Jumuah Lecture
14 June 2019
Arcadia Harare
Mufti Menk – The Best of Both
AI: Summary ©
--
The importance of not missing a job or pursuing a career is discussed, along with the importance of budgeting and staying within one's capacity to achieve. The speakers emphasize the importance of preparing for the death of oneself and not giving up on others, particularly in the context of personal struggles. The types of people with which success is most successful are discussed, including those who have lost loved ones and lost their status in the world.
The importance of not missing a job or pursuing a career is discussed, along with the importance of budgeting and staying within one's capacity to achieve. The speakers emphasize the importance of preparing for the death of oneself and not giving up on others, particularly in the context of personal struggles. The types of people with which success is most successful are discussed, including those who have lost loved ones and lost their status in the world.
AI: Summary ©
Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.
smilla rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah who Allah Allah He was happy he
will always praise Allah subhanho wa Taala Send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his companions, his household we asked Allah to bless them and to bless every one of us and to grant us ease and goodness me,
my beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,
we have completed the month of Ramadan. And we have entered the month of chawan
which is the first of the month of Hajj
and those who are preparing to go for Hajj, may Allah make it easy for them.
The journey to Hajj is a journey that is undertaken
at least once in the lifetime of a Muslim who is able and capable and can afford that journey.
At the same time,
as much as not everyone can afford it, the heart
of those who cannot afford it still yearns to go to the house of Allah subhanho wa Taala.
Life
is fixed by Allah subhanho wa Taala
when I was born, was determined by Allah,
who I was born to, was determined by Allah,
we usually say that that itself shows you that life is a test.
If life was not a test, you would have chosen where you should come, what you should do, who you should be with, perhaps what part of the world you came and so on. You could have had a say.
But Allah says that say you will have in the hereafter. Once you get to gender that will fit those into paradise, you will have a complete sail regarding everything
that you would like.
And the law says we will give you whatever you like.
But for this world, we did not give you the choice even of what race or color you were born into what family what nationality, what part of the world, all of that.
Allah just created it as a test. In fact, so much so that the sustenance that you and I have,
is determined by Allah, Allah has already decreed that this person is going to have so much and that person will have much more and this person will have much less,
although he has a unique way of making us work towards that, which he has written for us. What this means is, if Allah has written that for this person, during their life, they will be X amount that they will own and spend, and some that they may not spend and how they will spend it.
Allah will make easy for you, and facilitate for you actions that will result in you achieving that.
And very clearly something the Prophet sallallahu Sallam has told us that those who are lazy and sit back, they are to blame. And ultimately, Allah having known already, what these people would have gotten up to, has written that they're going to achieve nothing.
So a man who's looking for a job, or a person who wants some money.
If he were to sit and not do anything,
when he is to blame, when he doesn't get the job. And when he doesn't get the money. Because Allah says I gave you the energy. I gave you the capacity. And I dropped so many opportunities in front of you. But you did not take those opportunities.
A man on an island saying Oh Allah save me, oh, Allah save me. And suddenly, a helicopter comes on to the island. And the man says, No, I'm not going to jump onto here and waiting for Allah to save me. But Allah sent you a helicopter, all you needed to do was now to jump on the helicopter. It requires an effort. You are not disabled. You could have done something but you were too lazy. You didn't understand the plan of Allah. So to understand the plan of Allah is part of knowing who Allah is
to answer
The stand the plan of Allah is part of knowing who Allah is. The plan of Allah is that he will give you all the means to achieve something. And he will tell you, I want you to make an effort, the effort is in your hands. Why? Because Allah gave you that capacity. Ultimately everything goes back to Allah. So my brothers and sisters, don't ever blame destiny for your problems, to say, Well, you know what, it was destined that I was going to fail in life. If Allah had given you the capacity and you did not use that capacity, then you are to blame. You are to blame. A person who's offered the job, a person who, for example,
is told that please can you come and sit for the interview for the job.
And they said, No, I'm not going to come. And I'm not going to go for the interview, I believe in Allah, Allah is going to send it to me, wherever I am. That person is a fool. They are foolish, it was Allah who sent it to you. In the same way, when you're sitting with a plate of food in front of you, and you look at it, and you say, I'm not going to move my hands, if Allah wants is going to feed me, that's exactly the same example. If Allah once he's going to feed me, and you're looking at the food,
you can sit in front of that food for a long time, the only difference is because your belly calls in such a powerful way through the pangs of hunger, you will be forced to take your hand and put something in your mouth, even the little baby will do that.
Natural as they say, in the same way, the bigger things, you need to use the capacity Allah gave you, yes, if you didn't have the capacity to move something different, then it's not you to blame, then you can say it was destined, that I wouldn't be able to move those who are disabled in one way or another.
May Allah subhanho wa Taala make it easy for them. They are challenged, it becomes more difficult. But for you and I who are quite normal, quite normal, let's make an effort on earth in the right direction. So this effort is supposed to be divided into two. It's supposed to be divided into two. Number one, the effort to ensure that you survive, you're alive, and you're reasonably comfortable. That effort is known as the effort towards the dunya towards this life. So I make an effort to get a job to earn to be able to save my money in the most intelligent way based on the capacity of thinking that Allah has given me and at the same time to be able to spend in the wisest way Allah
has given us advice in the Quran, to tell us
why Allah, Allah de karma, whoo Latin Illa.
Allah De Soto, Columbus, Allah says, Don't be so miserly as to put your hand on your neck, which means you hold back, I'm not spending anything, you know, you need, but you're not spending because you're saying, I've got to look after my cash. But Allah says that money you have primarily you need to start off with food, with your accommodation. And with reasonable clothing based on your level. You know, if you have $100 in your pocket,
you cannot simply go to a five star restaurant and say I want to eat, you're going to eat once, maybe. And after that, you will be hungry again. But you need to budget and realize I've got 100 let me go out and buy a little bit of this and that and cook it and eat it perhaps at home so that I can save for tomorrow and the next day and the next day until I get a little bit more.
Right. This is the capacity has given you so how to spend allowances. Don't be so miserly that you don't spend at all and don't be extravagant. Like I said that you don't budget at all. You need to strike this balance. Because if you don't, you will regret and you are to blame. Allah says I gave you the money. What did you do? I blew it. You blew it In what way? I just went down the road. And you know, I saw a man selling a coke for about $200 I thought it must be a different type of a coke. So what I did is I decided to buy it but when I opened it, it was the same like the cokes you get for $5. Who's to blame? Who is to blame? Why did you do that? Why do we want to live beyond our
means? Who do we want to show? We are showing off to those who don't really mean much. You'd rather not show Be yourself. Those who are
respect you and turn towards you in a respectful way, while you are living in your capacity are the ones who will bring about comfort and contentment to you, if they were involved in your life in one way or another. But those who only want to know you, when you impress them with something that you really can't afford,
they are not healthy, to be associating with, no matter who they are.
The second type,
or the second matter, is the survival. Regarding Deen. When I say survival, I'm using that word. Because if you don't have a connection, and the relationship with the maker who made you forget about how much dunya Allah has given you, you have failed. Forget about how much world Allah has given you. He could have given you the millions. But if you don't have a connection with the one who made you in the first place, the one who chose your race, your nationality, your parents, where you will be what part of the world you're going to be in that same deity. If you do not worship Him, have a relationship with him, you cannot survive, you cannot survive in the long term. Because life
is so so short. Once you die, where are you going to go.
And you know that I've always said, always say that
Subhana Allah, everything you have, you didn't have it prior to birth.
You found it on earth. And when you die, you're going to leave it back here. Whatever you've got, you're going to leave it here. Take a look at all your things that you have. Look at your motor vehicle, or your bicycle, or your clothes or your watches, or even your family members or anyone else. You're going to leave them here when you go back alone.
Alone, you're going to leave it so there's no point in fighting over it to the degree that you lose your connection with Allah. Turn to Allah. This is the reason why the prophets rustle up says rakata surgery, Cairo Mina dunia one of the two units of prayer, just prior to the fall of federal. It's called The sooner of budget.
How many sooner? avevo fudge, fudge it to Santa right. Those two sooner. The Prophet sallallahu Sallam says they are better than this whole world and what ever it holds just two units of prayer. You know why? Because that is your connection with Allah. You got up you forsook your sleep. And you got up and what did you do? You prayed for the sake of Allah.
And you develop that connection with Allah. If you were to die on that day, Subhana Allah, it would be recorded and registered that you started the day offering a voluntary prayer to Allah subhanho wa Taala.
When I say voluntary,
the two sooner of budget fall within the category of voluntary, although they are absolutely important.
This is why we say my brothers and sisters, these two things, take care of them. Number one,
your livelihood, your sustenance, your dunya Don't be lazy work hard Harish Allah myinfo Costa in Billahi min lotta just work hard towards achieving that which is beneficial for you. seek the help of Allah and don't give up.
Keep on going, even if it took you four or five years to search for the ideal job. Keep on going do not give up. Keep on going. And like we spoke about already the budgeting and so many other things. But don't forget what is more important than that temporary survival on earth is your relationship with Allah and your preparation for the end of this short life. And even during this life, a lot of people don't realize that contentment in the life is only truly achieved by your remembrance of Allah and the fact that you are connected to him.
Keep on remembering that I'm connected to Allah, your relationship with Allah will give you calmness, the happiest of people are those who are as religious as possible with the best relationship with Allah. They are the happiest of people.
Happiness is not brought about by materialism so much so that Allah has kept this world such that what you love today. Tomorrow, they won't even want it. Take a look at what they loved in 1900 19 00. What did they love today?
You don't even want it, you don't even want to know about it.
The phone that they loved in the year 2000. Today, if someone offered it to you for free, you'd want to give it back. You don't want. So Allah says the world is such that you yourself will not love what you loved a few years ago, it updates so much that it keeps you on your toes, the only thing that will calm you down is your relationship with Allah, guess what it should become better and better and better as your days pass. You know, the best news is for the one who grows and as they grow, they're growing closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala.
There are a few types of people The first is the one who has nothing in this world. And he has nothing for the hereafter. It's called casilla dunya. Farah danika, who will move in unless you want to know what is the clear loser. The clear loser or clear loss is that
within which a person has lost this world, and the hereafter, so Allah gave them nothing in this world, for whatever reason, either they are to blame or not to blame. And I explained that which what's the difference,
but they didn't have a relationship with Allah. So even when they died, they had nothing on the other side waiting for them, May Allah forgive us. That's one type. The second type person who was poor in this world, they had very little in this world, but they were still close to Allah. So they were content with the little that Allah gave them. And guess what they achieved the hereafter they were winning and sailing and floating straight through, and they were the happiest because they did not compromise on their relationship with Allah, the Salah, and the acts of worship and the fasting and the their attitude and their character and their conduct, and helping the other creatures of
Allah subhanho wa Taala. So they succeeded.
That loss is not bad. It's very temporary, it's short, maybe on Earth, you might feel for a moment just for a moment that I wish Allah had given me more, so that I could do good with it. But as you die, you realize how I lost nothing. Life is short anyway. And the third category of people are those whom
Allah has given on earth, He gave him a lot.
He gave them a lot.
But they still had no relationship with Allah at all. So what happened, as soon as the eyes closed, they went to a bad place. And this is a very big test. Remember, my brothers and sisters, sometimes Allah does not give you because he knows that if we were to give you your ways, and habits are going to be faltering and meandering, rather, I don't give you you living happily in your home, you're living Okay, you don't have you know, you have so bad habits, you don't have bad habits. And when you die, you die a good man, without having had so much on Earth. Sometimes if Allah knows that by giving you you're going to become a drunkard, perhaps a womanizer, perhaps so many other things,
gambling, all these other bad habits, then Allah subhanho wa Taala may not give you so when he doesn't give you it, sometimes it's a blessing.
But it's also a test. And the same applies when he gives you his watching. I gave you What are you going to do with it? Like a father telling his son, listen, son, he has $100 let's see what you're going to do start up a business. The son will is irresponsible. He will come back to the Father and he'll say, Dad,
I don't have the money anymore. What did you do? I just went to Nando's they went to wherever they By the way, I hope it's Halla
Will you go and he will come back and say I just had one meal money is not but father's is a I told you to do business with this thing, or to try. That's it Subhana Allah, we need to understand the fourth type of a person, the one whom Allah has blessed with in this world and that drew him closer to Allah. So what happened he prepared for the hereafter and he gained the hereafter and he became successful both in this world and in the next and this is why Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about one of the best to ask to Allah, one of the best to ask to Allah, Amana, Tina Fey dunya Hashanah, Warfield filati Hashanah joaquina
Oh, Lord, grant us goodness in this world. Look at how he started with the prayer for goodness in the world. And that's why today in my talk, I started by speaking about the world, the worldly life. Before I spoke about religion, I spoke about the effort that is required to survive on Earth. Because of the order in this particular verse in this draft, where Allah says, The do I made by those who are closer to Allah, those who understand the good, the good supplication is when you say, Oh my Lord, grant me goodness in this world in this world, give me goodness and then
Give me goodness in the hereafter as well, which means as you are giving me goodness in this world make me closer and closer and closer to you. The winner is He who has everything in the world, but he's so humble that he treats everybody with utmost respect. Yet, he might be a powerful person, he might be a wealthy person, he might be whatever he might be, but he's humble.
The difficulty is, Satan comes to us shape. And when you make your first 10,000, your first 100,000 you start broadening your shoulders a bit, walking on Earth, like you know, it's me.
And then something happens to your health, small pain in the chest. And you realize how insignificant you are, before you know it, phone calls and messages and whatsapps saying, in that alert, you were in a layer at your own funeral of so and so with your name will be at 3pm this afternoon, at this cemetery or whatever this place, you're gone. What happened about all your big weakness, you know, the grandeur that you thought you were in Subhana Allah, Allah says, Don't be deceived. So then the women, Allah subhanho wa Taala says, is the one who has both. That's why the second part of this application is and Oh Allah, grant us goodness in the hereafter. And on top of
that, save us from the punishment of the Fire. May Allah subhanho wa Taala. Grant us goodness, life is short, my brothers and sisters, very, very short. Be a good person, be kind to others. Be polite, think good thoughts, have hope in Allah, keep on trying hard, because even if you are struggling, the struggle is limited. The worst case scenario is you struggle up to the point of death. After that there is no struggle had you if you develop your relationship with Allah, and they can be nothing worse than that. Nothing worse than that. If you develop your relationship with Allah, and Allah did not give you on earth much. Don't worry, keep on trying. keep on trying for as long as
you're alive and while you're trying to build your relationship with Allah, the smile that is everlasting. It is true when they say he who smiles last, you know, the one who laughs last laughs the best. That's what they say. Let's change the term laughter with a smile. Okay. So the one who smiles at the end is the true person who deserves the smile. But for us as believers, what is the meaning of the end? When you leave this world and you are smiling Subhana Allah, you have the greatest smile ever, ever. And you will be very successful May Allah grant myself success and yourselves or Buddha or sallallahu wasallam or Baraka, Nabina Muhammad