Mufti Menk – Navigating through Hardship
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the benefits of working hard and not giving up on one's job to achieve their goals, as well as the importance of staying patient and not giving up on past struggles. They stress the need to invest in one's relationship and use others' capacity to make a better decision, as well as finding a connection with Allah and finding a way to achieve comfort and success. The importance of avoiding anxiety and not giving up on one's own success is also emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
Smilla Rahmanir Rahim Al hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah, who Allah, Allah, he was happy here to mine.
My brothers and sisters,
Allah Almighty has created us in a way that he wants us
to navigate through hardship from time to time, in order to refine us, strengthen us, allow us to move on to the next level in order to help us connect with him in a better way, in order for us to realize the favors he has bestowed upon us.
In order for us to lead a better life eventually, had it not been for hardship, we would not have known what is is, people do not appreciate something until they experienced the opposite. You wouldn't know what cold is until you know what hot is, you wouldn't know what growth is, or profit until you know what loss is. In the same way, sometimes we are leading a life of ease and we don't realize it. So Allah Almighty says, We want you to understand that we have given you ease, we've given you good health, we've given you so much of goodness. So we will take it away for a while in order for you to appreciate that we have actually blessed you. And then when it's taken away, do not
despair. Do not become despondent, don't be a person who gives up on your own maker who's blessed you all along, but rather, understand and remember, it's just a period of time it's just a phase. It's just a passing cloud. It's just a moment that we will have to endure For indeed, as you bear patients, days will come that will allow you to witness is one after the other by the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala there is no one from amongst us. No one seated here. No one who is going to watch this, who has only ever had everything easy throughout their lives in a way that they wish and they want.
When mankind calls out to Allah, he asks Allah
why would he ask Allah
when Allah Almighty loves you,
He grants you the acceptance to engage in worship, because he doesn't need that worship. We know we are believers. So we know that Allah Almighty does not need you to worship him. It's you who needs to worship him. The benefit of your worship is yours and not the Almighty is like Allah Almighty says, if everyone is going to disobey Allah, it does not displace the value of Allah or the ownership of Allah in the smallest way, not at all. But rather, it's for us. When I obey Allah, I will achieve the benefit of that obedience. When I am trying to get connected to my maker, I will achieve the benefit of it in the last few days. I have spoken about how when you believe in the
Almighty and you have hope in His mercy, the quality of your life is far better than the one who doesn't believe in the almighty becomes depressed and sad when things happen. As a believer, when things happen to me,
as much as it may bring about sadness, because I'm a human being, I live in hope. I live in tremendous hope. And I live with a sense of joy for having been chosen to engage in an act of worship known as patience or sober that is only granted to those whom the Almighty loves. When Allah loves you, He gives you an opportunity to go through sober
when Allah loves you, He gives you an opportunity to go through some summaries, patience, he wants you to be patient, he loves you. In ama you were first sabe Runa. Jerome before hearing is
Allah says
he recompenses those who are patient
immeasurably. That's what he does. He gives you reward
immeasurably because you bore patients over what he has chosen for you, he gave you an opportunity to bear patients. So now, if you look at the Quran, or the Old Testament or the scriptures of the past, you will find that all those who were chosen by the Almighty to be
messengers or prophets, those who were chosen by the Almighty. And we know they were chosen, every single one of them has been through hardship, difficulty and guess what type of difficulty more than you and I,
the Almighty did not create us to enjoy ourselves on Earth in a way that we forget that this earth is very, very temporary. And it's going to come to an end and we will come to an end here.
He didn't create us in a way that we should be forgetting him while living here, rather than living here should strengthen our belief in the fact that when this world comes to an end, we're actually going to a far better place.
And that's why as you grow older, and perhaps you're on your deathbed, may Allah make it easy for all of us because we have to pass through that de l Mo. To baboon we're couldn't do Nursey the Hill who death is a door that every human needs to enter and will enter and shall enter at some point, whether you like it or not, you have to enter the door. When I'm a believer, I will enter the door with a smile.
I know it's tough, I know that I am going to live for as long as the Almighty wants me to live. But when you're unwell or on your deathbed, as I said, a believer has hope to say you know what, I tried my best while I was on earth. Yes, I'm a human. Allah Almighty made me a human being I'm not perfect. Perfection is for the Almighty. He's made me with imperfections. And he knows my struggles. He knows that I've gone through and I will go through so much. He knows whatever I'm going through, he knows that I kept trying. He also knows I faltered from time to time, I fell into sin from time to time, but I kept trying and I did not give up and I kept seeking forgiveness. And I kept speaking
to him communicating with him, I try to be better every day. That alone is a source of hope for you and I, because we kept trying. We did not give up
a true believer and never gives up no matter what has happened. The worst case scenario as people say is, you know what, it's so bad this person could die.
In reality, everyone has to go. If you were to be asked, when would you like to go? You wouldn't like to go. So Allah says, We won't even ask you the question, we will do you a favor, we will take you and we know it's better for you to go. That's it.
Because if we were to ask you, when would you like to go? You would never go.
You wouldn't want to go, but we have something better for you in store. They say when a person sees what's prepared for them in the Hereafter, they would be super excited and so happy.
Forgetting completely and totally the earth in what it had.
It's irrelevant. I've given an example of how all of us have forgotten completely and totally how life was in the wombs of our mothers.
But were you there?
Yes, you were there. But can you remember? No, I can't tell us were you on earth? Yes, I can you remember? No. Because you in such goodness. You in so much. Do you know what happens to us sometimes you're really thoroughly enjoying yourself and you're so busy. You forget your family members who are far away to talk to them to speak to them sometimes to show them to phone them etc. And people say why didn't you call me? Why didn't you find me? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot forgot me. I don't mean forgot as in you're not important. But you know what? I was so occupied, hang on, hang on, hang on. You are enjoying there without me. Subhan Allah, may Allah grant us goodness, my brothers and
sisters. They will be hardship. They will be difficulty we have one gift, many gifts. But one, number one.
We have the gift of faith. We believe in the almighty we no good days will always come after the difficult days. The days when we thought we were broken and there is no way out. Allah Almighty suddenly opens doors and suddenly we see nearly all of us perhaps we may have had days, when we really felt like there was no way out. It was tough. It is so hard. I just wish that this earth could open and swallow me and today you're sitting and you're smiling and saying you know what? All those problems were solved, who solved them? How did they resolve? It was a miracle was it not Allah? So that means if you are going through that today, don't worry tomorrow a day will come when
you will even forget about what happened.
If you remember it will just be slightly, not much.
Allah will open your doors, Allah will bless you keep trying, keep praying, keep doing better, because we are weak environment we know how it is the pressures of society, community, those who are around us, the world is changing on a daily basis. Every moment the world is developing, changing, it's not getting any better, things are getting tougher, but your faith keeps you going. I know Allah has a plan.
Secondly, another gift of Allah is
we are in it together. How's that? We are in it together.
When you have another person struggling and the other one struggling, someone was asking me, I heard there's going to be a credit crunch. And I heard there's going to be a recession. And I heard I said, Well, we'll cross the bridge. When we get there. I don't want to speculate Subhanallah
if you're going to suffer, I'm going to suffer with you SubhanAllah. And if anything, we're going to help each other that's what it's going to be I'm surviving, you're surviving. If I go down, we go down together, Masha, Allah, may Allah subhanahu wa taala, grant us ease.
Look at the people struggling in Pakistan, look at them struggling in Afghanistan and other places right now, as we speak with the floods and so much more. To be honest, the fact that there are so many of them together, it makes it a little bit easier for them even before the aid comes from afar. May Allah use us to help them may Allah use us to help even in a small way, and may Allah make it easy for them.
But imagine, if you're the only one
and everyone else is gone, that would be tough. That would be really, really difficult. May Allah protect all of us. So one of the gifts of Allah is that we're together, you have someone you have people around you, sometimes you might have a bad relationship with those who are living immediately around you. But you can always navigate through that by turning to the Almighty, perhaps, depending on what the matter is, what the situation is, if the communication is not helping, if you're involving others has not helped, you may want to detach a little bit for your sanity, for your sanity. Like I say, it depends what the matter is. You don't just break your home for a small thing.
You don't just run away because someone disagreed with one or two things about you and your life. Not at all. Because you might go away and there might be 20 things that will go wrong, where you were, there were only two things wrong. So thank Allah don't throw a gift that Allah has given you. Because if you do that he might not give you another one who knows.
So appreciate what you have. But if it is really difficult, if it is almost impossible, if it is really so hard for you to take that it is starting to affect you in a huge way, remember, and if there is no improvement, and you're not you're noticing there's nothing Allah has shown you a way out, you can go further. You might want to detach, no matter what you might want to go and live on your own perhaps if you can afford it, you might want to seek the help of someone further apart.
That also is a favor of Allah. At the end of the day, he's created us such that we have within us an element of care for one another, if only you recognize your maker.
Unfortunately, in the material world, many people many people would prefer to see another
being destroyed
or going down they it would make them more excited. When they see something bad that happened to someone they begin to say mashallah Alhamdulillah. Allah, you're supposed to say, in alumna here in La Habra, June, you're supposed to be sad when someone else is suffering a loss. But unfortunately, we are witnessing a growing number who show happiness at the loss of others simply because they're jealous, or they've had a difference of opinion. Or they might have had a little bit of an altercation. And now suddenly, they're excited that this brother or the sister has suffered.
We should never say they deserved it. No, don't say that. Even if you think they did, no. Because the next person in the problem could be you. Try and reach out to them. offer some help. Because when you're in a disaster, you will also find others offering help. And that help when Allah puts it in your heart to reach out to others. Remember it is Allah helping them through you. We always say this. I remember in this hole I spoke last year, and I remember saying in fact earlier this year, and I said
when you played
To a certain cause, that is a necessity. People are struggling, you've pledged, it's Allah who's giving them but he loves you. So he's put it in your heart to give to the right place so you can earn a reward, while helping them. That's what it is. But if Allah wanted, he did not need to use you. He's giving you an opportunity.
And when you help, you will always find that the Almighty will help you in other difficulties and hardships. And in your own life. Like the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him says, Can Allah who founded Abdi McConnell, Abdullah, Fe, Allah continues to assist a worshipper for as long as that person is busy helping others. So if you help others you will be helped, in what in your own matters in your own affairs.
So thank Allah for this. Similarly, my brothers and sisters, look at the positives in your negative, that's how you navigate through these negatives. Navigating through hardship, is to look at the ease you're in what is the ease you have, Allah might have taken away a few things from you, but Wallah, he, he has given you so much more, he might have kept away from you four or five things he might have tested you with five or 10 things, but trust me the other millions of things, hundreds of 1000s of things he's blessed you with, that you've taken for granted.
You sit today and count, count the number of problems you have, what do you have? What is gone wrong in your life? Wallahi you will count a few things on your hands. That's all what went wrong in your life. Tell me what do you think you will tell me I don't have a job, etc. This went wrong that went wrong, you will count a few things.
I said something similar a few days ago. And a brother comes to me in the evening and says you know what? You're so right. I was sitting there and smiling at myself saying this man is so correct. The problems I have are only five, five major things that have gone wrong.
I don't have this I don't have that I have this problem, this issue this and this issue. That's it. And what went right in your life, mashallah you're breathing you're seeing you're speaking you have clothing, you have a place to go to, you might be struggling a little bit. People sometimes if they cannot get the luxuries that they're aiming for, they become depressed. But that was a luxury. You wanted something that was not a necessity.
When Allah says, We will provide for you, He will provide for your necessity. Beyond that he did not guarantee it.
Do you know if wealth and material items
were
the most important thing and they were the sign of success of a human being on Earth?
Allah would have given it firstly to His messengers.
Firstly, he would have given it to his messengers, right at the top of Muhammad, peace be upon him, Go study his life. He had so many opportunities to be the richest and the wealthiest from the very beginning. When the people of courage came to him and told him, We will give you whatever you want
to quit what you're saying and doing.
He said, No,
no.
No matter what you give me what I'm doing is never going to be stopped. So he had an opportunity to be wealthy. He had an opportunity to be the leader. He had an opportunity to get everything. He didn't compromise the truth.
They then threatened him. They threatened him and they fulfilled some of those threats.
He didn't give up.
Look at the Prophet Jacob May peace be upon him Jacobo Alayhis Salam, he kept on saying something that I want you to learn so that you can navigate through your difficulty with the same prayer. What are Allah Momina Allah He may Allah at that level on he kept on saying this. I know from Allah something you guys don't know. What was it? It's the Promise of Allah that you do good, you will get good.
You strive you will see the result. Allah has promised not just him but all of us. So you need to know Allah's promises the truth, what's the worst thing that could happen? The worst thing that could happen is not actually that worse. I go back to Allah for Wow. The same Allah I'm calling out to now I have a chance to go right to him Subhanallah
so Allah Moomin Allah Hema Allah Tala moon, look at the faith, the conviction. You might argue that that's a prophet of Allah. Yes, it's true, but we are not prophets of Allah. Yet. When we derive a lesson from what they went through, we will achieve comfort. Keep reminding
yourself, a better day is going to come.
Goodness is going to come. Let me do what Allah has given me the capacity to do and inshallah the rest is in the hands of Allah, I'm going to leave it to him, he will do better for me.
Now, some of you might be obviously I'm speaking to a vast audience. So each one has different issues, different problems and difficulties. If you have hardship, in your life, in your married life, for example, or in a relationship.
You have hardship difficulty, don't just keep on saying, Allah will make it happen. Allah will make it easy, Allah will make everything you know, smooth. When you are doing nothing about it at all, yet you can. So number one, if I cannot do anything about it at all, then I rely on Allah I make a DUA, I ask Allah to open the doors for me if after a certain time, the doors are not opening, and I ask Allah to grant me the opening of the doors, if it is better for me and the doors are not opening, consider it a sign from Allah for you to move on in life.
That's what the dua of istikhara is all about. We ask Allah Oh Allah, if this is good for me better for me, make it easy for me open it for me grant me Baraka in it. And if it's not good for me, not good for my hereafter, close the doors, block it.
Turn me away from it, turn it away from me and make me happy with the fact that you have not given it to me. There goes. You see the DUA obviously here. It says 434 Annie was with me and who, Oh Allah, turn us away, if it's not good for me. So the door is closed, the other door is closed, another door is closed six months past a year passes two years past, you know what it's about time for you to recognize that these doors are not going to open. If there is no light, things are getting worse than you are to blame to just sit back and keep saying, Allah will open Allah will open Allah will open, Allah can open and will do whatever he wishes, but he has also given you a
brain a mind a capacity, he has given you
the energy, the capacity, the understanding, to do something about the situation.
So if you're unable, do you make dua? You wait for some time you see what's happening and you make a decision and you move on? And then don't look back and cry over spilt milk. 20 years later, you tell your husband or your wife? You know what, 25 years ago I was supposed to marry someone else, but I ended up marrying you. Well, why didn't you you see? Too late don't talk like that? Mashallah. Don't talk like that. What was meant to be 25 years back? You don't want your wife will come? We'll come back with a with a line. What's the line? Well, you should have married her then isn't it? There goes Allah grant us goodness. Just as you think you're fed up, she's probably even more fed up.
No, my brothers and sisters we talk like this. But in actual fact the reality on the ground up no matter who you marry, there will be sacrifice that is required. You need to be patient, you need to work on your spouse, you need to sacrifice and you need to invest in your relationship otherwise it's not going to help invest in it. You might see and reap fruits after two years, five years don't just give up because a few minutes went wrong. The first few months went slightly Rocky, no. You don't just give up you work on it, you invest. Today, we have a habit of giving up a lot of people if they've given up without having tried, they come out of it and later they regret I should have
tried. I should have worked harder. Obviously I'm not talking about those who've been in something toxic unbelievable. Because today's world there are some things that are happening that are so absurd, you wonder if actually the person is speaking the truth or not. But then you have to believe them because you hoping they wouldn't lie. And you start learning that look what's going on on Earth. So if it's really toxic and really unbelievably terrible, you can get out of it almost instantly no problem.
But for minor things, a little sacrifice here and there. Some form of you didn't call my mother and you didn't find this person and we didn't go there on the day of Eid and I didn't like this and you know you didn't
you had one bite more from the burger and so on. minor things come on guys. Mashallah. May Allah bless you and all of us. So let's understand that the size of the problem. And then remember, if Allah has given you the capacity to do something, use that capacity to do something, engage in beautiful discussion, talk to others, perhaps speak to respectable people all give it some time. Maybe you'd like to address the matter in this way or that way. You know better your situation.
And after a certain time, you can make a better decision or a decision that
You probably wouldn't regret.
So with the help of Allah, remember, you pray
and you should know in your heart that Allah Almighty will grant me an opening and Allah Almighty will definitely solve my problem and resolve it in the same way that he's resolved the matters of so many others. The stories in the Quran are not there for no reason they are there for us to learn lesson. Use of Alayhis Salam I just mentioned his father Yaqoob he says Allah Muhammad Allah Hema Allah Tala mon He says, Go back look for your brother. I know something you people don't know how Allah has promise.
Look at the other messengers. Ibrahim alayhi salam, what struggles Did he go through so many? Enough so many SubhanAllah? Did he give up? No. Today we mentioned him with the best of mentions amazing Ibrahim alayhis salam,
amazing prophet of Allah, the father of the prophets, Abu Ambia. That's what is called the father of the prophets, because he had children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all those to follow from his progeny. Mashallah.
Did he go through struggles? Yes, he did.
If we had to gauge his success, based on what we gauge success with today, we would have said this man is a failure, a Stanford Allah, Stanford Allah.
Because how many accepted his message look at the Prophet Noah, we speak about him, we talk about him, not just us, the Jews and the Christians too. And they know his sacrifice. It is reported that in 950 years, between 11 and 80 people accepted his message.
What's the success rate? They're
almost new. Do you agree? 950 years 11 People accepted? Come on, that's the lowest figure, the highest figure at let's say 80. For every 100 years, not even 10 people. What's the success rate there a year passes not one person, not one person. 10 And he's a prophet of Allah and he's helped by Allah and the angel Jibreel comes and whatever else happens happens and Subhan Allah.
How was success measured? He was the most successful ever at the time.
So six success is not measured by what people think.
All the time.
Did you do the right thing? Yes, I did. Well, you've succeeded by the will of Allah. Did you go through your struggles? You thank Allah? Yes, I did. Well, Allah has chosen struggles for you. And they are tailor made based on your capacity. He knows that by going through this, you will arrive at a new level, we've become stronger, we've become better. You see you have a puncture. For the first time you're driving. And you think to yourself, What am I going to do you start panicking, don't panic, don't panic, get off and inshallah you will be able to repair, change the tire, perhaps you might want to use one of those sprays, where it inflates your tire once again, for a while you can
move until you get to the nearest service station.
The next time it happens, will you panic as much as you panic the first time the answer is no. Why? Allah has already strengthened you the third time it happens. Been there done that. The fourth time you're driving with someone, it happens to them for the first time, but you're in the car, what do you tell them? You just wait sit here, sorted out five minutes, and we can carry on? What happened? Who strengthened you? Allah strengthened you by allowing you to taste it three times. Now you're an expert, you might decide I'm so good at this. Let me open a garage where I can repair tires. How did it start? It started with something you thought was a disaster.
It's a simple example. You can give that example anyway.
So not everything negative that happens is actually negative. It's the beginning of something positive perhaps.
It depends how you look at it, you seize the opportunity.
I know of a brother who told me once that, you know, my business that I have, and it was a multimillion dollar business. He says it's the result of a motor vehicle accident I made with someone the two of us got talking. And it resulted in us doing a deal and the deal went so well that we decided to go more and more. I said what happened to the vehicles he said you don't even want to hear the story. Today they have a fleet each Subhanallah How did it start? Because we made an accident now, today when you make an accident they take out well I don't know about this country but where I come from South Africa. Perhaps they would take out their guns and they would start
screaming and shouting one might fire in the air to say you are this Come on. Why don't you just talk about something else you might
strike a deal and you might end up also a multimillionaire with a fleet in 10 years time
could happen. Allah allows you to meet people for you. It's a coincidence for him. It's not a coincidence today I'm standing in front of you. Not coincidentally, it was planned and designed by Allah.
So don't allow things to sadden you when you know you have your LORD with you.
Even if you're weak, you have your LORD with you. Because you know you are trying.
People struggle with their faith. And they think they're the only ones struggling with their faith because it might be apparent that they are struggling with their faith. Did you know that sometimes those who appear to be very religious are also struggling with their faith in a bigger way that struggle is between them and Allah, they will come, don't give up. And don't allow your struggle to make you think that you are abandoned by your Lord, and that he doesn't love you and that you are not worth it. You are worth it. You are definitely worth it.
You're breathing, there is hope. You're alive, there is hope, turned to your makeup, develop a better relationship with him. You know you're standing seek forgiveness every day for the sins you commit, don't give up hope.
People say, you know there is a sin that I keep doing, I do it again.
And then I seek forgiveness. I do it again. I seek forgiveness. Now I'm feeling so dirty that I don't even want to pray. I don't. Now that is the devil. That is shaytan. When you sinned and you sought forgiveness, you're still a human, close to Allah because you you felt the guilt, you sought forgiveness. You sinned again, same sin, you sought forgiveness. That's your maker, you move on. You sinned again, you sought forgiveness. You try your best to hold yourself back. Perhaps the gap between the sins is actually made longer, which is a sign of improvement. But the day you think you're not clean enough to pray to Allah is the day the devil shaytan has convinced you that you not
even worth it.
That was his plan. He waited for you. And he got hold of you. And he made you think that you know what, that's it. I'm not worth it. Don't allow that day to come. Remember to turn to Allah. Remember, my brothers and sisters, there is hope. Don't give up. Never give up. You navigate through your difficulties just like we all do. They may be bigger, but Allah has given you the strength to go through it. There may be days when you might cry. It's okay. You're a human, you may cry.
But I promise you better days will always come. And as the better days come the almighty promises you something and I end on this note, he promises that He will throw at you a few more curveballs when you will face bigger challenges Subhanallah
I had a puncture, it ended up in me opening a garage to repair tires. When I had an accident. I now own a huge panel beating company. Wow. Are you following what I'm saying? It could be the opening of your door to sustenance. Learn to say Alhamdulillah Allah colohan, Praise be to Allah upon all conditions. It's not as bad as you think it is. Although it is bad.
It's a difficult one, right? It's bad out there. But it's not as bad as you think it is. You can manage Allah will give you the strength he has. He will allow you to be motivated from time to time so that you are rejuvenated. I'm going to pray. I'm going to dress appropriately. I'm going to try and eradicate the few things I'm doing and you know what I know the Almighty loves me and as you're doing that you will face challenges not because the almighty dislikes you, because he wants to open doors for you that were never opened before. Go through the challenge. Your difficulty must not drift you away from Allah it must bring you closer to Allah and in that way you shall succeed and so
will I Akula ko Leha wa sallahu wa sallim wa barik ala Nabina Muhammad