Mufti Menk – Ramadan 2022 – Boost 10 – The Most Effective Speech – Dubai
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of fasting during prayer, dressing properly, respecting others, and respecting culture. They stress the need for professionalism, hard work, and being sensitive to others' feelings. The speakers also advise parents to use correct language and not try to be perfect. They stress the importance of learning to be the greatest asset and working hard to improve one's life.
AI: Summary ©
Salam alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah he was early he was happy here Jemaine, my beloved brothers and sisters, the first thing we want to commence with is to ask Allah to accept the fact that we have fasted today.
And we ask Allah to accept the salah of taraweeh that was fulfilled today. Thereafter we ask Allah to accept all our fasts to make us people who achieve the correct benefit from the month of Ramadan, which is the closeness of Allah known as Taqwa. gooty Bala ecomo Serwaa mahkamah katiba Eilon
gobbly goo. Lankans
on fasting is prescribed upon you like it was upon those before you in order that you achieve Toccoa.
When we say Taqwa many people have different translations of it, the essence of it is always the same. It's a connection with Allah. You are fasting because you want to be connected with Allah, you have come to the masjid because you want to be connected with So may Allah subhanahu wa taala grant us a connection with him.
Today I'm seated here in front of you about to remind you not about myself, not about someone else but about Allah and His message. So when we sit in the house of Allah, there is a beautiful etiquette, when we've asked you to lower your phones, when we've asked you to behave in a certain way. It's not for me or for someone else. It's for Allah, this is the house of Allah. And this is the Islamic teaching the value that Allah has asked us to uphold is that when you come in the house of Allah, make sure that you are dressed correctly. Make sure you follow the etiquettes make sure you make life easy for those who are around you. Make sure you make space for people don't make a
noise. Do you know Allah Almighty says in surah? Two?
Yeah, Benny dama. Who those in
the masjid Oh, you are children of Adam. When you go to the places of sujood here talking about the houses of Allah that we're in right now. Take pride in your dress, make sure that you come dressed appropriately. If you have a very important meeting with someone important, I assure you would wear a good set of clothing. It would be aimed, you might apply a little bit of perfume, you may want to look neat, because you know I'm going to see a VIP who is the greatest of all, is it not Allah, you're going to see Allah you're going to communicate with ALLAH, a little bit of pride in your clothing in your appearance is very important. Now you might think I use the term pride. But pride
is haram for a Muslim. How do we look at that? The English language has diverse meanings of the term pride in the Arabic language they have.
They have divided it into a few categories. One is to be happy that you're a Muslim. If you say I'm proud to be a Muslim, it doesn't mean I'm arrogant to be a Muslim. It means I'm happy to be a Muslim. So if the pride you are speaking about is happiness, or it is to do with discipline, it is permissible. I take pride in my dress, it means that I dress properly. I'm disciplined in my dress that's permissible. It's okay. I am a proud Muslim means that I'm happy to be a Muslim. I'm not going to hide it. I'm not scared of being a Muslim.
But if you say so and so is a very proud person then you are talking about kibra law yet hold on Jana Turman, Karna fickle behemoth Carla Huberty min hardily min Kibera. The Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, He will not enter paradise in whose heart there is an atom's wait worth of pride. Here he is talking of keeper. So the Companions May peace be upon all of them. May Allah be pleased with all of them. They asked a question that you said that if someone has an atom's weight worth of pride, they will not enter paradise. So what about us, we love our clothing. We love our convenience, we like good things, you know, he said that is not what is being referred to by the
term pride. In fact, what is being referred to is Botterill happy or humbleness. When one rejects the truth they
came in front of him. He's arrogant.
And when one despises other people, he's arrogant.
We are speaking about Islamic culture, Islamic values. One of the greatest teachings that we have is we respect all people. We respect all people, we don't belittle others, you might not be as educated, we will not belittle you, you might come across another who might be cleaning the street, you offer him the same greeting with the same smile and the same respect that is a Muslim.
When Bilal ignore Abba, who was Habashi from Africa,
was addressed in a derogatory way by one of the companions.
Not because he wanted to insult him, but it was a habit of the pre Islamic era. They used to call people, slaves, they used to call people, any bad name, because they weren't from us.
So the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, immediately corrected him and said, You dare say that to this man. SubhanAllah. You don't speak to him that way, no matter what complexion, no matter what. Race, no matter where he comes from, he is one of us. Subhanallah that is the beauty of our culture, the Islamic culture, we are all the same a NASA sia cas9 missions, people are equal, just like the teeth of a comb equal, we are equal, in what sense? Respect I respect you. It's okay. Allah will judge you on the Day of Judgment. But in this world, when I see you clearly doing something wrong part of our culture is to be straightforward, polite, and correct someone part of Islam. You see me
doing something wrong, I see you doing something wrong. The first thought is to think of something good, if you can. What that means is, I saw a person running out of the masjid while Salah was going on. The first thought is maybe there is an emergency. That's my first thought. Shaitan will come to you and make you think look, he wants to skip salah. Right? Don't think negative, you're a positive person, you're a Muslim. Why would he have come to the masjid in the first place if he wanted to run away during or prior to the prayer?
So you can say it was an emergency and leave it it's now between him and Allah. But if you get an opportunity to see him, brother is everything. Okay? I saw you running out of the Masjid. Then if he gives you an answer and says, you know, I just felt a little bit lazy. I don't think you're going to get that, by the way, but I'm just giving you an example. Then you can tell him that you know what? That's not something that a Muslim should do. Now, look how I'm speaking. What did I say? That's not something a Muslim should do? We need to try to do better inshallah. Now, the language I'm using is today's language. What does that mean? Today, you can no longer tell a person you are wrong, and you
are the person you are, you know, you are a bad person they are it's not like that. It's not like that. Are you going to encourage them or not? Part of our tradition and culture is to speak to people in a way
that brings about harmony, unity, together with the correct thing. You see? So if I say we can do better, if I asked you how many of you do not pray five times a day, please don't show me your hands. I'm not asking you. I'm just saying if I were to say how many of you do not pray five times a day. And you if you were to tell me.
You have many ways of someone can say iStockphoto Hola. Hola. Hola. Wala Quwata illa biLlah. Now the villa, you know, this is Cofer. You know, this is not right. You know, this is this, this is that. But in actual fact, we know it's wrong. We can say my brother, we need to do better. See, it's an equally serious statement. But it's worded differently. We can do better. I can do better. You can do better. You don't pray five times a day. We have a lot of hard work to do. That's another way of wording it. Did you hear that? What did I say? You have a lot of hard work to do. That is professional. That is a proper way not breaking the hearts not being judgmental. Because today we
have a problem. If someone tells you something totally wrong, and you try to correct them, they might say don't judge me.
A person with a glass of alcohol in their hands and you say Brother, you know it's not what we're supposed to be doing as Muslims. I'm sure you're aware of that. Bro. I worded it so nicely. I worded it so beautifully. Someone else would have said oh, the biller. Someone else might have said haram
they're not wrong to say haram ba
We are telling you, my brother, that's not what a Muslim is supposed to do you know what the snap answer is today of the youth. And the boys and girls out there, they will tell you stop judging me. I am not judging you, you are judging yourself. You have the glass in your hand and you're sipping it, you can't even tell me that it belongs to someone else. And if it were, I would still tell you, we have a lot of hard work, because you know what, we're not meant to be even holding it in our hands for someone else. That's Islam.
So the point I'm raising is never ever feel bad when someone corrects you. You know, the young children when they are doing Quran, or they're learning something, and the teacher or the lecturer happens to correct them. When they are saying a yak and they made a fatwa on the iron, or they did a calcula on the iron. And the teacher says a Cana boo. Don't jump on the end, because it's not one of the five letters of calcula. For those of you who know what I'm talking about,
and the little boy starts crying. Why are you crying? Because I got it wrong.
Don't worry, no cry, don't, you will grow in your perfection. If you take it in your stride. Thank Allah be happy smile, try again. Make a mistake again and again. And one day you will get it right. But if you cry and you feel bad, and you you want perfection from the very beginning, it doesn't happen that way. Someone had to teach you that one plus one was to you, all of you and myself. They had to show us when we were little one. And another one is now how many? Two? That's when we knew one plus one is two. Otherwise, when we were little, what did we know? We didn't even know one and we did not even know two.
Now we know all the numbers SubhanAllah. So when someone corrects you, even as an adult, in your prayer, in your speech, in your movements, in your etiquette in your character in your religion, don't feel bad. Take it in your style. Don't say stop judging me. They are not judging you. Most probably it is advice. Advice is not a judgment. It is good advice. I'm telling you, my beloved sister, we can do better in the way we dress. Listen, what did I say? We I said we can do better in the way we dress. I didn't say you are not dressed properly. Because that's none of my business. What's my business is us as an ummah. I need to improve myself and you too. And the way I'm going to
word it today for the most sensitive generation of all time. That's where we live in. It's the most sensitive generation, you make one movement of your eye and they will tell you, you are emotionally abusing me. Subhanallah all I did was I just did this to you. And that's abuse. But that's the generation we're living in. I'm traumatized. Why because you showed me an i La Ilaha illa Allah La ilaha illa. So yes, we need to be very loving, very caring. That's our culture. Look at the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, he had a connection with children. Why? Because he used to want to develop them and help them to grow as adults, he would greet them like an adult, you know, a mistake
we make, arguably, but it is a mistake. We talk to the little ones as though we are also a little one. So it delays their growth sometimes. But if you speak to little children with proper correct language, they learn it very quickly. That's why those children who have been brought up in the midst of a lot of adults grow up very quickly. They learn a lot, they speak a lot and so on. And those who haven't had the good fortune of being with so many, there are pros and cons, I guess, but they may it could be that they delay a little bit although nowadays you have the scream that they learn from. Have you noticed a lot of the little children speak in a CoCo melon accent? Yes,
they do. And the parents come from the subcontinent. They speak in a different accent. Very clarified accent, Allah grant us ease.
And the little child speaks proper Coco mela and Masha, why? Because they've picked something up. The same would apply. I'm not saying it's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm just giving you an example. The same would apply when you start teaching your children how to watch the correct channels because you show an interest in those channels. More and more of the religious teachers are using the internet in a way that is appealing to the children so that they can start watching goodness in these cartoons rather than that which is futile, futile means I'm not saying it's bad but it's a waste of time sometimes. Did you learn your Salah? Did you learn your prayer do you come
to the masjid Do you speak the truth? Do you help at home do you speak nicely?
to your sisters, your brothers, do you address your parents with respect? Are you a helpful person? Sometimes these things they would learn from watching cartoons that are beneficial cartoons, because you didn't have the time. We're all busy. Dad is at work mom is at work. Sometimes mom is busy doing the chores and father is not even at home sometimes. Where Do the Children learn from? Well from somewhere, make sure that that somewhere is something good because in our tradition in our culture, Allah gave us children as a gift. It's an Amana look after that, Amana May Allah bless those without children with children. And may Allah grant those who have children that those children become the
coolness of their eyes, my brothers, my sisters, as we develop human as humankind, we need to be sensitive about those around us. Every time I opened my mouth to talk to someone, I need to ask myself who is the person I'm speaking to? What do I want to say? What have they gone through in their lives? Because sometimes
it's like a boxer. The first time you go into the ring or even the gym the first time you go to the gym, it's not going to be easy. You look at people and they are doing all their reps. You know the reps the repeated exercises, as though they are machines. Mashallah, Mashallah. Mashallah, mashallah, mashallah Subhanallah
and you stopped and in two minutes, you're already so tired. And you can't even do anything because you know what, it's your first day, come back again.
And then come back again, force yourself to come back for one whole month after that. Automatically you will go and there will be a few other youngsters looking at you mashallah, mashallah Masha. Now, it's the other way around, you see, but if you don't push yourself for that one month, nothing is going to happen. The same applies with boxing, you go into the ring, first time you are knocked out maybe because you don't even know one punch. And ah, I didn't know how hard it was going to be. Who told you to get in so soon.
But when you go and practice and you go again, and you go again, and you're changing, when you are 2030 days of practice down the line, you're still not a professional, but you are trying, if someone comes and starts laughing at you at that moment, they are fools because they don't know where you're heading, you could become a world champion.
The same applies in religion. When you see someone struggling, ask yourself is this person trying if they are trying, they might be slow, very slow, but one day they will be proper in sha Allah in the deen of Allah. For as long as they are trying. It's a good sign. Don't discourage people, give people importance. They have so many problems they are dealing with in their families, you don't know what they're going through.
You don't know who talks to them and how they are waiting for someone to say a good way to them and you should not be another person who speaks back to the same person. Make the difference? You don't know what they're going through in their life. Some people have lost their jobs. They don't know they are filled. They are drowning in debt for example. Some people have lost family members they have lost some health some people have been diagnosed with sickness and so on. And here you come busy judging them while they are trying to cry to Allah subhanho wa Taala what kind of tradition Are you following? Whose sunnah? Are you following? Which Islam? Are you following?
Are you not going to be compassionate? Are you not going to think about others? Are you not going to talk to them giving them an encouraging word? You know the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. He sent ma dibny Jabel of the Allahu and Abu Musa luxury to Yemen, to present Deen to a group of Christians. They will not Muslim and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam sent them and told them what to do and what not to do. And in brief, he said Bashira wala tuna FIRA warrior sera wala to a Syrah that is the cornerstone of calling people towards good, especially in our day and age. What is it Bashira means give people good news. Don't chase them away. Give them good glad tidings. If you
do that, especially in an age where people are struggling and suffering you tell me we are all seated here mashallah We look so calm and so content you know why? This is the house of the owner of contentment, that's why House of Allah, there is an ambience and the spirituality and the Rowhani in this beautiful Masjid.
That is not found outside.
It's Allah.
But all of us are going through some form of issue problem examination test hardship difficulty
You may be sickness maybe lost a loved one, whatever it might be. We all have something unique from Allah. That is a test and the challenge. Do you know what? If someone comes to you and gives you reassuring news will you not take to the message you take to it? Don't worry my brother everything will be okay work hard, do your best if you fail, no stress you write again mashallah, Mashallah. So long as you tried hard, you fail, no problem.
Try again. Inshallah, you will pass with flying colors by the will of Allah subhanho wa taala. Someone says, you lost your job, no problem. Let's help you to apply for jobs in 20 different places. You went for one interview, two interviews, three interviews, four interviews, all of them are coming back negative no problem inshallah. The 10th, one that comes will be the right one, don't give up at nine. Because what happens? You say, look, I went for so many now I'm giving up. But there was just one more left. It's like the man who was digging for the gold. The gold was 100 meters beneath the ground. And 10 meters, he said is too far. 20 meters. I'm tired. 30 meters, is it
no chance. 98 meters he gave up and went away. What happened? He was two meters away, come on two meters away. He just had to dig a little bit more. This is what happens in our lives. So someone asks a question, well, when is it going to happen? I don't know. Allah knows. But keep going. Keep going. When it happens, you're going to forget about all the difficulty hardship and problem that was in your path before. So you don't know the challenges people are going through give a positive message. But Shira wala tuna, Philip, don't chase people away with harsh words harsh tones with a harsh style by dooming them, bring them in slowly but surely be conscious of what they are going
through. And the challenges they're facing. The world is a difficult place to live in. It's challenging. Yes, Sera Walla to make things easy for people don't make it too difficult. Don't make things too hard. If the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is saying make things easy for others who are we to make things difficult for others? We cannot Don't make things difficult for others. Now, you can't be a smart Jack when your father is getting you up for Salatin, Fajr or your mother or your spouse. And you say come on make things easy. Let me just sleep. No, that is Farah we're talking about further than haram. We don't compromise what those to something which is
compulsory. I cannot compromise that. You have to get out of your convenience zone out of your comfort zone to do what is the command of Allah, whether you like it or you don't like it Salatin Fajr is compulsory. You must get up if someone says have you done Salatin Fajr you say no, you say
you must do better than that. My brother look at our wedding it
we must do correct mashallah, look, the young boy here is correcting me. That's right. We must. We must do better than this tomorrow. It's a way of speaking to people so that they don't feel like you are preaching down to them you are preaching across because if you have one thing negative with you, maybe I have another thing negative with me or more than one.
That doesn't mean I must not tell you, I must tell you, but in a nice way.
Also, when it comes to haram, like I said two things we don't compromise for love and haram. What that means is, if something is foreign, we have no option. Or America candidate, meaning
me not in either lung, well, as soon
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I'm bringing him it's not befitting for a believing male or female that when Allah and His Messenger has dictated something, they then feel that they have a choice about it. True Believers don't have a choice. They know if Allah said it, his messenger said it. They've instructed it. They made it compulsory. I don't have a choice. They made it haram I don't have a choice. If something is prohibited, it's prohibited. And if something is permissible, it is permissible. Yes. But if it is compulsory and obligation, then I won't be able to do anything about it. I have to hold it exactly as Allah has held it. So my brothers and sisters I pray that we can do better. I pray that we can do
better today we are sitting in this beautiful Masjid. I've already spoken for 25 minutes do you believe that?
Do you believe that?
Mashallah. But I want to tell you as I will leave here today, I will leave you with a lot of love.
A lot of good feeling. A lot of connection may Allah grant us love for His sake. And may Allah help us to learn
This connection be a connection of correction.
You know what that means? May this connection be a connection of correction? I want to be a better person you came to the masjid and I came to the same Masjid to remind one another about the owner of the Masjid. That's all. I want to tell you have a better relationship whether it is the law of the Quran, improving your dress code, watching your language, improving your duties Unto Allah, your Salah, your charities, whatever it may be, improve it, because you will be asked on the Day of Judgment. What did you do? You went for a talk for example, you heard it? Did you change something in your life to make it good? Did you become a better person? Were you more interested in the deen
of Allah? What is Islam? Islam brings about goodness, it brings about amazing character conduct beautiful culture and tradition. It brings about extremely beautiful mannerisms and character that is Islam and it brings about a connection with the owner of yourselves and myself, Allah who made me and you and I'm going to return to Him. That is Allah. So my brothers, my sisters, as we leave this evening, let's be courteous. And at the same time, let's learn to help one another. Let's learn to be the greatest asset. Do you know I end with the Hadith? The Prophet sallallahu wasallam says, Pharaoh Nursey, and vow humbly Nursey, Cairo Nursey. And that only nurses,
the best of the people.
Who are they?
Those who are the most beneficial to the rest of the people?
Did you hear that? The best of the people are those who are the most beneficial to the rest of the people. How many people have you helped in your life? How many have you helped in your life, the more you have helped, the better a person you are in the eyes of Allah. So this world is all about helping people. That's the Hadith. That's what the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has said, bear that in mind, go home think about what I have said. Let's try our best to enrich ourselves with this great deen of Allah and this beautiful culture and tradition of Islam, that we have a colloquially ha or SallAllahu wasallam or Baraka ala Nabina. Muhammad was Salam Alaikum Warahmatullahi
Wabarakatuh