What are your Blessings?
Date:
Channel: Mufti Menk
File Size: 54.21MB
Episode Notes
Dubai 2021
AI Generated Transcript ©
Salam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatu
Smilla Rahmanir Rahim Al hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah he one Allah Allah, he was heavy gauge my, my beloved brothers and sisters, you can see I'm smiling because this is the first open air session that we're having, dealing with this beautiful topic, the blessings in life.
And at a time when we've all been through so much.
And we've become accustomed to a very different type of life, due to the pandemic that has overtaken the globe, it's important that we count our blessings. Many people have had lots of negativity in their lives. But when we have a session like this, and I'm very thankful to the Islamic affairs department and the government of the UAE for making it possible for us to meet today, in this beautiful weather, discussing such an important topic. So alhamdulillah, when we have these hardships, we must talk to each other, we must put things into focus and take a page from what the Almighty has revealed to us.
So at the outset, I want to say my brothers and sisters, Why did Allah make us? That's a question Why were we created? Why did we come onto this earth?
I wouldn't know. Unless I looked into Revelation, I would never be able to tell. Why did whoever made me make me and put me on to this Earth, where it is full of negativity all around.
And it is full of hardship, and challenges, and one test after another. So let me look at left revelation to see what the almighty who we as believers believe made us is saying to us regarding having made us
do I sound a bit too technical.
In all honesty, Allah Almighty says, Why malerkotla Gene
says Lallier Whoa,
I have not created mankind or gene kind. Except so that they worship me when I was younger. I thought to myself without much knowledge that that sounded very dry, dry meaning as a young person without much knowledge. If someone were to tell you, Allah made you to worship Him, you would say but why? I mean, what did he need to do that for? What was the whole purpose? So the question is not in order to defy Allah never. But just to know more. You know, when something happens to you, that's negative.
Are you allowed to say why me?
You know, when you've lost a job, you've lost a loved one, you've lost two loved ones, you've lost your wealth, your factories burned down, everything's happened, that's negative. Are you allowed as a believer to say, Why is this happening? Well, the answer is, it depends why you're asking the question. If you're asking the question in order to learn more than it's okay. It's fine to say, Why is this happening to me? Do I need to adjust something? Is there something wrong in the way I'm doing things? Is there something wrong with you? No, do I need to really change? If that's the reason why you're asking why is it happening to me? It's fine. Because you might find you've wronged
someone, you might find you've done something very bad. And some things are coming back to you in order for you to pay the price of what you've done. Maybe maybe. But if you're saying why is this happening to me, why is Allah doing this to me? defying the maker or being upset and angry with him, then we would tell you, my brother, my sister, you need a little bit of help to put things into focus and perspective as a believer.
Because nothing negative that happens to a believer is actually negative in the long term. It's only short term negativity. If you take it in your stride, you will find long term benefit but the question is when you know when Coronavirus hadn't hit initially, many people thought well, this is just a few months. This is not that bad. This is just going to last maybe a year. We're getting close on to two years and things don't seem to have subsided much. And as they were subsiding a little we found someone cry foul once again and here we are with the world threatening to get back to where we were last year. Hopefully not. May Allah protect all of us say I mean, may Allah protect
us. I mean, I mean, so
these things that appear to be very negative in actual fact
When we look at why we were created and what Allah promised us, we start getting a few answers. And we start seeing things from a different angle. And that's why we're talking about the blessings in life.
You were created, and so was I, the Almighty says, To worship me, I need to look back into the book and find out more detail.
To worship me is just in brief, but what is that worship? What does it entail? Well, Allah Almighty explains to us in many places in the Quran, the details of the tests of life, and that would prove to us that he's created us in order to test us through those tests, we begin to worship Him in a holistic way that would not only solve our problems, but grant us contentment in this world, and success together with contentment in the hereafter. So if I have something really bad that happened to me, and I look at it from the angle that Allah wants me to look at it, I'll nod my head and it will be made a little bit easier for me, although the same problem happening to someone who doesn't
believe in anything at all, or who has a very loose relationship with Allah have a very small or should I say, weak relationship with Allah. In that particular case, one would be going through the same issue with a smile and the other one would be going through an issue half the size of the first but with double the stress because they don't know how to look at it.
That's Allah. So Allah tells us, while Anna Balu one Netcom Oh Surah Baqarah. Allah says right at the beginning, meaning it's, it's the first the second surah of the Quran, the first Surah Al fatty hadn't spotted Baqarah, Allah says, We will definitely test you. Linguistically.
The term Lana below one is actually
emphasized twice to say we will indeed most definitely test all of you.
You're going to test me Subhan Allah. Well, now I know something Allah says, We created you, we want you to get to the other side of this life, which will be the eternal life. And we want you in the interim to recognize us to worship us to understand where we are, what position we hold in your life. And when you get to us, you meet us, and we will give you an eternal paradise.
Now, if I were to ask, well, oh, Allah, did you really need to do this? The answer is obviously Allah doesn't need to do anything. He does it because he wants to, he wishes to I don't have a say,
evidence of it, is that you and I were born without you and I having a say, did you say I want to be born? No. Did you say I want to be born in this part of the world? Or that part of the world? No, Allah chose it. I'm here. Now that I'm here, I have no option. I didn't have an option at the beginning. How could I have an option now? Subhan Allah, I just need to look after this life. Respect everyone else, because whoever made me made all the other, the other people and their lives are as sacred as mine. So I'm going to look after them, I'm going to make sure I don't have them.
In the meantime, I'm going to worship the one who made me. So if Allah guides you to worshiping Him, because you recognize that you need to worship He who made you, that is the biggest single blessing you could ever have. The biggest single blessing you can ever have is guidance from Allah.
When you're guided to worship, the one who made you and you say, Oh, you who made me You are the only one worthy of worship. You are blessed. You're blessed. Evidence of this again, surat al Fatiha we read it every day in prayer Alhamdulillah here Beeline I mean, a man Rahim, Malik Kenya when we the the Cara.
Cara Starion is Dino si La Palma stopping him. That's the prayer.
So this is sort of the Fatiha the opening chapter of the Quran. And we're saying it guide us to the straight path, which means guidance is the most important gift you could ever have the blessing that Allah has bestowed upon you. The biggest of all is guidance. If you're guided, then trust me, you have the greatest blessing.
And this is why when the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him told the people what was right and wrong. And when the previous messengers told their followers what was right and wrong.
It became clear that there are two types of guidance. One is guidance as in knowing the path, and two is guidance as in treading the path, two types of guidance. What is
a Delilah? Well, it shad to be able to recognize this is the path, this is the road, this is the way this is what's right, this is what's wrong, to recognize that is guidance. But to walk on it, and to be able to act upon it, and to live by it, is the actual guidance through which you will enter paradise.
So for you and I to know what's right and wrong is not as difficult as it is.
And to tread the path, treading the path is far more difficult. May Allah make it easy for us both. But once you recognize the first you're already being blessed by Allah, now you need to fight your soul to make sure you're doing the right thing. What's Halloween, what's Haram is not even my topic, because we all know
most of what is halal or haram if not almost everything. You know,
if I tell you draw up a list of what's haram, even the non Muslims who know a little bit about Islam will tell you five or six things, you're not allowed to do this, you're not allowed to do that you're not allowed to do that. It means the guidance is there. But to walk on it. That's what we need. Al hidayah that's what we need a Tofik we need the acceptance from Allah to be able to walk on it.
My brothers, my sisters, the Almighty created us. Like I said, he didn't need to, but he did it. We found ourselves here, recognize
your maker worship Him alone. I was speaking to a young boy who told me
prove to me
that Islam is correct. Please prove to me that I need to worship someone something.
I thought for a moment. And then I said, How old are you? He said 11. Where were you 12 years ago?
He says,
Well, I don't know.
Where was I? 12 years ago? So I said to him? Well, 12 years ago, you were with the Almighty. wherever you were, whoever was in charge there. All you have to do right now is to say, Oh, you who had me 12 years ago, you're the greatest. Are you ready to say that? He says Yeah. I said, Well, that's all you need to say, Oh, you whom I was with 12 years ago,
I worship you alone.
And when I returned to you, I want you to have mercy on me. I said, You know what, already you have the concept of oneness in your mind, if you know that, and you understand that. Because if you know that your mind cannot explain to you where you were, for example, 12 1315 years ago, when you're just 11 years old. And you're prepared to say wherever I was, whoever was there,
in control of everything. He is my maker, he is the one whom I owe worship to hence we have the term Allah that refers to the Almighty Who made you the worshipped one who is the only one who is old worship, and that term SubhanAllah. It's a name that Allah has given himself in the Hebrew language. And I've said this before.
Elohim or aloha is the exact as Allah. Right, it's referring to the worshipped one.
God Almighty, He alone, we worship the maker, the Nourisher, the cherishing the sustainer, the provider, the protector, the cure, the one in whose hands lies, absolute control of every aspect of existence. And we've repeated this so many times, but it's so true because
he is in charge. as sophisticated as I am. He keeps showing us that you know, very little, very little, I mean, look at this pandemic, you can't see it. You can't people haven't really fully understood it. They say the new variant may Allah protect us all from it say I mean, they say we don't know much about it, but the little we know about x y Zed, that statement is already enough to show there is a greater power. There is a greater power. He is showing you something as sophisticated as you are as advanced as technology and medicine might be there is still a long way for you to go before you understand a little bit of some of the things that Allah wants to show you
and to teach you. And every time you see things and every time you discover things, they will lead you towards this maker. So the biggest blessing is when you recognize your maker. The biggest blessing is when he has guide
Did you in that direction? SubhanAllah. So keep asking Allah for it 17 times a day, if you pray five times a day, minimum 17 times a day you are saying, Oh Allah, Oh Allah guide me to the straight path, because it's the most important supplication you could ever supplicate by guide me to the straight path. Now, thereafter, you're guided to the straight path. There are so many other blessings that we should be looking into and considering a blessing. Because shaitan the devil comes to us and only makes us look at positives. You have a lot of money. They say I'm blessed. Have you heard that? I'm blessed. You have many kids who say I'm blessed. You have a good job, I'm blessed.
You have everything cruising for you. I'm blessed. Mashallah, yes, those are blessings. But tonight I want to talk about blessings that are hidden in something you think is totally negative. Totally negative.
You lost a job? Or you're gonna say I'm blessed with a smile. If you can, you're a believer. Haven't you heard me say? And haven't you heard us as Muslims teach that if things go your way, say Alhamdulillah. And if things do not go your way, what do you say?
Alhamdulillah twice. Because they've gone the way Allah wants them to go. He has something bigger planned for you. It may happen right now. It may happen in a year, two years, five years old, whenever but it's coming. Have faith. A Jubilee Amarillo miniver in Nam Rahu Kula hula hoop. Amazing are the affairs of a true believer. For indeed, every single affair of the believer is positive. Never negative. Why? Because that's why you're patient if something bad happens, because you know, it's temporary, and it's a door to something big. Something very big. Moments ago, I said, you lost a job. Are you ready to sell Hamdulillah? What a great blessing. No, we are weak, we are human. It's
very tough for us to say that because I need the money right now to pay my rent and my food and my this and my data and I need everything. I needed the job and look at this. I just lost it. Hang on. Don't be depressed, say Alhamdulillah. Praise Allah.
Continue doing good. Worship Him, have hope in him. Keep on trying. And don't ever give up. Don't ever give up no matter what the day you give up. That's the day you will suffer the loss. If you don't give up even if you lost everything. Trust me. There was a time in your life when you had nothing anyway.
It's okay, we will start again we will get up. And I'm not going to do so what's the first blessing in that negativity of the loss of the job? Can I tell it to you, as a believer, you become closer to your maker. That's the first blessing. Something just happened. So negative, you went through a divorce. And you got to say Alhamdulillah Oh Allah, I thank you for this blessing. Well, I think some people might actually consider it a blessing based on how bad life was. But still, no matter what it is. It's a tough situation. It's not, it's not nice to go through things that the public looks at as very negative.
So at times even that, but we have to say Alhamdulillah All praise is due to Allah. This is such a great blessing. And then what you do, you got to actively pray to the Almighty so it brought you closer to Allah look at the hidden blessing. Anything that brought you close to your maker is positive and it's a blessing. Even if it seemed like it was the greatest negativity in terms of the worldly life. You lost a loved one, it brought you close to Allah Ha, that was a blessing.
What was the blessing, the blessing was the fact that it took that to bring you close to Allah.
When the pandemic struck, I know of people who as they were tested positive immediately, they started asking forgiveness from people and it's not a joke. It's actually it was good for them to do that. They started saying look, I might not make it I might make it and then we had to say listen, you will make it inshallah because sometimes it's the negative mind that actually kills you. Not necessarily the condition. Your mind is a powerful tool, be positive, you will make it you will do it. You are going to come out of this and it's just a matter of time. People lost their jobs. The same companies called them back a year, a year later, two years later, but they will almost dead in
those one and a half years. Relax. These days, they will go through some positive and some negative. But for a believer, it's a blessing in the negativity.
So you say Oh Allah, I thank you, you get up. You pray, you cry. Allah says I'm going to delay you because I need tears to run
So you haven't yet cried. So Allah says, Wait, pray again you pray again a week later, a month later, then this one is asking for their payment. The other one is asking for something your rent is due, you can't afford food and one day you break down in tears and Allah says, I was waiting for this. What blessing is it? tears rolling down your eyes are the means of your entry into paradise you become a VIP. When you remember Allah and your eyes are filled with the tears only Rasulullah Kerala, Holly and her father died. Now, for someone who remembers Allah and their eyes are filled with tears. That is such a great blessing that you're called on the day of judgment to a separate,
unique place. Imagine when those tears roll down the cheeks? What a blessing is that? Allah says you finally cried Oh Subhanallah you're not miss you don't miss a prayer. You've improved on everything. You sought the forgiveness of Allah, your dress code, everything has improved, and mashallah, what a great blessing. If it took the loss of a job for you to get to this level of closeness with Allah, I promise you, it's a blessing.
Nobody looks at it that way, then you keep trying, you apply here for a job, you apply there for a job, you go back there, you try and get some training done, you do something positive during these days that you might be slightly free. You make sure you learn or and perhaps you join a course you increase your knowledge, and you keep applying and continue. And one day you will get a job offer far beyond what you imagined. And then when you're sitting in the new position, and trust me, I have people whom I've spoken to and addressed and people whom I've interacted with and helped who have confirmed this. Not one, but many of them. They say now that I'm sitting in my new job, I can't
thank Allah enough.
It is way beyond the pay is better. The hours are easier. There's more respect around me, there's this and there's that and where I was, when I lost it, I cried so much. And I was like my world has come to an end. I know people who've lost in business, trust me, the biggest blessing is that it should bring you closer to Allah. You're a believer. Sometimes people resort to alcohol, perhaps they resort to intoxicants in other parts of the world. But we are believers, we don't do that. We continue to turn to Allah pray, don't lose hope. Allah says Never lose hope. No way. losing hope is not in my dictionary, it shouldn't be in yours. That's the blessing that Allah has bestowed upon us.
And then Allah opens the doors in a way that you can't imagine.
That is a blessing in what we looked at as negative. Sometimes you go through a health matter, good health, we say I'm blessed. Sometimes when you're diagnose something that is negative, they could be a blessing in it for you, because Allah will open other doors. I remember a brother, this is a true story that happened.
A brother suffered with an appendicitis and he you know, it's a procedure. It's quite common. And he happened to go to the hospital and on his way.
He called me and he says, Sure, please pray. You know, I'm going to the hospital and just I said, Look, he's just a procedure, you're lucky that they caught it in time, and Insha Allah, everything will be okay. But you know, when you pray for yourself, that's also very, very powerful because you're broken to the degree where you're helpless. And Allah loves it when you admit your helplessness and the power of Allah. When you say, oh, Allah, who was my I'm nothing, I can't even do anything without your help and your power, Oh Allah, who am I? I don't have the means to achieve what I need to only with your help, I will be able to achieve X, Y and Zed. Allah loves it because
he knows
he is the one he'll give you the power he will give you have the energy, he will grant you the acceptance. So the brother, he says to me, I said insha Allah just say Al Hamdulillah Sal Hamden pray to Allah, you pray, he says, But you know, what, could they be good in this for me? I don't know, either. I'm not. I don't know the future. I know nothing.
Anyway, he went to the hospital. And because it's a true story, I'm going to tell it to you. In no way am I saying you this should happen when you go to the hospital, but it's just a story. You're going to hear it. So he says, Some time later, about six months later, he says, I'm getting married. I said, Oh, wow. My Shala said to who? He says to one of the nurses who tweeted me when I went for the I said Subhan Allah, Allah drove you all the way to that place to meet your better half imagine? How did it happen? He says well
I don't know don't even ask me. He says, I really don't know. And I was Subhan Allah one day I'm going to talk about this and tell the public look, he went for something not realizing Allah has given him something else. Musa alayhis salam either on our on Fatale, only him cuckoo in me, Anna s tuna ah, Musa alayhis salam, the Prophet Moses May peace be upon him, when he saw the fire at a distance, he decided to tell his family, hang on, I'm just going to get a bit of light and I'm coming, going to get a bit of this warmth, and I'm coming, not realizing he's going to get one thing. But when he got there, he got prophethood and came back Subhanallah he got prophethood and he
came back. So sometimes something that appears very negative is actually a positive. Sometimes you don't know Why did Allah make me go to a certain place? Why did Allah make me meet a certain play a certain person, sometimes it's because they might do something bad to you that later on might, might result in you bearing patience, and through patience, you will get paradise, what's your ultimate goal? Mine is paradise. Your should be paradise.
So you meet a person at work, or you get married to a person, for example, who's not a good person, it can happen it does happen. And you struggling maybe because of whoever whoever it might be.
The fact that you bear patience itself is a blessing. Do you know why
you might be struggling? You might be going through a lot you might think No way I can't manage. Allah says
in AMA, you were first saw being alone agile
B is
indeed the reward of those who were patients is unlimited.
So if I want to bear patients, I need to have a negative thing that happens to me to engage in an act of worship known as sobor. Had it not been for that negativity, I wouldn't be able to bear patients. So Allah says, I want you to achieve a great reward. There is a blessing in it because you're only going to live for 50 years, or 60, or more or less. And then you're going to come to me but the fact that you were patient, every moment that you were in that condition was a reward.
People who are terminally ill sometimes they say, well, what's the blessing in here the blessing is Allah to Allah says clearly, it expects your sins if you are patient, it elevates your status if you are patient, and ultimately, we give you Paradise because of your patience. So much so that when the sick and ill person gets to the Day of Judgment, he may say, Oh my Lord, why didn't you keep me sick for a longer time, perhaps I would have earned a greater reward just by the time ticking, because I was patient.
These are blessings,
blessings that we take for granted in my life. Everything is a blessing in your lives. Everything is a blessing. Even if it appears to be something negative. You made an accident, for example, on the road. Now Allah protect us. Two cars bashed into each other, what do we say in our Lilla who are in a garage?
We belong to Allah, all of us. And ultimately, we're going to return to Him. That prayer is supposed to put things into focus for you to say, don't become too upset. It's worldly items. This is a worldly item, your car can be replaced, everything else can happen. Subhanallah if you've broken the limb, thank Allah, it's a blessing. How is it a blessing? Are you foolish? No, I'm not. You could have broken two limbs on the broke one.
That's the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him telling us when something bad has happened. Look at those who are in a worse condition than you don't look at those above you because you won't be able to see the blessing. You only have one jacket, your friend has 10 jackets, and you're so upset and you feel wow. Imagine Allah hasn't given me what the nine other jackets Allah didn't give me. But my brother, are you forgetting you have one. You need to go and see those who don't even have clothes to appreciate the fact Oh Allah, the fact that I have one jacket is a blessing.
But you won't ever appreciate that because you keep looking at those who have more. And this brings me to social media.
When Corona struck one of the biggest blessings that we've come up with all we've realized is the online life, social media and the internet being used to a degree that it wasn't before. Don't you agree? We didn't know or even if we knew at the back of our minds, but we didn't make use of it. To this degree. Every day. Life is being made easier and
easier, and all this was
suddenly
expanded. Because of what happened, we all had to sit at home. And because we were sitting at home, we were forced to use some online application, and one app and another. And we had to zoom from here to there. And we had to do this and that, and Subhanallah, it's opened up such a big blessing.
The internet is a great blessing. if used correctly, social media is a great blessing if used correctly, Subhan Allah.
So when the pandemic struck, one of the big favors of Allah that came out of all of this is technology and the advancement. Imagine if this had stuck in 1980. And we were all living in 1980. I think we wouldn't be as sane as we are today. Because it would be very difficult to have stayed indoors. At the time when there was a proper lock down, and no one was allowed to come out. It was not going to be so easy. But here, we knew what was happening. We were communicating with everyone. We had video calls, we had audio calls, but did anyone ever thank Allah or were they only looking at the fact that you know what we can't come out?
You can't come out is one negative, but they were another 1000 Positive Subhanallah you can't come out but you have internet that they didn't have. You have video calling they didn't have you can talk you can order online, they couldn't do it. You can do so much. They couldn't do it. But they used to thank Allah for what?
For what
they used to thank Allah for things that you don't have.
And they used to thank Allah for things
that you have that they didn't even dream of.
You follow what I'm saying?
I always sit and look at the life of the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and I say Subhana Allah, Allah loved him the most indeed. Yet. There were no taps with running water.
No geezers that you could just turn on a tap. And what what is coming out? I went to one of the countries a third world country. And when I entered the bathroom, I turned on the tap. And there was no hot water. But the cold water was trickling. It wasn't cold. It was warm. It was like room temperature should I say?
And as it's trickling.
I was just saying Alhamdulillah Subhanallah at least we have some water. Mashallah. Tabarrok Alhamdulillah hamdulillah
A little while later, a guy comes in with a bucket full of water. He says yeah, I feel this water visit. Oh wow. Subhanallah I already had this thing trickling and half a bucket already full. He says no, I brought this what I said that. Allah Subhana Allah Look at this. And in my mind, I'm thinking myself a few years ago, I would have complained and said Look at this. There's no water here, man what's going on?
But you realize at a certain point that the droplets are really a favor of Allah back in my country. The water can go for a week two weeks, no water from the taps. The electricity can go for a week two weeks no sign of it back in my country. And the day it comes back for two hours it's like this is read I wouldn't mind saying it Mubarak my brother you know because Allah it's so beautiful you see these lights again Mashallah. And when the water convey guys notice back mashallah, look, look, look, look, it's trickling down, it's coming, and you're so excited about the ticket. But with us, we are used to a shower that has to come down at a certain pressure. And we are used to a bed that
is so beautiful with 500 thread count cotton or more. And we cannot do with any less than that. If there is anything less than that. We are just cursing everyone and everything around us. That's not how a believer should operate.
That's why sometimes in our luxury lives, we tend to not appreciate the blessings of Allah because we haven't recognized them. And when Allah speaks of the blessings, you know what he says in the Quran? What
to do meet Mata Allah, he lied to sue her.
If you make an effort to count the favors of Allah. Allah didn't say the favors of Allah are limitless. He didn't say that the favors of Allah are not countable. He didn't say that. He said if you count them, which means you need to make an effort in order to recognize that yes, this is a gift. This is a gift. This is a gift. That's the meaning of what in town do Allah could have worded it in any other way. Allah says if you count them then you will realize later so you won't be able to count all of them.
That's the beauty of the Quran. Go out and count your blessings, find them look for them whenever something happens to you no matter what it is just
Alhamdulillah start looking at it, start thinking about it. And check all the angles, look at those who have less, look at others, and then take it in your stride. Don't lose hope, get closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala
strive towards what is going to benefit you. And what that means is if it's a job, you keep on looking for another one, if it's a marriage that broke down, you try again, no problem. It's okay. Even if you went through two or three marriages and they didn't work, you keep trying, you don't give up, you keep trying, and you keep going. And Allah will open the doors, And subhanAllah once all of that happens, you must just thank Allah and say, Oh Allah today, I'm a much better person. I'm a much, much better person. May Allah subhanho wa taala, grant us goodness, another blessing and a favor that I must speak about when we talk about the blessings in life, your family,
Allah chose them for you, Muslim or not Muslim,
practicing or not practicing, good or bad. Allah chose them for you. They are a test. And they are a blessing
to ways because if they're good and kind, mashallah, it is very important to have a circle around you of people who care for you.
In a way that is unlimited.
What that means is,
something happens to you immediately, there must be a circle of people around you, mostly Allah creates this within family members, mostly, there are some exceptions. And I'll perhaps get to that. But mostly, when you have a circle of people around you who care for you, how are you Is everything okay, I'm coming, I'll be there just now. Or we're together in this, I'm going to help you, I'm going to do this and do that. That's a big blessing. But in order to have that circle around you, you need to be very tolerant, and you need to be very forgiving. And you need to be broad minded in a certain way. Because Allah did not create those people with your mind and your emotions. Even your
father who
and your mother, those who are your parents and gave birth to you, they don't think the same. And they don't have the same emotions. And they are not replicas of you, they probably would be similar in some ways, but very different in many other things. So in order to enjoy family, you need to be forgiving. You need to be accommodating, you need to be tolerant, and you need to sacrifice a little bit. If you're not prepared to sacrifice, how do you expect to enjoy the favors of a family unit. And when we say sacrifice, it's within the limit. Now, I was saying there are some exceptions. What are the exceptions, you have some people who are outright crazy, I had an email I received today, I
read it. And it's not the only one that has come on that subject where they say, my father's abandoned us. He went off and he left and he doesn't want to know us. And now that I've grown older, I tried to go out to meet him. And he's just kicked us away. He doesn't want to know who we are. And he has nothing to do and it's bothering me and affecting me. What should I say to that child?
I wish I had a moment to speak to the father of that child. It's your responsibility, your duty no matter what to reach out to your children no matter what. And to speak to them to communicate to them to empower them. Children tend to grow up very quickly. And in those tender years while they're growing up. They need words of love from their parents. They need words of reassurance, they need words of goodness and kindness. They need support, they need positivity, they need someone to talk to them and guide them. Moments ago, I was speaking to the teens and tweens. And what we did say is don't feel bad when someone tells you because someone needs to tell you. Another message that I
received was when
one of them said I want to marry very far from our family because I want to marry into a community or into a culture that no one tells me anything. And I don't want to be told a thing. And I wouldn't like to anyone to interfere in my life in any way. And I said my child, you need to be told things.
Don't ever as a believer think that you should lead a life where no one's allowed to tell you anything. Because then you'd lose your way. You would lose your way. Your parents are there to tell you your mother is there to nag at you. It's normal, it's natural. They want goodness they want you to grow up in a beautiful way. They are going to tell you don't do this and don't do that and don't dress this way and don't dress that way.
I remember a woman who some years ago who said you know when I was growing up and as I got mad
I read and so on, I used to dress quite provocatively, she's telling you herself. And she says, I didn't like to be told. But still, I was a little bit afraid of my parents. So when my parents were around, I used to try, you know, to perhaps dress a little bit more modestly and so but now that I have my own child, doing things that are way beyond what my imagination would have allowed me to do, when I was growing up, I really can't tolerate this.
I'm thinking to myself, look how the world is changing. Look how it's changing. You don't want to be told it's fine. A day will come when you'll have children, and you'll want to tell them, but they won't want to, they won't want you to tell them and you know what's going to happen? They're going to be doing things that you consider totally absurd. I'll give you one quick example. Okay.
A lot of you might recall your grandparents.
Were not going beyond grandparents. A lot of you might recall your grandparents.
Can you imagine your grandmother
in tights and a tarp walking down the street?
Can you imagine but can you imagine your daughter do that? Yeah, you can.
Maybe a little kid not talking of adults, okay.
But because the world is changed.
My roof was a man in a moon car was a man in Canada.
What we consider normal today was considered totally taboo by people of the past. And what is considered taboo today will be considered normal by the people of tomorrow. So what I'm trying to say is,
don't feel bad when someone just tells you look, I think you shouldn't do this. That's your mother. That's your father. They have a right to let you know, that's your spouse. I mean, your husband has to tell you and your wife has to tell you, as you know, if you're a husband, either way, listen, don't do this. It's not good. I don't like it. For example, who are you? I'm your mother. I'm your father. Well, I don't want to be told well, let me give you a story, then you can tell them this story today. You don't want to be told tomorrow, what's going to happen? Are you prepared for your children? To tell you the same thing? The answer is no. If you think about what's going on Subhan
Allah
may Allah make it easy for all of us. So put things into perspective. It's a blessing when someone tells you don't do this, when you're wrong. Big blessing
amuru Bill Monroe, if you wanna hear anil munkar, those are blessings of Allah. If someone enjoys that, which is good, when someone encourages you to fulfill your Salah, someone encourages you to do a good deed, that's a favor of Allah.
If you did it, that's a big blessing. Sometimes the blessings in your life are in the, in the format of your friends in the form of your friends.
You have good friends, and they
are with you in goodness, blessing.
May Allah make us good friends, people say how can I be sure that my friends are good, and I say by being a good friend, you'll be a good friend, don't worry about this one than that one. Inshallah, and if they are having a bad impact on you, you need to unplug a little bit, or you need to start being a bit stronger, and telling them what's right and wrong. And then they might listen to you or they might sideline you. Either way, it's a blessing for you, you got the reward for it. My brothers, my sisters, these are some of the blessings of Allah. I said, family blessing, the fact that Allah has given us so much blessing.
Whenever you've been through a struggle, say for example, the weather across the globe at the moment is a little bit extreme.
You know, call it global warming, call it whatever you want. But we notice we who are not scientists notice that there is a change in global weather, we find extreme sometimes when it rains, it pours. And sometimes when it's hot, it becomes so hot, and so on. So these extremes, how do we look at them? Well, sometimes we may suffer a loss as a result of extreme weather. But I promise you a day will come when you come out of that Allah will give you the means to come out of it. I've seen how people's homes have been wiped out in other countries.
And we
cannot cope or we cannot accept that there was a little flood with some water that came into our lounge and messed up the carpet.
Water came into your lounge and missed the carpet. You're more depressed than the people who lost their homes who are sitting and saying Well at least we have a shelter here
until something is done for us makeshift structure where we're staying. Luckily, we're spoiled that's why we feed it more than others.
So my brothers, my sisters, we ask Allah Almighty to grant us ease
witness and to open our doors.
When I was told to speak about the blessings in life, I thought of so many things. And I told myself, you know what? We've all been through a lot. And we're still going through a lot. And the negativity is so much. But let's talk about the blessings within these negatives. And let's see how we need to look at things like I said earlier, something happens. You get it from every angle, look at it as a believer, you could ask, Why did Allah do this in order to learn something not in order to defy Allah. So when you say, let me try and understand what Allah is doing here, you may not understand and you won't understand it in its entirety. But definitely, if you begin to thank Allah
and you become closer to him, a day will come when he will give you
when he will give you that
closure, where you'll be able to see okay, now I understand why what happened happened, sometimes that might just be in the hereafter.
But a lot of the times it's on Earth. Look, I'll give you another example.
You lose a child at an early age. That's one of the biggest challenges you could ever have as a parent. Nobody can serve your heart besides Allah because they won't understand what you've been through, and what you're going through. May Allah grant us paradise. You lose a child at an early age and you're asking yourself, why. And I'm, and you're depressed and you're upset. Do you know, Allah chose the time of death of that child in such a way that it was a blessing for you? Although at the time, it was negative, because you did not see the rest of the age of the child had the child lived longer. Perhaps the child may have not been such a good child as they were to that particular
point.
Where do I get this from? So if
you know about that young boy,
when the question was asked about why did he have to die this way? The answer came.
While I'm Mel hula Muh*a Mina in
Arkansas. Aradhana. You, buddy.
Mean, moussaka. What about Allah says it quite clearly. As for the child,
he had blessed it good parents.
And we knew that if he were to live any longer, he would have been a disobedient child bringing about a lot of negativity for his parents. So what we did, we took him away at an early age and perhaps we might give them another child.
That was a blessing for the parents that they lost the child but they don't know.
I had a friend, much older than me, who's passed on May Allah give him Jana, he lost some of his family members. Later on a few years later, he said I wish I lost all my kids. I said but why he said the others are on drugs, and I'm suffering and I'm struggling and I really don't know what to do. And I said Subhanallah the day that he lost his earlier kids, he was so upset and rightly so we're human. We don't know the plan of Allah. But sometimes Allah shows us later Listen, I know what I did. Allah does not give you children because he doesn't want you to go through something that might be totally you know, outside of your line of thinking and it happened so Allah will delay some
people a few years before he gives them children the delay is a blessing
you know in the Arabic language there's a saying culture here we have here every delay there is some goodness in it. You missed your flight no stress again with me when I was a little bit younger. If something happened of that nature where you were late for something I would get very upset now no more No more not at all. I just walk in they say well, you know you missed the flight Okay, let's catch the next one. Mashallah. They look at you and think you're crazy, man. So yeah, I am. I am looking at things from a different angle. Allah did not want you on there no problem.
Not long ago. One of my flights I actually for some reason I couldn't get on on it. And the other guys who were with me who had the same problem and couldn't get on it was so angry and upset and they telling me and I went to order some food and I started distributing it among some of the people and so they say you look so happy. I said, Listen, imagine me sitting for so many hours next to a guy was coughing and he had Coronavirus and I ended up getting it to me I was saved from it. I'm okay. They say but you mad How do you know maybe it will happen on the next one. I trust my lord enough not to do it for me, then. Good enough.
Whether it was going to be or not going to be, wasn't it something that made me feel good? Well, that's what faith should do to you. Your faith should do that to you makes you feel good, because that's what life is all about. Your life is not going to increase or decrease in terms of time because it's fixed by Allah, but the quality of your life will go up and down based on your faith and your conviction.
If you have nothing but you have contentment, your quality of life is better than the person who has everything with no contentment. It's all about the quality of the few years you're going to be here. And that quality comes with faith. You need to develop your relation with the one who made you we go back to that first gift of Allah, the blessing
so it's just amazing how Allah works in this beautiful way.
May Allah Almighty grant us goodness and may Allah open our doors, the weather is so beautiful gift of Allah
everything seems to be superb gift of Allah We seated here we are breathing we were able to make it gift of Allah, even those who are unable to make it, gift of Allah there is a link with this being beamed live gift of Allah. Those who don't have internet right now gift of Allah, it's going to be available tomorrow as well. Mashallah. So it just goes on and on. But if you're going to get angry, oh, I wanted to do this, but I couldn't. Allah wants you somewhere, you're not going to be anywhere else. So I was saying if Allah has delayed your marriage, if Allah has, if it didn't happen, for example, that doesn't mean stop trying. No, keep trying. Because when you try you get a reward for
trying to do the right thing I'm trying to achieve something is Alama and Phalke, you need to work hard towards achieving that which is beneficial for you. That's an iba. It's an act of worship. So I'm going to keep trying, but Allah knows whether it's going to happen or not. If it doesn't happen, I'm going to believe that Allah has protected me from someone who might have come into my life, and turned it upside down. Speak to those who have been through that. And they will tell you Don't be in such a big rush.
I'm not saying don't try. Please try. Keep trying. Keep meeting people and talking to them interacting. People say, You know what it's been, I'm this old. And I don't know why, but I'm just not getting married. I say Do people know that you actually exist? That's question number one.
If they don't, I mean, what do you expect? Come on, you got to people have to know you're, you're there. And that's why it's very important to interact physically, with friends, with people with families and so on. Very important. People today want to be in their own shell. And they think well, it's okay me and my phone. Let's say you have a family function. I don't want to attend you have a wedding. I don't want to go you have this. I don't want to attend you have something else. You're going to the marketplace. I don't want to go. Sometimes you must make sure you you go because people need to interact with you in real life. That's why the prophets of salaam says the one who interacts
with others and best patients regarding their negativity is better than the one who doesn't interact at all. Hadith of the Prophet, Allah.
Hadith. So you interact a little bit you mix a little bit You talk a lot let them know you one day when someone wants is looking for us husband, for example, they will know wow, this guy here or that person I know they have a brother What a lovely guy, let's talk about it, let's talk. But if they didn't know you existed, what will they say? So it's a blessing to have friends. It's a blessing to physically meet the men folk Juma is compulsory upon you. One of the reasons is to get acquainted with one another to know one another. As Juma to well, JAMA, Jama means together and to come together. Why is it compulsory, if it wasn't so important, it's important because you go there, you
greet each other, you take care of each other, you find out about each other, the health and the conditions of each other, and you can assist each other. And that's what the Jama is there for
the group,
the gathering.
Today, we are seated here, I promise you there will be many of us. We came in, we sat next to people who Subhanallah our lives could change because we interacted with them, and we didn't interact with them. And we went away without even knowing five new names of people who
we didn't know before. Earlier, I came in and I walked into the office. And one of the brothers came serve me tea.
I had to ask him, what's your name? But there's a reason acknowledge that this is a human being even though he might be someone who works or who's employed or he's just a tea boy, for example, but he's an integral part of the success of the entire institution. So you greet him.
Ask him what's his name?
Say it again. And say it's nice to meet you. Let him
Go away. What happened? He feels important. He feels a part of everyone he feels Wow. And he is a human. It could have been the other way around. He could have been talking here today. And I could have been the other side serving tea. It could have been. But just the greeting What did you lose? It's a blessing of Allah to greet and to respond to a greeting to get acquainted with people to meet them, you may know you may not know I have seen little miracles in my own life with people who I've greeted, not realizing Allah has created a solution for a problem that I'm going to be having. And the key is going to give a part of it to this particular person. And the only thing that happened is
users greeted them. Salaam Alaikum How are you my brother? Okay, I'm fine. Um, that was all that happened. One day is Oh, it's this guy here Mashallah. Hey, I met you some women, familiar face. May Allah grant us goodness, so interact and greet today. Before you leave, please greet a few people around you at least greet them Salaam Alaikum. How are you my brother? How are you, my sister, etc, etc. It's good. You you achieve a reward.
There are people around you right next to you. And sometimes we don't want it's a blessing that we are sitting here today. Don't you agree? I know the chairs are slightly apart, because that's part of our responsibility to ensure that people have a mask on or people are a little bit apart and to exhort to ensure various other things to meet the standard and so on. But it doesn't mean you don't greet and it doesn't mean you don't get to know one another. So we thank Allah for these blessings. Who will be falling in love, he will be mighty Furby Valley, California? Who
says it is the favor of Allah,
the virtue of Allah,
what Allah has blessed you with truly, what is it, the Mercy of Allah when He has mercy on you, and his virtue upon you. That is what should make you excited when Allah has blessed you in the true sense. That's what should make you excited not gathering materialistic items, what they have gathered in terms of materialism is not really a gift, unless it comes together with faith and relationship with Allah.
So my brothers and sisters, as my time has come to an end, I've spoken for the whole hour. I pray that Allah accept from us this beautiful gathering. And I pray that it's the beginning once again, of such gatherings where we can come in and learn from one another, perhaps speak to one another, empower one another to say, don't worry, we're in it together. And we are going to come out together. And we are here for one another. And we're here to tell you Don't worry, the positives far outweigh the negatives as a believer for as long as you're getting closer to your maker, no matter what's happening to you is actually positive.
And so don't worry, take it in your stride. Don't lose hope no matter what's happened to you. Even if you feel today that you know I just wish I wasn't alive. There are people who say I'm suicidal. I wish my life ended. And you just talk to someone and they they push you for a day, two days, five days a month, two months and after that you're living such a happy life that you cannot believe that there was a day when you were feeling suicidal, it was not worth it. There is nothing that you should feel suicidal about. Everything is temporary. May Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us all and grant us goodness May Allah bless this nation and grant us protection. May Allah subhanho wa Taala
bless every one of us and Allah subhanho wa Taala grant cure to those who are seeking ill, and may Allah have mercy on those who have passed on. May Allah protect us from the virus and may Allah eradicate it for us, Lulu Kohli hada sallahu wa salam ala Baraka ala Nabina Muhammad