Heritage Day – Who is a Muslim

out of alignment shaytani R rajim Bismillah R Rahman Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa salatu salam ala Shafi. mursaleen Sadie now Muhammad no Allah earlier he was big Marian, a beloved brothers and sisters of Sudan while they come Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh

Al hamdu lillahi rabbil aalameen Always forever we praise Allah subhanaw taala we declare and witness that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah subhanaw taala and we send our love our greetings salutations so beloved Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his pious and his pure family, his companions and all those who follow his sunnah until the end of time. May Allah subhanaw taala bless us to be steadfast on the Sunnah of Nabi Muhammad Al Salam in his life, and in his companionship in the akhira. Meanwhile, hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah Always a pleasure for us to be once again back in the masjid of the being absent and see the doors open. And the brothers Alia

Alhamdulillah is always every Fridays bless it, but I think a public holiday Friday is of the best of blessings will hamdulillah and I hope you all had a wonderful, late morning and you rested. And Alhamdulillah as we know today is is heritage day, on our calendar. And it's something which is in line with the ethos of Islam, because Allah subhanaw taala in the Quran, he celebrates heritage and Allah subhanaw taala specifies that of the evidence that you have a creator, that is all wise and all thinking and is diverse in his is the diversity of His creation, Allah Subhana Allah says, Well, I mean, I already have the signs that there is an Allah, Allah says, if you want to know that I

exist huncle, Samoa, well out, that I created the heavens and the earth, who Akela for Alsina t come where Allah and he come, and the diversity you find in your colors, and in your languages. Where did all this come from? Allah says it came from a creator, a lord that is all knowledgeable and all knowing and all powerful. And in fact, what's amazing, Allah says, of the signs of him is that we have white people and black people and Chinese people hamdulillah and with all these languages, and all of it belongs to Allah subhanaw taala

to show that there is no superiority in terms of the color and the race and the gender. This Allah doesn't look at these things, but it is the taqwa of the person, and also the interview that he can. I mean, that this is indeed for people with no knowledge, you'll find that diversity is beautiful. Allah is also very specifically in Surah, WHOdrug, uns, O mankind, O P O people in the Holika. Now come indicating that I created all of you in spite of your diversity. Remember, you have one father and one mother, all of all this diversity comes back to one Adam and Hawa, which I'm sure Ruben Wakaba, il Koba era Lita Otto and then I divided you into tribes and nations, that you may get to

know one another. Not that you may harm one another, that you may fight with one another, that you may overpower one another that you may have an apartheid system where one is divided, now that you may get to know each other, that you may experience each other's cultures and diversity, and you may celebrate that diversity. And each group day for Islam tells us that you should be proud of your culture. And you should be proud of your heritage, so long as it's in accordance with the commandments of the Sharia, it is good. And therefore you'd find Islam in China. Yes, the salah is the same, the Quran is the same, but the cuisine will be different. They might be gonna have a

sister on a Sunday, they might have a dumpling on a Sunday, or we might be different, that is all fine or Hamdulillah. The fundamentals are the same, but the diversity in the languages in the clothing in the attire in the cuisine, that is all something that you celebrate, and Islam Alhamdulillah when it's spread, it adapted the culture within the parameters of the Sharia. Now today, Inshallah, we're going to talk about culture more specifically and heritage more specifically, on an individual level, because as a person, I am many things you are many things. You are a Muslim, you are a South African, you are a Malay, you're an Indian, you're a white person, a

black person, you have your own culture, whichever your your lineage comes back from and it might be a mix of things you might never be a Brianne one grandparent who's from India, and one was from Malaysia, and you have a whole mixture of things. You also have your proficient many times when you ask, What are you, the first thing you say is, I'm a doctor, I'm a lawyer, I'm a plumber, your profession is part of your identity, or your association. Finally, if you long enough with a group of people, you become a Manchester fan or a Liverpool fan or whatever it might be, you become part of the group that you are associated with. So we are many, many things. And it's okay to be many

things a mum or dad, a son or daughter. It's fine. And Islam allows you to be all those things. But remember, the most important label that you have, and the most important thing that defines you as a person before you're even a human being bigger than that is that you are a Muslim, and we'll talk about what it means to be

A Muslim, Allah says, amongst all this diversity amongst all the different cultures and heritages and wherever you live in the world, all those things Allah says in the UK, Rama come in the law here at kakum, that the only differentiation between wool is better than the other is the one on the level of Taqwa, the one who has the closest relationship with his creator. Remember, before you're anything else, UI creation, a slave to the Creator, that is the most fundamental basic thing that we have. That is the most basic thing that we have I was we the ones that interface lecture in the masjid, and non Muslim asked, Are you first a human being or first a Muslim? You know, and what he

was getting at was? Do we divide humanity on religion first? Or do we say well, first human beings? Now? And my response? Very awkward answer. And what do you say? The answer and what I said to him once remember, before we're even people, we are creatures, amongst all the creations of the universe, we are all first subservient to the Creator, that comes first. That is, by definition, a Muslim. And so what is what is a Muslim? What does it mean to be a Muslim? This title Muslim, is given to you by Allah in the Quran, the only religion on earth with the book itself tells you, you are a Muslim, you are is the Quran, you won't find this label in any other in other sacred texts,

texts, the labels of Christian and Jew and he knew this is something that the people themselves, label them, that's fine. But this is from our Creator, Allah gave the title he has named you Muslims. What does it mean to be a Muslim? So when we talk about identity and culture and heritage, it is about this thing first. I Muslim comes as you know, comes from the word Islam, Muslim and Islam is the same route and salaam all have the same route letter of peace, it means to surrender. It means to give up fighting, opposing, no more struggling against whom, against Allah, sitting next to him, give yourself to Allah subhanaw taala. And Islam is the religion in which you give up all

the resistance and opposition to Allah and you submit yourself to Him. And we said that Islam did not begin with Nabi Muhammad, Salah Salem, Islam did not begin with Nabil Adam even because the angels are Muslim. And he even went before the angels, you know, in the Quran, the Jinsei Minnaar Muslims that from the gene are Muslims, and we know from from amongst us, they are not Muslims, and beyond the jinn and the angels are men. You have the sun, the moon, the stars, this the animals, the sand, everything is in submission to its creator. And when the universe and you look at the universe, you don't see one.

You know, you don't see chaos in the heavens. Why? Because when you submit to your Creator, and you surrender to Him, then there is peace and harmony and from Islam from surrendering, you get Saddam you get peace. All the problems that we have in the world is when we are not in submission to our Creator. And so that is the most fundamental and basic identity that you have. Yes, you can be a Manchester fan. And you can be all blacks fan if you want to. I don't agree with you, but you can be if you want to be and you can be a Malay and you can be an Indian and so whatever it might be, you can vote for this party or that party. But above all of that you are in submission to you, your

Creator. And Allah says in Medina and Allah Islam, the only Deen by Dean meaning way of life, the only way of life that is acceptable to Allah that will bring you success is Islam, the religion, the way of life. And I said I will talk more about Islam being more than a religion. This way of life is in submission to Allah. And it encompasses everything that you do, not just in the masjid, it encompasses what you do in the toilet, what you do in the office, what you do in the market. And so, today on Heritage Day, and this heritage weekend, and you'll find everyone is going to celebrate their own cuisine and the cultures. People are gonna try and hamdullah we're gonna have a food

market. Yeah, with all the old cuisines, you know, beans and Portuguese and all these things that and it's humbling, you can see the picture of the use of the nice dress, right it's it's fine to celebrate these things. But those are the trimmings that is superficial. What you eat and what you dress and, and the and the words we use LeBron and Slamet. Those are all good things that hamdulillah Masha, Allah, fantastic, but it's more about the life that you lead. Is your identity, the person that you are, when someone looks at you what is the message you give out? And the message is a Muslim, and the beautiful part of our culture. We're very proud of our culture, both from a

Malay and Indian perspective. We came from different mostly from Malaysia, in India, or Indonesia. Yeah, in South Africa, and in Cape Town. We're very proud of our culture. And there'll be beautiful things in our culture. But everything that is good in our culture, you'd find it is Beza bases in the Sharia. The hospitality when someone comes here in the book up and the book up, especially the cradle of Islam, as we say in South Africa,

Kept, it's not about the colorful houses, that's for the tourists. The important thing is that if you come, you'd find the door open if you need to eat some way you could come in you sit at the table. And if someone would say that in the past, we would play soccer together in the street, you know, after some school, Muslim or non Muslim playing together, but when the below bungs when that I've been given a plan for Muslim, even Auntie Mary will say a mighty SmartClip time go home, that we add this harmony. But all of it comes back to Islam it can came back to us practicing our religion in a nutshell, as a hobby Asana.

What is this Islam? What does it mean to be a Muslim? And then obviously some type of a simple but broad answer you said, Islam basically is two things. Number one, that you surrender your heart to Allah subhanaw taala, that your heart is connected to Allah as best as you can. And that the Muslims and humanity basically, they are safe from your hand and your tongue, you don't harm anyone. And so this is what a Muslim, you have two sides of the coin. A Muslim has his relationship with the Creator, and his relationship with the creation.

On the Creator side, you need to believe in Him and worship Him alone. And you need to do the basics of ibadah. And of course, you can be a basic Muslim and heavenly that you do your Salah, well, you can become a very deeply connected Muslim by doing the extra things while hamdulillah and on the creation side. At the very least you're not harming people. At the very best. You are benefiting people you're benefiting humanity, but you cannot be a Muslim. We are neglecting Allah subhanaw taala or you are harming the creation. This is a problem. And you find people struggle with this too. You get a brother Mashallah. He's in the masjid five times a day. He dresses all the attire

that clearly shows what's in the beard. Is there Hamlet? Is he still visible his ankles or part of the Sunnah. Yes, the miswak. But the minute he goes out of the masjid, he cheats, and he lives and he, his family lives in fear of him, his wife hates him. That is something different. He's Islam, there's a problem with that Islam. And we find the opposite. Someone who's out there, saving the environment, feeding the poor, doing all the wonderful things, but in the dress, and in the eating, there is no Islam. And there's no Salah in terms of the relationship with Allah subhanaw taala. And so this is also a problematic type of Islam.

So as a Muslim today, when you want to celebrate your heritage and your culture, the first thing that you look at is my identity as a Muslim in tech. Am I in the eyes of Allah, a Muslim? So what does that mean? On the one side, as I said, it is your commitment, your religious commitment to Allah subhanho wa taala. And this is not something very deep. The prophets of salaam says the Covenant, the promise, the line the red line between Islam and to be a Muslim or non Muslim or between us and them to be in the fold is what what is that line? Sada. It is Salah, and whoever leaves it for cada, if you cross that line, if you're not performing your Salah, Salah is a part of

your life, it's very difficult to be part of this fold. It's very difficult to be part of this family. That is the red line in terms of I have to be performing my salah. And as I mentioned, people will respect you ally, your non Muslim friends and neighbors will respect you when you show that you prioritize salah. Now we don't talk about our kids when they were in the street and hamdulillah and even the youngsters would say ego it's it's matter of time. When you are at work, you an environment that is multicultural, you do your work hard, you make sure that you perform whatever you deliverables you need to do over and above. If they ask you to do extra work, you'll do

it. But you know, when it's Jumar time, I need to go to the masjid when it's work time I'm going to I'm going to perform my work my salah and it's time either at the earliest of the time if you get wet the worst but within it's worked, I'm not going to make a tragedy at home. And people should know that about you as a Muslim. But as a Muslim when it comes to one o'clock it's pray time And Alhamdulillah I've experienced this at my work. Even the non Muslims will say to us as Muslim colleagues oh it's one o'clock I know not to schedule a meeting at one because you guys go down to pray and if we not if we are now busy with some discussion and it goes over one o'clock and one of

the non Muslims will come and say are you guys are praying today you know he's giving the other now he's the beloved Allah sent him to give its work time. Make sure you prioritize your Salah Allah subhanaw taala doesn't require you to be fasting every day and to be making tagit every day and to be reciting Quran every those are all extras but at the very least you're five Salah is on it's time to be part of this family. So make sure that you that basics of Salah is intact. Another beautiful Hadith which encompasses who we are gonna be substances, every religion had a characteristic which differentiated it from different groups every religion and the characteristic which the whole

All mock up this little mob the Muslims are the his Alma is that of modesty of higher. Maybe Allah may Allah mentioned in the Quran that the Masada, the followers of the ISA have the softness in them, that there is this humanity aspect that comes from them and Allah mentions in the Quran. For us. It is this concept of higher doesn't mean to be shy. It means to be to act respectfully, wherever you are, in a way, when someone looks at you, you don't you don't bring shame upon yourself or your family or your community, that you act dignified. That's the word you act dignified in everything that you do, that there is a level of decorum as a Muslim, that you are HELOC is in

place, you're not going to be the one that if someone cuts you off, then all the swear words comes out. That if you're in a queue, you push your way forward. Now, there is a level of decorum, the way you dress, there is a level of modesty you have self worth. And so then a resource and says, This is the hallmark of his ummah, that we always have this level of modesty and higher humility in the way we act and interact with all of of humanity. And that is what we should ask, when we look when we dress ourselves in the morning. Do I look respectable and dignified as a Muslim? The way I talk to people, the messages I put on social media, is this part in line with the ethos of of Islam, then in

terms of how we treat the creation, so that is with Allah? Are we are we intact with Allah, in terms of how we treat the creation? And this is a test for you and me? Am I really can I tick the box, and I may, you know, I'm comfortably doing my part as a Muslim that says, the Muslim who is a Muslim, he's the one from whom his tongue and his hands, the people are safe, no one fears that you're going to physically harm him, or her, or you're going to verbally harm him or her. Now it's panela. If you have any person in the world, any single person in the entire world, that they feel threatened by you, they don't feel safe by you. That's a problem. As a Muslim, just feeling that they do not fear,

look at the Hadith, that they do not fear, they feel safe, it's a feeling that you will not harm them. And you will not abuse them verbally or physically. And then he says and the believer is the one further than that is we trusted with the lives and the wealth of people. People also trust you that if I were to give you my lawn mower, my Bry on heritage day, some money, I can trust you, you will never cheat. You will never steal and never run away with my money. The Muslim has this concept. He does not harm others. Now, how many of us can really say that? How many of us people avoid us? They don't want to be our friends or they don't want to do business with us. Or they won't

employ us for they won't marry us. Because people know that guy. I've seen him on the rugby field. I've seen him when things don't go so well. Then he becomes violent, abusive, angry, he's cheated so and so that is not in line with being a Muslim. That is not in line with a Muslim. You can have the sisters on Sunday, and you can have the beard and you can be in the masjid five times a day. But if the people around you don't feel safe because of your harm, and there's a problem with Islam, there's a problem with you as a Muslim. The responses by Allah by Allah you don't have Iman levies on me by Allah he sways wala you soon by India. You do not have Iman or your Eman? There's a problem

in your Eman. And the Sahaba said who is this person? Then obviously, the one in whose neighbor is not safe from his harm. Your neighbor has a problem with you. Your neighbor feel you and your neighbor are quarreling or you and your neighbor feels I have a bad neighbor. He looks at you and says you harms me the TV's too loud. The huddart is too loud. When he has a function over he blocks my driveway. You know he takes from me what doesn't belong to him. Now this is your Eman is problematic where your neighbors don't like you because of the harm that you're doing because of the harm that you are doing. And he says the reason for this is he's not a believer who stomach is

fault. You Hamdulillah you ate your fault, but your neighbor next to you or the side of you is starving. Your neighbor is starving. It's fine to look at the bar that says he didn't say that you're a sinner. He said you are not a believer. Your Eman, this problem in your Eman where you can feel comfortable. I sleep at night. But the people next door to me are struggling. That's a problem. That is the most complete of believers in Eman who is the best Muslim who is the best Muslim and automatically and we know that hadith we've said this many so many times. But automatically when we draw a picture of a Muslim.

We draw the picture of a Mowlana. Chef, Long Beard white beard is in the magic. Yes. Does that know that? That's part of Islam that as we said that is part of being a Muslim, but he sees the best Muslim is the one who has the best character. Rather draw that person smiling, holding hands with people bringing people happiness and joy. The verse is the best Muslim. This is the best Muslim and I'm just saying

The person who brings joy to others and he has character. He is soft in nature. He's easygoing, you can talk to him about whatever it is, you're always going to have a good conversation with him. And he, he is friendly, and he brief befriends others. He's friendly to everybody. Those who knows for those who don't know, whether it's a customer, whether it is his domestic worker, he has a good friendly disposition. And people befriend him. People look to be acquainted with him. And in their businesses. He is not of us. He's not part of this family of Islam. You're not part of our heritage and our culture. Someone was crude and rude, that there's not It's not friendly to others, and no

one wants to be friends with him. He's like, outside of the type. You're outside of the hood. SubhanAllah.

The knobbies offices,

man harsh and I thought in the slides, man Hoshana. Felice, I mean, another very famous Hadith, maybe he was walking in the road, and he saw a brother, Muslim selling some goods must be date. So somebody with a reason came over to look at it, he found that the top was beautiful. The nice ones underneath were rotten, and they got damaged. And so their businesses basically also what is this, you covering up the defects? And then he said to this man, manna, Hashanah, whoever cheats is not from us. This is not the characteristic of a Muslim, that when you do business, that you cut corners, and you cheat. I had a conversation a while ago with an elderly gentleman. And he said, you

know, in the past, maybe in the time our parents grandparents, PeeWee as looked to find Muslim artisans, because we knew a Muslim, he's not going to steal your stuff, when you're not there is not going to show up at work drunk, he's not going to leave. Whenever you know, before the time, if he does a job, you do it competently. And he will give you a price and he's going to stick to that price. Today, we try to avoid Muslims. He says, Today, he says I try to avoid Muslims, because I don't know he's going to cheat. Isn't there no way he's going to do he's going to do awful job. And in fact, you find Muslims today trying to avoid I don't do business with slumps as you do the term

because, you know, the ethics and the ethos is not there anymore. And what happened, we were identified by Muslims or non Muslims are like that we do our work. Because we have a higher moral compass. We don't worry, the paycheck is important. But above that, we know much our money must be halal. We had that kind of morality that was our our culture. And even though they knew that look, comes over time with you my time. I don't care if you're going to dock my pay, I'm going to leave for my salah, but I'll get the job done. They will still willing to do the business with us because they knew what they got. But that has changed Pinilla. That is when we talk about our culture,

disappearing. Those are the important things man Hashem, however, cheats. If you're cheating in your business, then you're not from us, then we disassociate ourselves from you.

Few more Hadith. Now we find this very, very sad reality.

While we celebrate our culture and our family and our heritage and the fall, we have this strange phenomenon where it's not people external that we worry about. It's within Islam, that people want to push them out of Islam, you're not a Muslim, we tend to take that label of Muslim away, he's not a Muslim, he's not remember you will not find a single Hadith within a resource Allah made that fear he expelled someone from Islam or the Sahaba This is not a phenomenon that we as Muslims do we invite to our to our fold to our family, we invite them we don't push them out. And so how we interact within this family Yes, you will find a Muslim that is none of us are perfect. You will

find a Muslim that is difficult that argues that cheats that doesn't make sense Salah all these things. How do we interact with such a person? Look at this hadith and visa says whoever performs the salah like us any faces the same Cuba, he faces Makkah and he eats halal food, he doesn't eat pork, then he is a Muslim. That's a Muslim. And he's under allah and the the protection of Allah and the protection of the Russell's Islam. So do not betray Allah by betraying those who are in his protection. Don't harm another Muslim, because you disagree with his madhhab or you disagree with the length of his beard, or you disagree, whether you vaccinate so doesn't vaccinate, or he votes

for this party or that party. You don't push someone out of this family. You don't have the right to do that. You might severe you may disagree fundamentally with him. But if he makes a Salah and he faces your Qibla and he recites the same Quran and he eats he asked where's the halal certificate hamdulillah he's a Muslim on the external what's inside is between him and Allah. Don't ever divide this family stop for us to defy our inner for this idea. We are as I said the only religious text on Earth with the Creator Himself stamp his label on the followers when Allah says Raja he do Philae Hapa jihadi and strive for the sake of Allah Jihad Yeah, not only physical jihad, but struggle to be

close to Allah struggle for the things that Allah loves. Who are each Tabacum that Allah says I have for you?

Even you have chosen your Muslims, while Mr. Jalla confit didn't even have courage and I placed upon you a religion that is not overly difficult. I have chosen you and favored you with a lifestyle that will bring you success militare Abiko Ibrahim, it is the way of life of Nabil Ibrahim. It is the way of life of Lebanon who was a Malcolm Nabi Allah, Allah says, I named you loosely mean I'm in Kabul, I named the previous nations in a Libra in the ISA and Abu Musa. I called them by the name Muslim in the past in the in the previous books where he had and in this book I've named you as Muslim. Lay Hakuna Rasulullah Shaheed and Aleikum so that the NABI Muhammad wa salam can be your role model your

example for you as Muslims to follow Him and He will be witness over you have a look at this pot. What Hakuna Matata Kulu shahada, Allah Nancy, and so that you can be role models for all of mankind. When when humanity looks at us as Muslims, you should be the best at your work at your studies at two o'clock at your business and how you queue in the line how you park your car, how you drive in traffic, how you put your social media posts on how you dress, you are the best in everything that you do, and humanity will look at you as an example. So then Allah says So what must you do at the very least Fatima salah. Make sure you perform your Salah Zakka and give charity help the poor

person who are crossing will be law you will Mola come and hold fast to Allah and be united and ofosu Allah because he is your protector for net mon Mola when it Mandossian and who is better and more excellent than Allah as you're protected and your helper then Allah subhanaw taala May Allah Subhana Allah bless us to celebrate our heritage in a way which pleases Allah to beautify our character with the be proud of our Islam and our identity as Muslims in sha Allah, just a few announcements that hamdulillah in commemoration of his heritage weekend lamina Burano Islam we've got a few events we have in our hub, we have the

food Fae happening from tomorrow. So a lot of our there's a whole menu of things that you can buy, so inshallah from 10 o'clock tomorrow morning until the evening, there is the food free happening, please go and support for the masjid and Varanasi school as well. And at the hub, you'd find our, our,

our what's the word? El exhibition? Yes, our exhibition, you'll find our exhibition, you know, how Islam came to South Africa, Cape Town, what is the Muslim way of the cultural way of how we celebrate marriages and death and Ramadan and Pamela get to know your culture. If your kids have never seen these things, they don't know what what's what's a Duke model and they don't know what's a LeBron? No bring them to those two to get to know the culture and the identity. You don't want us to lose that. So go and spend time as well at the museum and also the eternal battle the oldest cemetery in South Africa we many of the our pioneers are buried. They are also having exhibition as

well at the hub so please go there and support weekly lectures Oklahoma was Allah say no Mohammed earlier so he said I'm sorry, hon. Enemy Sudan, why Lobo