Mufti Menk – Supplications Series 2018 EP28

			Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato. May the peace and blessings of Allah Subhana Allah to
Allah be upon every one of us. Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim we begin In the name of Allah subhanho wa
Taala the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Alhamdulillah or praise is indeed due to Allah subhanho
wa Taala wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Allah Allah He was happy his main blessings and
salutations upon the Messenger of Allah subhanho wa Taala and his companions and his household and
every one of us, may Allah bless us and grant us gender to fill those And may Allah subhanahu wa
taala make us from those who follow season upon season. As Ramadan comes to an end we usually have
		

			the months of Hajj that clock in immediately. And therefore we need to understand the gift of Allah
subhanho wa Taala the obedience we had in Ramadan, the same Allah we were obeying is that Allah
outside of Ramadan as well. So we ask Allah Subhana Allah to Allah to grant us consistency in
worship, and to make us from those who realize that Allah Subhana Allah to Allah as gifts from
Yvonne is to achieve taqwa, God, consciousness and Mahavira to achieve the forgiveness of Allah
subhanho wa Taala. May Allah granted to us, my brothers, my sisters, whenever we are seated, we are
taught by the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that we should be conscious about what we say, in
		

			a little gathering. We say things we teach things, some of the utterances are unnecessary. If it is
a major sin, like we've been engaging in backbiting, slander, false accusation in our gatherings. In
that case, we need to seek the forgiveness of Allah through what is known as Toba.
		

			This Toba is actually to ask a last forgiveness from a major sin that we have been perpetrating. If
it was involving a third party, another human being, we would have to go to that person and seek
forgiveness from them as well. So if I was backbiting about another brother, or a sister, I would
need to contact that person and seek forgiveness from them. There is no quick fix or quick solution
to say okay, let me just make dua for them. Let me just give a charity on their behalf and inshallah
things will happen. If they're alive, they're reachable, you need to make sure you actually go and
speak to them to seek forgiveness. And you need to make sure that if you cannot get hold of them,
		

			you cannot reach them, you start undoing what you did, by going back to the people who you spoke
with, and telling them what we did was wrong, the person is innocent, the person is free from what
we said, and you say good things about them to nullify the bad that you did. We hope that Allah
subhanho wa Taala has mercy upon us. But it's very important not to engage in that which is
destructive when we have our gatherings. So Allah subhanahu wa taala has definitely given us the
gift of communication. Imagine if we could not speak we would just be looking at one another blank
Look, a blank stare without knowing what we want to say. But Allah has blessed us and a lot of the
		

			other creatures that communicate in fact, all the creatures actually praise Allah. As Allah says in
the Quran, what he mentioned in India is a bit heavy handed, while lacking a lot of Kahuna test
behind every single thing declares the praise of Allah. But unfortunately, you don't understand
their praise or their way of praising Allah subhanho wa Taala. Now, as we are seated in the
gathering, if there are things that are not so serious, but perhaps we might have cracked a little
joke, we might have laughed excessively a little bit, you know, we might have forgotten Allah
subhanho wa Taala for a few moments, or we might have said a few things that are considered minus
		

			sin, etc. In that particular case, as we are getting up, we're taught something by the prophet
sallallahu alayhi wasallam, it is known as kapha, to mejlis cafardo to the Middle East, meaning the
supplication that you will make that will be an expiation of the sins that were engaged in, in that
particular gathering. Now, when we say expiation of the sins, we are talking of minor things, not
major things, you know, you cannot engage in a major sin and then say, Okay, I'll just read the
Confederate image list, it's fine. I will be forgiven No, but the minor things. The obliviousness of
Allah subhanho wa Taala, for a moment, etc, all that happens. So, what is the DA the DA is as
		

			follows.
		

			The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught this to us we are praising Allah Subhana Allah who
may be handicapped, as I do, Allah, Allah Allah and as the verruca
		

			Boo ilica All praises due to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, Glory be to You. In fact, Subhana Allah
home morbihan, deca, Glory be to You and all praises do unto you O Allah, eyeshadow, Allah, Allah,
Allah and I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship besides you, as the verruca was a tubu
Elijah, I seek your forgiveness Oh Allah, and I repent to you or Allah. Now, there is another
narration which adds at the beginning Subhana Allah He will be Hanvey Subhana Allah Homo byham deca
Nasha de la Ilaha. illa Anta Mr. Khurana to buoy Lake, which would mean all praises due to Allah
Glory be to Allah, all praises do to you, Oh Allah Glory be to You, Oh Allah. So we've repeated it
		

			twice, one in third person, one in second person. And then we say, I bear witness that there is none
worthy of worship besides you, Oh Allah. And I seek your forgiveness, Oh ALLAH and I repent to you.
So this is something very, very interesting. People ask me when I end sometimes some of my episodes
some of my lectures, I say Subhana Allah who become the satanic alarm will become the national to
Allah Allah. Hi, lantana. Stone Furukawa. Now you know why I say that? It's called confira. To
measure this when you're finished, when you're done. You want to Allah to forgive you for the little
that might have happened while you were talking. The mistakes, you know, some of the errors, the
		

			blunders, we all make mistakes. I know. Once or twice I've made mistakes because of the fact that
you're speaking you're speaking to the public. You know, you're speaking to people you have an
episode that you may be engaged in so much that you've made a mistake in your wording in the
pronunciation. Sometimes in an explanation. Sometimes, unintentionally, you might have said
something wrong, and sometimes a pure mistake, maybe you didn't know it so well and maybe you learnt
it wrong. So it can happen. We seek Allah's forgiveness for all of that by saying Subhana Allah He
will be happy Subhana Allah Homer will be handicapped to Allah Illa illa Anta Mr. Rocha wanted to be
		

			like me, Allah subhanho wa Taala. Accept that from us? No, I have not ended the session. I'm still
continuing my brothers and sisters. That was just a lesson we ask Allah Subhana Allah to Allah to
bless us. Now, let me move further.
		

			Brothers and sisters, we know that Allah subhanho wa Taala blesses us in a million ways. One of the
biggest blessings of Allah is when you are confused, he teaches you how to seek His guidance. If I'm
confused about something important, I want to get married, I want to start a business, I want to
travel to a certain place, I want to shift countries I want to I want to open something new, I want
to you know, do something I want to make decisions for my children. And I'm confused. I need to have
an element of steadfastness I need to be not knowing what's better for me. I really don't know. So
I'm confused. If you're not confused, you make a dua to Allah to help you make a decision, and to
		

			bless you in that decision. And then you make the decision based on what you know, based on
knowledge based on seeking guidance and advice. So when we want to do something important, say you
want to get married, you seek guidance, you meet the person, within the Islamic context and
framework, you meet the person, and you will talk to them once or twice. And I hope parents will
facilitate this for their children, because it's assumed none of the Prophet peace be upon him to
meet them, you know, it doesn't mean that they just bring a tray of tea or some answers. And as they
walk past, you've got to just look at them. And you've got to make a decision of your life. It's not
		

			like that. That is a traditional cultural way of doing things. We in Islam are taught that you are
allowed to meet, to communicate, to speak to look at properly, with respect within the confines of
the Sharia until you're satisfied, one way or the other. If you've met someone once and you say Nah,
not for me, it's okay, you can decline respectfully Don't feel bad. If you meet them once and you're
confused, you can meet them again and again, on condition that you haven't compromised the broader
the broader framework of the Sharia. There comes a time when your decision will be made by the will
of Allah subhanho wa Taala because there are good qualities good things you're hearing, you've
		

			asked, there is something called consultation or Shura, which is very, very important. So these big
matters, your business, your marriage, big decisions of shifting country, etc, etc. Ask the guidance
of genuine people who will guide you who know those who have knowledge and they're genuine. They
have knowledge in what you're asking them for and they have sincerity. They love you. They care for
you enough to give you genuine, proper advice. When you have those qualities you ask the person
look, this is what I intend. What's your opinion, what is the advice you can give me? They will give
you advice. Based on that advice. You will have a feeling in your heart. If that is decision is
		

			made. You're inclining towards one thing
		

			There is no point of when seeking the guidance of Allah through what is known as istikhara is the
Hara literally means to seek the guidance of Allah subhanho wa Taala there is no point in seeking
that guidance of Allah subhanho wa Taala. When you are not confused, you know exactly what you want.
You just ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to make it good for you and to give you Baraka in it for either
as a mentor for tawakkol Allah, Allah, once you have made your decision, lay your trust in Allah and
go ahead Bismillah In the name of Allah, for as long as you are a decent person trying to earn the
pleasure of Allah, it will be a good decision. A good decision does not mean you will achieve
		

			success the way you want it but rather, whatever is going to happen is going to be better for you.
So if you're going to start a business and you're you feel that you really have to do it. You go
into the business and suddenly you start suffering loss upon loss. Allah knows that was the best
thing for you, your deen your dunya your afra you know your life you're here after your future
because you softened up you came closer to Allah it helped you It brought you closer you want to get
married and you realize after some time that I may do that, you know, I was happy I made the
decision. Allah Baraka Tila, upon the blessings of Allah, I started and I did this whole thing
		

			correct, but it ended up in a divorce. Well, that divorce would have brought you closer to Allah, it
might have woken you up, it might have changed you for the better as a person, it might have brought
you such that you earned the genital for those as a result of the patients that you had to bear
because of the difficulties and hardships that you actually went through. So Allah knows it was
better for you. It does not mean that because your mushara was heading in this direction that there
is going to be total bliss and you're going to have heaven on earth. That's not what Allah said.
Allah said it's better for you. So the first stop is we seek guidance, help advice. We seek the
		

			advice then we make a decision if we are still confused we really don't know. Look, I met this
brother. I met the sister. Mashallah there okay, I sought guidance but I still don't know should I
shouldn't I Allahumma Antara be your turn to Allah Oh Allah, you are my rub. You are my Lord. Oh
Allah subhanho wa Taala
		

			This is the do out of St. Ha, it's quite a lengthy do I'm going to spend the rest of this episode
speaking about this to add going through the wordings explaining it to them, explaining them to you
and trying to tell you how exactly it's done. So the Sahaba of the Allahu anhu used to say, the
Prophet sallallahu Sallam taught us istikhara which means seeking the guidance of Allah, the same
way he would teach us verses of the Quran, which means these were very, very sacred important word
supplications from Revelation, indeed.
		

			And he used to tell us, when you want to seek the guidance of Allah, you would clean yourself you
would make the two units of prayer, and then you would supplicate using the following words
Allahumma Antara be?
		

			No Allahumma inni esta heruka be in Mecca. Oh Allah. I am seeking your guidance from your knowledge.
Allahumma inni as the hero cabbie in Mecca, Oh Allah, I am seeking your guidance from your knowledge
as duc De Luca biquadratic, and I am seeking the help from your power and your ability. I'm seeking
help I'm seeking ability and power from your ability and power. I want you to help me I want you to
empower me, Oh Allah, I seek your guidance I seek your empowerment Allahumma inni as the hero can be
in Mega Watts, duc de roca biquadratic
		

			well as a new coming from Lika Levine and I am seeking from you from the great bounty that you have,
or allow you own everything I'm seeking from that bounty. So we have mentioned three things. We want
Allah's help because he is the one who has the knowledge, right? We want allows a lot to empower us
because he's the owner of power. And we are asking Allah from his great virtue was alucabond
properly caladium Why are we asking for in Mecca intertech do Allah
		

			tala La la la la one to Allah Hmoob For indeed Oh Allah, you are able and we are unable.
		

			And you know, and we don't know. And you are the Knower of the unseen that's why we're asking you.
That's why we need your help. Subhana Allah I'm asking your help. I'm seeking from you. I'm seeking
your guidance as the heruka be in Mecca. I'm seeking guidance from your knowledge well as duc De
Luca pico de Tika, and I'm seeking empowerment from your power you are the owner of power was was
alchemy in follicle of him and I'm asking from your great bounty for in the tech deal for indeed you
are the one who's able to unlock did not mean I'm not able, one. Da da da da you know, and
		

			I don't know one Talamo you and you are the Knower of the unseen. Now we are seeing Allahumma in
Kandahar, the Umrah hieron li O Allah if this thing and you think about the thing, when you are when
you get to that poor portion of the DA, you're thinking about what you're asking Allah for, like
you're thinking about marriage to someone, you're thinking about doing the business. You're thinking
about something amazing that you want to embark on. You say, Oh Allah, if this thing Allahumma
incana hodel Umrah hate only Allah if this thing is better for me. Now better for me In what way?
fee Dini? tamashi. waka to me in three things over life. This is better for me in my Diem. Cree
		

			Dini,
		

			in my religion, in my worldly life, my Ash is referring to the material living dunya we would call
it dounia Dini we're doing Yeah, yeah, but rather than do asas v Dini one Masashi in my Dean, and in
my livelihood, my life will keep it to me and in the ending of my affairs, so it's talking about the
hereafter as well as the durability of this particular matter. It needs to be long, it needs to
benefit me throughout my life and into the hereafter. So if this is good for my Deen, my dunya and
my Akira that's what we're saying. My life sorry my religion, my life and my future. If it is better
for me in these three things, then I want you to do for me the following. What are we saying in this
		

			drop? In Canada have an Umbra hydro Li Dini mama she walked up to me directly so make it possible
for me? Why a Sidhu Lee make it easy for me to methodically fee and then give me blessings in it. So
three things will happen. Allah will make it possible for you, he'll make it easy for you and then
he'll give you blessings in it. So if he is making it difficult for you, if he is not making it
possible for you, then you can expect you to understand that the response is negative. Okay, let's
move on to the second the last part of that drought where it's the opposite where we think oh life
this is bad for me. So Allahumma in Canada has a camera Sharon Lee fee Dini. amarachi waka to Emory
		

			Oh Allah, if you know that this thing that I'm thinking about right now that I want to embark in is
bad for me. In my Deen in my junior in my era, like I said, Dini, Mama Ashima she is a living
document to me meaning the future. Oh Allah if you know that, then Oh Allah. Do me the following.
What is the following
		

			434 Annie, so keep it away from me. was with me and who and keep me away from it. What Dora Li El
Hierro Oh al Hira. Hi. tukana and destined for me the goodness wherever it is right for me. Whatever
the goodness is for me. I don't know what it is. Now. This is bad for me. You prescribed for me the
goodness wherever it is. And whatever it is. Thumb, thumb Marubeni be he then make me happy with
that. make me happy with it. The fact that you took it away from me make me happy with it. The fact
that you made it difficult for me makes me happy with it. The fact that you took it away from me
make me happy with it. The fact that you took me away from it make me happy with it. So your reply
		

			now will come from Allah subhanho wa Taala. What is that reply?
		

			So that reply will not necessarily come in the form of a dream. You know, there is the possibility
of a dream you see a dream. They say you see a positive dream. Sometimes you see a negative dream,
you know, positive dream, meaning anything positive. It could be a beautiful holiday. It could be
lovely greenery, it could be something that's really good, you know, happiness and so on. And
anything negative would depict negativity, but we're not so pious as to have our dreams actually
come to us to tell us what's going on. Sometimes that doesn't happen. The response of istikhara is
something you need to know more than the Ishihara itself. So how do I see a response? Well go back
		

			to look at the meaning of that same day that you've been supplicating Allah with and you will
understand how the response is going to come. So the first thing you are saying, Oh Allah, if this
is good for me, my Deen my dunya my Ashura then make it easy for me. Allah is making it easy for
you. Wow. The following day, someone calls you and says, you know, brother, I have a piece of land
that I'm prepared to actually sell you. You know, someone is selling this plot and you were just
thinking of opening up a farm starting a farm. Wow, that's a good sign. What's Allah doing? He's
responding to your service. taharah things are happening. They're rolling as we would say, Mashallah
		

			tabarrok Allah. So you want to get married and the next day someone says, you know, the sister is a
very good sister out of the blue, someone says is a very good sister, or a really good brother
Subhanallah What's happening? That's Allah subhanho wa Taala facilitating it for yourself.
		

			You told me to make it easy for you here goes big smile, Mashallah. And then what happens?
		

			Sometimes the opposite where someone calls you and they start discussing the negatives of a person,
you know, brother, I had a very, very bad experience with the sister and so on and you're like, Oh,
is it you? Listen carefully see if it's negative. You don't have to say anything to anyone you just
know between you and Allah. Okay, that's a sign Thank you. Oh Allah, I appreciate it. And I really
really thank you yeah, Allah Allah Allah me. Imagine so the the response of the istikhara is not
something superstitious, that you know, suddenly a goblin will pick you up to explain to you that
something bad is supposed to have happened? No, it is literally in that you said Oh Allah make it
		

			easy for me if it's good for me if it's not take it away from me. So suddenly it was not being made
good. That is a negative sign. And if it was made good, it is a very, very positive sign.
		

			So my brothers and sisters, the same applies when Allah subhanho wa Taala tells us that we should be
calling out to him that if it is not good for me, take it away from me, then you know what, it will
be taken away from you and it will be made difficult for you. Now sometimes people might say okay,
this is being made difficult for me but you know, I'm not wrong. If you're not wrong. You need to
ask yourself a few things. How long are you prepared to wait for? What is it that you are losing?
what is at stake? Why would you like to make this decision and for how long would you like to remain
in it? That is that is all that you need to consider also when you are making a decision, but I go
		

			back to what I said at the beginning of the discussion of istikhara. When you are not confused,
there is no point in making this str you might want to use this as a doula and this application
ordinarily on other days which is not wrong. You can use it outside of the str you just on a daily
basis for Allah to guide you through the decisions of the day for Allah to guide you through
decisions or Allah asked you from your knowledge you know, I don't know you are the powerful I am I
am not powerful at all I seek empowerment or like guide me if this is better for me my Deen my dunya
and I make the duel several times during the day there is no harm it is a dua it is in the Hadith it
		

			is as soon as you can see it as and when you wish. And Allah will guide you by the by his will in
the decisions of your day. But when it comes to major matters, that is when the real sooner clocks
in.
		

			Now, I want to speak about one last thing before we end this beautiful episode. And that is my
brothers and sisters. What we need to know when the do out of istikhara is made and we get a
positive response. Do you know what happens? It does not necessarily mean that we are going to be
happy. It means it's better for us. That's amazing. Remember this, people say I made this taharah
and you know what? I made it harder and everything was positive. And now I got married and I'm
suffering I'm struggling I'm going through a divorce. How could Allah do that to me when you haven't
understood is the heart and you don't know what it was meant to achieve for you. So my brothers and
		

			sisters, it's amazing how we need to look into the Dow of istikhara we need to understand that this
dow is taharah is so powerful it is from Allah subhanho wa Taala it does not
		

			it is not empowering us to be happy, but rather to have to achieve that which will please us in the
long term draw us closer to Allah it is beneficial for us in our Deen dunya and akhira not
necessarily happiness the way we understand it. So my brothers and sisters, these are the blessed
gifts of Allah subhanho wa Taala upon us we are really really fortunate to have the ability to seek
the guidance of our maker, the maker himself you tell me who has taught this to us well ah he we owe
a lot sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has indeed been a blessing
to us. We owe him we all know Allah subhanho wa Taala may allow us peace and blessings be upon us
		

			all well as peace and blessings be primarily and ultimately upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam and then every one of us akula Kali hada was Salam alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh