Mufti Menk – Seasons that bring you back to Islam

			My beloved brothers and sisters,
		

			every single time we speak about a reminder that will draw us closer to Allah subhanho wa taala. It
is important that we start off by reminding each other about something known as dako. Allah He
		

			Taqwa is to create a barrier between oneself and the punishment of Allah in a way that would ensure
that we fulfill what Allah wants from us, and we stay away from what he has prohibited.
		

			Our entire life is a mission to please Allah subhanho wa taala.
		

			He has created us as human beings, and humankind is weak.
		

			And he has spoken about this in the Quran. The fact that Adam Alayhis Salam, the first of our
species,
		

			had fallen into the trap of Shavon. But when he addressed Allah with remorse and repentance, Allah
says, We forgave him.
		

			And thereafter the Almighty sent him on to Earth in order for us to be able to understand my
brothers and sisters, wherever you have faulted. And whenever you have faulted, never lose hope in
the Mercy of Allah seek the forgiveness of Allah.
		

			For this reason, there are different seasons and different days of the week, not every day of the
week is the same in the eyes of Allah subhanho wa taala. Yes, every moment is a moment of Toba and
seeking forgiveness indeed.
		

			But there is a moment in the darkest hours of the night that is far more blessed than any other
moment where we should not wait in order for that moment to arrive to seek the forgiveness of Allah
when we have faulted, but rather, we should repeat the repentance and the seeking of forgiveness. At
that time, repetition. Say it again. If I commit to sin, now I must repent. Now, I must not wait for
the time of the head Judah, the last hours of the night, just before Salat al Fajr. To say, I will
wait until that time because it is a blessing time and then I will seek forgiveness. I might die
before that moment. My brothers, my sisters, don't wait for a season or a moment in order to seek
		

			forgiveness. Those seasons and moments are there in order for you to repeat and reiterate the fact
that you have sought the forgiveness of Allah.
		

			And in the same way that we will not wait for the time of tahajjud to come before we seek
forgiveness. We will not wait for a Friday to come before we become obedient to Allah. Ask
yourselves my brothers, my sisters. How serious do we consider the issue of Salah How seriously do
we take the issue of our dress code? Do we really think that we are going to be okay without tasting
the negative effects of disobedience somewhere down the line when we have turned far away from Allah
and become Muslimeen who are only interested in the deen when there is a season
		

			we become genuine when Ramadan comes in
		

			the sins being committed or generally stopped. May Allah grant us an understanding Yes, it is a good
sign that we respect the month of Ramadan because indeed it is sacred.
		

			But it does not mean that success is for those who obey Allah only in the season or in the month of
Ramadan or on a Friday and they forget Allah thereafter. My brothers, my sisters.
		

			In the same way that today we have flocked to the obedience of Allah let us ask ourselves when we
hear the mu admin so many times a day hayal
		

			Come to success that is the Almighty telling us that if you would like success, there is a certain
method There are ingredients that you will have to put together in order for that
		

			Success to be achieved. But unfortunately my brothers, my sisters, let's face reality for us,
sometimes
		

			our food and drink our work and business, our wealth, and our leisure becomes more important than
that call to success. Whereas the day we leave this earth,
		

			nothing will come to our help and benefit. Look at those who have left the earth while they were
wealthy, healthy while they had the holidays of their lifetime. While they enjoyed their food and
drink, they had family members and they did everything they wished. When they died, their clothes
were removed and replaced with a shroud and they were placed a few meters or at least a meter under
the ground. And they were buried with the same soil that they were created from and what helps them
		

			their deeds. Just like if you were to go to a country, you would meet the currency that is
acceptable in that country in order to make purchases.
		

			When we go into our grave, we would need the currency that is valid in that grave in order to make
purchases. One might say what purchases would one like to have in a grave. The reality is, we will
purchase through our deeds and the accounts that we have on that day.
		

			The goodness that is to come remember we believe that in the grave, we already commenced the journey
known as the Hereafter. And already a window is opened.
		

			Based on how you lead your life, my brothers and sisters, the good thing is, we never lose hope in
the Mercy of Allah.
		

			Allah is the author of Rahim, Ramadan, refer to WA and so many other names that he has made mention
of his most forgiving, he often forgives, He loves those who seek forgiveness. He has a specialized
type of forgiveness, and he has a common general forgiveness for all and His mercy encompasses all
his creatures, not just humankind, and from amongst humankind, all of them, not just the Muslims.
It's amazing how the Mercy of Allah has been explained to us by Allah alone.
		

			And yet we lose hope in the Mercy of Allah. The difficulty is, the devil continues to try. The traps
of the devil are many.
		

			Don't allow yourself to become comfortable committing a sin because it becomes an extension of who
you are.
		

			If a sin is committed, you should feel regret and remorse. And if you feel regret and remorse, it is
a true sign that you're a believer.
		

			Believers are not those who are angels alone. But from mankind. We are believers and we do know that
we will falter. But my brothers and sisters the moment
		

			you decide
		

			that it's okay to falter. And we are human. So therefore we are forgiven and excused. So I will
continue in my bad ways. That is the very moment that Shavon has got hold of you from a different
angle.
		

			In the same way we are very hopeful regarding the Mercy of Allah. Never let the idea of the hope in
the Mercy of Allah make you become a person who commits a sin, claiming that Allah is going to
forgive me.
		

			Because when that happens, we start committing more and more sins and we forget Allah we become
distant from Allah. And Allah says Nestle law half NSE young woman regarding the hypocrites Allah
says They forgot Allah so Allah left them as well. Allah forgot them basically that's the word used
in the Quran, by Allah subhanho wa taala.
		

			So my brothers and sisters, we all know every year a week or two before Ramadan, we start hearing
lectures about preparation for Ramadan. I want to say something today.
		

			As much as we speak about preparation for a man prior to Ramadan.
		

			Let's ask ourselves it is only if something is the most important event in the year or month in the
year that we will be speaking in advance regarding the preparation of the month of Ramadan.
		

			SubhanAllah.
		

			To prepare for the month of Ramadan, you need to start
		

			it off by thinking about what it is how blessed the month is. It's the month of fasting. It's the
month of the Quran. It's the month of the sacrifices made by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
and his companions. It's a month of forgiveness and softening, seeking forgiveness from Allah and
forgiving others.
		

			If you have not softened your heart prior to Ramadan, how are you going to be able to dig through
the soil of that heart in order to sow the seed of the fruit that you would love to nurture within
that heart when you have not cultivated you will not be able to sow you will not be able to reap
anything because you would not have sown.
		

			So start softening the land from now. Start digging, sow your seeds. When Ramadan comes we will
water the seeds, seedlings will grow into fruit and on the day of Eid, we will pick from that fruit
and we will declare the greatness of Allah while he took me know that I wanted to come belong.
		

			While I like him to school, that day of Eid is in order for us to realize we've completed the
prescription and we will declare the greatness of Allah because of his guidance to us. So those who
declare on the day of Eid, the tech bill
		

			they are declaring the greatness of Allah because they are celebrating the fact that Allah guided
them. Allah guided them to Kabira Allah, Allah Maha dotcom, declaring the greatness of Allah upon
the fact that Allah has guided you, wow. Subhan Allah, Allah, Allah mean, which means those who
consider the day of Eid a day where they will close the Quran, those are the ones who have lost a
day where they will bring back the beer bottles, those are the ones who have lost a day where they
will bring back the adultery, the *, the other sins, they may have been committing the
gambling, the hatred, et cetera, et cetera. Those are the ones who have lost because Allah says
		

			those who declare the tech be truly deserved to celebrate on the day due to the fact that their
lives have changed, and they have achieved the guidance.
		

			My brothers, my sisters, within that month, there is one night which is more powerful than or more
blessings than 1000 months.
		

			Surely from now, we need to ask ourselves, if I want to succeed in life, and every one of us would
love to see success, I need to realize success in this lifetime is closely connected to
		

			the success of the hereafter. Subhanallah success and true success in this world is closely
connected to your success in the hereafter. When you are bothered about what's going to happen to
you after you're going to die, you will be able to prepare correctly and live a life of contentment.
Unfortunately, many of us may Allah forgive us and guide us starting with myself I mean,
		

			many of us consider materialism
		

			a source of success.
		

			When I can afford this car, this house this watch this phone, these accessories, this perfume, these
holidays, these clothes, then I've succeeded.
		

			That is temporary, my brothers and sisters, when your salary is a million dollars, it does not mean
you have succeeded holistically rather, that success is very, very limited.
		

			It is only a portion perhaps 5% of what we as believers would consider success. And for that reason,
Allah's plan is always that those who have the world with them and the materialistic world with them
are not necessarily the happiest. In fact, they are not from amongst the happy ones.
		

			Because happiness and contentment is achieved primarily by understanding Allah's plan. By
understanding you have to worship Allah alone. You have to build a relationship with the one whom
you're going to go back to one day helplessly helplessly.
		

			I'm going to go back to Allah the day yo man I felt Romano Munna Luhman Abdullah Habib,
		

			Salim the day that your wealth and your children will not help except for the one who has Caliban
Salim, a pure a clean, a healthy heart that is free
		

			We have sickness and ailment and disease. And what is that ailment if anyone has worshipped or
associated partners besides Allah with Allah they have faltered.
		

			So my brothers and sisters, we have a beautiful month of Ramadan. Let us seek the forgiveness of
Allah now. That's how we prepare for Ramadan. And in Ramadan we will repeat it and we will continue
repeating it when a Friday comes, we repeat it when the time of tahajjud comes, we repeat it. That's
what I want to say today. That your preparation for Ramadan is a commitment from now to say I've
started it. This is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the month of Shaban. He used to
fast a lot a lot more than other months. It was the run up to Ramadan, the softening mashallah we
entered the masjid on a Friday we notice a lot of the brothers reading the Quran when Allah Hill
		

			Hamed, may Allah accept it from us your duty unto that word. And I started off mentioning a hadith
that the best of speech is the speech of Allah, the best of words are the words of ALLAH, connect
yourself to the words of Allah.
		

			If you have a very successful businessman, a really successful person on earth, and there are so
many names that sprang to my mind right now about people who have achieved the millions and the
billions, and they have a story they've written about their lives, many of us would know parts of
that story. What about Allah,
		

			when Allah has told you that I have sent to you the most powerful
		

			message, and that is my word.
		

			Many of us have not bothered to try to look into the meanings of the word of Allah.
		

			And for that reason, we sway from the left to the right from the right to the left, and we are not
		

			connected to Allah the way we shouldn't be. I promise you, if you were to make an effort with the
word of Allah, Allah will come closer to you more than you can imagine.
		

			The closer you get to the word of Allah, the more the doors of contentment and happiness will open
for you. And that is a promise. If you have problems on Earth, if you have difficulties with your
health, with your wealth with your social life with your financial economic life, pick up the Quran
and start becoming close to the word of Allah. When you show dedication, you will notice the
calmness in your heart, in your mind in your system, and you will become happy with what Allah has
apportioned for you. I remember a brother who complained regarding his business having been burnt
down and I told him get closer to Allah. Three years later, he came back and told me that was the
		

			biggest blessing of Allah. I did not understand it at the point. But today, I have a business 10
times bigger than what I had three years ago. Allahu Akbar, I promised you my brothers and sisters,
when you surrender to the plan of Allah and you understand
		

			that whatever Allah does, even if we perceive it to be negative, it's not negative, it's actually an
opportunity, and it's a positive and it will bring you closer to Allah. That's the reason why we
have difficulty and hardship because if we did not, we would not have been close to Allah, many of
us we are far from Allah when we are in days of ease, nothing wrong. The minute something happens
and there is a problem, we say, Oh Allah for the first time in your life, you are saying, Oh Allah,
where was that all the time? Allah says, We loved you enough to give you a problem to be able to
make you realize and understand you have a creative so you raised your hands. So you said Oh Allah,
		

			so you came close to us. Even if you lost your entire life, the fact that you came close to us, it
was actually a bargain.
		

			May Allah subhanahu wa taala help us? May Allah guide us. So my brothers and sisters, I call on
myself and yourselves, to get closer to Allah to seek forgiveness, to become softened, to improve
our relationships with our spouses, with our children, with our parents, with our in laws, with our
uncles and aunts with those whom Allah has made our relatives and with our communities, with the
Allah with humanity at large, and even with the other creatures of Allah subhanho wa Taala improve
our relationship. It's a reality. You want to get Jana, you need to have a connection with Allah and
you need to have a connection with the rest of the creatures of the same Allah. That's the only time
		

			you really understand Allah. When you understand that with you, he has made others as well. Just
like He made you for a reason. He had the power not to make them he made them. So let's try and
understand we fulfill the rights of everyone. We become better people we are softened. We work on
our bad habits of two different categories. One, the habits of the heart
		

			And to the physical habits or the other apparent habits that people could actually see.
		

			In the heart we have jealousy, we have hatred, ill feeling etc, etc. And outwardly Subhanallah the
words we utter the vulgar words we need to eradicate and cut all this bad start off now. Never ever
say I am waiting for this month of Ramadan. I have a big plan because you might never see the month
of Ramadan. Your big plan if it is only for Ramadan, you have failed.
		

			Your big plan needs to be now I am putting it into effect now. And if Allah gives me the life to see
the month of Ramadan, by his will by His mercy, I will re iterate and confirm that I'm indeed a
changed person. May Allah grant us the ability to change here and now. May Allah subhanahu wa taala
make us people who can eradicate our bad habits. May Allah make us from those who can follow the
Sunnah of Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam May Allah make us from those who love one another who can reach
out to one another. May Allah make us from those who take the message of the Quran seriously, may
Allah make us from those whom when we hear the more I've been calling higher Allah, Allah come to
		

			success. We believe truly that that is the success and we go towards it. May Allah not make us from
those May Allah not make us from those whom when we hear the call a calling to success while we are
searching for success, we are walking in the other direction may Allah subhanahu wa to Allah grant
us the goodness of this world and the next BarakAllahu li Walakum Ville Purana was sunnah whenever
anyone here can be mafia him I mean it will ACHEMA a cool look holy ha That was done for Allah Allah
welcome when he said he didn't Muslim enough. First of all we know Allah