Building Bridges Tour, Mufti Ismael Menk at Kasarani Indoor Arena Nairobi, Kenya
Mufti Menk – Mending Relations
AI: Summary ©
The importance of Islam in the culture of the United States is discussed, including its significance in bringing people together and balancing their values. The speakers emphasize the importance of forgiveness and building bridges with others, as well as the negative impact of small differences of opinion. They stress the importance of not allowing others to do things that you do and the responsibility of others to take care of their bodies. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of not allowing others to do things that you do and the responsibility of others to take care of their bodies.
AI: Summary ©
Salam alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
smilla rahmanir rahim In the name of Allah subhanho wa Taala Most Gracious, Most Merciful Alhamdulillah he was Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Allah Allah He was happy when
we praise Allah subhanho wa Taala we thank him upon all conditions we send blessings, and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his household, his companions, we ask Allah Subhana Allah to Allah to bless them and to bless every one of you, and your offspring to come up to the day of May Allah bless them say, I mean
you must be wondering, I'm not yet married, how am I offspring going to be blessed? Mashallah, don't worry. When you say May Allah bless my offspring, it is an all inclusive do odd to say, May Allah give me the best spouse, and then the offspring and then bless us all. So just say amin hamdulillah. My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, have you ever sat to think who exactly you are? You might say Yes, I did. So who are you? I'm a human being. Have you ever thought what is the meaning of the term human being? The me in Arabic? It is called a dummy. Why are dummy? Do you know why? Because Adam alayhis salam was the first of human kind. The first species Allah subhanho wa Taala created.
The first of this species was Adam alayhi salatu salam, we are called as the main because we are the family of Adam.
Okay, what a beautiful, beautiful way to begin. The reason I start this way, is because many of us forget that we're actually related.
We're actually related in many ways. And we are part of one huge family.
Yeah, I
call upon uncle Co
Op, we have created you from a single male and female in Surah Nisa, Allah says, Yeah, you
should Taco Bell como la de cada paku a levy holla.
Hayden, oh people, be conscious of your maker. Be conscious of the one who made you, He who made you from a single soul from one soul. Speaking of Adam, Allah, his Salatu was Salam.
And Allah makes mention of this in many places within the Quran. You know what Allah subhanho wa Taala says,
Allah pada holla como
como.
A cat is JOE DOOLEY. Adam, Allah makes mention of the beginning, when we created you, when we fashion you fashioning meaning we gave you your identity, your shape, we gave you your posture, we placed all the organs in the place that we knew was the best. And then Allah says, we told the angels to prostrate to add them. Adam was the first and you and I know that everyone frustrated besides a police, a police who was the devil? Why did he not prostrate? Because he said, and I
mean, who I am better than him. I am better than this creature whom you have created, Oh Allah. From this, I learn that when I don't acknowledge the favor that Allah has bestowed upon others, I have developed a quality of the devil. The devil was he who did not acknowledge the favor of others that Allah bestowed on them. People make money, did they steal from you? No. So keep quiet, thankful to Allah, be thankful to Allah, someone is more knowledgeable than you. Don't be jealous, someone is better looking than you don't be jealous. And by the way, we are all good looking Subhan Allah, we are all good looking because it is so unique, that the tastes that Allah has kept of what is termed
good looking within the hearts and minds of people differs.
You might look at someone said, ooh, beautiful, and some will say What? What in the English language they say one man's meat is another man's poison, but I will not say that. The reason is, it's not meat and it's not poison.
We're talking of looks, Mashallah. You might argue that I already said it. But I said I didn't say it, okay?
So don't be jealous at what Allah has given others because Allah has given you something unique as well. You have something you might not know it, you might not have recognized it. But Allah has favored every one of us in our own unique way. Amazing. Some people are extremely intelligent, but they are not wealthy, some are wealthy. But guess what? They haven't really had qualifications. Have you ever seen that? You find some people very rich. And he'll tell you, I just dropped out of school in grade seven. Have you heard that?
See the yes means in Kenya, we have some of those Mashallah, but Alhamdulillah it goes to show that education and sustenance are not necessarily connected, although we have to work hard. And we have to rely on Allah subhanho wa Taala. Why do I start this way, I start this way to show you the diversity that we have. We have the wealthy, we have the poor, we have those who are extremely intelligent, those who might not be up on that level. And when I say extremely intelligent here, it's also speaking about those who pass their o and a levels and secondary school examinations at the beginning, the first time and those who had to repeat it twice or thrice before they passed and
those who did not pass, but they were dropped out for some reason. You are never a drop out from the mercy of Allah. Remember that you are never a drop out from the mercy of Allah. Just remember that bear that in mind, and in the same way, I want the mercy of Allah, I need to understand that the rest of the people here are my family members. Were lucky I was seated in front of you for a few moments filled with love for everyone. Well, I, I was thinking to myself, these are my brothers. These are my sisters. I may never know you personally. But guess what? You have a place in my heart. And the reason is, you are my family. What was my great grandfather's name?
Adam, what was your great grandfather's name? Adam Subhan Allah where the mink came from? I don't know. But anyway, it was Adam and after Adam, it was no, no holla is salatu wa salam O Allah says in the Quran, wa Jalla reata, whom all backing it was his family that Allah gave the continuity to the rest of them did not continue, which means I'm related to you through new alayhis salam guaranteed your forefathers knew my forefathers. No. And guess what? It's even closer than that. If only, you know,
I did a little DNA tests. I'm talking of myself. And I was impressed to know 15 generations going back where I came from what happened, and Subhanallah you might be wanting to know, but I can tell you, it shows that we are really definitely related in many ways.
So therefore, when you look at someone, look at them as though they are your blood. They are. If you were to cut me, you would see blood, if I were to cut. Or if you were to extract some blood from yourself, you would see blood Subhanallah there are only a few blood types that you have on Earth.
Amazing. So Allah subhanho wa Taala created us from a single source, we are human beings. And that means we are part of one family. It's not fair, my brothers and sisters, to think that you are the only one who deserves to live and everyone else they do not deserve to live. It's not fair. In the same way you have a brain, a mind, eyes and nose, you your opinion is very dear to you the same way other people have that right? They all have exactly the same idea. So if you were to think you're the only one and they were to think they're the only ones you would clash, you would clash and it would not help you in any way because they would be disaster and chaos. Let's go back to the
teachings from the time of Adam alayhis salam take from the Quran. Take from Revelation, the scriptures that Allah has revealed. Let's look at the version that the Quran has which is the accurate version. Allah says what lie Lie him nabba Ebony Adama been helpful if Baba
photo cobalamin howdy Hema while I'm Muta Ballymena for a beautiful story of the children of Adam, first generation children. He had many children according to some
His wife Hawa, alayhi salatu wa sallam gave birth 20 times Mashallah strong woman hamdulillah my brothers don't compare and don't compete. May Allah bless you.
She gave birth 20 times each time she bow, twins, male and female.
Each time she bought twins, so she had 20 boys 20 girls,
the ruling at the time regarding marriage was you are allowed to marry the one who was not born with you in the womb at the same time, because obviously that was the beginning of man rules and regulations with different etc. And remember, when Allah created Adam, Allah salatu wa sallam he took from the various parts of the earth, different colors of earth. And that is why the shades we have exactly the shades of the soil across the globe. Subhana Allah, have you thought of that?
That's Allah, Allah created us, however, two of his sons.
They started becoming jealous and one of them became jealous of another Actually, that's more accurate. In Arabic, the names have been an appeal in the English language, the names Abel, and Cain. So Cain became jealous of Abel. Do you know why? There were many reasons? One of the reasons was because as mentioned in the Quran, when they gave a charity as per the instruction of the Almighty, then one was accepted and the other one was not accepted. And if you go back to the reasoning behind that, Allah subhanho wa Taala says it in the Quran, one was taken, one was not taken, how did the charity or how did it become known that it was accepted, it was through the
burning of the fire, they would leave the charity on the mountain, and the fire would come and burn the one that was accepted. And if it remained there, it was not taken.
So because one was given with a good heart, he gave good, what we would term stock he gave that which was pure that which people would benefit from etc. He gave it with a good intention. Allah accepted it. The other one Allah Allah knows, but Allah did not accept it. So one became jealous of the other. Why is yours accepted mine not. Now look why I started with this example.
We are speaking about mending relations today. The theme is building bridges. We have to build as many bridges never destroy a bridge. Remember, when you destroy a bridge, how are you going to cross it? You need to build bridges as many as possible. The last time I came to Nairobi Subhana Allah I remember it took much longer to get around. But today I noticed the new bridges new flyovers, what happened. It took us a very short time to get here although I didn't realize when they said we are starting at 230 they were talking about Zimbabwean time.
And we started for your information exactly at 230. We will not a minute late, but it was my time, not yours. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us I looked at it positively and I came up with that. I hope you looked at this positively to Charla, my brothers and sisters the point I'm raising, when you build a bridge, you get to gender in a quicker way. You don't go via jahannam you see you building bridges, you are building relations, why? It's your family? If you're real brother, if your real brother was a stray? Wouldn't you cry for him? Wouldn't you try with him? If your real sister, one mother, one father was a stray or they were deviant? Or they made a mistake or they were on
drugs? May Allah help us all or they had a bad habit? Or, for example, they might have left the dean for a moment or two. What would you do? You would be worried you would be concerned you would cry You would try you would approach you would want to solve the problem. But you would not want anyone to attack them harm them, destroy them and say right, you made a mistake. I'm killing you. stole your law. That's what happened at the time of Adam alayhis salaam, what did you learn in the same way you want to Subhan Allah in the same way you want to correct your real brother or your real son or daughter, you would need to have the same passion for the rest of humanity because we are all
sons and daughters of Adam and we are all brothers and sisters. But the problem is we don't ever sit and think about it. We don't ever sit and think about it. You are seated next to someone today. That's your your sister or your brother. Not just in faith, but in humanity to begin with. You share the same parents Subhanallah some way up the ladder. Do you realize that you could be different races, colors, tribes, that means nothing in the eyes of Allah.
is only there in order to recognize each other. Allah says, what
we have created you in different tribes, different people, in order that you recognize one another.
You look slightly different, why you come from a different tribe, I look slightly different, why I grew up in a different part of the globe, I belong to another tribe, it is not in order for us to say my tribe is better. And this is a sickness that we face in the oma and on the globe at large. every tribe thinks that it is better than the other.
every ethnicity believes that I am more superior. You want to get married this in no way. Those people are bad. We all say this. Remember this. Even good people say this, they need to sit and think about it. To go back to Islam. Go back to Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam teachings, he calls it Jaya helia. He says it is bad. It is distasteful. It is ugly and unacceptable to draw lines, according to your tribes. When you are human, you belong to the tribe of Adam. Those tribes are only there to recognize each other. You are created with different facial features, not for someone to say because you're not you don't look like me, therefore I'm going to treat you differently. No, it
is in order to recognize Imagine if we all looked the same.
It would be boring. You want to get married join the queue. Why? next number? It's like buying a bottle of Coke. And you just stand in the queue each one collects from the crate. We are insane. We are human being we've been honored while others llama bunny. Allah says we have honored the children of Adam, we have given them honor. they carry themselves in such a beautiful way. Amazing. In another place of the Quran. Allah says lapada Kala pournelle is an Effie Sangeeta, can we, we have created mankind in the best possible posture.
I love it. I love that verse. Because when I think about it, it's a lot challenging you and I are saying, we created you in the best posture. No other creature has a better posture than you. And you if you think about it, you can never come up with a better posture than what we have given you. Have you thought of that?
And I love this. And I'm going to say it. Some of you might have heard me say this before. See your fingers?
Can you think of any better way of positioning any of these fingers? Or any organ of your body? Can you think of a better place to place it?
Any any organ think of a better place than Allah Putin? Imagine if your hair was not here? What would have happened? Well, mine is not because I'm bald, by the way. But Alhamdulillah. Imagine if your ears were not here. They were somewhere else. Think of a place? I cannot imagine if your nose was at the back. What would happen?
I wonder what would have been here then. Maybe some hair. You might have a hairstyle here the front.
Imagine your teeth if they will not hear your mouth was not here. It was at the back. I wouldn't. I wouldn't want to eat this way here. So Allah says we challenge you we made you the best, the highest living that way. Why is it we are so honored by Allah. But we fight worse than cats and dogs with people who are our family. Like I said, when you have your own son, your daughter, your own brother and sister who have done wrong? Wouldn't you like to reach out to them in a beautiful way? Well, the rest of us are brothers and sisters. But because the families become too big, we don't know exactly where we've been meeting. But we know at the back we met somewhere up the ladder.
It happens to us when you have big families. second cousin, third cousin, they don't even know that we're cousins because they're too many people and they don't want to know nowadays.
But we go back learn from the Quran. Allah says one became jealous of the other. So what did you say? Straight up? The Aqua Toulon I'm going to kill you. That's what the Quran says. Cain told Abel, I'm going to kill you. Why do you want to kill me for what is killing to start with? Who taught you how to kill shaytan the devil. The devil taught him what to do to his brother. Otherwise, before that, who knew what death was they didn't know. It was the beginning of creation. Nobody had died yet. That was the first death. It was a murder. Have you thought of it? The first death. The first crime to be committed on earth in that regard was a murder and the first life to be
Last was through a crime.
What did you learn from it? Why did Allah mention it in the Bible? Why is it mentioned in the Quran? Why do we have to read it? And we just think, Oh, that's a tale. Abel and Cain, Cain killed Abel. I remember when I was learning it when I was young. I used to mix up the brothers which brother was the one who had jealousy and which brother didn't until one day some smart person told me
Cain, Cain killed Cain. So when you hear bill you might say, Bill katella He's the one who killed and after that, I never forgot it like that. Odin Sulaiman? When I was young, I used to mix up who's the father who's the son? They said, The is the dad, sir, is the son I said, Wow, beautiful. SubhanAllah you'll never forget that now. Right? That word is the dad so a man is the son the answer? Beautiful. The same applies kaabil is the one who murdered because his cattle Cain killed Abel. Okay, so Cain was this guy who had a cane in his mind. Why he hated his brother only because Allah blessed him. My brothers and sisters, what is the biggest blessing you have today? What is the
biggest blessing?
Isn't it your Eman, your faith, your conviction, and thereafter everything else follows.
In the same way you would not want people to kill you and harm you because of your choice of faith. You should not kill them and harm them because of their choice of faith. Subhana Allah, we are struggling as an oma, we are destroying ourselves as an oma, because we've become people who don't understand this. Allah kept a day of judgment to judge people, you don't need to say because I differ with this person has, I'm going to be nasty to them. Don't be nasty. Don't be nasty. We have suffered enough on the globe all over.
By witnessing people attacking those they differ with in one or two matters. I will differ with you. I'm a human, I like this color, you will like another I perhaps follow this faith, you might follow another I tell you what, I have the right to follow what I want. And what I believe firmly is correct. But I am wrong. If I believe that the others do not have the same and equal right? Because I'm a human. Allah gave them the brain and the mind and they disagree with me.
Simple.
build the bridge, don't destroy it. How do you build the bridge? Reach out to the people with your difference? reach out to them, speak to them, engage them if you have to? Subhanallah I want to ask you a question. We are living in a country where we are in a minority of talking of this country, my country that I come from Zimbabwe For example, we are in a minority.
Mashallah, we believe we are correct. The Christians believe they are correct. The Jews believe that they are correct.
Among the Muslims, they are sects. This one believes it is correct. The other one believes it is correct. The third one believes it is correct. What is our duty? Don't we work with one another for one another, we drive on the same roads. Imagine a person I'm a Muslim, I'm not giving a right to these guys. You bump your car, my sister. That's not how you think you give right to anyone no matter who they are. Even if the car is tinted, and you don't know that there's a ghost driving. It's fine. Nowadays, they have those cars. I don't know if you've heard of it. They call themselves driven vehicles, they trying them out. By the time they get to us they'll be working properly for
now. While they're still testing it, it will be in the First World inshallah we only accept the affected items.
Puzzle positive way of looking at it. My brothers and sisters, what else? They're going to tell us you guys are 20 years behind. We say no, no, no, we wait for you to make all the mistakes when he's perfect. We will take it from you don't worry. May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us all. So imagine if you thought that I will not fulfill their rights of the road, because they belong to a different sector of faith, what will happen you damage your car, you damage your life, you damage you injure yourself, because you are foolish. They have a right to be on the road just like you have.
Same way they have a right to live just like you have. When you walk into the store or when people walk into your business. Do you say right before you enter here fill in the application form. What faith do you belong to? What inclination do you belong to? What sector do you belong to? How did you earn your money, they would not come to buy water from your place. Never you would be at a loss, your business would run at a loss. So we are ready to entertain people of all * and all faiths. When it comes to our business that is only going to last a few years while we're alive. We will benefit from it. Why on earth are we not prepared to tolerate them in a similar way for something
far more important and that is the deen and our faith.
What is more important belief, Dean or dunya your religion or the worldly life? According to us, it's your religion. If you are prepared
to tolerate people for something that is common logic that you have to tolerate them for regarding business and living and surviving, why can you not tolerate them for something much more important when the Hadith says we're la de la, de la, La Jolla noir hidden? Marina, the Prophet sallallahu Sallam told Ali, Vitali Allah one that Allah He, if Allah uses you to guide a single person, it's better for you. It's better for you than all the materialistic items of this earth. So I will work I will build bridges, I will continue Some may be guided through me having touched them in a positive way. Some may not be guided, but I did my duty.
What was my duty to market the product? What was the product, the dean for me to sell them, whatever my business is, say I have a supermarket. For me to sell them groceries is less important. But I do it. But for me to showcase my Dean, I mean, he job I dress properly, I'm a Muslim, I have a name, I might have grown a beard etc. And I'm so kind and so polite to everyone will lie he they will be touched. guidance is not in my hands. If the Prophet sallallahu Sallam was told by Allah, in a gala, demon Babita or Allah,
La Jolla de money.
It is not you who guides it's Allah who chooses whom to guide, he guides whomsoever He wishes. If that was told to Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, and Allah told him, my Allah was only in lalibela been the duty of the messenger is only to convey a clear message conveyed. Once you've conveyed it. The rest is in the hands of Allah, my brothers and sisters, that is called our that is called inviting people. Our duty is to invite through what your character your conduct, you discuss with people, yes, you market your product, they will try to convince you about their product. So what they have the right to do it, just like you have the right to do it.
People will come to you and say, and it's happened to me.
When I was young at school, I had a friend I went to a Christian College and Mashallah the all the people of the majority of them were not Muslim, and they were a lot of them are Christian, most of them. One of my closest buddies. And you know, when I once said, this is a very important clarification, when I once said that one of my closest friends was a Christian boy, someone actually said she said, it's haram to have a Christian as a friend, how can you say that? I said, my brother. I'm allowed to marry a Christian. Do you know that? How can you say it? You've misinterpreted the verse of the Quran, the verse of surah, Allah either does not say you're not allowed to befriend the
ordinary Jews and Christians, it's talking of war. It's talking of those who have betrayed you. They've driven you out of your homes, those who have fought you go and read the explanation that Cyril qurani bill Quran Surah mahina, Allah explains it. lionhart como la la de la la musica de la confit Dini? LMU credo comin dare come to Babu moto Casa La him in La Jolla Hippo pursuing in como La Nina de Nakata, Luca Dini waka juku media recoome
Allah is Raji come
and tell him the term Alia is being translated in Surah monta Hina wilaya talking of someone who is going to protect you at a time of war, when you are going to be striking an alliance with those who have driven you out of your homes, they have proven their hatred for you, then even your own father or mother will tell you, son, don't befriend those who have fought you. Common logic, common sense. But otherwise, Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about that which is kosher, that which is the meat or the food of the People of the Book.
Are you allowed to eat it? I know there might be some rules and regulations but the general verse of the Quran is that tamo navina oh tokita by Allah come water I come home, the food of the People of the Book is permissible for you and your food is permissible for them. You cannot change that verse. Never. You cannot. It was one of the last verses revealed in the Quran for your information.
To marry a person of the the people of the book I'm talking of the Jews and the Christians in Islam, there is a permissibility
am I supposed to say you know what, I can't be friend you not allowed to be your friend.
But I'm gonna marry you. I'm
gonna marry you. You can learn
Your spouse, even though she may not be Muslim, technically, I know you must be saying what did he just say? Go and read the Quran. Don't argue with me. That's Allah. Yes, there are rules governing it. I'm not saying there are no rules. But technically we know it's permissible. It is a verse of the Quran, you cannot deny, no one can deny. Like I said, it's one of the last verses revealed towards the end of the life of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
So this young man tells me that you know what,
I want you to become a Christian. And he explained to me a lot of his detail. I told him, Well, I want you to become a Muslim, I believe in Jesus anyway. But it's you who doesn't believe in Muhammad peace be upon him. And we used to talk about it every day, but we lost no connection in terms of friendship. We were still friends up to today, he became a religious leader in Christianity. And you know, where I am sitting Subhanallah up to today, I if I see him, interact with him communicate with him, we talk about faith. But he's my brother in humanity, because he is also from Adam. The problem is, we become so passionate that we start hating people, rather than discussing the difference. I
hate this guy. Why? Because I differ with him, he belongs to another sect, you know, relax. If that was the case, we would hate everybody. If your own brother belonged to that sect, what would happen to you, you would say, You know what? He's my brother. I differ with him. I'll keep on engaging him. I'll talk with him. But I love him. He is my brother. Well, we are all brothers and sisters. Do you not see the logic? Don't let someone confuse you by telling you you're not brothers and sisters? How could you say that? I heard one of the great chefs saying, you know, our brothers, the Christians, and people fired him, saying how could you call them brothers? He says, are they not our brothers in
humanity? We will all astray at some stage.
We will all astray and in the same way we feel we are right. They feel they are right.
If you are going to start your own way of doing things and developing hatred, you're going to end up like Cain and Abel
start hating on people because something happened to them that didn't happen to you.
So what happened there? He killed his brother.
So Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about it. Allah says
for us, Baja meenan. d mean, I mean, AJ Lee Dallek, because he killed his brother, he became from among those who were filled with regret, filled with regret, he regretted it too late. He's dead.
A lot of the people who harm others who have perpetrated in justices against others, they regret it. Sometimes it's too late. Sometimes it's too late.
I can give you a quick one. Many people just go through a quick divorce, small difference of opinion in the marriage. You know, you like this drink. And I like that drink. Right? Get out go back home. It says it's become as petty as that nowadays, Petty, they divorce and after a while they regret You know what, I shouldn't have done this. Guess what, it might just be too late. It might be too late. That might be a light example. A heavier example is when you harm people when you attack them, when you kill them. When you promote harming others. Take it easy. You want to hate the deed, you may hate the deed, but the individual you keep discussing, keep trying. That's your brother or your
sister in humanity. You share a relationship with them, just like you would when it was your own. How would you like it if others looked at your son or daughter or brother or sister or parent who might be a stray? And they decided to harm them and attack them? And you say No, please don't. Please don't. It's my brother. I'll try to talk to him. Allah says, even to Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam like I recited the verse, I read another one. Allah subhanho wa Taala says
in LA in lol Bella,
your duty O Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam is none other than to convey the message, whether they accept it or not, is in the eyes of Allah. Remember this? What's your duty? My duty is to continue spreading good to continue reminding people they might remind me of something else. I will remind them of what I know the goodness the kindness. I would love that they were to accept Islam. They may not and they might. They might love for me to do something else. I won't if I don't want, but I respect them. They are humans. They believe in their heart something with a similar passion of my own belief. How can I say that you're supposed to attack anyone who's different from you when that
is the case.
Talk to them, address them and understand my brothers and sisters some way
up the ladder, we will not Muslims,
our forefathers or whoever else belong to another religion altogether. Someone was kind enough to come either through good business dealings either through expressing, discussing, relating, communicating in some good way they came. And guess what we accepted the deen, why have we become impatient today? Why
is this impatience that made us speak about building bridges?
And this is why we say you mend the relationship. Look at Abel and Cain had they mended the relationship, it wouldn't have happened. He would not have killed his brother. And there was a discussion between the two of them mentioned in the Quran, which goes to show that Abel or hubby had tried with his brother to convince him not to harm him.
He says Oh, my brother in law.
Ella Yeah, Danny taco tuna Nima and Abby bass Hippo, ma and Abby basilia de la Cali upon to luck in me.
Rob Bell, me, he told his brother Oh my brother, if you are going to extend your hand to harm me, I want you to, and I am not going to extend my hand to harm you because I feel Allah Who is the Lord of the worlds? What do I learn from it? Why did Allah put that verse in the Quran? Someone wants to harm you.
Fear Allah Who is the Lord of the worlds? Why do you want to harm them in return? Why? Learn from this verse, the brother is telling his own brother to say I'm not going to harm you. The reason is, I fear Allah. This proves that those who harm others in the name of Islam, if they don't fear Allah, you follow what I'm saying?
They don't fear Allah, they create chaos, they create confusion, and they don't like people who promote anything besides that confusion.
I read you verses of the Quran regarding the first crime. And I'm showing you the discussion that happened. The brother says I'm not going to harm you because even if you harm me, I fear Allah, please don't. let's engage in discussion. Talk to me. Let's understand each other. We are brothers. The brothers still killed him. When he killed him. Allah says
he became from among those who regretted I read that verse after that Allah says, mean agony Danny caca taberna Bonnie is
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enough Seaton.
phenol FACA
cottolin. So Jamie,
what a powerful verse. Allah says, For that reason, we wrote to the children of Israel, we wrote, to those whom we sent the scriptures to that if you were to kill a single person, or you were to spread chaos and corruption on Earth, it is equivalent in sin, to having destroyed humanity at large. That's a verse of the Quran. If you are corrupt, chaos, you like to spread chaos, and you kill people. Even if you've killed one. You are equivalent to the one who has destroyed humanity because you started a trend.
That will not end in a rush.
Look at the chaos we have across the globe.
We are watching country by country, city, by city people by people in disaster, don't you see it happening? You read the papers, you watch the news. Every day you see people killing each other, burning each other, fighting each other bombing each other? What did you and I learned from that we are watching them burning their houses. We saw why they got to where they got to but we did not learn the lesson. Sit down, relax. Don't allow your house to be burned in the same way. Because tomorrow. We don't want to be a statistic where other people are watching the news about us doing the same thing and we did not learn the lesson. That's why we're talking about building bridges.
That's why we're talking about mending relations mean it. Don't let your ego overtake you in the relation. Try and keep trying. Don't give up. Learn from the destruction of others what destroyed them and understand that if you don't learn from their lesson and you don't stop yourselves from what they did, you will end up in a similar way and no one wants to end up that way. Look at the destruction
None of us want to be destroyed. So why is it that we keep on doing the same thing that they were doing before they were destroyed, they started hurting each other, killing each other, intolerant of each other based on what differences that I have.
I remember once we were talking to someone, and he happened to belong to a different sects of Islam,
and the brother with me was telling me Sure, how could you speak to this guy, you know, I said, What's wrong? I said, you know, if I sat with you now, we would also have our differences, even within one on one sect, it's human, we would be able to My duty is to discuss, I am not saying don't believe that what you have is wrong. or right. I am saying, believe that you are right.
believe that you are right. Don't believe that what you have is wrong, believe you are right. But understand the others have the same right to believe that what they are within is right. And you have the human right both of you to discuss it with one another to talk about it if you want to, to keep on engaging each other if you have to. But you can never shove anything down the other's throat. This is why Allah says law eco Heavy D. There is no compulsion when it comes to entering the fold of Islam. How many people have declared Shahada? I've seen in my own life. countless people. Whenever I have people who want to accept the Shahada, I like to ask them a question. Are you being
forced? Is anyone compelling? You are you show your own freewill? You're doing it for yourself? Because you believe Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Then you can repeat the Shahada after me. But if someone is forcing you, I'm sorry. In Islam, we don't force people to enter into the fold of Islam.
You need to think Allah, we are living in countries whereby Mashallah look, you are dressed with the hijab thank Allah.
You have facilities to fulfill your Salah, the masajid, etc. Thank Allah. Appreciate these favors, because it has already been taken away from others. While I, it has been taken away from others, appreciate it. Learn to contribute to building the nation learn. Stop deceiving yourself into believing that I need to harm and attack and believe ill about anyone who disagrees with me because that is the way the others were destroyed and they are still being destroyed. Where are we? Where are they?
Let's look at another few examples.
mending relations look at use of alayhis salaam beautiful story. I'm sure we all should be knowing the story of the Prophet Joseph May peace be upon him. The Quranic version. Amazing. It is the accurate version. Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about the same quality of jealousy, who was jealous of whom a whole group of brothers who are jealous of one.
They plan his downfall. I want to fast forward the story towards the end.
It was very easy for us of Joseph May peace be upon him while he was sitting in the position of authority. The day that his brother's came, it was very easy to tell his comrades and his chiefs, please jailed him. They have wasted 40 years of my life. According to one of the narrations. The gap was 40 years, how many years four zero.
But he didn't do that. Why is historie mentioned in the Quran? National nanako seleka sanel cosas we are relating to you the best of stories. The whole Surah Surah Yusuf, we hear it we read it we recite it we enjoy it we know its meaning, etc. What lesson did you learn from it? 00 No lesson. The man after 40 years he was no authority he could have jailed his brothers fixed them up punish them like what some of us do with our own brothers and sisters. We become a bit wealthy we become a bit of inner authority and we want to fix our own brothers and sisters because he chose to marry someone from another tribe. I don't ever want you to step foot in my house.
What's wrong with you? What did you learn from Revelation? Are you a godly person? Those who are godly they promote harmony and peace and goodness and solution they build bridges they don't destroy.
A sign of closeness to Allah is your suffered fabby Ma Ma t mean Allah
tala whom Allah says to Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, it is because of the mercy of Allah. It is because of the mercy of Allah that you are lenient with them.
It shows you that leniency is a sign of the mercy of Allah when you are lenient with your family member
Those who work for you those who live with you, those whom you interact with those of other faiths, etc. When you are lenient and trained with them, that is a sign of the mercy of Allah upon you.
So don't be mistaken, Yusuf alayhi salam, what did he do? The best Act, the best act possible. He was building bridges and mending relations,
mending relations with those who had planned to kill him to harm him to destroy him to exterminate him.
Allah gave him authority, it goes to show no matter how much people plan to harm you, or try to harm you, they will not be able to reach you with harm. In fact, their plan might be the same plan that will propel you into success or a successful position, like the story of use of alayhis salam. So Allah says very clearly,
that Yusuf Alayhi Salam asked him a question. Hello, Alan mufaddal, toby usofa he is
he known Do you know what you did to us when his brother while you were ignorant? They looked at him and they thought to themselves, no one knows what we did to us. No one knows what we need to use of besides him and his brother. So this must be useful. They asked him in
let
us have Is it possible? Are you use of a you use of he says
and listen to the answer. I now use
as he called him.
Yes, I'm Yousuf. This is my brother. Allah has favored us.
Allah has favored us. That was his first statement. Why? I don't want to think about negatives. He didn't say I am used to this is my brother. And now I'm going to fix you guys. That's what we would have said is I'm going to fix you. You see you will be jailed for 40 years. We're going to destroy you look at this. Look at that. No, I am use of this is my brother Allah has favored US had it not been for your plan. I would not have been sitting here today. I would have still been playing with you guys somewhere far away. So it was Alice plan. You thought you were doing something negative, but positivity and only positivity came out of the whole thing.
Amazing. Look at how he means this relation. He says, lotta three bar la Coolio. Yo Philo la Hola, como la vaca. He says, No retribution against you today. I'm not going to take any revenge. Zero. Allah will forgive you. Go and get dad and mum and bring them here. Let's have a party.
reunion, reunion with a party with mom and dad and everyone else after 40 years of separation.
If you are not prepared to forgive, you will never be able to mend relations. And Mark those words. If you are not prepared to forgive, you don't need to forget, forgive and forget is not an Islamic concept. But forgiven. Forgive is an Islamic concept. You will have to remember it at the back of your mind. You know what? these brothers this is what they did to me, I forgave them and I love them. You don't need to forget it completely.
It's a lesson. If Allah wanted it to be forgotten, totally. He would not have mentioned it in the Quran. Because why would he want us to talk about it for so many up to eternity actually.
Allah says no learn a lesson from what happened in your past. Learn it. Maybe you want to speak about it in order to derive a positive message or lesson not in order to be negative.
So he says, I forgive you. And you know what Go and call mum and dad when mum and dad came they all gathered around and Mashallah they spoke about the past and use of a salon kept blaming shapen
in the verse he says,
What
do you mean back dn azova, Shantanu veiny, verbena equality. Allah has brought all of you from
the desert, and brought you here, as Bedouins from the desert.
After shapen had separated us as brothers, we will not allow shapen to do that. So what's the lesson? Look at how Allah loved this man so much. Allah mentioned his story in the Quran. Allah spoke about how he forgave, Allah spoke about the beauty. Allah spoke about his achievements. Allah spoke about so much because he forgave after so many years of hostility. If you're not prepared to forgive and forego
you will not be able to build bridges. You will destroy bridges.
You have to have a big heart. Today, all of us seated here, all of us who are going to be watching this or listening to it later on, my brothers and sisters the message I have for you. take a lesson from this. Build your bridges with your brothers and sisters whom you may have destroyed them with.
build them mend your relations, and Allah will speak about you, just like he spoke about use of alayhis salam, in this case it
has stopped, but Allah will mention you with the angels as he has promised. It's a big thing. It requires great courage and strength to forgive.
The one who forgives is the more powerful person.
It is a sign of strength. We all have issues and problems and matters. That's why we are here to remind us to say don't let those matters and issues make you forget the fact that you are actually brothers and sisters he who forgives shall be forgiven by Allah hammelmann filati your ham C'mon fish sama have mercy upon those on earth and the one in the heavens will have mercy upon you. I want to end with one more example.
You know at the time of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the co founder of Quraysh, the people of Quraysh who did not accept the message. They harmed the Muslims, they attacked them. They even murdered some of them. They drove them out of their homes. They usurp their wealth. They perpetrated heinous crimes against the Muslims. They prepared armies to attack the Muslims, the Battle of better took place, the Battle of offer took place the Battle of the trench to place the Treaty of her day appear to place the TT of her debut as a topic on its own, where we learn how to build bridges, Hannah law, and we learned the benefit of building bridges. But I don't have the time to go through
the Treaty of a davia I want you to go through it yourself in the books of Sierra, the books of history.
What was the benefit of building those bridges with your enemies, there was a lot of benefit, a lot of benefit. However, I want to take you right through to the victory of Mecca, where the momineen marched into Makkah
more than 100,000 Subhanallah and they were beautifully
and orderly arriving within Makoto mocha Rama in large numbers, huge armies.
And the people of Makkah knew that there is no way that we are going to survive today. No way. There is only one way.
This man, if he has mercy on us. That's the only way out. If there is anything else, we are gone. He has the right to do what he wants with us. Because we have done so much to them. They wouldn't be wrong if they attacked and harmed and actually destroyed everyone. But again,
position of strength authority. The Prophet sallallahu Sallam gathered them.
He told them
Yama, Shara kurush, are people of koresh. It's similar to the question of use of Allah His Salaam to the brothers. When he says, Do you know what you did to us? Here the Prophet sallallahu Sallam says, Mazda tahnoon omniva ilam become
people of courage. What do you think I'm going to do to you today? Wow.
They could have said anything and he could have done anything.
Because they had wronged him.
And the Muslim mean for a long, long time. What do you think I'm going to do to you today?
They had no response besides the murmur of some of them, where they said, You are an honorable man.
You know what he says?
I will tell you what the Prophet Joseph May peace be upon him. told his brothers.
Habu funtoo tilaka lotta three ballet camileo go, all of you. You are, they will be no revenge or retribution against you today. They were shocked. This is the true quality of a Muslim. This is the quality of the messengers of Allah. Because it is rarely it requires power to forgive someone. You are the most powerful person you have liberated yourself and all others when you forgive,
liberate yourself. For as long as you held it. There was a burden. There was hatred. There was plotting. There was planning, there was harm. There was loss of wealth. There was loss of life. There was so much of damage, no learn. These people had not accepted Islam. They will no ordinary disbelieved.
They were the co founder of Quraysh. They were the ones who harmed and killed the Muslims. And here is the Prophet. He did not say whoever accepts Islam, you are safe. If you don't we are coming for you. He didn't say that. He made a blanket rule blanket. He says, You are free today, there is no retribution. What did he do? He mended relations that were destroyed for years. These are my family members. This is my tribe. These are my people. This is my city. How can I harm them and kill them and destroy them? How will the city flourish and grow if there is going to be fighting and killing in it?
Brothers and sisters, look across the globe. Check the fighting and killing. Are those cities prospering?
Are they prospering in any way? Do people even pray in peace? No, be careful. Don't allow those examples. To fly by without a lesson for you and I. The lesson is I'm not going to repeat what history has taught me. If I were to do, I would only end up in a worse way. Never.
build the bridge. Ensure that you make the difference. Here is the Prophet peace be upon him as a result of forgiving the people of Malaysia wholesale. Most of them accepted Islam, because they were shocked. They were no, they were shocked. Imagine someone's harming you harm with us. It's just our relatives. It's only our relatives who do that.
People who interact with us
normally people complain about my father, my mother, my son, my daughter, my mother in law, my father in law, etc. Those are the complaints.
We're not ready to forgive Allah. The Prophet salaallah. Salah forgave the co founder of Qureshi your mother in law is nowhere near that. May Allah forgive all of us, your daughter in law.
She's okay. Don't worry.
Never mind no retribution. Give them their way. They will come closer to you. They will come so close. Because you did the right thing. My brothers and sisters, this example is correct, not just for your relationships within your families, not just within your communities, not just amongst the Muslims with different sects, but amongst those who don't share with you your faith as well. Because here it is. The Prophet sallallahu wasallam gave you the highest of examples. today. I spent one hour speaking to you. And I've given you example, upon example, from revelation to prove to you that this faith and this religion is all about building bridges. And it's all about mending relations,
mending relations, and that is why the Prophet sallallahu wasallam says laser last syllable McAfee enamel Rasulullah demon Rahim who masala Ha. A person fulfilling his relations is not one who has a tit for tat relationship. They do something you do something, they give you a gift, you give them a gift. They invite you to the wedding, you invite them to the wedding. That's not a powerful relationship. The Hadith says the true maintainer of good relations is the one who strives to mend the broken relationship. Ask yourself, do I strive to mend the broken relations in my home in my life?
If the answer is no, today, you have learned something. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us put into practice what we have learnt May Allah subhanahu wa taala bless you all. May Allah bless all those who have made this a reality. And indeed,
as the MC had said at the beginning, no fidgeting, no doing this, I think I was the one fidgeting and I was the one doing the most May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us ease. You've been such a blessing audience. Well bless you all. May Allah grant you goodness for your patience in sha Allah, and inshallah we will be having another short session. And I pray that you can bear patients with us for that as well. akuto kolyada sallallahu wasallam o Baraka Allah Nabina Muhammad wa salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.
Wonderful, shall we have nothing to reward you with except to pray for you? May Allah subhanho wa Taala give you faith in your work? May Allah subhanaw taala give you a long life so that you can continue benefiting the oma sitting here listening to the chef, I was asking myself and I want to believe that each one of us was asking themselves have I burnt bridges with my brother. It's all about building bridges with yourself
With your family, with your wife, with your husband, with your neighbors, with fellow Muslims, no matter what they are sects are with even other human beings who do not belong to you. Powerful, just like hello, hi, Ron chef, and talking about chef mentoring the oma. I was just given statistics here of
both Muslims who have registered for this lecture. First of all, do you think there are more sisters or brothers that have attended have registered
sisters? Just listen? Well, so you're gonna say mom's end cakewalk Martino in Ohio.
8000 people have registered for this function.
Village sisters are 52% so definitely the brothers are 48%. When it comes to age, do you think the old ones are more than the youth? The youth are more listen to this between 812 and 20 24% 21 to 30 57%. Try to see where you fit for me. I'm not here today. abajo Bardot Mimi and Farouk Adam, no theater 31 to 15 15% 66 and above 1%, meaning she is talking mostly to the youth and talking about the youth. There is a message from me in the presence of the sheriff and before the second session, as we arranged the bench if the bench can be arranged the way you want us to seat, young people, we always look for celebrities, you call them celebs. True not true.
When it comes to football, Ronaldo
and all those funny names, those are your celebrities. And sometimes you have celebrities that are not Sharia compliant at an age when we are talking about Sharia compliant finance Sharia compliant food. Can we call our chef Sharia compliant celebrity? Is he or not?
The message to the truth is this. You don't have to do haram to be a celebrity Sharia compliant celebrity Do you agree with me or not? takbeer.
Now we're going to the second session. But I hope you saw the sea as whispering to me because we began let lit. So we're not going to move for the 45 minutes question and answer. And I was listening to the chef and taking notes with some of the questions that I had prepared for him. He has already answered. So I will not ask him the question that he has already answered. And because you are told this session has to be comfortable. It is a sofa set. Talk. I think I'll give this mic to the show.
No, shut wink. Most of the questions. keep on asking is about your name. We understand his smile. We understand Moosa but mink Where is it from China somewhere the place very quickly. salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah.
My brothers and sisters, I spoke about it in my talk, what were you doing here? Were you listening? Are you are dozing, I was listening. So hon Allah. Okay. I think it's a surname and the surname, sometimes they, I was in interested myself to find out where it's from, and what has happened, and so on. So we found similar names in many parts of the globe. But if you ask me, I really would not be able to tell you so much of detail because I don't have it myself. But I do know that here in the crowd, there are approximately seven and a half 1000 minx.
Because we are all from Adam. And Adam was a monk by the way.
Allah He was a human being and so are we. So Alhamdulillah Actually, I don't know if you know, perhaps somewhere up my great great, great grandfather's, and it came down.
We do have roots within the Indian subcontinent as well as Yemen. So these roots are mixed. And lately we have African blood in us as well. So it's amazing how Allah brings us all together. And like I was saying,
we're all related somehow Charla just like Hello, Hayden. Now, second question. Are you a Zimbabwean by accident? Or by Allah's plan? You do by default? Very quickly. Okay. That's a very interesting question. My great grandfather was in South Africa and he then left from there. 400
And he passed away in Minar. In 19 04, I think. And my father, they're just two brothers. This was my great grandfather. And then he had two sons. and thereafter, my father was born from his grandfather who's Ibrahim. And he, he shifted to Zimbabwe in order to teach the deen. So he's actually a very active scholar, a lot of the oldest generation from Nairobi, from Kenya would know him because he used to visit here in the 80s. And he knows quite a few In fact, when I was leaving, he told me you will meet chef Abdullah food and a few others Please give them chef Rao and some others give them my kind regards and Salaam. So it just to show you that I was born and raised in
Africa. So Alhamdulillah I've been there by the plan of Allah Jazakallah Farah, why is that because some people think that they belong to a country by accident. I believe we belong to Kenya by Allah's plan. Do you agree with me? If you think it is by accident, just park and go, I don't know where you're going.
Share about your educational background, your educational background, because traditionally we are used to people who follow religious trainings, mostly, they don't speak in Muslim they don't use English when they are talking. We followed your lectures mostly is in English. And we know you're also you also educated deeply in Islam, just for the youth to know what is your educational background? I am still a student actually, we learn every day more and more about the deen and I love those who correct me and those who can tell me where I'm going wrong, even if it is in the English language, and I do have people Mashallah May Allah bless them. They go through my talks,
they listen to what I have to say. They correct my language, my choice of words, they correct the way I say things and my pronunciation. They know who they are, may Allah bless them all. May Allah grant them genda to fill those. The reason I start off this way is because I think none of us should think that we have knowledge that is complete, we will never have complete knowledge. We continue to learn, continue to correct ourselves until the day we die. I did start very early with my secular education at the government schools in Zimbabwe, initially, the primary school was at a government school, and I was doing HIF with that, I completed my life with the completion of my primary school.
My father being the chef, I used to be with him, he has taught all my brothers and sisters, the Arabic language and the Quran and have seen and so many other things I learned to do with my father as well who taught us he speaks Persian, he speaks Urdu. And he's learned all these languages. So we learned a little bit from what he has. Then I wanted to I joined the Christian College, which was one of the best colleges in Zimbabwe for secular education being a top student and hamdulillah. And I wanted to always become an ophthalmologist. So I specialized in medicine. And right at the end, I had already studied as much as I could about Islam. I studied the books of Hadith, and so on by the
age of before the age of 18. And so I was ready to become a doctor. And suddenly there was an application that someone had put without my knowledge for Madina, munawwara and the the
acceptance note had come to me while I was still waiting for my acceptance from a certain Academy in Texas in the States. And in the meantime, my father told me, You know what?
You have just been accepted in Medina. So why don't you go, you cannot refuse Madina munawwara and so because I had this Islamic background, I was already a half of the Quran, I could already speak Arabic quite a bit, although it needed polishing, if it were to become the medium of instruction, so I joined the gym and Islamia. The idea was to see how I fitted in if I did Alhamdulillah if I didn't, I would come back and continue with my medicine. And so the deal was when I finish, I would come back and still do my medicine.
If I did finish,
but when I went It was very tough the first year because Madina munawwara and the university there is quite difficult to actually survive in because of the weather because of the heat because of so many differences in the way maybe the dormitories are set out and so on those who've been there, they know the challenges. And we're used to, you know, having our food ready and everything okay, and your mommy looks after you and now suddenly you're swimming in an ocean without mummy having given you the float to float by. So Alhamdulillah there was a time when one of the lecturers was lecturing and that I was
I'm sorry to confess to you that I used to cry, sometimes missing home you know, I used to cry sometimes missing home only at the initial stages.
I remember I wanted to go in my heart I used to say I think I need to leave. And one day one of the lecturers was talking about Medina and the Hadith from Al Bukhari, which says in El Medina tipo de Botton tanfield Sabbath C'mon silky rojava al Haddad, Medina is pure, it chases away and kicks out impurities, the same way the blacksmith blows into the ore to kick out the impurities that had stuck in my mind. And it went into my heart. And I always told myself, I'm not leaving, I'm not impurity,
I'm not impurity, if I leave, maybe Medina kicked me out. So I don't want to go. And so therefore I didn't go. And within the next few months, I started loving the place so much that they came a stage when I had to leave because I had graduated and I did not want to leave. So that's Medina. And that's my journey. After that I went to India, obviously I specialized in the Hanafi school of thought in order to learn and understand and to be able to
learn and polish up the languages that I had learned already, or to do and so on, and to be able to work within our communities and societies, where we have a large ethnic indo Pak community Alhamdulillah I don't regret those days, I really grew so much.
After that, I continued learning I've participated in several symposiums workshops, etc. They came a day when
there is a university based in the Philippines, called the eldest gate University. It's a Christian College, actually. And they decided to award me with an honorary doctorate in social guidance, Doctorate of social guidance. So basically, that happened in 2016 in April, and yeah, Subhanallah I was just amazed. And I continue teaching and learning as best as I can. Just like hello had a wonderful one thing that your father was able to beat me in. I'm not able to indicate my own children at home. Very serious. How was he able to educate? I think, a question for another day. You are the Grand Mufti of Zimbabwe currently, yes. is not a position that you are you an employee of
the government or how do you become a Mufti? in Zimbabwe? That's a very interesting question, because I've traveled to many countries and there to three different types of Muftis. One is, if it is a predominantly Muslim country or a Muslim country, you will find the Mufti is generally a part of the government or he belonging to an arm of the government. But if it is a country where we are in a minority, a lot of the times you will have a national body that appoints a Mufti. So if that national body happens to work throughout the country, they have you know, the the strong relations with the government, etc. The Mufti falls under the National body. So that is the case with us.
magistral, Allah of Zimbabwe is a national body that serves the interests of the Muslims of the country. Over the over many years, they've built approximately 50, beyond 50, masajid, and schools etc. They've done a lot of activities still continuing with a lot of the Islamic institutions, empowered 1000s of the locals in not only Islamic Studies, but secular education as well, which is extremely important. And I happened to be elected as the Mufti since the year 2000. So it's been 1718 years. Every second year, we have elections hamdulillah Jazakallah, Hara. Now, there's a lot in common between Zimbabwe and Kenya, in that we have a Muslim community living within a majority non
Muslim community, how is the relationship between Muslims and non Muslims in Zimbabwe, Mashallah, we have a very, very good relationship with the non Muslims. And like I said, today, and I really mean, every word that I uttered, we have to build relations, we do not break them. We build bridges, be the Christians or Jews or people who belong to the traditional faiths or anyone else it is, trust me, we are citizens of the same nation. If we were to, not to fulfill their rights, we would not be able to survive ourselves. We are in a minority, we've been afforded the beauty of fulfillment of our faith in such a lovely way that sometimes even some of the Muslim countries do not give some of
the Muslim countries do not give their citizens similar rights. We need to know this. It's a reality. I'm sure if you study the world, you come across some of these nations some, but they're there. So we have to appreciate it. And we have to continue understanding, engaging dialogue. We serve on interfaith boards as well, whereby we give and take we understand, and you know, we respect each other's differences, and we know that we will not clamp on the toes of the others. We don't force and we shall not be forced. But at the same time, we respect and we live together, we contribute to the nation together. And Alhamdulillah that's the way I would like to see not only our
nation
But all the nations including yours, develop and grow by the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala. Don't shy away from your Muslim identity because when you contribute to your nation with your Muslim identity, they acknowledge that yes, there are Muslims who are contributing to the nation. And that's how you will achieve respect even amongst those who may have looked at Islam as a faith that perhaps the world is portraying to be barbaric, intolerant extreme. No, we're not we live in your midst, we are in the 1000s, sometimes in the hundreds of the 1000s. And perhaps even in the millions in nations where we serve, they may be from amongst us a small group of people who might have a
warped understanding, we will continue to engage them to to be able to come to the mainstream understanding that is definitely for the benefit of every one of us. May Allah bless us all, deserve Hello hidden, maintain your identity and engage. Remember, in Kenya, the Constitution gives us the freedom of worship, we have the Cadiz courts, we have the Education Act, recognizing the Muslim Education Council, headed by our brothers on our hands sitting here. So we engage without losing your hijab without losing your identity as a Muslim. That is the message move to manque maybe among the last few questions, and I feel it's becoming hot. Now. I feel like removing my jacket. If you
read if you notice I actually told him to turn the fan on before you came in. Because I knew you will feel the heat. Yeah, because I would say and I guess you want to know something else. When he initially started it. It was facing me. And I told him rotated pleased to face everyone because the heat is about to be felt. What our guests What's our topic? I would say that now now. About madrasa teaching. I have a question is possible because of my previous experience when my parents became Muslims, I was taken to actually a Duke see Duke see is a Quran school. And the biggest one of the most important teaching aids or tools of teaching is a big stick. big stick. What you think about
the kind of corporal punishment that goes on in madrasas in education now it is banned. But you know, Madras I can see the minister smiling because he knows exactly what I'm talking about. Okay, there's a
book spoke about Abel and Cain. So Cain was the killer. So don't use the cane. Shannon. I can tell you something very interesting. Firstly, you use the word Dixie. Is it Dixie? Dixie. Dixie is a friend of mine back at home, his name is Duke see.
So when you said we were taken to Duke, see, I thought you know that man is younger than us of halala. But anyway, I learned something. And I'm sure he will listen to what I have to say. And he will be very interested to hear it. But let's get back to what you were saying. My brothers and sisters on a serious note. Who was the best teacher ever? Was it not Mohamed Salah Salah. How many Sahaba did he build and educate? Were they not the greatest?
How many did he beat up in order to teach them?
Even one?
No. So when we beat up the kids, we're actually displaying our own inability. That's what I believe. Because the messenger you claim to follow, never beat up. Look, there's a child in front of me smiling so broad. I hope you're not bitten by your
what's it called the duck? See?
You know, it's a fact when I see the people actually beating up kids, I think to myself, your Nabhi did not beat them to teach them the dean. No, he didn't. How many became happy. Many of them. They were the champions of Hades. They were the Ola. They were not beaten. They loved it. They enjoyed the environment, the company they wanted to be there. Today we're talking about Diem. We talking about faith, religion, building bridges, etc. who forced you to come here? No one Subhan Allah you registered to come on your own. May Allah bless you. I think the reason is, you knew when we go there, we are going to be inspired. We are going to feel like good Muslims, we are going to get
something we need. We are going to actually be listening to something that will empower us. That's why you came so if our Duke says can employ the same methods to empower to inspire, to give people hope to make them feel that identity and not to just judge them and tell them you're going to * and you're going to burn in jahannam and the fire of jahannam is right behind the wall that if you don't keep up, you chase people away from the deen including your own children. They don't want to learn the Quran because for them
It's a burden. I'm going to go there what's going to happen? Let's teach them in a beautiful way. You might say what is that way? Well, that is a topic on its own. I've spoken about it in the past in some of my lectures maybe one day in the future, we might have a workshop to address the limit and one limit inshallah and address this matter but my brothers and sisters, when teaching the deen even in your own home, you encouraging your children for Salah don't say come and read salado Fletcher, I'm going to beat you. No, that's not the way you rather say. Come with me. Let's see. In fact, I want to teach you something that came to my mind now, when you fulfill your Salah, and when
you do something good, have a good expression on your face. Very good. When you fulfill Salah, get up without looking lazy and show that you are so enthusiastically interested in it. When your kids watch you they're going to say look at mum. She gets up so happy in the morning and look at daddy's excited and he goes for Salah. He comes back in a good mood and he's there like the world has actually been thrown at his feet.
They will come for Salah on their own. The problem with us catered for Salah last minute, we are rushing half closed eyes.
Back into bed, the child says oh this is something you're not supposed to be doing.
So it's a method of teaching show a good expression when you wear your hijab for example smile Mashallah looks lovely. You know your kids must see you in a good mood, not I want my job.
That's it, no smiling, the kids are going to subconsciously think that Mum, every time she wears the hijab, she's in a bad mood, you know? No, that's how you educate your kids. Choose the method. Be enthused, be happy when you sit with the Quran sit happily read aloud. Smile, look very excited before and after your act of worship. See, they will come. Anyway, that's something that just came to my mind. So what the point of the whole
issue that I'm trying to raise is that, you know, the methods of encouraging and teaching change with the changing of times, but the message itself does not change. So the dean will not change. But today, you might want to use technology as bait in order to get your child to do things, you have brownie points they can get, you have stars, they can accumulate, you get 10 stars, I give you one hour on your iPad, Mashallah, they will get 10 stars, you can use it as a bargaining tool, we have a naughty corner, you put someone in the naughty corner someone after 50 years, they might come with research to prove that a naughty corner is actually emotional abuse, they might say that because
you're abusing the child. So when they come with that research, we might have to change the method, we'll make a good corner to say everyone else remains here and all the good people go there. It could happen. But we keep up with the times in Sharla. Not that the message changes but the methods change. Everything else is being marketed in the most powerful, beautiful, attractive way. Why can we not use similar marketing for the dean for religion? I think we can inshallah,
that is wonderful. Let us not make our children on Saturday because it's the day to go to Madras. They pray Yeah, Allah, Elena Murat. May Allah sent down disease so that we don't go to madrasah This is what is happening. At least I used to pray that on Friday night, I fall sick more to go to madrasa because terrorism terrorism in the madrasahs. But I'm sure the stakeholders have argued that menawarkan and your team in Muslim Education Council, please we need to do something. There is a picture going on in their social media. Recently, if I can add recently, I saw maybe a picture I'm talking of a video Yes, there was a video of a madam at the school who as the kids are entering,
she's hugging them and turning them around. And each one goes in so happy. And then they're showing my lamb, the chef he's beating one by one shoo, shoo, shoo, as they're going in, you know, have you seen it? Well, I think I sent it to quite a few of the Muslims you know quite a few of them are limine and the teachers and they were telling me we are going to make a video showing a better acrobatics than the other teacher. We will show you I said I'm waiting and waiting Subhan Allah May Allah bless us all. I think that video, it was a little bit far fetched, but it does touch some form of reality. To a certain extent it definitely hits home. May Allah subhanho wa Taala make it a means
of us learning lesson and really your kids, your children, those who are learning from you, they are your friends. Yes, they will be the line of respect because you are a parent or a teacher, but at the end of the day, they are your friends inshallah. I hope that we can make more WhatsApp videos that can show the other side of the coin and I think
stop comparing the Marlin with jabril because they say the only way the prophet SAW Selim could learn Accra is by being squeezed. So the child has to be squeezed. And my answer is that my Hang on, hang on, hang on that lady in that video, was she not squeezing those kids?
That man who was whipping them was no way squeezing them that the cane was squeezing them. Be careful, Chef. Just circle. Okay. Lastly, but not the least, Chef, you'll find a word to Kenyans. You've just come from a very heated political season. We have a lot of things going on in the country, we need healing. What is the final message to your Muslim brothers and sisters in this beautiful country, the pride of Africa? My brothers and sisters, before I answer the question of my my final words for for my brothers and sisters here in Kenya in Nairobi, I want to go back and pick on something that you said a little bit earlier. And just give it a little bit of tweaking,
tweaking.
You see we have celebrities, Yes, we do.
Celebrity when I looked up the word in the dictionary, it means a famous person, someone famous, but unfortunately that word is used in
the pop industry, music industry, etc. So it's become a word that is synonymous with that which is entertainment. So to use the term celebrity when it comes to Islam, leaves a slight bad taste in the mouth, because of reducing it to mere entertainment. When it isn't, or it shouldn't be. So I want to tweak it by saying
if you and this is going to be some point of learning that can go down in history, inshallah. Whenever you learn the deen from someone understand that it is the message you are more interested in, rather than the person who brought it.
So don't glorify me as an individual. If you like the way I put things across, no problem. You pray for me and pray for others to if you like the recitation of a specific Imam, and maybe the recitation of others might not inspire you in the same way or touch you because maybe you like a specific tone or tune. There is nothing wrong in having a favorite should reciting the Quran. And we all do and I do too. And for your information, my favorite changes every time I hear another person
who perhaps, you know, touches a chord within me. Akasha Kimani is a powerful reciter Have you heard of him?
Go and check him out. Really, his recitation touches me radel Cudi, his recitation touches me, for example, originally, I was a fan of saddle comedy, before that, I was a student of generality for a fee, for example, and so on.
But when it comes to
the speech, and the lectures and the teaching, the same rule applies, you might have a favorite, a favorite lecture, because when he talks to you, maybe he inspires you, maybe he motivates you to do good, and maybe someone else might not be your favorite, because they make you feel so unacceptable. They make you feel like you're already burning in *, there's no harm in having a favorite for as long as that favorite is taking you closer to Allah and not to himself. So the day I come and promote my own self, that's the day you go away from me.
Because the only reason why you know me, let's face facts, is because of the dean. If I was promoting anything else, we would not know each other. Do you agree? So let's keep it that way. Let the dean be of motivation. There's no harm if someone is famous, for the right reasons, no harm, there's no harm if you want to go to a specific lecture and you do not want to go to another lecture. There's no harm, actually those who say that you have to go to every lecture, they are wrong. The reason why they are wrong is there are so many who do math, I personally and they themselves who claim that you got to go to everyone, they have their own favorites. They have their
own people who they love listening to why when I listen to this person, I feel like being a better Muslim. I feel like being a better human being nothing wrong. So I don't like to actually use the term celebrity to refer to Islam and the Muslims. And I also need to make it clear that when we do attend the idea should be to obey the instruction of Allah subhanho wa Taala to become closer to be softened. You know.
There is a lot I could say but that much in each Allah is a good enough dose for today.
Getting back to Kenya beautiful place lovely Safari Mashallah although I haven't personally been but I am encouraged because of the the the very beloved person who is seated on my right hand you know being in a very strategic position regarding tourism, it would only be correct if I also gave the lions of this nation a bit of a show Sharla you know so the next time inshallah we'll have our session a perhaps Masai Mara inshallah May Allah make it easy there we are I got it. Will it be fully sponsored check? Oh wow, you heard that guys. You heard it. You know they say strike when it's hot. It was hot we struck chef Mashallah. Mashallah beautiful nation, please build it. Please build
bridges. Please mend relations. Please live with everyone in harmony and peace. Never let anyone make you become a vehicle of destruction. Don't let anyone convince you that your religion teaches you to destroy and harm because it doesn't. We're lucky. We are fortunate to be here and living in harmony. If we are going to disturb the peace, we are all going to pay the price of it in the same way that the others are paying a price today across the globe. Just flick the news channel and watch it. Don't go there. Don't be sensible. The most sensible people are those who see others Destroying Themselves and they protect themselves. I'm not going to do what they did. What did they do
sectarian violence for nothing. calling people caffeine is for nothing is destroying people because they belong to another faith for nothing. Be careful. If you start that way, I promise you, you will end in the same way. Look at what they did. You can be the strictest Muslim you want to be worship Allah and convey the message to others and that's it. You can never be stronger than the nopee of Allah subhanho wa Taala. They were Jewish people he struck an agreement with in Madina munawwara they were people he lived with when he passed away, you know, his armor was given as collateral to a Jewish trader. So he traded with them to
be careful how you look at others, build your nation, respect those who don't share your faith, perhaps they're not belonging to the same sector as you. Like I said, it's your right to belong to what you feel is the best. But it is their right. They might not be convinced who's going to be their judge? It's Allah, Maliki omit the Owner of the Day of Judgment. Why do you want to become an owner of judgment here, every little while these people don't deserve to live, those people need to be harmed. Look at the bombings and the killings happening across the globe in the name of the the one who told us to build, we are destroying in the name of the one who told us
in the name of the one who gave the life in the first place.
Who gave the life Allah who gives you the right to take that life away. He gave it he is more powerful than you and I if he wanted to take the life away, he could take it away. Why do you have to get involved in that? negative way? Be careful. Don't let people confuse you to think that the more religious you are, the harsher you should become No.
A true sign of religiousness and piety is when you're softened.
Like I said, Those who are weak. Listen, I just thought of something right now.
Brother MC Shashi Brahim asked a question about the cane. And what did I say? I said, when you use that corporal punishment, it is a sign of a weakness within yourself. The same applies to violence, when you use violence to to try and compel people to what you believe it's a sign you are so weak, it's the same you are actually very, very weak. The problem is with you not with them, you don't have the patience, the courage, the education to to reach out to people positively. So you want to shove it down negatively. So Pamela, we are facing the same problem inside our own religion. Don't let other people taste that type of so called solution because it's not a solution. So this is my
word to you as a nation. Please, please build the nation contribute towards it. Don't lose your Islamic identity don't. But remember, your identity itself is a dour, the more people who are convinced that Islam is a beautiful religion, the more kudos to you. May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us a good reward is a common law. Just Sokoloff. And I think without note of do not destroy this nation. Do not lose your identity. I think we want to end up there we can listen to the shirt on and on and on. But we have to end it here. There is something there is something magnetizing about the
crowd and that is I just feel like going on and on and on as well Mashallah so silent so patient so beautiful. So Mashallah attentive. Are you noticing the same thing? Would you like to be alone? Would you like to come back again? No, I'd like to sit for longer right now, sir. Can you bring your family here?
Okay, shed Najib is trying to convince me to create a family here to create a family of Mashallah, up to four to four Brother, you are forgetting we are live on TV or, you know, you are forgetting the fact that I have family members who are watching what I'm saying.
May Allah forgive me a man named me they forgive me to each other, just like I love her.
Brothers and sisters. I think that has been a wonderful afternoon when I get to go