Ramadan 2023 – Reviving the Spirit #07

Mufti Menk

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Channel: Mufti Menk

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Gratitude: Counting Our Blessings and Embracing Contentment

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Laila to the following.

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Fish Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah Hawa Allah, Allah He was rbh May. If we take a look at how Allah Almighty has blessed us and favored us, we would need to ponder over it in order for us to be able to realize the favours and the bounties of Allah upon us. Look, to begin with within yourself,

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do you not have a body, with limbs and organs with bones you don't even know the number of Do you not have a heart that beats more than 100,000 times a day? Do you not have all these faculties of yours do you not have everything you can see, you can hear all of that to begin with the favours of Allah. Allah Almighty tells us very clearly, we're endowed dunya met Allah He latter Suha if you are going to count the favors of Allah upon you, you will never count all of them, because that is the system of Allah. But the opposite is true. If you count the difficulties, the hardships, the calamities that Allah has thrown at you, or made you go through, you will definitely be able to

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count them, all of them. And you will be able to say I've got this problem and this and this and this and content. But when it comes to the favours of Allah, He guarantees you, you cannot count them. Take a look at the food, take a look at the amount of sustenance you have. Take a look at the surroundings, Allah has provided the basics for you, your accommodation that you have, even though it may not be up to scratch, or it may not be up to what you would like. Men always want something more than what Allah has given him. So this is something that Allah has created men with that every time they have something, they are always looking for more. But my brothers and sisters, one of the

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ways of getting more is to look into the gifts you already have the blessings that you do have and to thank Allah for them, let in Chicago to La as he then if you're going to be thankful, Allah says I will grant you increase. So if you want to increase from Allah subhanho wa taala, you must make sure that you first ponder over the gifts of Allah. And one of the reasons why Allah asks you to thank him for what he's given you is for you to be able to realize what you've been given amazing, if Allah did not expect you to thank him for what he gave you, and He does not need the facts. But if he did not make it an act of worship to thank him, you wouldn't even have known what he's

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bestowed you with, we would not be talking about it today. But because Allah has made it a prerequisite of increase, and Allah has made it an act of worship, he would like you to realize what he's given you so much. But the biggest favor of all is the fact that He guides you towards worshiping Him alone. That's the most amazing, the biggest favor that the Almighty can bestow upon anyone. So we thank Allah. And when you thank Allah, you show gratitude, you become humble too. You are humbled by the fact that Allah chose you above others for so many things. And you start realizing that no matter what Allah has given me, Allah has actually favored me with more than I can

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imagine. Allah has given you and i things we have not asked for, because we did not need to ask for it, according to us. So surely look at those who don't have the things that we actually haven't even asked for, and we have, and they are crying for those things. They are begging for those things. And perhaps they don't have them, they may get them at some point. We've never even thought that this was a gift of Allah upon us. So thank Allah for that Allah wants you to look at that. He wants you to realize that I've been blessed in ways that I cannot imagine. I've been given things I haven't even asked for. So when I asked for things, I must know to begin with let me show gratitude to the

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maker. Oh Allah you've given me but I still want a little bit more. Oh Allah, you've bestowed me but I'd still like you to do this for me and that for me? And then you ask yourself, what about me? How well connected Am I to my makeup? Do I pray on time? Do I dress appropriately? Am I filled with modesty and good values, morals, etc? Do I follow try to follow the the blessed path? What do I do in my life? And as you begin to appreciate the favors of Allah and ask him for those things that you don't have, you will automatically begin to improve as a person

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As you improve in the way you treat others because you realize the favor of Allah upon you, or you begin to improve in the way you treat others because you realize that you are desperately in need of the same Allah, Who has created them and who has created you. So as you begin to treat them, well, you become a better person and Allah subhanho wa Taala even if he does not give you what you are asking, don't you agree, you became a better person in the process, many of us call out to Allah for things we will never get exactly as we want. It gives it to us in different ways. One of the ways of Allah giving it to us is that he opens the doors of something better for us, and a lot of the times

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that thing that is better is your connection with him. Subhan Allah. So Allah says, I know I'm not going to give this to you, but I'm going to give you something better than that. What is it? It is that you've become so close to me? How's that? So even though you don't have what you wanted, exactly, but as a result, you became closer to Allah. What a big blessing. We ask Allah Almighty to grant us goodness so my brothers and sisters, whenever we see someone who is challenged, we should be saying Alhamdulillah he led the phenomenal Abdullah Hubei of a villainy Allah Cathy Riemann Hala villa, it's a DUA, we thanking Allah subhanho wa Taala for having protected us all from for having

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granted our Savior from that type of illness or negativity or disease, and he has granted us virtue when he gives virtue to some above others, and he has given us virtue over the world because as human beings, Allah has created us, as what is known as a Shefali mahalo cut, the most noble of all creatures of Allah subhanho wa taala. We've been created in a unique way. Look at all the creatures around you, man has been created in a unique way. You amazing way. You look at the angels they do not have the ability to disobey Allah. The man has the ability to obey and disobey and man will choose to obey Allah by the help and acceptance of Allah subhanho wa taala. So call out to Him. And

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this is why the biggest favor of Allah upon you and I is guidance. If Allah has guided you to the straight path, there is no bigger gift that he could have bestowed you and I with. So every day when you ask Allah is Allah subhanaw taala was the team at the same time, we thank him for having made you a Muslim Alhamdulillah we thank Allah for making us Muslims. Like we say after we've eaten Alhamdulillah Hillary Obama was akana wotja Elena Meena Mussolini, we thank Allah all praises due to Allah Who has

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fed us who has quenched our thirst and who has made us Muslims. So we're thanking him. That's just one example. So many examples where we should be thanking Allah for making us meaning and believers for granting us the acceptance to fulfill our five daily prayers, granting us the acceptance to do the right thing. And this is why then we ask Allah, Oh Allah strengthen us, make us strong so that we can do whatever makes you happy, we can do what we're supposed to be doing, strengthen us to do the right thing, strengthen us towards belief, strengthen us towards that which will please you and keep us away from that which will displease you keep us away from that which is going to earn your

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off and so on. So these are the favors of Allah when you thank Allah. And when you ponder over the favors of Allah upon you, and when you realize how favored you are, you may even feel, you know what I'm asking Allah for things that I don't really need. But still, Allah says, no you no problem, you should keep asking. And you should ask Allah for whatever you feel you want, because that is part of worshipping Allah Almighty, He wants you to ask, he will create needs within you so that you ask him because when you ask him, you are acknowledging that he is the owner, you are acknowledging that he is the one who who can give you who will give you that is Allah and that is Allah alone. So my

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brothers, my sisters, it's amazing how Allah Almighty favors every single one of us with goodness we are in the blessed month of Ramadan. What a great favor of Allah. It is so beautiful, we fast during the day, we soften our hearts with tarawih during the evening, we listen to beautiful reminders in order to soften us. We make resolutions every day we seek the forgiveness of Allah on on a regular basis. We would like to feed others we would like to do so much and at the same time, thank Allah. thank Allah for the millions or in fact for the countless things that he has

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Favorite you and I we've similarly when it comes to being content, we need to embrace it. Allah has chosen for every one, specific things that they will go through in their lives, you may lose a lot of a loved one, you may lose property, you may lose a job, you may lose something, there may be an element of fear in your life, anxiety, whatever it may be, learn to relate it to Allah connected to Allah, and tell Allah Oh Allah with you, I'm not going to struggle and suffer, I'm going to accept and I'm going to acknowledge that you are in charge, you have chosen this as decree for me, make me strong and help me through this challenge. Because it's difficult I am a human being. When I go

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through loss of any sort, or negativity, I will feel it, I'm a human. But with the help of Allah and the strength given from Allah subhanho wa taala. To me, I will definitely be able to overcome that in a better way. And that's what's called contentment and content. Even though I'm struggling, I'm suffering. I'm going through so much, much more than other people. But I always look at those who have less than me. I always tell myself, it could have been worse. As a believer. That's what we're taught. Look at those who are going through much more than you in terms of hardship and always tell yourself, I'm favored. I'm definitely favored above others. And if I'm going through 20 things,

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they're going through 50 things. And if I'm going through one thing that is not so difficult, they're going through one thing that is massive and huge, difficult, but Allah Almighty grant us goodness and success my brothers and sisters, this is just a tip of the topic of this beautiful

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issue of gratitude, contentment, and the blessings of Allah Almighty. May He grant us from His blessings. Hakuna Kohli SallAllahu wasallam Obara, Carla and Amina Muhammad Laila to call the following

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mean, fish