Mufti Menk – Ramadan 2023 – Reviving the Spirit #08

			Laila
		

			Asia Assalamu alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. To purify the intention is one of the cornerstones
of acts of worship in this Deen that Allah has sent to us Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim Al hamdu lillah
wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah Hua ala alihi wa sahbihi. My, my brothers and sisters, we are in
the blessed month of Ramadan, this beautiful month were in which we fast for the sake of Allah
fasting is to abstain from food and drink and various other things from a certain time to a certain
time, when you have abstained from eating and drinking, only Allah knows what degree of abstinence
you have actually engaged in. Because like I said earlier, food and drink is only a part of it.
		

			There are other things as well. So in a similar way, when you have a pure intention, and when you
really would like to do something for Allah, and you want to please Him, you will make sure you're
conscious about everything else. It's not just about getting done with it food and drink, I didn't
eat all day, my fastest done, that's it, I'm going to go to the mosque, and I'm going to pray with
everyone else I'm back. And it's just a routine rather than that you purify your intention, when
it's done solely for Allah to please Allah, then what happens? You You begin to become conscious of
the type of person you are. You watch what you say, with your tongue, you watch how you treat
		

			people, you watch how you guide people in case you have to offer some guidance to someone. And this
is why shaytan creeps in and makes us say things that are so hurtful, and make makes us think that
we are better. And so we have qualities that start creeping in that are negative, such as jealousy,
and hatred, and, and deception and so much more. So remember, to purify the intention is something
very important. I might have started off in a slightly different way, because we're in Ramadan. So I
thought let me speak about the fasting, and how important it is to do it holistically for the
pleasure of Allah, I want Allah by the end of the day to be happy with me, and by the end of the
		

			month to be pleased with me. And for this reason, what I will do is I'm going to read more Quran,
I'm going to be involved in more acts of worship, so that between me and Allah, I know that Allah is
watching me, and I'm doing it for him. And I want him to be happy. And I'm going to be charitable in
a way that I know when whoever needs to know knows, sometimes maybe you might have had a slightly
more public charity, because of how the money was collected. And the intention should be and giving
it everyone is watching me give Yes, but I want them to be encouraged to give. So that is
permissible. It happened at the time of the Prophet peace be upon him. The Quran also speaks about
		

			it into sadaqa, Tiffany Mahi waiting for her or to hunt for Arafa liquor. If you're going to make a
parent, your charity, it's okay, it's acceptable. And if you're going to hide it and give it to the
poor, then it's better for you. So it depends. And this is why we say when ever we speak about F
loss, we need to remember it is connected to doing things solely and only for the pleasure of Allah.
Usually I've said and I want to repeat this, we do good to others. It's called Ali Hassan my
singing, we do good to others we want to be from among those who are good, not because we think they
deserve it only, but rather, because we know that Allah loves those who do good. When we read the
		

			verse, Allah who you hate, will my sin and Allah loves those who do good. I'm going to do good to
those whom I think deserve it, and to those whom I think do not deserve it. The reason is, Allah
loves those who do good. The verse did not say Allah loves those who do good.
		

			To those who do good to them. We didn't say that. He said, Generally, you do good, Allah loves you.
So one of the purposes of creation is that you've come on to Earth in order to spread goodness and
to be good to others. What is goodness, kindness, guidance with lots of love and care, and
Subhanallah being able to respect one another, fulfill each other's rights, understanding that we
have to protect each other's
		

			reputations, and so so many things that Allah Almighty wants us to do. And therefore when we become
vulgar and hurtful and bad and evil, and we swipe and we have qualities of heart that need
attention, many times we lack sincerity. A person who's sincere, would easily be able to work on
their jealousy, their hatred, their feeling the qualities of the heart that are negative.
		

			Why because they're sincere. I want to please Allah if I want
		

			Please Allah, say for example, in my business I am earning and I'd like to earn I want to please
Allah subhanho wa taala. In the interim I want to
		

			feed my family feed myself perhaps spend on a few needs to have a little bit here I may go on
holiday and all of this inshallah is within what is halal what Allah has ordained. So I want to
please Allah, and I want from him blessings in my sustenance. If someone else opens a store or a
shop, for example, similar to yours down the road, you want to be angry, to the degree that you do
bad things to them and you insult them and you want to do them down and so on. Because you know what
you are connected to Allah, you're doing something for the pleasure of Allah and as a result, you
know, Allah will take care of you. Allah will look after you and Allah Almighty will indeed give you
		

			blessings far beyond the monetary amounts. So many people have earned millions they have nothing in
life. There they cannot sleep, they cannot eat and drink, they have no family members whom they can
perhaps, you know, enjoy this world with sometimes it depends. And sometimes a person has far less,
and they are enjoying so much. That's the blessing of Allah. So remember, we do things for the sake
of Allah. Similarly, when it comes to acts of worship, we must only do an act of worship for the
sake of Allah because Allah is the maker. Allah alone is old worship. Remember, when a person
declares what we call the Shahada? The shahada is the declaration of faith. When a person declares
		

			that statement, they say I shall do Allah Allah illallah wa shadow ana Muhammadan rasul Allah, I
bear witness that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad
peace be upon him is his messenger. So the first part of it if you take a look at it, La ilaha IL
Allah or shadow Allah, Allah, Allah, I bear witness that now Eli mama, the meaning of it is, and if
all of us know it, no, there is none worthy of worship, besides Allah, that itself teaches us if
last sincerity.
		

			It teaches us that there is no one or nothing or no deity, nothing at all in existence, worthy of
any act of worship being rendered for them or to them, besides Allah, or made me besides the maker,
that's it. So Allah alone is owed acts of worship. And that's said in the statement of faith, that
declaration there is none worthy of worship besides Allah. So if anyone is rendering an act of
worship, for anyone or anything, or to anyone or anything besides Allah, they have defied their own
declaration of faith. as common as that meaning is common sense is that may Allah Almighty
strengthen all of us. So when that is said, you know, to one another, we also need to be genuine. So
		

			it's a sense of last, it's a sense of sincerity. We're not talking of the level of Allah Almighty
and worship. This is now the linguistic meaning of the term and you need to be sincere to one
another. That's why in a hadith the Prophet peace be upon him says a deal Naseeha will gnarly mania
rasool Allah, Allah Allah he will he will surely he will they are emitting Muslim in one meeting
him.
		

			They said all the prophets of Allah wa salam said that a deen and Naseeha this religion or this
faith is all about sincerity, is all about genuineness and Naseeha Noosa in actual fact means
sincerity, that there isn't linguistic meaning where it speaks about advice in honesty has also
advice but the advice is a secondary meaning the primary meaning is to do with sincerity.
		

			And Allah calmness, I mean, you know, this person is genuine. The Quran speaks about how the person
is genuine and trustworthy, and then they're advising as a result, as a result of your genuineness
you advise the person so Allah Almighty here is telling us that through the blessing Lips, lips of
Nabina Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that here is the deen it's all about being sincere,
sincere to who be sincere to Allah by worshiping Him alone, be sincere to the messenger by
considering him the messenger and by taking serious the message that he has brought, what's the
point of saying messenger messenger and you know what the message he came with means nothing to you.
		

			Similarly, be sincere to the leaders amongst you sincere to them, help them you know, prop them up
in the correct way where they have faltered you may want to choose the correct channels to provide
for them some form of guidance perhaps, and you do not create mystery
		

			foreign land because it will create a disaster for for the entire nation. Similarly, to be sincere
towards the rest of the public, everyone you need to be sincere to them. If I am sincere, I will
care for you. I will not harm you, I will be able to provide for you and prop you up into a good
position. Provide for you some goodness from me, minimum is a good prayer because I care. This is
all part of the sincerity that is being spoken about in this hadith Deen on us we have. So my
brothers and sisters, when we develop ourselves over time, we will realize we become superb human
beings, we begin to speak in a beautiful way we begin to think in a beautiful way, our hearts are
		

			all in the right direction. And we look at those who perhaps don't like us with an eye of goodness
hoping that one day they will come to the straight path hoping that one day they will understand and
realize and inshallah it will be and those perhaps who might have wronged us even when we are
retaliating, we do so in a way that will not make the matter worse, but rather it will either solve
the matter or it keeps it where it is. But if we are to do something that will result in the matter
becoming worse, where is the sincerity? And therefore I'm not saying at all that you need to let go
of wherever people have wronged you know, but what we are saying is when they've wronged you, it is
		

			still better to forego and to let go still better. The Quran says that the Sunnah says that but when
you are taking them to task, you do so in a way that will maintain the dignity and the respect of
both sides as far as you are able to. Don't drop your God be sincere to everyone. And this is
something that is lacking in the Ummah May Allah Almighty help us revive it. And may Allah help us
look at each other with the eye of love and care. And may Allah Almighty help us help one another.
And may Allah help us resolve all matters and problems and bring us together as an ummah, Apolo
Kohli had SallAllahu wasallam ala Nabina Muhammad, Laila to call the following
		

			mean fish