Mufti Menk – Ramadan 2022 – Reconnecting with Revelation #23 – The criterion

			Geeta Boone
		

			Jelena who Isla de Gama call me.
		

			Oh, yeah, he was he got all on
		

			Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakato. My brothers and sisters, when disputes happen amongst
us, brothers, sometimes siblings dispute, family members dispute community members dispute, or
sometimes partners in business or whatever else it may be. When these disputes happen, Allah
Almighty asks us as believers to solve the matter, as per the solution offered by Allah and His
messenger. So if we have a problem, and we have a dispute, look at what is right and wrong, based on
what Revelation teaches you. That's what a believer is taught. If you claim belief, you will
definitely never find any form of negativity towards a solution that's offered by Allah, and His
		

			Messenger May peace be upon him. So in Surah, Tillmann, in Surah, two nor actually, verse number 48,
Allah Almighty speaks about hypocrites, and others, whom when they are called to solve the matters
		

			that are between them, the disputes between them in a way that is pleasing to Allah and His
Messenger, or according to the instruction of the messenger, they don't want they turn away. And
yet, if they were finding some right, or they were finding goodness, by doing that, they would do
it. Which means whether or not they follow the messenger in the solutions is connected to what
they're gaining, rather than what is right and wrong. If you are losing something, because justice
dictates that you will lose it. success lies in allowing yourself to lose that. Because, you know,
look, I've lost it, and I'm wrong here. SubhanAllah. And if you're gaining something, knowing that
		

			you have cheated, or cheated the system or cheated, in terms of what was ordained by Allah and His
Messenger, then even if you got it, it's actually a loss. That is something very, very interesting
because many people think that loss and gain is connected to material items. Did I lose the case?
Did I win the case? But if you were wrong, and you know you're wrong, in that particular case, even
if someone or something or some system offered you, what is not rightfully yours, in actual fact,
you've lost if you take it, may Allah Almighty protect us all. And that's why verse number 63, of
the same Surah Surah to Nora, that's right near the end of the surah. Allah says, issuing a warning,
		

			funnily very Lavina you highly funa and Rahim. And to see behind finetune how you see Muhammad, Abu
Salim, Allah says, So warned those, let them be warned who, those who go against the instruction of
the messenger, when the messenger has instructed, when the messenger has presented a judgement in a
dispute, for example, or when he has instructed something, when he has asked you to do something,
and you deny it, you don't want to do it, you think that it's not important, Allah says, well give
them a warning of a punishment, or a calamity that will come in their direction. Now, obviously,
warnings are issued by Allah. And the idea is to make us more conscious of what we should be doing.
		

			And to realize that Allah is all powerful. Just like if you were to break the law, in the country
you're in, you would be punished according to what exists, what type of crime you've actually
committed, or what you've done wrong. In the same way, in any system of justice, where you have
transgressed or done something wrong or committed a crime, there is a payment for it, either a fine
or some form of discomfort that you will feel because of maybe being jailed or whatever else. It may
be in Allah's plan. He does what he wants, Allah will definitely give a recompense of goodness with
goodness and of evil with something similar. May Allah Almighty protect us. Do you know
		

			if we look at Surah tool for Iran, which which actually means the criterion referring to the Quran
and to Revelation itself? If we look at that Surah one thing that stands out quite clearly
		

			is the issue of company, good company and bad company, what type of friends you should be having,
what type of people you should allow into your circle. So, what we must understand these
interactions sometimes are not controlled by us. Because you may be on a bus, you may be on public
transport, you may be on an aircraft, you may be in a public place, you will have to interact with
good people and bad people with male and female, you will have to have to interact with all sorts of
people, people you perhaps never imagined you'd interact with, at your workplace or wherever else it
may be. But it depends what level of interaction it is, it is you who will allow them or disallow
		

			them from entering into a circle that is slightly smaller or closer than the initial one of just
acquaintance and dealing with them for the purpose of whatever it was. So for example, if I'm at
work,
		

			or I have a business, someone walks in, they'd like to purchase something or I am walking in the
street, I see people, yes, I will have to interact with them, either with an expression on my face,
or with a good statement of a greeting whatever else it may be, or I may have to help them if there
is desperation or there is a need. But will I invite them home? The answer is not necessarily. You
don't just invite strangers. You don't just invite people home, unless there is purpose? Or will I
allow them to interact with my family? With my children? will I trust their children to mix with
mine? For that to happen? You will need to test them a little bit more? Are they on your level of
		

			understanding? Are they on your level of morals and values? Are they on your level of faith? Do they
take their faith seriously, as you do, if they tick the boxes that you are interested in, then you
may allow them into a circle that is slightly closer to you, it would be a smaller circle. But if
you were to allow anyone and everyone just because this man is my business partner, now he can come
in and out of my house, his family interacts with mine. And that's it. We go out on holidays
together, we do everything together, but you don't know their morals you don't know their beliefs.
For example, if that were to brush off onto your children, or you or anyone around you, you may just
		

			regret it big time. So Surah Furqan speaks of connecting with Revelation and the consciousness of
Allah to the degree that it helps you distinguish between right and wrong. Hence, it is called the
criteria.
		

			When it helps you to distinguish between right and wrong, you choose your friends wisely. And you
make sure that the friends are all in it in an order, who is closest who is closer, who is for
example, slightly distant and who is just an acquaintance. And some people I don't even want to
interact with them because they're toxic. So Allah Almighty speaks about some of this in the Quran.
If we look at Surah tool for Converse number 27
		

			Why am I out both Vani more Isla de here cool. We are late and it toma lazuli. Sabine. Yeah, why
Elijah and Tony, tell him fallen and Holly isla. Allah Almighty makes mention of the day the regret
will happen. When the oppressive person the wrongdoer will be eating his hands in regret.
		

			Eating your hands in regret is more of an Arabic saying where
		

			we regret to the highest level that we're actually putting our hands in our mouths and biting them
off. You know, that is called eating your hands in regret Subhan Allah. So Allah Almighty speaks of
it, the person will eat his hands in regret and say that, Oh, I shouldn't have had this person as my
friend. Look at what they've done to me. Look at how they have messed my life. Look at what type of
regret I am in today. Look at what has happened in myself, my family, my children, whatever else,
look at the problems they've created. For me, Allah says the day of regret will come when you don't
choose your friends wisely.
		

			So you rather have a smaller circle of friends, where they are genuine, they stand for the values,
they will not let you down. They won't stab you in the back. But they are small, they're small in
number then to have a whole city full of friends. And everyone is just taking advantage of you in
every single way and doing things with you that would result in regret.
		

			So my brothers and sisters, it's a very important piece of advice regarding friends. And those are
the people who can either drive us closer to Allah or can take us away from Allah Almighty.
		

			Many times people, people's friends are those who have brought them closer to Allah, the circle
they've had of those who have created a distance between them and maybe their families, maybe Allah
maybe anyone else. So remember, let's choose wisely and we will enter paradise together with our
friends instead of into entering Hellfire with the same people. May Allah Almighty protect us all
Akula Kohli have a SallAllahu wasallam albaraka ala Nabina Muhammad kita Boon
		

			who Isla de Gama
		

			de de mo Yeah, he won he got all on