 Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu, Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim, Alhamdulillahi wassalatu wassalamu ala Rasulillahi wa ala alihi wa ashabihi ajma'in. We commence in the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, most gracious, most merciful. We send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam, his household, his companions. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless them all and to bless every one of us to accept from us the fasting and the prayer that we are engaging in in the evenings and the change in lifestyle for the better that we have done during the month of Ramadhan. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala keep it a permanent change. Ameen. My brothers and sisters, you know when you see a scholar of Islam, when you see an Imam of a Masjid, when you see a person teaching Hifb, when you see someone teaching the Arabic language, the Quran and the hadith, you would not expect him to be driving the latest S class Masjidis, am I right? You would not expect him to be having the best house in Rilands, nor would you expect him to be a millionaire. Unfortunately we have a sickness and this sickness runs down from centuries. We believe that those who are religious or those who are teaching the religious are not supposed to be paid beyond 50,000 rands a month. Is that right? Everyone is quiet, you're shocked. If it was the case we would cut our jobs and become sheikhs, right? What we believe is, and unfortunately it's a reality, I'm talking about reality with due respect to everybody, sometimes that a person teaching Hifb is supposed to get the minimum wage or a little bit more than that. Their children are supposed to be going to public schools or they are supposed to be driving a Camry, I don't know if that is still the case. They are supposed to be people who perhaps should not have lots of money, they should not be wearing a Rolex, nor should they be having a Mont Blanc, nor should they be having anything that is expensive. It's a sickness. If they do, what's he doing, man? He must be stealing, he must be doing this. He must be pinching, he must be pushing drugs and so on. This is the reality. People believe from a long time that, you know what? If you want to teach religion, you've got to be a pauper. As a result, we have no respect for those who teach our children the Qur'an. Yet, خيركم من تعلم القرآن وعلمه. The best from amongst you are those who teach the Qur'an and who learn it and teach it, the best. So better than your doctors, your accountants, your rocket scientists, the Hadith says, the best. Those who learn the word of Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and teach it. How ironic, Subhanallah, Subhanallah. I told you all due respect to those of other fields. We tend to consider the statement that ulama make as something low, because for us, they are worth being handed out little handouts to. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala forgive us. The day that changes and the day the salary of the ulama is at par with the doctors and the professionals and those who are Ph.D. holders, etc. That's the day we would have some respect for the scholars of the Deen. When they talk, we would listen. When they say, we would go to hear what they have to say and we would take serious what they are teaching. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala grant us a deep understanding. Many children, they look up to people, I want to be like this uncle. Do you know why they do it? Today, we are living in a materialistic world. Let's not fool ourselves. The children do it because they see us admiring the vehicle of this person, the clothing, perhaps the perfume, perhaps the phone, perhaps everything else, perhaps the house, not realizing that in a lot of cases, it's still being paid. The mortgage is still being paid and the person really owns nothing. It's just a show. But the children want to be like that because we've trained them subconsciously sometimes that you know what? That is the life, that is success. Such that Subhanallah, when someone proposes to marry our child, we take a look at monetary living and the level of finance before we look at the Deen and the religion. It has happened. It's already happening in society. Now, why do I start this way? I start this way because we were speaking about some of the points of confusion that the kufar of Makkah tried to create regarding Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam to try and divert the rich people and the wealthy and the powerful of Makkah from listening to what he had to say. So they started creating confusions. If you look at Surah al-Furqan, which is Surah number 25 of the Quran, verse number 7, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes mention of one of these issues they tried to create. Like I told you, it's come down the generations. And they said, They said, What is it with this man who claims to be a messenger? Yet he is walking in the marketplaces and he eats food just like everyone else. What's wrong? He's supposed to be different, just like what we say. He's supposed to be different. How can he go into the marketplace? He's supposed to be sitting and teaching the kids. How can he have a deal that is bigger than our deal? How come he got the million and we only got a hundred thousand? This is what happens. And it happened from then. They picked or they tried to pick on Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam saying, How could he eat food? Why? Imagine you enter a restaurant and the rich and famous come and purchase food worth a thousand rands. And here comes the sheikh from down the road in the masjid and he purchase worth five thousand rands. They look at him and he literally, as they notice what he's done, subhanallah, more generous, he's got more money and so on. They wouldn't feel right because some balance has gone amiss in our society if that was the case. Okay? It's a fact. I know some people might feel hurt. It's not to make people feel hurt. It's to make us think, I'm sure my colleagues would be proud of what I said today because they face a challenge even for the school fees of their own children. Their children are not supposed to go to the private schools and colleges. Why? Because your father is an imam. That's it. It's a fact. We feel somehow that these people are not entitled at all to anything to do with this world. You know what? They're human. They also need a phone. They also need cars. They also need houses. They also have family members. They have children, subhanallah. Sometimes their children excel in worldly living such that they go way beyond the wealthiest of society. And the father was just an imam. I know examples of that. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us a deep understanding. So they said, what is it with this man? He actually eats food like what we all do. And how could he be eating food? If he was really a messenger, he should have an angel with him who looks after his affairs. An angel. You know, you should be sitting in the masjid. The angel does everything. You know what? The ulama also need to interact in the marketplace. They also need to buy and sell. They also need to, sometimes, they also need to go to the doctor. They also need to meet their needs. Their families also want to go on a holiday. It doesn't mean that because they are scholars of the deen, that their families can forget about going out on a holiday or about even going out to eat. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala safeguard us. So in the case of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, they were trying to tell the people of Makkah that this man is not a messenger because he is just like us. Yet he was not like them. He was a messenger of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. So they said, why didn't Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala send an angel to be warning together with him, all the people, hey, I'm an angel, this is a messenger. It's not going to come your way. You cannot decide when you have the examination paper at your final exams. Why didn't the teacher write the answer at the back of the paper? That was the examination. The answer was given to you prior to the test, not during the test. So we have the answer from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. We cannot choose and decide what Allah should have and shouldn't have done. The test was decided by Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. So the second thing they said is, if Allah willed, he should have kept for him a huge treasure or he should have had a separate garden from all hours from which he could eat and consume the best of food. When we saw that, we would then be able to follow. Now remember, these are all excuses. What shaitan does, when shaitan does not want you to listen to something correct, he makes you find fault in the person so that you can ignore the message. And this is why I always say the difference between the prophet of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala and the ulama is that the prophet was infallible. He was pure, he was perfect. But the ulama, there is a human factor in them that makes them earn. They may do things that may not be correct. They may even make mistakes. They would probably even commit sin to a certain extent and community never forgives this. Community looks at them as though you are supposed to be a prophet of Allah. For you to make a mistake, no way, it cannot be. Yes, I do agree. There are levels of errors, levels of mistakes. Beyond a certain point, one might want to take look at that issue and resolve it in a more serious matter. But my brothers, my sisters, you will find a few discrepancies. One day, perhaps you might have a scholar of Islam. He has arrived two minutes late for the Salah. Salah was supposed to commence at 5.45 and he was here at 5.47. I promise you, that is the test of those who are behind him. I recall once in Johannesburg this happened and the Imam, may Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaus, he's passed away. He told me two minutes, I was late. And when I got up, the people started, I could hear voices at the back. You know, the people all want to make a noise late, late. He said, I have led you in Salah for so many years. Today, I was slightly late. Imagine the punctuality. So many years I've led you in Salah. One day I'm late and look at what you are doing. Whereas from among you, every day they are late comers. You turn around, there will be rows of people who stand up, especially when it comes to Salatul Fajr. May Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, help us, protect us from these type of standards that are double standards. So once in a while, we need to overlook. Yes, if it happens on a regular basis, you may want to deal with it differently. Gently remind, you know Imam, Mashallah, and this is if you're in authority and you say it in a very humble way, very polite way, treating the Imam like a VIP, because that's what he is. Allah says he's doing the best possible job. And here we are mowing over them, as though they are just mere lawn. May Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, grant us an understanding. So Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says to Muhammad, Salallahu Alaihi Salam, Take a look at how they have made examples, what type of examples and what they are saying about you. They are indeed going to stray as a result. And then Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, As a result of that, because of that, they will not be able to find that path. Like I said yesterday, when you look at the messenger, Salallahu Alaihi Salam, with the eyes of sincerity, you will be guided. But when you look at him with the eyes of hatred, what do you expect besides misguidance? Subhanallah. So the same applies to the message of the Deen. Look at it with an open heart, look at it with a beautiful eye, and you will find the guidance. You will realize what that message holds in value for you. May Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, make it easy for us. Listen to what Allah says to Muhammad, Salallahu Alaihi Salam. The best of creation, the most noble of all prophets of Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Allah says to him, Glory be to Allah. All praise is due to Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. If Allah willed, He could have given you even better than what they say you should be having. He could have given you gardens, plush gardens with everything. Allah says if Allah wanted, He could have given it to you. So why didn't Allah give it to him? For many reasons, one of them is, what is the test if there is evidence in front of you to prove something and we claim, I believe. What do you believe? You've seen it, it's in front of you. If I were to tell you how many fingers is this, and you say two, you saw the fingers. But if I told you, for example, two days later, how many fingers did I put up? Those who say two will have to be believed by those who didn't see it, right? And those who believe, the ones who have seen it, are indeed from among those who trust them. They trust them. Otherwise, you wouldn't believe them. So the point I want to raise is, if Muhammad SAW had an angel with him, telling everyone, hey, this is a messenger, what was the point of testing the belief? It was in front of them. But Allah says, hang on, we're going to send him. We're going to send him with the signs. We want you to use your brain, and we want you to believe. And belief will entail an aspect of the unseen. Believe him. When he tells you that this is what Allah said, see, do you find it in your heart to believe that? If you do, you are true. If you don't, what was the point of claiming that I bear witness, Muhammad SAW is the messenger? When whatever he has said, we're not even prepared to believe it. May Allah SWT forgive us. I hope we've understood this point. The point being raised is connected to belief in that which Muhammad SAW brought with the evidence that is enough already. We don't need to ask for a supply of greater evidence. May Allah SWT grant us a deep understanding and grant us correctness of Iman and Yaqeen, faith and conviction. Amin. So verse number 11 of Surat Al-Furqan speaks about another very interesting aspect. We need to save ourselves, my brothers and sisters, from the fire. We are believers, aren't we? We believe there is heaven and hell. We believe that we would like heaven and we would like to stay away from hellfire. So that is why Allah gives us prohibitions and he has laid down that which is obligatory, both of those. He wants you to do things. He wants you to abstain from things. And in the middle, he has kept what is known as repentance so that you can always come back and you can always have hope in this paradise that he has prepared and have hope in being saved from hellfire. But there are some who don't believe. They don't believe. So the people at the time of Rasulullah SAW, a lot of them used to say, We have nothing besides this life. Where we are just living, we will die and we are alive. Which means I'm living now. I make the most of what I can for now. Because I'm going to die. When I die, there is nothing remaining. It's over. Let me enjoy as much as I can right now. I'm sure you know the statement YOLO. Or you only live once. The idea behind it is just do everything. Do whatever you want. Well, if you believe that there is a hereafter, you believe that you don't only live once. You live more than once. Once now and later on, there is another life, life after death. And if you believe in that, you prepare during this time for that particular time. Now, if someone did not believe at all, why should he be irritated when others believe? I give you an example. The Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, recited the verses connected to the Akhira and connected to Hellfire and the burning in Hellfire and the punishment of Hellfire. So Allah says, Indeed, they have belied the hour. They don't believe in the hour. They don't believe that there is a last day. We have prepared a burning blaze for those who don't believe in the hereafter. Pause there. They got upset. They got angry. Why would they get angry when they don't believe in the hereafter? This is the irony. So a person says, I believe there is nothing to come after death. Well then, no matter what I believe, why does it hurt you? Why are you so worried? Why is it when we talk of heaven and hell? Do you get excited? You don't even believe that after death there is anything. So if you are worried about it, it means deep down you actually do believe. Subhanallah. You get the point? And this is why once I was sitting with an atheist and he was so angry and upset about our belief in the hereafter and I told him exactly this, that you should be the last person talking. You don't even believe that there is anything coming after this. You don't believe. So why are you so worried? He says, but it's nasty. You know, you're blackmailing the people and I said, that's not true. Nobody is blackmailing anyone. For those who believe, this is what they believe. Those who don't believe, don't believe. That's it. And we will keep on preaching and you can keep on preaching and that's what the world is all about. Subhanallah. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us understanding. So the point I want to raise is when someone gets upset about the hereafter and what is prepared for those who believe, in essence, deep down, they actually do believe that there is a life after death. That's why they are so worried. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us. So to save ourselves, we know that yes, there is hellfire. We will do good deeds so that inshallah we can be saved from hellfire and we will seek the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because we are human beings. Now every time that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks about the burning blaze of hellfire or he speaks about the punishment that he has prepared for those who transgress immediately before or after he speaks about paradise, the goodness, the forgiveness, the beauty that has been prepared for those who repent, for those who believe. So this is why immediately after that Allah asks a question. Verse number 15, Surat al-Furqan. Qul. Qul meaning say, Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam to them. Is that burning blaze better or is heaven, jannah, the gardens of paradise better that have been promised to the muttakun? The muttakuna, those who are conscious of their maker. If you're conscious of your maker, you become a muttaki. You become a pious person. So that is why taqwa is translated as piety. A person who fears the punishment of Allah. A person who loves Allah enough to stay away from haram. And a person who loves Allah enough to fulfill whatever Allah has asked him or her to fulfill. That is a muttaki. Allah says, if you are a muttaki for you is heaven. As soon as your eyes close, in fact just before your eyes close, you would be from among those who's given glad tidings by the angels of a good place and a good abode that you are going to go to. Amazing. So this is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You know what he says. And I need to spend a long time on this. Verse number 16 of Surat al-Furqan. Those who have entered paradise for them in it shall be whatever they desire. And Allah says in the next verse, this is a promise that you can hold against Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You can hold him. Imagine Allah himself is telling you, you can ask me, oh Allah, you promised me that I would get whatever I wish. Allah says, it is a promise that is questionable. Meaning you can question the person. In this case, the deity, Allah himself is promising. If I say, that means I'm responsible. So Allah is responsible to give you anything you wish. Now pause there for a moment. This should solve our problem. What problem? Many people ask, what am I going to get in heaven? You know, the people, the men get the whore. What do the women get? Relax. Whatever you want, you're going to get it. Trust me. Anything you want. Now, we start saying, okay, that means my cat is going to be with me. That means the dog is going to be with me because I want that. That means, not this guy here, but the guy down the road, I want to be with him in paradise. And that means that, you know, I need to have this car. What's the latest vehicle? Can someone say one of the latest cars that they are today? Can anyone make mention of one? Okay, Lexus 2018. Okay, that's a clever one. Say S-Class, BM, whatever, 2018 model. My brothers, that is such a cheap Dua. So cheap. Can I explain why? Bring in the Bugattis and the Lamborghinis and the Ferraris. Trust me. In one or two years, they'll be outdated, outdated. Imagine the people who died in 1930. Oh Allah, I'd love to have this Mercedes. That has come out. The latest model. Ya Allah, I'm going to work hard when I get to Jannah. I need it. Relax. Those 1931 Mercedes, no one wants to see them today. Besides those who deal in vintages if the car is of a good condition. No one wants it. So it's a wrong Dua. The Dua is actually way beyond that. If Allah says, I'll make you happy, it means with whatever is there completely in front of you way beyond what your imagination can think of. This is why the Hadith describes this. You see, people get upset. I've heard women say, you know men are promised so much. We're not even promised much. I'm not even bothered. I'm not interested. And now I don't want to read my Salah anymore. I've actually heard statements of that nature. May Allah safeguard us. It's a pity because they don't realize this verse. And I've just mentioned it. Verse number 16. Go and read it of Surah Tulfurqan. Allah says, He promises whatever you wish for. That's what you will have in Jannatul Firdaus. So what you got to do is only one thing. Make sure you get there. That's it. There's nothing else you need to worry about. Once you are there, trust me, everything will fall in place. You may never think of your cat because there might be something else way beyond those kittens. Subhanallah. You may never think of the cars that were in the world because Subhanallah, there is something way beyond in terms of mode of transport. If any, I don't know. We can only say what Muhammad SAW said. In paradise is that which no ear has ever heard about. No eye has ever seen. Way beyond whatever your eyes have seen. What have you seen? The most beautiful of men or women depending on whether you're a male or female. Jannah is way beyond. Imagine a dude, bitches up and that's your husband. You'll say, Oh Allah. Oh Allah. And he is the dawn. Subhanallah. And you're just looking. Subhanallah. This is why we say, the idea is to get there. Forget about Shaytan's plot is to make us fight about what we're going to get in a place that we actually have not even reserved a seat in. That's the thing. You're planning your holiday to Hawaii but you don't even have an airline ticket, imagine. First, work hard to get the ticket. Then we'll talk about what we're going to do when we get there, inshallah. So the same applies. Work hard to get your booking. When you get into Jannah to Firdaus, you will see everything. Whatever you wish for shall be in paradise. And Allah SWT says that you can actually ask for this. And I'm telling you, you can ask for it. Kana ala rabbika wa'dan Mas'oola. Allahu Akbar. May Allah SWT bless us all with Jannah to Firdaus. And may Allah SWT make it easy for us to work towards there. And trust me, we will be the happiest. The last part of that hadith says wala khatara ala qalbi bashar. What is in paradise has never even crossed the heart or the mind of a human being. So it's way beyond whatever has crossed your mind. Recently, I came across, you know, these little drones that they use to take photographs. Then they used to strap, or they strap the medication on it and they send it to your house within a five kilometer radius sometimes further. Now they have these drones that can carry 200 kilos. So you stand on it and it takes you up. Where do you go? I fly in the air to where I want to go. And I've got a little joystick in my hand and this is a reality. It's being used now on earth, in this world. And at the same time, they are trying to commercialize it to make it available for the public as a mode of transport. So the next time you come to this masjid, perhaps for Taraweeh, a few of us might be having our little whatever they call, I don't even know what they call these, they hover flies or something of that nature. And you would have a few of them parked there outside. And I hope those are the imams of the masjid that will come with those. Masha'Allah Tabarak Allah. I think we've got the message. May Allah SWT bless us all. May Allah SWT grant us goodness. I want to end by making mention of a verse where Allah SWT speaks about the test, the test that I spoke about earlier. Those who don't believe, those who don't believe, they come up with weird excuses. Listen to what Allah SWT says, verse number 21 of this beautiful Surah, Surah Al-Furqan. وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا لَوْلَاُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا المَلَائِكَةُ أَوْنَرَا رَبَّنَا Those who are not looking forward to meeting with us, speaking here about the year after, those who are not looking forward to meeting with us, what do they say? They say, don't the angels come down to us to prove a point? Or why can't we see our Rabb? And then we will believe. Well, once you see him, what's the point of saying, I believe, you've seen it. Belief in the unseen is what we are being tested about. So if you cannot believe in the unseen, how can you call yourself a believer? I believe because I know whatever Muhammad SAW has come with, I'm convinced that it's absolute truth. I'm convinced that the Quran is flawless. I'm convinced that the message of the Quran is amazing. It promotes the highest level of peace and the highest level of understanding and living Subhanallah. So Allah says, those they don't even believe in the year after, look at what they're saying. They're saying, okay, show me Allah, then I'll believe. Okay, bring the angels, then I'll believe. And in another verse, Allah says, even if the angels came, even if they saw Allah, they would still not believe. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala not make our hearts hard. Whenever the truth comes to us, may we be from among those who believe, may we be from among those who turn for the sake of Allah. Brothers and sisters, Allah sends us signs every day, every single day. Signs to turn to Him, to get closer to Him. We are getting older as the days pass. We're not getting any younger. It is definitely about time that we saved ourselves from the wrath of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala by becoming better people for His sake, quitting our bad ways, increasing the good, and thereafter achieving the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. I'll say this, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon us. Subhanallah, and praise be to Allah. And praise be to Allah. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah.