Video: Introduction – Episode 01 – Stories of The Prophets – Dr. Mufti Ismail Menk (English)

Audio / Podcast in English

Transcription in English

We ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala to bless Him and all His companions, and we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala to bless every single one of us.
My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, it brings tears to the eyes in gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala for having granted us the acceptance to witness this blessed month.
Tonight, being the first night of the month of Ramadan, 1432, Hidri, 1,432 years after the Hidra of Muhammad Salallahu Alaihi wa Salam.
And we are seated here in the house of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, far away in the city of Cape Town, in this beautiful Masjid Zena to Islam.
We ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala to accept every single effort of ours, every one of us who has made an effort to come here this evening.
All the listeners, all the viewers, every single person, we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala to grant us all forgiveness.
And we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala to lighten up our lives, just like we noticed the difference when these lights were put on.
We ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala to increase us in Nur and to grant us the full use of this month of Ramadan.
Really, it is a sacrifice, it is a month of sacrifice.
It is a month where we will be abstaining from many things for the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, from a certain time to a certain time.
And in the evenings, we will be sacrificing again to stand in long prayer solely for the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala.
Remember, it is an effort that will make us from amongst those who are successful.
Those who are not prepared to put an effort or to make an effort, what type of success do they expect?
May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala accept our efforts.
This evening, inshaAllah, I have decided to embark on a series known as lessons from the stories of the prophets.
May peace be upon them all that are mentioned in the Quran.
And as you know, it is very important to introduce a topic, so tonight will be dedicated to the introduction.
And it is very important that we know what is it that Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala expects from us.
We all know that we were created by Allah.
We were created by Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala.
We call Him Rob Bulahala Mean.
We call Him Lord of the Worlds.
And the word Rob does not have an English translation.
It would require a whole paragraph for us to understand what is meant by it.
And for this reason, some of the scholars have said the term Rob includes the one who created.
The one who nourishes, cherishes, provides for, protects.
The one in absolute control of all the aspects of existence is known as Rob.
So this is why when we say Rob Bul, we are referring to whoever made us.
And whoever is in absolute control Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala grant us the understanding.
Before I commence, it is very important for me to make mention of the fact that each one of us would like to achieve the pleasure of the one who made us.
And each one of us would like to achieve the paradise that he has prepared for us.
But where did we come to learn about this paradise from?
And where did we come to learn about the fact that there is life after death?
We came to learn of it from the Creator Himself.
When He created us, He did not just leave us without giving us an instruction, or a manual, or sending us messengers to remind us.
Wa’im min ummantidin ilah wa lafihanavil.
Indeed, there is no nation that has passed except that there has been a messenger who was sent to that nation.
A reminder, a Warner, the word nadir in actual fact means a Warner.
One who warns to say, oh man, you are not in existence in order to enjoy your life.
You are actually here as an examination and the qualification of that examination will determine
your status in the real life which is the life after death.
And this is why all the messengers of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, they were more interested in the life after death
and in the year after than this dunya.
None of them gave preference to this world.
It’s important for us to know this.
And it’s important also for us to know that when Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala created us and sent messengers
and sent messengers with those messengers, there were two types of people that he sent.
One were those known as rusul, and the others were known as ambiyya.
There is a difference between a rasul and a nabi.
So what is the difference?
One is a messenger and one is a prophet.
The one who has a higher status is a rasul, a messenger.
Because every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger.
And here I’m using the English language, although I’ve used the word rasul or the word messenger to refer to rasul.
What is meant by this?
A rasul is a person who came with a new sharia, with some law, with a book, with something that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala gave him
an instruction, revelation, and Allah said, go and teach this to the people and go and warn them and so on, that is known as a rasul,
a person who is a messenger, given a message to go and deliver.
And a nabi, who is a prophet, is one who also delivered the message of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, but not given to him specifically,
but rather given to some messenger who came before him.
So this is why when we look at how run Allah is salar to a salam, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala speaks about him in the Quran, and Allah says,
When Allah says, we gave him, or we sent with him, harun, or arun, may peace be upon him as a nabi, which means as a prophet, to help him.
So whose message was it, it was the message of Allah, given to whom, given to Moses, may peace be upon him, but harun alayhi salam was assisting.
That is a very simple verse, if you’d like to know, you can memorize that verse harun and a nabi and if harun alayhi salam was a nabi,
then it’s automatically known that a rasul is higher than a nabi, may Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grant us understanding.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala sent two types of people, but there is a third type of person who is neither a nabi nor a rasul, but he is a rasul over a sul, which means he is a messenger of a messenger, and who is that, every single one of us, subhanahu wa la.
We are all messengers of rasul Allah, salallahu alayhi wa salam.
We have the message, it is our duty to learn it, it is our duty to practice upon it, and it is our duty to teach it to others.
This is why when rasul Allah, salallahu alayhi wa salam was sending one of his companions, muadib ni jabbalah, or the allahu anhu to yaman, and he asked him a few questions at the end of that, he says alhamdulillahi wa fakah, rasulah rasulillahi limayarbar rasulullah.
Praise be to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, who has granted acceptance to the messenger of the messenger of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
To that which has pleased the messenger of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
So Allah guided muadib ni jabbalah, rasulillahu anhu, and Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala obviously had sent muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam, and muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam in turn sent muadib ni jabbalah rasulillahu anhu, and he has informed all of us,
beligou anni wa lau ayah, go and convey the message even if it means a small verse.
So every one of us in sha’ala, we have that status, may Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala accept us for that.
Now it is important for us to also go through the creation of man.
Why Allah created us, and how he created us, it is impossible to know that except through revelation, and this is what makes us believe us.
If you take a look at the Jewish scriptures, or the Christian scriptures, the scriptures of the Muslims, you will find there are some similarities when it comes to the stories of the previous nations, and how time began, and how man was created and so on.
But we adopt and we follow the Qur’an because we believe that there is a lot of rasks that has crept into the previous scriptures.
They are debating amongst themselves as to what is authentic, and there are so many different versions of the Bibles and the scriptures, that we have to discount them, and we have to adopt what the Qur’an has said, because no doubt it is pure, and it is pristine.
And there is no ways that anybody can argue with that, may Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grant us acceptance.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala created us, and when he told us whatever he told us, he told that to us through revelation, so therefore a person who is a non-believer, or who does not believe in any of the heavenly religions, they would not know what happened.
And if they were to tell you what happened, it means they got it from a heavenly scripture.
No scientist can tell you that the first person created was created in this way, and his name was Adam.
And nobody can tell you that then there was hawah and what happened, so we need to be Muslimin.
We need to be submitters, we need to be minin, believers in the unseen.
And we need to know that these scriptures that have come, they have come as a gift from Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to us.
Now if we take a look at the Quran, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has revealed this book, and it is a very, very blessed book,
and Allah has given us the Muslims a month known as Shahrull Quran.
It is the month of the Quran.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has kept it the same month as the month of fasting.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala speaks about a night in this month, that is so powerful.
In it, the Quran was sent down from the preserved tablet to the lowest heaven, Lahou Akbar.
And this is why he says,
In the night of decree,
Lahilul Caddar translates as the night of takdil, the night of decree, when all that is going to happen for the next year is written by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
It is called al-Qadar, the night of decree.
We all call it the night of power, because it also depicts the power of Allah subhana
wa wa taala.
So it is important for us to know that there is no doubt in the book that Allah has revealed.
And as Muslims, we are fortunate to be from amongst those who follow a religion that makes
it a duty upon us to study all the verses of the Qur’an, not just a few verses.
And Allah says, why He revealed the Qur’an?
We need to know this.
Why did Allah reveal the Qur’an?
Why did He create man?
Why did He do this?
Why did He do that?
The answers are in the Qur’an.
This is why Allah says,
kita bun aun zalnahu.
It is a book that we have revealed.
Ilayika, to you al-Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam.
Mubarakun, it is so blessed.
Liyadabbaru ayate in order for its verses to be pondered upon.
So why did Allah reveal the Qur’an?
In order for its verses to be pondered upon, that is the reason.
So how many of us have pondered over the verses of the Qur’an?
How many of us have understood why Allah revealed the Qur’an?
Did He just reveal it that we can recite it?
No point in understanding or no interest in understanding it.
Did He reveal it so that we can use it as a pillow?
We read it at night and then we put it away and go and sleep.
And the following morning we get up?
No.
Take a look at what has happened to the Bible and to the other books.
Very few followers of those books have read those books cover to cover.
But every one of us have heard the Qur’an cover to cover by the rule of Allah.
This is why in the month of Ramadan what are we doing?
Great effort is required to prepare the tara’we, to come for the tara’we, to stand in the tara’we.
It is not simple, it is not easy to be standing for one hour trying to concentrate on the words.
That is a sacrifice, that is an act of worship, that is a gift that Allah has given myself
and yourselves.
So treat it as a gift and understand that if we have not tried to ponder, if we have not
tried to ponder over the verses of the Qur’an then we don’t even understand why it was revealed.
So every one of us needs to try our best to ponder over the verses of the Qur’an and insha’Allah.
This is what we will be trying to do during the month of Ramadan.
I encourage myself and yourselves to try our best, to read a portion of the Qur’an in
a language that we understand as well.
Because without that we won’t be able to succeed.
Imagine Allah sends with us a manual to say this is how you should operate yourself and
we don’t know about that manual.
I decided to spend a few moments to explain the importance of this book because it is the
month of the Qur’an and not only the recitation in the Arabic language.
Yes, that is important, very important.
But more than that is to understand the Qur’an, the message of Allah.
I’ve heard people saying it is haram to read the meaning of the Qur’an.
Where did they get that from?
We want to know how can we behave like those of the previous scriptures and prohibit our
people from trying to understand the word of the one who made them when Allah asks me
after I’ve died and you that I sent a book, did you read it, did you try to understand
it, what will our answer be?
And then if you were to ask us how many books have you read and understood and we will be
mentioning all the novels and all the little story books and fairy tales and bedtime stories
that we’ve read.
We give preference to Harry Potter over the Qur’an, it’s a fact.
We give preference to all these other books over the Qur’an, it’s a fact.
I think it’s about time we use this Ramadan to change that.
We can change it and this is why we have reminders of this nature, this is why we are standing
up here reminding ourselves and yourselves to say it is about time we are ummat al Qur’an
or ummah or nation whom the Qur’an has been sent to to try and understand this book.
I guarantee you it will change your life.
I guarantee you it will raise you in spirituality without a better violet, lahu Akbar.
That is the book of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, yes, there are rules and regulations governing
how to deal with a question that crops up in your mind whilst you are reading the meaning.
Those questions need to be answered by the professionals, the ulama, those who know.
So when you come across a verse you will find if there is a question in your mind it would
be wrong for you to answer it on your own, go and ask the ulama.
I read this verse, I don’t understand it.
But there are so many verses in the Qur’an that are very easily understood, the stories
of the prophets which makes the bulk of the Qur’an.
That’s why we want to go into it this year.
Very easily understood, Allah tells us about Noah, Allah tells us about Jacob, about Joseph,
may peace be upon them all.
Allah tells us about loot, lot, may peace be upon him.
So it’s important in insha’Allah for us to make an effort to try and read these stories,
to try and see why Allah revealed them, why Allah sent them down, for what reason?
And then in insha’ala we see how everything is connected.
When Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala sent messengers to mankind, he selected the best.
He did not send messengers from amongst the West or the mediocre of community, no, a Rasul
or a Nabi was always selected, the best of them.
And this is why there are certain qualities that all the prophets had.
We need to know these qualities.
Because if we’d like to continue the work of the messengers, we need to try and learn
from what Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala selected and chose, may he choose us all, to serve
his cause.
Allah says regarding some of his prophets, in nahu kana muf lassah, definitely he was chosen.
In Allah says in Allah has chosen, in Allah has chosen, in Allah has chosen, in Allah has
taught, his taught means to choose.
In Allah has taught Adam, Allah chose Adam, Allah his salatu wa salam.
We believe that whenever we say the name of a messenger, it is our duty to say, may peace
be upon them.
They have done a splendid job.
In fact, Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says that there is a curse upon the one who
says Muhammad without saying Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
May peace be upon him.
So some of these qualities, the messengers were always truthful.
But he never uttered a lie, even prior to prophethood, never uttered a lie, even prior
to prophethood.
They were known by their people as truthful, always.
One might ask what about Ibrahim Alaihi Wasallam, we will get to that inshallah.
It’s not actually a lie.
It was something, and inshallah when we speak about Ibrahim Alaihi Wasallam in a few days
time, we will get there.
They were trustworthy, and they were known as trustworthy, all of them.
So in order for us to be chosen by Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, we need to try our best
to also be truthful and trustworthy.
Because if a person is not truthful and utter lies, there is a chance they become champions
of the devil, and Shaitan becomes pleased with them.
We don’t want that.
So it’s about time we started telling the truth.
And it’s about time we were honest and trustworthy.
When all the messengers were trained in a specific way, do you know what the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says, ma’amin abi yin, in la wa ra al-ranam.
There was no Nabi, except that he was a shepherd at one stage.
He looked after some sheep, so Allah trained them, Allah trained them with sheep, with animals
before they came to human beings, because what is more difficult?
To look after animals or to look after human beings.
I see the smiles, wa sha’ala, that someone have a doubt here, ma’ala Subhanahu wa ta’ala
open our understanding.
It is definitely more difficult to look after animals, but in the Qur’an Allah describes
certain people.
He says, ula, inca kal, an ami, banhum, abal, there are certain people who are like cattle
and in fact worse than cattle, because with the sophisticated minds and brains and eyes
and ears and noses that Allah has given mankind, they still don’t want to hear, they don’t
want to see, they don’t want to understand, Allah says, for those type of people, can we
equate them to cattle?
No, they are worse than cattle, Allahu Akbar, may Allah not make us from amongst those.
So it’s important for us all to have the quality in us, to want to propagate what we have.
We want to dish out what we have, that is a quality.
The messengers had that quality, they wanted to give the message, they wanted to always
spread the goodness, they were not selfish with it.
So every time we learn something, let us try and think of ways of how to spread it, to
whom?
Let me tell you to whom, wa a’ala, vir, ashi, rata, kal, al kara, vin, there was a stage
when Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was instructed to start primarily with his family
members.
So we start with those around us, we try and remind them, we want to tell them, may Allah
subhanahu wa ta’ala make it easy for us.
Then there is another quality of the messengers, they were very intelligent, Allah did not
send stuff through Allah, people who were thick to a nation, no, Allah sent highly intelligent
people.
When he was a young boy, look at how intelligent he was, he began questioning and he debated,
did you ever know that the messenger who has debated the most was Ibrahim alayhi salam,
these debates are mentioned in the Qur’an, Lahu Akbar.
He had the most debates, from a young age he questioned, he asked the questions and this
is why for us, when the young asked questions, find answers for those questions, sometimes
they are innocent questions and we rattle out words of rebuke to these youngsters without
even knowing that this might have shaped some negativity in the youngsters mind that will
last forever because we did not answer the question.
So it’s important for us to try and look at the questions that are being asked and we
need to ask questions as well.
There was a time when people used to say, don’t ask, no, in Islam it is simple to understand,
we ask but we have iman that when we are given an answer from Allah’s revelation, we surrender
to it, there we are, so there are certain things we may never understand, but we will
try our best to and there are certain explanations for as long as those explanations are coming
from a revelation, inshaAllah we surrender to them.
It’s important for us to know this.
So the ambiya were always highly intelligent, another quality of the prophets of Allah subhana
wata alla, physically they did not have any defect that was repulsive, repulsive meaning
change people away, rather when you looked at them you felt like getting closer, Lahu
Akbar.
All the messengers were described as very handsome, all of them and they were not only
good looking, but they had this like magnetism, do you know what, abdu lahib nous salam, radiallahu
anhu says about Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam, he says wa lahi, when I saw the face
of Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam, I knew that this is not the face of Allahi.
The other Sahabhar of the Allahu anhu describe him and say, ka anhu kithu attu kammar, Allahu
Akbar, as though he’s a piece of the moon, subhanAllah, and they have all said we have
never seen anything more beautiful, more handsome than Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam.
So those who did not see the light and who did not come closer to him, they had to be
really, really rejected by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala for that to happen.
It is reported that it is enough for a person to look at Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam
or to be in his company in order to be totally rectified and known as a Sahabi and deserve
after his name the word radiallahu anhu, may Allah be pleased with him.
Just by being with him for a moment as a movement, as a believer, but there were others who were
fortunate and unfortunate, who were they?
They were the likes of Abu Jal and the enemies of Islam, who fought Islam and they fought
Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam, they were fortunate in that they lived in his midst,
but they did not look at him with the eye of sincerity even once, not even once.
So for that reason they did not receive that cleanliness, they did not receive that spiritual
level of Sahabi.
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala again has chosen the Sahaba of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam.
Then there is another very important point that we need to know.
The messengers were all protected by Allah from committing sin.
All of them were maasumim, maasumim, meaning they were protected by Allah from committing
sin.
Now one might ask what about this deed that was done by Musa alayhi salam, inshallah we
will get to that.
But what about that which was done by this Nabi, or that Nabi, we will get to that inshallah.
They were protected by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala from sin and we need to know that and we believe
that.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala thereafter has kept certain merits in these messengers.
The messengers, whenever they spoke, whenever they uttered, whatever they said, was inspired
by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala through divine revelation.
And we know this about Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam.
Allah says insura to Najim, wa maa yaum, trikhu anil haua, inhua illa wa hiyu haa.
He does not utter anything from himself.
It is indeed revelation that was revealed.
It was revelation that was revealed.
So one might say, well look, once the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam looked away from
Abdullah ibn Ummaktumra, the Allahu anhu, and the Quran came and admonished him.
So people say, well, what was that?
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala had a lesson for us in that because sometimes it is the plan
of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to let something happen so that when the solution of it is
shown or when the remedy of it is shown, the lesson can remain up to the end.
We learn a lesson from that that no matter how high you are, no matter how knowledgeable
you are, no matter how much you think you know, when you are corrected, take it properly
and accept it and be happy that you are corrected.
When the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam was corrected.
Why was he corrected?
Why did he make a mistake in the first place?
Because had he not been made to make that mistake, where in his sunnah would there be
a lesson for those who make mistakes to learn from subhanahu wa ta’ala?
So it was part of his perfection to make that mistake for us to have a perfect example,
to follow so that when you make a mistake you know what to do because when he did it,
he was also shown or he showed us what exactly to do.
I hope we’ve understood this.
Then Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has spoken about how the messengers, none of them sought a
reward, none of them wanted money in return for their message, none of them wanted to
gain some form of popularity through their message.
No, this is why in Surat Yassin we know the verse where Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala speaks
about a man who came from the innermost part of the city and he says, it tabirum allayyas
alukum aljura wa hummuhtadum.
Follow those who are asking no recompense from you.
They don’t want any reward from you.
Follow those who are rightly guided.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grant us an understanding.
Also, it is very important to know that the messengers came with a direct message.
They did not beat about the bush.
When Lupala His salam came to His people, He told them directly abstain from homosexuality.
He didn’t say, yeah, you know, now there’s something you guys need to worry about and
there’s something we need to talk about, no.
The messengers, they came with a direct, clear, cut message and they delivered it as it was
given from Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala and we will see that in the Quran.
Also, we will know or we will notice that the messengers, they had firm belief in monotheism.
They worship Allah alone.
If there was anyone who worshiped anything with Allah or besides Allah, they were not
messengers of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala.
They worshiped Allah alone and they believed in the unseen and they promoted the unseen
and they gave preference to the hereafter over this life.
Now the last question we have for this evening, why talk about stories of the prophets in
the Quran?
Why?
Why does Allah make mention of these stories?
When Allah answers the question, who can there be better than Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala
to answer the question?
The last question we have for Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala is the question of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala.
Indeed in the stories of the previous nations and in the stories of the prophets are lessons
for those with sound intellect.
Allah says it was not fabricated, it was not at all fabricated, but it is a lesson.
And the details of everything I made mention of for those who believe, we need to believe.
So Allah says it is a lesson for us.
When the people of Noah, may peace be upon him.
When the people of Noah, Allah is Salah to Assalam, transgressed.
How long did they transgressed for?
For many, many years, what was the result?
We all know they were drowned in the floods, they were destroyed.
So what will happen?
Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala is showing all of us that look, it might appear to you that
the forces of evil are winning and the forces of goodness are losing.
But Allah says don’t worry, it’s just a matter of time.
When we pull, we pull completely and Allah says always the winners are those who are in
the force of goodness, always.
Maybe not immediately, but ultimately.
And this is why Allah speaks about entry into Jannah and he says, do you think it’s going
to be easy to enter into Jannah?
Do you think it’s going to be simple?
Do you think you’re going to enter Jannah without a test?
This life is a test.
Allah says.
Allah says, do you think you are going to enter Jannah?
And that which afflicted those before you has not yet come to you, they were tested and
they were shaken and they were tested in so many different ways with trials and tribulations,
with war and sickness until the messengers from amongst them said, when is the help of
Allah going to come?
Imagine for a messenger who is sent by Allah to say, when is the help of Allah going to come?
And then Allah says, then we said, lo, the help of Allah is very near SubhanAllah, which
means you are tested right to your peak.
I always like to give the example of a school, the higher you go, the greater the test, the
more difficult it is.
And remember, your life is not in the school, your life, the real life that you are living
is outside the school, I mentioned this on Friday.
So those who don’t understand that the life in the school is just a test and they need
to work as hard as possible, whether they like the school or not, whether they like the
work or not, whether they like the teachers or not, whether they enjoy the uniform or not,
they need to wear the uniform, they need to work hard, they need to try their best, they
will pay in order to attend the school and they must write the exams every so often and
every time they write an exam, they will have a higher qualification than the previous exam
and when they graduate, they will now with that certificate be able to do whatever they
want in the world.
The higher the qualification, the more chances you have.
Let us take that example and put it into our lives.
Our life compared to the Ahirah and the life after death is like a school.
So we are in the school now, we will have tests every year, every second year, we will
have so many difficulties, we will have to dress in a specific uniform, in a specific
way, we will have to do certain things, we will have to engage in things, we may not
like or they may be difficult to engage in and every time you write a test, you have a
certificate of a higher level and the greater the test, the more the love of Allah subhana
wa ta’ala and then when we die, what will happen?
We have the ultimate certificate, we can do what we want thereafter in the Ahirah.
When you have all A’s, what will happen?
Allah will say, udukhunu habisala, enter into jannah with peace, here’s your certificate
and Allah speaks about it in the Qur’an, how He will give it in the right hand.
Allahu Akbar may He give us all our books in the right hand.
This is the month of Ramadan.
We need to earn the forgiveness of Allah.
Let us take this month seriously.
Let us make an effort, every day, to fulfill the taraweeh correctly and to try and listen
to a message or two on a daily basis, to make an effort with the Qur’an, to fast properly,
to try and change our lives, bad habits need to be kicked out, music CDs need to be changed
with Qur’anic CDs and with the message of Allah subhana wa ta’ala, we will be asked,
life is too short, so many people are dying, there are people who have passed on just before
the month of Ramadan.
Where were they?
Allah did not accept them to see the month of Ramadan, or we can word it differently.
Allah had mercy upon them and took them away.
Now Allah open our doors.
Indeed, we are blessed by Allah subhana wa ta’ala to be gathered in His home.
There are people as we are speaking, who are suffering across the globe and I am talking
of muslimin, who are homeless, who are wealthy moments ago, but they are being bombarded on
a daily basis, whether it is in Libya, whether it is in Afghanistan or Pakistan or Iraq or
Somalia or Sudan, wherever it is on the globe, in Palestine, anywhere on the globe, there
are so many who are unable to gather in this manner that we have gathered here this evening.
So let us take this as a gift of Allah, let us never feel too lazy because if we are not
to seize the opportunities that Allah gives us, they will stop at some point and we will
not be able to then have the opportunities.
May Allah subhana wa ta’ala grant us the ability to seize the opportunities when He has given
them to us.
He says that I give you the opportunity of your good health, you should seize it before
it does not exist anymore, or before sickness overtakes you, your life before death overtakes
you, your wealth before poverty overtakes you, your free time before occupation overtakes
you, your youth before old age overtakes you, it is important for us to make use of this
because in inshallah we will meet here by the will of Allah subhana wa ta’ala tomorrow
at the same time and we will commence with the stories of the creation of men and we hope
and pray that Allah accept us all and grant us every form of goodness, jazakumulahu khayra,
wasallahu wa salaamu wa barakal, anabina Muhammad, subhana wa bihamdi, subhana khalahum wa bihamdi
alaamu wa bihamdi, subhana khalahum wa barakalal, anabina Muhammad, subhana khalahum wa barakalal