Mufti Menk – Speech at Imams Seminar

			Salam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatu
		

			Smilla he will Hamdulillah he was Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah he was early he was happy he made
		

			my beloved brothers, my colleagues.
		

			I'm very, very fortunate and happy to be here for this eighth national Imams refresher course that
is taking place here
		

			in this beautiful center in Harare, in Zimbabwe.
		

			Many of you are known to me I see many faces that I recognize mashallah
		

			few of my colleagues, few are my students. More importantly, we are all brothers.
		

			Today I want to remind myself
		

			more than anyone else being an imam as well.
		

			Of the most important factors
		

			regarding how to deal with the congregations and the communities of today.
		

			We take you from none other than Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
		

			No matter how much the world will change and evolve, the Sunnah of Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam does not change.
		

			The first thing we have been taught by Him is something known as a philosophy Lamin. When we work we
work for Allah. When we do something, we do it for the pleasure of Allah, Wallah, he might beloved
brothers. When you do for the sake of Allah, the little that you get in return, is multiplied in
baraka and blessings. You may not have so much of money, people think you are rich, because you give
because you help because you go out because you're always there. So Allah gives you blessings in
your children, in your family members, Allah Almighty protects you from harm that you may not know
perhaps you have better health than others, but that is baraka. Whereas there are others who earn
		

			much more than you and die, but much of their wealth is wasted in things and there is no Baraka or
blessings in that wealth. So, to do things for the sake of Allah, people will fault you they will
doubt you. They will say things about you remember you are not doing it for them.
		

			What Allah who your head saying, I do good not because I think you deserve my good but I know Allah
loves those who do good. That's why I'm doing good. So whether you like me or you don't like me, as
long as I did good, Allah loves me. I don't care about your love or not Subhanallah that is an imam.
		

			You will need salah they will still make noise about you. It's natural.
		

			You will not be paid much the Imams are hardly paid. Today I was looking at some of the chat groups
that I'm on and I removed myself from most of them because of time and people were complaining about
how low imams are paid.
		

			And in my mind, I'm thinking Allah blesses you with Baraka.
		

			Then when the Imam tries to have a side tuck shop, they say this man is now turning towards the
dunya you see, but the dunya is halal for them, not for us.
		

			Don't let your job that is on the side. Take the main center stage. But it is not prohibited to earn
a living for you and for me for as long as it is not affecting the primary work.
		

			Another factor
		

			you find people will always complain this Imam is like that. He's like that if you are in
communities that are wealthier, perhaps they might want to control you totally completely and
totally reading too slow reading too fast doing this doing that. All of that is for Allah to test
you if last
		

			while I call them phantom
		

			Lavina
		

			cobbling in federal lemon law. Nadine Asada who won lemon, dB when we have tested all those before
you in order to distinguish who is truthful and who is lying. You love Allah you are working for
Allah you are an imam in the masjid. Allah says hang on for you is Jana and the Pharaoh as for the
dunya it is not necessarily for you if we want we can throw it at your feet but it will also come
with challenges with tests with so much more on that is Allah he's going to test you and I then in
the Akira
		

			How will we earn genital videos Oh
		

			only by the mercy of Allah.
		

			When you do for Allah, my brothers, let me explain something to you. When you do something for
Allah.
		

			It is important to love those around you because even if they don't like you, you will not have an
impact on people if you don't care for them and love them, no matter how much they have hurt you. I
take cue from my own father, Sheikh Musa, you will know him, no matter how much they attacked him,
no matter what they said about him. You might know examples. No matter how evil they were. He tried
to help he continued to assist he continued to well wishes that's why there is success otherwise a
leader cannot have hatred in his heart for people whom will Allah He the Muhammad sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam says Allah Houma. Dico me for Leia and Amman, Allah, they don't know if they knew they
		

			would not do what they are doing here. They don't know these are my children. These are my people.
This is the Ummah I'm trying to call Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when he was asked in PA if to
say whatever he wants, and the angels would execute. You know what he said? Allahumma inni Esko La
Cava Kuwa T O Allah, I complained to you my weakness. You asked me to deliver the message I'm
delivering, they're not listening. Subhan Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah me. How many of us if people
don't listen, he will complain about ourselves. I'm weak. But he's from Allah continue to work for
Allah one day, they will understand one day they will come.
		

			I also face many challenges as I work but for every one, they are another 100 or 1000. Who will
benefit
		

			to Don't worry. You don't do it for the people. They will judge you because the world is full of
judging. You continue to work, think how can I get the message to everyone? I came here on my own.
		

			I put up this
		

			tripod in front of me. I have my own phone, which I put up here. I read up my own recording. I am
recording this myself. And I have a channel which I started to use some years ago. Put it up on my
own. And people think you have 1000 people working for you doing things
		

			and they don't realize we are Zimbabweans
		

			to begin with.
		

			Allah will grant it. Its acceptance if it is meant and Allah will throw you out if he wants. It's
not them. It's Allah. So use the platforms. There is so much you can use you might sit here in this
country and reach people in Australia and wherever else because today Allah brought it to you. I
remember there was a time when I used to sometimes hear people say no, you know there is always
politics between some organizations and some Masjid. That is not for us for you and me we don't want
to believe in the politics. They are all our brothers we will help everyone no matter who they are
for as long as they are Muslim in shahada Allah Allah and Allah Allah Muhammad Rasul Allah you need
		

			to be above the difference they are your brothers you will reach them because the idea if you don't
have a good rapport with them how will you get the message of the team to them and their children?
How so never mind the politics they say this one is like this that one is like that. Just keep
smiling and working. Just do your work. It's okay it's okay so now I like them How are you
Everything okay Michelle, how are your children how is the family if there is any way I can help you
please let me know sometimes there is something you can assist you can go and help why not? They
will be stunned one day they will come so recently I faced we faced many challenges recently there
		

			was another one people created a huge thing out of something minor. And so what happened is
		

			someone decided to sway me in public saw me in person I was just walking and they started to say
things I just smiled because with me was a very important people. And I just smiled and I carried on
because you know what? My brother I work for Allah not for you. Let's see. Another thing is you know
my bread is not buttered neither by you know by anyone. That's another thing. So what no matter what
you say it goes to show who you are not me. Next day I had an opportunity to meet the same man
again. I I grabbed his and Salaam Alaikum how are you? I said you know what? May Allah grant you
goodness I want to tell you 10 years from today you will regret what you did. That's all I want to
		

			say. You know why? All of us when we are young, we have energy we don't want to accommodate it's me
and I want to do this and that. As you grow older you realize it's not just me. I have children they
need to get married. I have people I have a community I need to serve the community. I have so much
happening in teams need to come I am not we are together we will if there are struggles we struggle
together if there is some goodness we are enjoying read and whatever it is together.
		

			We are a people when something is being distributed they will remember us. I'm giving you a
Zimbabwean example. Because you know how the struggles have been on for decades right now for us and
mashallah look at us, some of some of us mashallah we are struggling more than others right or
wrong, but we sit together and hamdullah we try our best no one knows, we pray for each other. So I
told the brother 10 years from today you will regret what you have said, and long discussion and I
guarantee you by the will of Allah. If Allah wants goodness, Allah always softens the hearts of the
people.
		

			Who are you run nasty and far only Nursey the best of the people are those who are the most
beneficial to the rest of the people out people. When we become selfish, we won't reach anyway. Look
at others and tell yourself what can I give this person I can give them something maybe dua at
least.
		

			And you know what I learned something.
		

			When the beam Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam speaks about character, and when I share the
Allahu anha says, cannot hold up the whole Quran. He was His luck is an embodiment of the Quran.
When Allah He that makes a huge difference in Tao, and in your teaching and as an Imam, when your
character is beautiful. When you talk to the people with respect, you automatically have your own
respect your own respect, but when you don't respect people, you as an Imam, you can joke and laugh
but with the right people, and there must be a limit to your jokes they should not become X rated
and X X rated. Even though you might just be sitting with young boys and you think oh, we are just
		

			joking. They will lose respect for you. Behind the scenes, they will lose respect. Make yourself
Yes, we can laugh but there is a limit to the laughter
		

			make yourself Yes, we can spend time we can laugh and joke but there is a limit to those jokes.
		

			Your character must outshine everyone speak with respect and clearly to everyone go and be there and
help and assist wherever possible, wherever needed, depending on where you are based how many Imams
they are, what is the job exactly and we need to do more than that. Why not?
		

			So, you know, as we progress in life, we will face challenge upon challenge because Nabina Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the Imam of Imams. He was the leader of all he was saying you will
Ambia the leader of Ambia look at the challenges he went through. They accused him they said bad
things about him. They tried hard. What happened after he passed on
		

			and things started to spread. Today we are billions on Earth following a man
		

			who didn't even have a sound speaker that we had here but his voice reached further than anything
that I could allow mine to reach than mine could or yours.
		

			People follow and they will follow Mohamed Salah Salem.
		

			So
		

			to be able to assist and to help is very interesting to develop your character will empower you
people want to listen to you have a good expression on your face. I always like to smile. The reason
is it's a sunnah. Another reason is when you have a pleasant look about yourself. People will
automatically want to listen to you imagine someone comes up in Joomla and they're just frowning.
And they see in Alhamdulillah Muhammad who people will want to go away.
		

			What is this brother going to say? And then some people they scream at you they shout at you. Yes,
there are times when you need to raise your voice by all means. There are times when you need to use
words that are a little bit hard. But those are times I like to draw cue from Nabi Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he sent Abu Musa luxury and even a gerbil to a to Yemen and he told him
Bashira wala tuna Farah give good news to the people. Don't chase them away from the deal. Good
news. What is good news? Allah is merciful. Allah is great. Allah will forgive your shortcomings
turn to Allah. Allah His row of Allah is Rahim here is the deen Allah, Allah grant you Jana, when
		

			you do this, when you do that, you don't start off by saying something which will chase them away.
		

			There was a brother who wanted to accept Islam.
		

			So
		

			he said, can I accept Islam? They said yes. He accepted Islam. They told him you need to cut
		

			you need to cut what
		

			you need to cut what?
		

			Circumcision. They said you must slot. He was scared. He said no, I can't. I said no. You have to we
put you You come. We need to you must seven days. Where did they get this? From that seven days you
need to slice?
		

			So the brother says, hey, that's rough. I can't do it. I'm old man. What's going to have
		

			happen he was scared you know how scared they get that is his pride they want to chop it
		

			so he said no no no no it's very hard they said no we you will have to we will take you by force he
said no then I want to leave Islam he said they said if you leave we'll chop your head Never mind.
		

			So he was what kind of religion is this I enter you want to exit your job? What do you what is it
		

			that shows people are confused you see people are what they are confused
		

			May Allah Almighty make it easy?
		

			Yes, it circumcision is important in Islam but how can you start with this point to say Bashira Come
on, take it easy speaker do things in a nice way. Why do I had you know one one let's move as a
brother he's scared he wants to go out there is a bigger problem.
		

			So
		

			then the prophets of Allah Salam says yes, Sera wala to a Syrah make things easy for people don't
make them hard. Today many hula are failing because they make things hard and not easy. There is a
Hadith of Rasulullah sallallahu Sallam ma who yerba
		

			Tara is rahamallah Mechanismen Have you heard that hadith? Whenever the Prophet sallallahu sallam
was faced with two ways of doing something
		

			he always chose the easier one for as long as it was not sinful. I try and tell that to some of the
people they will say what are you doing say but it's the Sunnah Yeah, there are two ways of doing
it. I can go walking or I can go by row by by car. So let me go by car because as a sunnah I'm
practicing good doing the easier of the two that's just one example but so many other examples
		

			make life easy for people not difficult you don't give them the most difficult ruling ever to say no
that's it and you enjoy people enjoy it because you know what is the problem today? Let me explain.
Also, when people lose a class they start fighting for turf. What does turf mean? They want
followers they want to control they want more numbers, but numbers are from Allah you do the work
what call it mellow fossa Allahu Allah, calm whare Zulu, meno do the work, do the work, Allah will
see it the messenger and the believers, you do the work it will be seen. But when you start saying
I'm the one who is not the one, that's a problem, look, I give you my own example. And this again,
		

			taught by our own stance.
		

			Do the work. Do not turn towards others, you remind people of halal and haram, of what is good of
correct Aqeedah of all goodness, but you don't have to name other people and say that man he's like
this and like you don't you shouldn't have the time to do that. You shouldn't have the time here.
How many are we? We are more than 300 Imams here, right? I tell you my beloved brothers. If we were
to talk about one another, we would have nothing more to talk about. It's enough for us in this room
to talk about one another. That guy is like this this one is like that. That one it's after a woman
this one is after met after a money that one he just reached too loud that one thinks he's too
		

			knowledgeable this one thinks he and wallah what happened shaytan will succeed shaytan will achieve
nothing more. So don't turn away from your focus of your work by talking about others prop them up
if there is any goodness called someone come to our Masjid come give a good talk when you know he's
a good speaker for example. Or when you find one imam or of another Masjid is in your masjid for
example. And he might be a doing Salah he passing through that place or whatever it is, you might
want to introduce him to your congregation. Because tomorrow they might benefit from him. Don't be
scared. They might control tomorrow these people will come or this Imam will come and take over my
		

			job know that who do you work for Allah Allah? That's it. You know, all of us here we are working
for the same company. What is that company, the dean who is the boss and the owner Allah. So your
boss and my boss is the same, the company is the same. If there are more branches of the same
company, should we be upset Or happy? When you see a chicken in, for example, when they are 20
branches, and there is a 21st branch they all announced there's another branch opening on that
street right or wrong. They are happy there's a manager there. They support each other because they
are working for the same company. It's just an example. We are working for Allah. Don't blow don't
		

			hate on others, otherwise you will fail.
		

			So the community also is facing many many, many challenges. Don't make people feel like they are not
Muslim, because they go further from Islam. Let them feel we are Muslim and we all need to improve
include yourself in it. When I started the speech I said this reminder is for who? For me.
		

			Why because I am
		

			Want to include myself? It's a reminder for me, how can I just come and say, right you, you know
what is your weight we have an issue. It's the Ummah we are facing. So my brothers Let me explain.
If you are to speak to people and address them, letting them feel they are Muslim, and they need to
work hard on some of their bad habits. I'm talking of the Ummah who comes to your masjid, right? I'm
not talking about Dawa outside it's another topic but they also there are different principles. You
bring people in they will be happy I'm already a Muslim, let me try more Let me try harder with my
dress with my salah with my this let me stop to do whatever haram Let me increase a bother because
		

			you are encouraging them, you are prepping them you are informing them of the reward they will have
you are informing them of so much goodness that is to follow. So they feel encouraged because why on
the globe today, they are suffering everywhere. I have traveled to more than so many countries.
Trust me Every country has its challenges. Every country has its challenges every country has its
what its challenges. So don't think that I'm going to go there. So it's going to be easier for me
now, there there will be a different type of challenge there
		

			Subhanallah different type of challenge. So, my beloved brothers, when we make people feel that they
are not acceptable, you know, you you are going to Johanna Halas. So,
		

			in order to say that you you have to be in January 1 was who saw that that person was there. You saw
it, isn't it. So, where were you, you were there, you see that you need to be careful how you speak,
you cannot just do people you are in Ghana for what? Yes we want people at a stage look there is
Jahannam there is punishment, we save ourselves from this in this way, speak in a nice way.
		

			And then what will happen Allah Almighty will grant goodness to the entire community there is a
feeling people want to come they will come instead of just one salah they will be there for two and
three and we they feel good in the masjid the environment must be very welcoming, very welcoming do
not favor the rich only some people the wealthy, they greet them nice and the poor and those others
they just by the way Wallah he gives more importance to those who are poor, the prophets of Allah wa
salam he used to ask Allah Allah Romania sir Luca Hogben Misaki
		

			you know what that means?
		

			Oh Allah, I asked you how to build Moroccan, I asked you the love of those who are Miskin Moroccan.
So we need to ask Allah love of Moroccan How do you get it go out, talk to them, help them reach
them talked, greet them, etc. Sit with them, listen to what their issues are, try to be there for
them Wallahi your heart will improve and so will mind.
		

			So my beloved brothers, the deen of Allah, at this moment, we have social media. I think it is the
challenge of the age, it has a very good side to it. And it also has a very challenging side to it.
Is it? So what is the solution?
		

			When people see social media, they see good things and bad things, which is more,
		

			which is more
		

			bad things. You are the one thing if not me?
		

			How to combat that by increasing Good. How are you going to increase good by being there to do more
good?
		

			Some people say no, you don't have this shy away. If you cannot control yourself, switch it off.
		

			Some people they can't control themselves, sitting all night, flicking looking at all the women and
everything else. And when the wife says What are you doing? I'm doing down.
		

			Oh, what are you doing?
		

			You are any mom? What are you doing?
		

			You need to make sure that we are doing a good thing online. If you scroll on social media and you
only see that which is wrong, you as a leader need to tell yourself I can change this by the help of
Allah, how we will put things that are good, we will learn. Imagine we are 300 plus in this room,
each one of us does one clip a day. How many is that going to be in 10 days? 3000? Well, how many
will it be in one year? How many Subhan Allah you see, so Allah Almighty will grant us Allah
Almighty will grant it acceptance you just need to sow the seed. The rest of it happens from Allah.
When you want a mango tree you sow the seed, what do you do? You put water and whatever, how is it
		

			going to grow? Allah knows but it will grow. After some time you start seeing maybe after you leave,
you will find the fruits of it. Work hard, be dedicated. And I'll tell you another one.
		

			When Allah has given you a place to stay some food and drink and a little bit of that which is
enough for you to survive. You might not have too much extra work hardly. It's a good job. Work
hardly. And you know what
		

			Allah will open more doors at some point.
		

			Difficulty today we run away go somewhere. It's more difficult but we are too shy to acknowledge
that we made a mistake. It's more hard here now. Then we run away from there. Then we go even
further in English they say Jumping from the frying pan into the fire. That's what's happening. My
brother there was a frying pan. We were jumping a little bit with oil. Now we're in the fire Subhan
Allah, may Allah grant us goodness, may Allah bless us. Things are tough. Across the globe, people
are facing challenges. When we address them, we need to bear in mind what they are going through.
		

			Some people they might not appear to be so they might not appear to be so practicing but if you look
at them, their life is improving. coming closer to Allah, what are you supposed to do? You're
supposed to help and assist. It brings me to another very interesting point. Many people are
entering the fold of Islam.
		

			Follow up with them, teach them
		

			follow up with them, because if you don't follow up with them, they will dilly dally, and they won't
have enough knowledge to remain. But they know it's the true Dean. They want to pray salah and the
meanings of what you are reading in Salah needs to be taught from the first day. What is the meaning
of Allahu Akbar when when we were young, they didn't teach us much of the meaning just for Salah you
say Allahu Akbar and you start Subhana Allah amo behind the kata Baraka smoke and then you start
with Surah Fatiha Bismillah and whatever else and some people didn't know what it means they just do
it and they are wondering what is this Salah Wallah he more important than anything is to know the
		

			meaning of it. Teach them the meaning get into it, see it will change their lives in yours.
		

			When you are saying Allah is the Greatest, the one who made me is the greatest Subhan Allah
		

			then you are asking Allah praising him asking Him for guidance in Surah Fatiha then continuing
through some other short Surah then go to record what are you saying? So to follow up with those who
have accepted Islam is very important and do it slowly bit by bit by bit. They won't know everything
in one day. So take it easy, they might not be able to practice everything in one day but slowly but
surely they will come.
		

			So inshallah these are some of the issues that I managed to raise in my half an hour, but chef, I
still have two and a half minutes. So inshallah we will
		

			fill every minute of that every second of it we will fill it inshallah
		

			because I'm seeing such beautiful faces here, beloved brothers of mine, it's not easy to just let go
of them some of the brothers mashallah the beards have grown from the last time I've seen you it's a
good designer, masha Allah, may Allah Almighty bless us learn to love one another learn to care for
one another, even those who don't like you, even those who spread false about you look, I'll give
you one quick example. And I'm going to give you an example I am not so much involved now. But at
the end of the day, we are all part of the the organization
		

			many years back, I recall some people whom I knew, they used to say very bad things much like this,
these ones are like that. This one's like that. You know what the train continued without them.
		

			It's like a train station. Remember this and the train is moving through and if you are going to say
this train is very bad, that train is bad. It stopped for five minutes to pick up passengers using
that train that train. You know what you are left at the station and there's no one around you and
the train is gone with everybody it's gone. So, the best thing to do is jump on the train at least
and inshallah you will move you will move more and more. I remember in back in another country,
there was a brother who said you know that that, that
		

			masjid, I will not support them. You know Allah created others to support the masjid because the
masjid is whose house
		

			then that man was sitting and saying, Ah, now what? Now what you Allah put you out and use that as
the work of Allah is not going to stop because of the statement of one person. It's not going to
stop good work will increase even if five people talk against it. But the moral of the story let us
us not be those who talk talk, talk, talk, talk, don't talk, do the work and show what you're doing.
Allah will see it the people who will benefit and in that way we will serve the Ummah correctly. May
Allah subhanahu wata Allah grant us goodness, OPPO Lokali ha ha SallAllahu wasallam ah