because He's the perfect creation of Allah. That's part of the answer because Allah chose him to be sent to us to teach us the goodness, when someone teaches you something good. You need to respect them, you need to pray for them. You need to acknowledge their status. When Allah tells you the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has the highest status. In that particular case, you need to acknowledge it the way Allah wants you to acknowledge it. So Allah says, if you are a person who can acknowledge that I have sent such and such a person to you to teach you goodness. And if you are ready to acknowledge that by saying sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the way I taught you, I'm going to
bless you 10 times more because you've now understood my plan. Subhan Allah, Allah Allah, Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who ever since blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam once Allah blesses them tenfold, because they've understood that Allah is the one who chooses that, again is to him. Allah is the one who chooses the only one who has the power and the ability to raise people and to drop them He is Allah.
If, if Allah has raised you, none can drop you that is actually though he is aqeedah we believe that Allah alone, he is the one whom if he raises you, nobody can drop you. And if he drops you, nobody can raise you that is Allah.
Allah. So we start this way, every time, the moment we open our mouths as Muslims, we are speaking of tawheed, we are speaking of the heat, but I don't need to tell you that we're speaking of tawheed, I need to believe it, I need to understand it, I need to know it. But I don't need to keep repeating this is the heat. That's the heat. This is a key that is I don't need to keep saying that. Because if I do that people are going to run away, they're going to say this man, he's actually boring us how to Billa people are weak, but we need to speak about it and explain it to people in a way that they're interested in it. I give you another example. Whenever I start, some of you might
have heard my lectures before, put up your hands if you've heard my lectures before. Mashallah Put your hands down. Okay. So I always start by saying Praise be to Allah. You heard that Alhamdulillah isn't it? Praise be to Allah, then what do we say? The Creator? That's so he? I believe he's, he's the Creator. No one has created besides Allah, the nourisher Have you heard me say that? Have you heard me say The nareesha? The Creator nareesha cherishes. sustainer provider protect? Have you heard me say that? I've said it more than a million times, in nearly all my talks. Why? Because that is the basis of al Qaeda. It's the basis of my belief. Allah is the Creator. Nobody's created me.
Nobody is always
is owed anything
upon the level of Allah subhanho wa Taala. He is unique. That is what we believe. So He is the Creator. He's the narration. He's the cherisher. He is the provider, he is the Protector, he is the one in whose hands lies.
What is what lies in the hands of Allah, control of an entire existence? Wow, we have praised the line declared who he is, we are actually telling you who Allah is. That's the basis of our belief, our aqeedah it's the basis of tawheed. That's what it's all about. So this is why when the Muslim is really bothered about his or her link with Allah, he starts analyzing these things and looking into them and making sure he realizes, look,
I will worship Allah alone because he made me do you read Salah? Do you fulfill your Salah? You do okay? So you put your head on the ground, right for who? For Allah, anyone here puts their head on the ground for anyone besides Allah put up your hand? No, we will never do that. Because sujood is only for Allah only for Allah. You cannot. You cannot prostrate for anyone besides Allah. Allah is the one he is the owner. He is the deity who made you and die, the Supreme, the everlasting, the one who existed before and the one who shall exist forever, there is no beginning or end. It's Allah how there are certain things we will understand and certain things we won't understand. But we believe
Subhana Allah Subhana Allah, you find the others, they tell you, Oh, my, my lord is so and so and they give you a name of a person
is my Lord, okay?
And we always say, No, your Lord cannot be a person like you and I who looked like you and me who is like you are my Lord. I haven't seen him but I know his names and qualities and I believe them without adjusting them. I believe them without adjusting them. That itself is to heat. When you believe in the names and qualities of Allah. I don't need to adjust these. I won't. But what I do know is that he is the one because I haven't seen him but I've known about him and I'm looking forward to seeing him. It cannot be another person like me. If someone says Who is your personal Savior? What's your answer? Who is your personal Savior? What's your answer? Who's your personal
Savior? Allah, who's your personal Savior? Allah say loudly, who is your personal Savior? Allah, don't be mistaken. My creator is my personal Savior. The one whom I'm going to return to when I die is my personal Savior. That's what Muslims believe. We will not say Moses is my personal Savior, may peace be upon him, Muhammad peace be upon him, my personal savior, Jesus peace be upon him my personal Savior. My personal Savior is the one who made me He who made me and that's it from Allah, Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, we love him. We believe he's the best of creation, the most noble of all prophets. I'm sure you've heard me say that as well. He is the best of creation, the most noble of
all prophets, we love Him, we revere him, we respect him, we acknowledge his status, we send blessings and salutations upon him time and again, no amount of blessings and salutations upon Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam is enough, we will continue repeating and repeating and repeating but we will never render a single act of worship for any Nabhi of Allah for any prophet of Allah, we will never render an act of worship that itself is belief. It's the core of belief, when you know, I respect the Prophet peace be upon him, but I'm not going to put my head on the ground for him. No way. No way. Have we ever been taught to put our head on the ground to a prophet of Allah, no matter
how high he is? Never, never, we won't do that because we believe in Allah. And that belief is so solid that it's all about Allah and Allah alone, when it comes to worship. When it comes to respect Yes, we respect each other as well. on different levels, we respect the messenger peace be upon him on the highest level Subhana Allah because Allah chose him. So remember this window, why am I starting this way, because today we are going to speak about surah to last, the name of the surah was given as the surah connected to your heart, to your heart, because some people can say things but they can do other things. Some people can say things but they can mean other things. But Allah
alone knows the condition of your heart. So this is why we say when you judge someone's heart, there's a major disaster. There's something wrong with your toe hate. Why? Because who is the judge of the hearts? Yeah.
In a unique one, to feel pseudo Allah alone is the one who knows the deception behind the site. And he's the one who knows what's deep in the hearts. Allah alone knows if I'm sitting here. Can I tell you what you're thinking right now? Can I tell you? Do you? Do you think I know what's in your heart? No. If I guessed correctly, maybe because I know you. Well, I can tell you. I think you probably thinking of food right now. May maybe because my guess is because you were here so early, and you've been sitting and you've been waiting, and so on. So you might just be thinking of food, but I'm only guessing there was a fortune teller who went to a person to go to a fortune teller.
You've already played with your Eman. You're playing with your Eman to go to a fortune teller is disbelief.
If you believe what they have to say, if you're going to them in order to listen to them to believe what they have to say, that is disbelief. How can you say I believe in Allah, but there's someone else who also knows my future.
Wow. So there was a brother, the fortune teller actually went to him and told him I want to tell you your future. He said I don't want and he walked away it was in an airport. He says no, he was walking with his wife. He says I want to tell you your future. Just give me $5.
So the brother says I don't want to know my future. I really, and he kept talking and this guy kept walking behind. You know, sometimes when people sell things to you, they the streets, kids, sometimes they want to sell things to you. They actually come with a little packet of whatever, and they keep following you. They keep following you for a long, long time. And they want to sell it to you have you seen that? Because they are desperate. They want to earn halaal sometimes. So this guy, it was the other way around. It wasn't a matter of earning halon. But he just wanted to come the people. So he says I'm a fortune teller, I can tell you your fortune, give me $5 fortune, meaning
your future?
The brother says no, no, no, no, I don't want to he kept walking, until he sat down after some time at a certain place in order to rest with his spouse or to eat or whatever it was. And this guy came and sat next to the wife at a bit of a distance and started saying loudly, you're going to live for 72 years, you're going to do this and you're going to have so much and you're going to be struggling in this. And he started rattling out but they didn't want to know they are meaning believers. So when he finished his sentence, he said right, give me my $5
Give me my $5
Do you know what the Muslim said?
If you really knew the future, you would know there's no $5 coming your way.
You understand? If you really knew the future, you would know I'm not even going to give you $5 so what do you know, you know, nothing. So Pamela, but what I'm trying to show you is sometimes because they deal with the jinn and they deal with other you know other things and so on dirty, which you're not supposed to do as a Muslim, they might come up with one or two things that might be true about you. Don't be deceived. We believe in Allah, we will not believe those who who want to tell us the future or who claim to know what's inside of our hearts. Sometimes you have a person and they tell you I know what's in your heart. You're not a Muslim, you're actually just a cheat and a deceiver
and a hypocrite and so on and so forth. How do they know they themselves Need help? May Allah grant us ease. Okay, so whenever you hear Bismillah you must immediately think to eat Did you hear what I just said? When you hear Bismillah? You must say yes, it's Allah alone. We don't say Bismillah Anyone else? Never. It's Allah alone. And when we say a Rahman r Rahim, those are qualities of Allah qualities, Names of Allah. What are the qualities of a man Rahim? They are connected to the mercy of Allah. They are connected to the mercy of Allah. Some scholars actually say Bismillah R Rahman Rahim is a part of every surah but the general the general opinion of the majority is that it's not a part
of every surah but rather, it is read before the surah besides one surah and that is Surah Al Bara anyway, I don't want to get too technical because I know you might doze off, you might doze off. Am I getting too technical?
Some are saying yes. And someone saying no. Okay. So ramen is actually a quality of the mercy of Allah that encompasses absolutely all his creatures. Sometimes you see people who are not good, their qualities are not good, but you know what? They are really, really successful in life according to the dunya you see a person but these people are not good people but they are so successful in the world. They have wealth, they have money, they have everything. You know what Allah says
Dan has a
key he can
Na Mata hayati dude Nia
Akiyama t minalima body
is He who has been promised? He who has been promised?
A true promise of paradise?
Who has been promised the promise of Paradise you and die? Am I right? Who wants to go to Jelena put up your hand? Who wants to go to Jenna put up your hand so Han Allah, may Allah grant us gentlemen say amen. Okay, I see both hands, May Allah give you bigger Gentlemen, I mean,
all of us inshallah. So, remember, Allah says, is he who has been promised a true promise, and he's definitely going to get it equal to the one who we've given a lot in this world, but on the Day of Judgment is going to be punished as a to equal. Let me give you an example. I heard a scholar recently give this example and I want to give it to you. He says, imagine if someone has passed away, and in their will, they have written 1 billion for you. Out of 20 30 billion, that 1 billion was just less than even a small fraction, they've written 1 billion for you, and someone phoned you and told you that you know what, there is 1 billion for you. Are you listening? There is how much
for you Mashallah, when you get it please give me some. Okay. So there is 1 billion for you so panela right. But it's going to take one year to process all the paperwork before you can get the billion right. But you are such a poor person. You can't even afford food properly right now. What will happen will lie for that one whole year you are excited even though you might be a person on the street? Why are you excited because you're going to get how much
you're also going to get 1 billion I didn't know that I thought it was him Mashallah. Mashallah, okay. So imagine you are going to get 1 billion after one year but already You are so excited because you know, you've been told by a human being that your name is in somebody's will and the billion is coming to you. So your excitement started from the day you found out I want to let you know woman asked Dr. Amin, Allah he had etha who is there more truthful than Allah, when it comes to speech, when it comes to the promises, Allah will never go against his promise, Alice promises more valid than mine and yours. And then anyone who can promise you that you know what your name is on
this world for a billion. Alice promises more, so many should lead his entire life with such happiness, even if he's going through problems? Because he knows I've been promised something way beyond the billions. Do you follow my point? You follow what I'm saying? Allah subhanho wa Taala will grant us this goodness, definitely.
Allah subhanho wa Taala is the only one like we said, anyway, I've been distracted by a lot of movement that's happening here. So I just request the brothers to please come down a little bit and try to minimize your movements because it definitely does disturb when it goes beyond a certain point.
So my beloved children, let me explain to you once again, Allah alone, we hope in Allah. We believe in Allah alone. I was speaking about our Rahman and Rahim Ramadan is a quality of mercy that encompasses the entire creation. What about Rahim?
It's also from Rama it's also from mercy. But Allah says, hang on, hang on. Those who believe I have a special mercy for them. I have a special mercy they will have contentment they will have a mercy of a different level altogether. So Allah says I am Rahim to those who believe and I am Ramadan to everyone else. Like I say you find people who might not be good, they may be on the wrong path. They may be evil, but Allah says we will still give them in this world a lot sometimes because we are merciful. Sometimes you have non Muslims Mashallah they are good people, they they treat you well. They are sometimes more honest than the Muslims. Don't you find that sometimes? They are more honest
sometimes and the Muslims, we on our part should be kind to them, we should reach out to them. We should be honest, when we deal with them. It doesn't mean that this person is a non Muslim, so I need to treat them badly. No way. No way. Because they are created by the same Allah. Don't you believe in Allah? Don't you believe He is the Creator, he made you he made them as well? Subhana Allah, he made everyone else so much so that you have to be kind to animals to Did you hear that? You have to be kind to end when you're kind to an animal. Why will Allah reward you, when you see a dog? There was a man who quench the thirst of a dog and Allah granted
Forgiveness in general according to some durations, he quench the thirst of a dog. Why did Allah give him forgiveness when he was clinging to a dog, just a dog? Because the dog was created by the same Allah for a purpose. That's the creature of Allah. If Allah didn't want you wouldn't have made dogs and pigs. But Allah made pigs as well and then told you don't eat.
Don't eat because he wants to test you. We're gonna dangle the carrot and tell you don't eat. Will you eat? Will you not? If you really believe that Allah is the supreme, he is the deity he is the one I worship alone. Then whatever he says is final its final. I will follow. So Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about this mercy in Bismillahirrahmanirrahim Bismillah I spoke about Aurora man I spoke about Rahim I spoke about and the surah starts off with What does cool mean.
See, Mashallah. What does good mean? Say? So we are saying, who is telling to say is it us?
Allah is instructing Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, but the lesson is for all of us. The lesson is for all of us, Allah is saying, see, Guru Allahu Ahad, He is Allah.
The one, the one, Allah had the one, you know, beloved, Nora, by the Allahu anhu, when I read the surah, I always think of him because as they were whipping him and lashing him and dragging him through the hot desert, in the Arabian Peninsula, because he was a Muslim believing in Allah, and he did not want to bow down or prostrate to sticks and stones, and to idols, they kept on abusing him and harming him and hurting him. And he just kept on repeating I hadn't I had, I had been I had, I had done, I had, I believe in the one, only the one, the one and only the one, the one and only the one who is the one. Who was he referring to? Yes, Allah.
I believe in the one who made me I will only worship he who made me look, I want to explain to you something. If someone says, look, worship this person, and they take a name, worship that Prophet, and they take a name, worship this grave, and they take a name, but worship this tree, and they show you where it is, you know what?
The people who do that are taking such a big risk for us. We know they're wrong. But if you were to argue with them, just from a purely, you know, meaning just for argument's sake, they might tell, you know, how do you know that what you're doing is right, it's quite easy. It's very easy for me to explain. I worship whoever made me I call him Allah, that's the name he chose for himself. He is the one he is the irresistible, he is the one. He's the self sustained. He doesn't depend on anyone, he is the most part he is the one I'm going to return to. He's the only one I worship. And I say, Oh, you who made me, I owe you my entire existence, because you made me. But as for you, you are taking
a name of a person. Now this is for argument's sake only. It could be right you could be wrong for us. They they're wrong completely. But just to talk to them. We're saying you could be right you could be wrong. The fact that there's a risk involved, it's not good enough for me to see the point.
You understand what I'm saying? If someone worship is worships, say, a prophet of Allah, and they worship them. And they say, look, we have to go to Allah through this prophet because that's it. You know, we're too dirty, or we're too bad or whatever, we have to go through the prophet. Do you know what? In actual fact, they're risking their entire existence because you live once and when you live once you go to do things properly? If I say oh, you who made me, I will worship you alone, or you whom I'm going to return to when I returned to you have mercy on me, I have taken zero risks. There's no risk involved. That's what makes Islam the most powerful religion on Earth. Because
there's no risk involved. Your relationship is between you and Allah.
When it comes to worship, if you committed the sin Do you have to go to some Do you have to come to me and say, Mom, I need to confess to you about my sin. Is that Islam?
Is that Islam?
You have to confess to Allah alone. That's what makes Islam so beautiful, because I might be a bigger sooner than you how many times we find all this religious person has done something really bad and you think but even I didn't do that bad.
May Allah protect us so we develop a relationship with Allah. Allahu Allahu Ahad, Allah is the one he is alone. He is the one Allahu Samad Allah is self sustained. He is in no need of anyone as Samad has a deep meaning but I want to use the common meaning of self sustained Allah He stands alone. He is not in need of someone to pellets he's not in need of someone for anything because he don't eat he don't drink he doesn't have needs like you and i a lot is self sustaining.
And then Allah says lumea Li doula Mulan, neither was he given best to know does he give birth to lamb nearly one a Mulan. Neither was he gotten no does he get to know to be get what that means. When husband and wife are intimate and they have a child thereafter that is too big it they beget. So for us to use the word begetting for Allah is actually blasphemous, we actually consider it an insult to Allah. You cannot say Allah himself says it's an insult to say that I have a begotten child. May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us an understanding if others believe that that's their belief, you know, we disagree with respect, we disagree completely with respect, and it's our right.
This is why it's important for us to know how to deal with people we differ with. When you differ with someone, it doesn't mean you need to punch them. It doesn't mean you need to spew hate about them. You can you must articulate your opinion with evidence. You may try your best to convince as many people as you can about what you believe, but you will know they have an equal right? They have an equal right? They will also start talking they will say we believe we are right, they will believe you are wrong. It's okay. We are human beings, Allah will judge us on the Day of Judgment. But while we're on Earth, we keep trying we keep actually speaking to one another and so on. We will
keep going on and on between the line as well in that discussion that is very intellectual and it is very respectful by the will of Allah. So why am I saying this? Because Allah Islam nearly won a Mulan. Neither was he begotten nor does he beget, neither does he beget no begotten? Well, Aamir Khan Lu and I had, that last verse is probably the most powerful from all of them. Allah says,
There is nothing like Allah, nothing similar to Allah, nothing on par with Allah in any of his names or qualities in any way whatsoever. You cannot have someone on the level of Allah, even when we say Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, none of the names and qualities of Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam are exactly on par with that of Allah, we believe is the best of creation, we believe is the most noble of prophets, but he is not Allah, and he is not a part of Allah, and he is not unpowered Allah, it's Allah first. And then Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam comes after that. So that doesn't mean we disrespect the Prophet. That doesn't mean we don't like the Prophet. That doesn't mean we don't
follow the Prophet Subhana Allah. In fact, if you love someone, you need to prove it by actions. can I explain it to you in a way that you youth will get excited? Okay, when you love someone, Mashallah you love someone so much halaal inshallah, okay? You love someone. And you keep on saying, I love you. I love you. I love you. It's so easy. My dear brothers and sisters, my little children, let me explain to become infatuated by someone saying love you. Even if they say to you don't become In fact, when they love you, it doesn't mean they love you. It's just a word they're saying from their mouth. It's just a word they're saying from their mouth. Honestly, don't become too impressed by
that. Because when someone says, I love you, I love you a million times. But there is no action that proves it. Suhana You know, my parents? And I'm sure a lot of you, maybe your parents or your grandparents. I've never ever heard them say I love you to each other. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. It was their culture more than anything else. It's correct. Maybe my kids have heard me say to their mom, I love you. They read it, I'm sure. And they even blah. Sometimes I say it purposely Do you know why? I want my children to know that it's very normal. This is how you should be when you're married. And this is how you should talk to your spouse. You can say I love you. You can hug
them, you can kiss them. You're not intimate with them, but you can pick them in front of your kids so that the kids know there is love here. Wow. I'm going to be like that with my wife. You understand? But if you've never done it, sometimes it's a cultural thing. In the culture. Sometimes it's a little bit taboo. It's a little bit taboo. SubhanAllah but what you need to know is the love is proven not by words, but by actions. You cannot say Oh Allah, I love you then you are worshiping everything besides Allah. You say, oh, ally love you. But when it comes to Salah to a busy sleeping man, Allah strengthen all of us say I mean,
I mean, so that's why we believe that there is none equal to Allah. This is similar to Islam. It is the most important one of the most important sutras in the Quran. Why I almost said the most important but the whole Quran is important. Someone asked me moments ago in an interview, speak about your favorite verse I said, then I'll have to speak about the whole Quran because it's my favorite. The whole Quran is my favorites, right? Some people do have a favorite verse, But for me, every verse is amazing Subhana Allah. So we spoke about sutra to the fullest
We spoke about to heat the oneness of Allah. We spoke about the fact that Allah His names and qualities, we don't adjust them we believe in them as they are. We also spoke about the fact that we will not render an act of worship to anyone and for anyone besides Allah and I want to end off by telling you the most important thing.
Are you ready to listen?
Are you awake once again, you show.
So, let me explain.
I want you to do yourselves a favor, when you listen to a lecture of any speaker, you must listen to what amount of tawheed and Akita is in that lecture without the lecturer mentioning to hidden aqeedah then you know Subhana Allah, that you are able to understand the speech, because if you hear a speech and you cannot relate it to him and to Akita, without that speaker mentioning those two words, then you have lost from the moment they start with Bismillah automatically you relate it to Allah, when they say, Man you related to a name of Allah, quality of Allah and Rahim etc, so many things they will say in fact, everything we have is from Allah and Allah alone. So we spoke today on
tauheed. On another occasion, we will speak about the importance of following the Prophet sallallahu Sallam soon and how it should be followed. May Allah make it easy for all of us, like I said, we learn and we learn every day. And may Allah subhanho wa Taala Bless you all my time is up aku kolyada wa sallahu wa Sallim wa barik ala nabina Muhammad Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.