Mufti Menk – Religious Blackmail

			Alhamdulillah Allah amin, Walla
		

			Walla,
		

			Washington shall do Allah ilaha illa Allah hula, hula sharika wash, Mohammed Abu Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi adjumani in my beloved brothers and sisters, we as
believers do realize that Allah Almighty is in absolute control of every aspect of existence. We
call him Rob bull, Al amin, which means Rob of the world's, the world's referring to entire
creation, every species and everything that Allah has made from the beginning right up to the end.
And the term Robin refers to the one who is in absolute control of every aspect of that creation,
that he has created. So when we say Alhamdulillah, he will Allah mean, we are saying, Praise be to
		

			Allah, in short, Lord of the worlds, but the translation of it would mean, the one who created who
nourishes, cherishes, provides for protects the one in whose hands lies the cure, and so much more
every aspect of existence of all those whom he has created. That is not good. I mean, we also
believe that none can be harmed except by the will of Allah if Allah has decreed that some harm is
going to reach you. That is the only time it will reach you. And if Allah has decreed that it will
never reach you, it will not reach you. The same applies to anything even sustenance.
		

			If Allah has written that a gold coin is supposed to come in your direction, it will come to you.
And if he has written that, it will not come to you, it will never come to you. Ma Saba Kala mia
kulu tiac wama Taka la mia Cooley you see back that which got to you was never meant to miss you,
and that which missed you was never meant to get to you. Even if it was a very close Miss. It was
always going to miss by the will of Allah. So if we look at another Hadith the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam says, What I love is an own Mata legitimate Allah ano ruka bishi in lamjao, ruca
illa be melted Cata Baba lava lake, we've studied this hadith many times, it means and you should
		

			know this is part of the Hadith. And it's the end of the Hadith, you should know that if the entire
nation meaning if everyone gathers in order to harm you in some way, they will never be able to harm
you, unless Allah has written that harm against you. This is the belief in predestiny. But my
brothers and sisters, that does not negate the free will to a certain extent that the Almighty has
given us in fact, he is going to ask us about how we used the will that he gave us the capacity that
he gave us, he is going to ask us on the Day of Judgment, questions, rotating around that one thing,
how did you use the choices I gave you the ability that I gave you, how have you used that Allah
		

			subhanho wa Taala will ask us about that we are answerable for that. If Allah did not give you and I
choice, it would be unjust for him to ask us when he has forced us to do something. So there is no
element of force in that which we are held accountable for.
		

			When there is a path if I were to walk on it, I am answerable. Subhana Allah, when there is
something to be done, and I don't do it, I am responsible, when there is something not to be done
and I do it. I am responsible, because Allah gave me the capacity but where Allah took that capacity
away, he will not ask me for example, suddenly the earth opens and it swallows so many people. Allah
is not going to ask me why did it open? It had nothing to do with me. Even if I died as a result of
that. May Allah protect us all. So what am I trying to say here? My brothers and sisters we know
that we are struggling with the Coronavirus at the moment. We know that there are so many other
		

			challenges that people are facing. People have lost their jobs. They're facing uncertainty they are
facing hardship. They are facing difficulty. People are facing so much in terms of crisis.
		

			We know that So, during these times, there are some people while trying to reassure others, they
make a little mistake. And sometimes that mistake is a big one. What is the mistake? It is, when the
truth is mixed with falsehood, and it is presented to people in order to promote complacency, then
we call it religious blackmail. That means, the first part of what is being said is accurate, we
believe it, we have never doubted it, it is part of our conviction. It is what makes us believers.
But the second part that was added to it as a conclusion was wrong. It was actually something that
is tantamount to disbelief at times depending on what it is. So here goes, an example of it is when
		

			someone tells you that Allah is in control, yes, we believe that nothing will happen except by the
word of Allah. Yes, we believe that nobody can ever get sick except by the will of Allah.
Absolutely. Nobody dies except when Allah chooses. Absolutely, that's our belief. That's our core
belief, we stand by it. And we are convinced by that, then they add to that will Don't worry, you
don't need to take any precautions about anything, because there is no such thing as getting sick or
getting ill. And there is no such thing as this. And that and sometimes they go as far as saying,
sustenance is from Allah alone, your earning is only from Allah, so sleep, and don't get off your
		

			bed, stay there. And if money or sustenance is written for you, it will drop through the ceiling or
it will come into your bed. We know that that is a joke, the last part of it is a joke, it is wrong.
It is actually something known as tawakkol. The difference between their work cool and tawakkol, I
can quickly explain it to you. So what cool is when you've understood Allah is in absolute control.
And he wants you within a capacity that he gave you, he gave you a capacity, he gave you a brain, he
gave you an ability, he wants you to utilize those in order to do that which is beneficial for you,
in order to protect yourself as best as possible. In order to exercise every precaution in order to
		

			do whatever is needed to be done for prevention. In order to safeguard your property. You need to do
whatever you can to look for the job to go out to search for it to work hard and so on. And then you
leave it in the hands of Allah subhanho wa Taala it does not mean I did not believe in it from the
first place. No I did. I always believed that only Allah will give me but I also believe that Allah
wants me to fulfill a role that he has made clear through the messenger Muhammad peace be upon him.
And this is why there are people who either don't have knowledge, or they do have the knowledge but
for some strange reason, they are promoting complacency. And so they forget when they're citing
		

			evidence that they need to cite the evidence completely and not just a part of it. For example,
there is a hadith where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, lo and nutcombe that our
calluna Allah Allah He have caught our de la raza Kham Kham is super pale. If you are to lay your
trust in a proper way upon Allah, then he will feed you meaning sustenance, meaning wealth and food
and so on, in the same way that he feeds the bed.
		

			Okay, that sounds very interesting, which means I lay my trust in Allah and convinced that I'll only
get sustenance, if it's written for me. And I know that Allah alone will give me so that is tawakkol
is it and Allah says he'll provide for me the same way he has provided for the bed. And so people
stop there and they get excited and they promote complacency. They tell people don't worry, no
matter what you do, you're still going to get the same amount. So just sit back, sit at home. And
you know, don't worry, you can laze around sleep around you don't need to make any effort and so on.
One law he they've lost the plot. they've missed the other part of the Hadith. The rest of it says
		

			regarding the bird does do female son, what will be done, the bird leaves the nest in the morning
with an empty belly and returns at the end of the day. Having struggled all day to look for the
food, it comes back with a filled belly. That Hadith means now when we marry the two in the same
Hadith, Allah is saying, if you were to lay your trust correctly in Allah, He will feed you the same
way he feeds the bird. The bird leaves the nest early morning with an empty belly. It works all day
and comes back at the end of the day with the belly that is filled where it got the sustenance from
how it got it Allah provided But was there not an effort from the bird? How can
		

			We missed that part of the Hadith out, there was an effort. So to make an effort is part of your
conviction in the power of Allah, the decree of Allah and the destiny, where you are totally
incapable. Allah is not going to ask you, for example, a person is paralyzed, they don't know. They
cannot move, they don't know where the next meal is going to come from. We would tell them, at least
talk to someone or try something or we would reach out to them, we ask Allah to help all those who
are struggling in whatever way they are struggling, my brothers and sisters, so that is regarding
sustenance, there's the Hadith. What about regarding sickness and plague, the Prophet sallallahu
		

			alayhi wa sallam has told us that we need to do whatever is in our capacity. To protect ourselves
from harm, we must The same applies at night, you cannot just leave your property unattended, and
leave it all strewn around or open, if it is a building or a car unlocked. And then say, I lay my
trust in Allah. Allah says, we know that definitely only what we have decreed to happen will happen.
But we asked you, we asked you to be responsible, we asked you to lock it and then say, I lay my
trust in Allah, we gave you the capacity, your capacity was a god given capacity, your brain is God
given it's given by Allah, your capacity is given by Allah, it does not negate your faith. In fact,
		

			it is a part of your faith, that you believe that I have this capacity given to the limit that Allah
has given it to me. So our capacity is indeed limited. So therefore, beyond our capacity, we have to
then say, I've done whatever Allah has asked me to do. Now, I will definitely be laying my full
trust in Allah to take care, whatever happens now, I will not blame myself. So if the robbers come
to your house, and you had locked it, and you had an alarm system, and you had everything, and they
still got away with something be happy, it was the decree of Allah subhanho wa Taala. But if you
left it unlocked, and you left it strewn, and your property, your money, your gold, or whatever,
		

			jewelry, or valuables were all over, and then you said, Well, I'm a believer, nothing will ever
happen except by the will of Allah, that part of the statement is correct. And then you conclude it
to say, so therefore, I'm leaving all of this, you were actually a fool. It's like a person who
says, well, already those going into heaven and * are known by Allah. So what's the point of me
making an effort? When Allah says, You don't know you make an effort, you really don't know where
you're going. So try in one direction. And perhaps Allah has written that for you. But if you were
not to make an effort at all, perhaps your name would be written from among those who are foolish,
		

			and who would then suffer the loss in the hereafter as well, which is an eternal loss. My brothers
and sisters, that's not good enough. The same applies when it comes to anything. Look at the camera,
we are taught in a pin her from Mata waka Allah. Yes, we do have trust in Allah from the beginning.
That's part of our faith. But we also believe that when we lay trust in Allah specific trust, the
general trust is there as part of our belief as Muslims. But when we lay specific trust, we have to
ask ourselves, have I played my role, the role Allah has asked me to play, if not, well, that's not
good enough, that is tawakkol. So now what cool is when you lay your trust in Allah after having
		

			done whatever Allah has given you in terms of capacity, and then you say, I played my role, Oh
Allah, I lay my trust in you. That is called the Quran. And Allah says, are you who believe lay your
trust in Allah, if you are true believers, you lay your trust in Allah, after having taken all the
precautions, or having done having played your role, basically. So as for those who don't tie the
camera, so panela, like I said, we are taught to kill her tomahto can Allah, tie the camera, and
then lay your trust in Allah, don't just leave the camera loose and say, Well, if it's meant to be
lost, it will be lost. And if it's meant to be stolen, it will be stolen. That is very, very
		

			foolish. So my brothers and sisters, remember this. The same applies to someone who would like to
get married. People have sisters, they have daughters, or even some of the boys, the men, they want
to get married, and they keep praying and praying and praying, which is a very important part of it.
We know that Yes. Who you're going to marry is written by Allah. Definitely. That's part of destiny.
We believe that lay your trust in Allah. We believe that too. But that doesn't mean you sit back and
you don't do anything about it. You have to make an effort. Those men who have under their
guardianship or within their homes
		

			girls or women who are looking for spouses, you need to make an effort without that effort, you are
not going to succeed Subhana Allah, you might just come lucky, perhaps meaning Allah may just give
you something, perhaps, because Allah wrote it for you in a specific way. But remember, many times
Allah writes that this person is going to be so foolish, that we are not going to give them this
thing, because they did not fulfill their role that we asked them to fulfill and to play. So my
brothers, my sisters, let's remember this, make an effort. Go out search, try, try again. Try 10
times, perhaps you will come right once. But if you are not going to make an effort, blame none
		

			other than yourselves. When you want to seek the help of Allah. Look what the Prophet salallahu
Salam says
		

			is that in biLlahi, while attaches his star in Billa, he will attach his secret seek the help of
Allah and don't give up is Allah infoq? Work hard towards achieving that which you believe is
beneficial for you work hard? Why would Allah say that? Why would Allah say work hard towards
achieving that which is beneficial for you seek the help in Allah and don't be lazy, Subhan Allah
and don't give up either Subhana Allah listen to it. So Allah in fact, Luca was telling Billa he
will not work hard towards achieving that which is beneficial for you, and seek the help in Allah.
And don't give up and don't be lazy. We're in a Saba cache. Then if something were to happen to you,
		

			lots of cool new file to Kanaka waka for in the low def taco Baba shavon shavon. If when something
were to happen, don't say, Oh, you know, had I done this, then that would have happened. If I did
this, this would have happened. If I didn't do this that wouldn't have happened and so on. The
prophet SAW Selim teaches us never use that word. if if if, when you know you did your best, and you
left it in the hands of Allah thereafter, you tried you sought the help of Allah, you are not lazy,
you did not give up, then when something happened, do not use the term if because if opens the door
of the devil, and if is from the handiwork of the devil, you know, if can fill a dictionary without
		

			actually giving you what exactly is being said, may Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us a deep
understanding. So at this moment of crisis across the globe, we have some people tell us that, don't
worry, you don't need to do anything, no precautionary measures, no nothing. Get along with your
lives just as you're supposed to my brothers, my sisters, when you see the reality on the ground, go
if you're in a country like mine, Zimbabwe, where there are barely a few cases, well, it's only the
beginning. Look at the other countries learn from them, that we have to take precautions that does
not negate our faith in Allah. In fact, that is the faith in Allah. Allah tells you to take
		

			precautions when the person is sick and Ill you don't just pray and pray and pray alone. But you
pray together with medication, you take the medication In the name of Allah, you visit the doctor,
In the name of Allah, there are so many things. In fact, everything in our lives is governed by
Allah subhanho wa Taala. And he tells us that I've given you a capacity, a brain, a capability, use
that to protect yourself and to do that which is beneficial for you. The rest, leave it to me, don't
become depressed because something has affected you, after you tried hard that it doesn't affect
you. You see the point? I tried hard that this should not affect me, but I was still affected
		

			Alhamdulillah I praise Allah, I know he, he wanted something out of this that is very positive. But
if I did not try and worse than that, if I promoted amongst others not to try or not to, to engage
in preventative measures or to take precautions, and I'm guilty, I'm guilty of what that is what is
called religious blackmail, when you use religious text in order to promote complacency, and you've
married the truth with falsehood, that is called religious blackmail. Let's be careful my brothers
and sisters.
		

			While we are filled with absolute conviction to the highest possible degree degree, and we're
improving on it on a daily basis, we should never ever become complacent. We should never be from
those who have an I don't care attitude, because that will result in disaster. In the same way you
apply that rule when you're driving a car when you taking safety measures when you would like to
protect yourself when you wear warm clothes in winter. And when you wear lighter clothes in summer.
All of that is connected to the same thing. We would like to achieve something Allah has given us a
capacity. We will try our best within that capacity.
		

			We leave the rest in the hands of Allah subhanho wa Taala. May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant cure to
all those who are seeking deal. May Allah help us to take precautionary measures and prevention?
Yes, we probably at some point we'll all be affected by either this virus or another virus, some
form of sickness. But if we took the precautions and tried to look after the Amana, the trust known
as the body and the health that Allah gave us, we will be rewarded for having tried and having tried
to prevent and to take the precautions as best as possible. And then we will also be rewarded for
the patients that we bought while we were sick and Ill May Allah grant everyone cure. I mean, may
		

			Allah protect those who are sick and Ill from further sickness and those who are not from any
sickness at all. May Allah have mercy upon those who've passed on. May Allah help those who have
lost their jobs to regain some form of a job and an income those who've lost their income those
whose businesses have closed, those who have lost a lot. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help you May
Allah make easy for you, those who've lost loved ones May Allah grant you suffer and patients, my
brothers and sisters, this is a serious matter in my country, Zimbabwe. Yes, it might still be in
the early stages. But trust me, we have to learn from what has happened in other countries, our
		

			neighbors in South Africa are struggling, it is actually becoming something very, very serious
beyond the expectation of some Subhana Allah. However, there is no need to panic, we need to
continue taking precautions being the best possible human beings we can and the best possible
believers we can and don't ever promote complacency. Never ever lie to people regarding what the
almighty wants from them. We don't use powerful statements in order to present a very weak
conclusion or an incorrect conclusion. And from this, I mean, and I repeat,
		

			that blackmail where people say, well, Allah is in absolute control, and only if Allah wills
something will happen, therefore, you don't even bother. Well, the first part of it is true. The
second part of it is absolutely untrue. Remember that?
		

			You don't even bother if that was the case. Why are we praying? Why are we doing anything? Why are
we even going out to earn Why are we trying? Why are we getting off our beds? Why are we even trying
to sleep if sleep was meant for you, it would come for you while you standing while you while you're
walking and talking. But we know if you want to sleep, you need to get to a bed. If you want to eat
you need to do something about it. If you want a job, you need to work towards it. If you want to be
saved, you need to know their Road Rules and so on. You cannot drive on the other side and start
thinking well you know if death is written for me, it's going to come anyway. So I'm going to drive
		

			whether it's this side, that side, whether it's in reverse or whatever, on the highway, I don't care
that I don't care attitude is actually foolish. But worse than anything when it comes from
knowledgeable people. They're making a mistake. You need to know better, excuse them, deal with them
sometimes let them know they are wrong. Yes, the truths mixed with the false conclusion. That is
what we spoke about today. And we are letting everyone know my brothers and sisters. Be a happy
person. Lay your trust in Allah. Praise Allah upon all conditions. Lay complete trust in Allah
because only what he decrees will happen. Indeed, that is true. But remember, tie your camel,
		

			remember to take precautions, remember to make the effort that is required of you. There are so many
verses of the Quran and narrations of the Prophet peace be upon him that proved to us that we must
make the effort we have to do that which would actually be beneficial to us with the energy that
Allah has given us and we will only be accountable for that which Allah has given us the capacity to
do or to engage in and or to stay away from May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us to stay away from
evil and to engage in that which we are supposed to be engaging in to promote goodness to have firm
conviction and belief. And may Allah subhanho wa Taala bless every single one of us, protect us from
		

			statements that have in them falsehood And may Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us alleviation from all
the suffering that we're all going through in one way or another aku Kohli hava sallallahu wasallam
Allah wa barik ala nabina Muhammad was Salam alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh