 ورحمة الله وبركاته بسم الله و الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين كل محب is indeed due to Allah سبحانه وتعالى بلسنس and salutations upon Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم we ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to bless all his companions and to bless his entire household may Allah bless them all and may Allah bless every single one of us أمين my beloved brothers and sisters in Islam we have spoken about saving ourselves from shaitan and we have made mention of how important it is to protect ourselves and that Allah has revealed verses in the Qur'an that are so powerful that we would be protected from the devil Allah has revealed a verse which a lot of us would know of by heart it is verse number 255 of Surah Al-Baqara that is known as Ayatul-Kursi I am sure many of us would know it of by heart الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم لا تأخذوا سنة ولا نوم that is how it starts it mentions the greatness of Allah the fact that he is in absolute control he is the protector he is the one who protects every single one he has knowledge of absolutely everything so this verse we are taught that if we were to repeat it we would be protected from shaitan there is a narration making mention of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه wherein he had actually caught the devil on one occasion and what happened is the devil then taught him something the third time that this happened which means when he caught the devil the third time the devil says I will teach you something that will protect you from myself and my progeny or the rest of the shayateen and so he taught him Ayatul-Kursi so Abu Hurairah released him he went to Muhammad ﷺ asking him or telling him what had happened and Muhammad ﷺ said صدقك وهو كذوب he has told you the truth on this occasion but remember he is a liar he tells a lot of lies so we ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to grant us protection from shaitan my brothers and sisters read Ayatul-Kursi in the morning thrice read Ayatul-Kursi in the evening after Salatul-Maghrib thrice try to read it once after every Salat it is important because we would all like to be protected from the devil from the evil eye from shaitan from so many other things that affect mankind that we cannot see in fact to add to that the last two surahs of the Quran known as I am sure we would know that surah of by heart if we don't we should do something about it learn its meaning and read it and repeat it at least thrice in the morning thrice in the evening and reply to the next surah seeking protection from Allah سبحانه وتعالى from shaitan from the devil and from various other aspects of evil this is Allah سبحانه وتعالى guiding us he tells us my brothers and sisters its important for us to realize the gift of Allah in order to save yourself from calamity from disaster from that which the devil whispers into your ears from the evil eye from magic from so many other superstitious items read it's definitely a gift of Allah سبحانه وتعالى then we move on to something extremely interesting once again regarding spending many of us delay our acts of charity to the month of Ramadan we need to realize that charity should not be delayed to the month of Ramadan yes the calculation of zakah and the giving of zakah it is permissible to give it in the month of Ramadan or to calculate it in the month of Ramadan and indeed those acts of charity that are given in the month of Ramadan the reward is definitely multiplied without a doubt but remember where there is a need prior to Ramadan never ever say wait until the end of this month because when Ramadan starts that's when I'm going to give my charities no if there is a need that has arisen it is very important for us to give upon that moment and we will get a bigger reward than having spent in the month of Ramadan because indeed the need is what made us give Allah knows our intention Allah will give and Allah will multiply the goodness in fact if we look at verse number 261 of Surat Al-Baqara where Allah سبحانه وتعالى says مثل الذين ينفقون أموالهم في سبيل الله كمثل حبه كمثل حبة أنبتت سبع سناب في كل سنبلة مئة حبه والله يضاعف لمن يشاء والله باسعنع الأشياء من الذين ينفقون their wealth في الحقوق right في حقوق of Allah سبحانه وتعالى is similar to a seed which means the wealth you spent is like a seed the seed germinates seven spikes which means the reward is being multiplied it is growing and on each spike you find another 100 seeds 100 seeds again making it 700 this is why محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم says when a person spends Allah سبحانه وتعالى multiplies it 10 fold to 100 fold to 700 fold and beyond the 700 is from this verse verse number 261 of صورة البقرة my brothers and sisters when you spend it can never ever decrease your wealth nobody has become poor because they've been charitable because they've given in the right cause nobody has become poor when they've spent for the cause of Allah سبحانه وتعالى they've always received and achieved multiplication in their wealth in their sustenance and in fact lots of blessings what is the meaning of blessings the بركة بركة meaning when a person has say a thousand dollars that thousand dollars will last for longer than another person's 10,000 dollars because that one may not have the blessings this is what we say when we are referring to the blessings of Allah سبحانه وتعالى this is what we mean so this is why Allah سبحانه وتعالى says when you purify your wealth by giving it imagine purify why purify your heart becomes pure it is no longer clinging to materialism a lot of the problems that we face on earth today are connected to materialism the fact that we love that which is material when you can divorce yourself from that which is material or you understand the type of link you are supposed to be having with materialistic items then you will be able to achieve true success so Allah سبحانه وتعالى tells us about this when you have spent in the right course it actually cleanses you it makes your heart clean everyone loves money everyone loves wealth I'm sure all of us we would love to be wealthy but at the same time those who have spent in the right course are the truly wealthy they are the ones whom when they pass away the wealth will bear witness for them oh Allah this man earned so much of wealth but he gave it to those who are more desperately in need of it than himself may Allah سبحانه وتعالى protect us and grant us a deep understanding this is why Allah says he will multiply it seven times a hundred times seven hundred times multiplication imagine today people are ready to give their money to a bank where they are earning interest in a haram way in a prohibited way and they would say oh I'm getting 6% and 10% and 20% Allah says hang on that is haram it seems to you that the wealth is multiplied but no way save yourself from that which is haram Allah سبحانه وتعالى will never allow you to succeed through that which is prohibited no way that cannot happen you need to repent to Allah سبحانه وتعالى and spend that wealth in the right cause because Allah says when you invest it with me you will definitely see the greatest returns imagine here Allah is saying 700% returns 700% سبحان الله you put in one dollar you get 700 dollars instantly سبحانه رب العالى من الله سبحانه وتعالى make us from among those who can spend no matter what you have don't say I'm a poor person I cannot spend if you have 5 dollars spend 1 dollar spend 50 cents سبحان الله maybe through the barakah and the blessing of that spending you will be able to achieve greatness or goodness in so many different aspects of your life including your health including your children including perhaps bliss in your marriage all this connected to you spending many of us suffer because we are stingy we are miserly we are selfish when it comes to the property that Allah has bestowed upon us so this is something very interesting and Allah سبحانه وتعالى warns us to save ourselves from spoiling that the reward that we would be achieving after we have spent do you see some people have a habit what is this habit it's a bad habit they spend ما شاء الله they give but every little while they say you know I gave because of me that you are wealthy because of me you are rich because of me you are where you are today no way Allah says if you say that you have just spoiled the reward of the charity it's because of Allah that that person has achieved yes they are taught to be thankful and to show gratitude to those who have helped them indeed because without showing gratitude to the one who has helped you to Allah سبحانه وتعالى so that acknowledgement must not be in the form of a constant reminder from you who has given no you don't constantly remind a person or brag about it tell the whole world you know that person is rich because of me that person is you are rich because of Allah so that person if they got through you it was Allah سبحانه وتعالى who gave them in the first place may Allah bestow upon us wealth and may He not make us from among those who brag from among those who constantly remind those whom we've helped you know I helped you you know I gave listen to what Allah سبحانه وتعالى says verse number 262 of صورة البقرة where Allah is asking us to protect ourselves to save ourselves from what to save ourselves from nalifying the reward of the charity الذين ينفقون أموالهم في سبيل الله ثم لا يتبعون ما أنفقوا من أذى لهم أجرهم ولا خوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنون الذين ينفقون are those who spend in the path of Allah in the right cause that which Allah has instructed you to spend in and then they do not follow that spending with bragging or harm they don't brag about it and they don't harm the people sometimes we spend on someone or we've given them some wealth and we think that that makes us entitled to make their life a misery so I spent 10,000 on you for example or a thousand dollars on you for example then I call you at two in the morning I call you at five in the morning I call you at midnight and I said you know what brother I need you I need you for this and that without considering your circumstance your situation where you are and what is my excuse the excuse I have is but I gave you money but I helped you but I'm the one who helped you even if you're paying me a salary to work for you on a monthly basis the time stipulated is the time that you should stick to you do not abuse me because you are giving me a salary may Allah SWT grant us an understanding if that is regarding a salary remember a charity you will never be rewarded truly for that charity or the reward of that charity will be nullified if you happen to abuse the person whom you've been charitable towards just because of that giving that amount that you have given them never do that so Allah says those who spend their wealth in the true way and do not follow that spending with harm or with bragging about it Allah SWT says number one they will have a full reward with Allah SWT full reward why? because you spent it and on top of that you were humble you didn't make it known you didn't abuse you didn't brag number one you achieve a reward لهم أجروهم عند ربهم with Allah the reward is registered it's written it's recorded and then Allah SWT says ولا هم يحزنون لا يحتاجون لهم لا يحتاجون لهم لا يحتاجون لهم لا يحتاجون لهم الله is with them they have helped others الله will help them the Prophet Muhammad SAW كان الله في عون العبد ما كان العبد في عون أخيه الله continues to assist a worshiper for as long as that worshiper continues to assist another worshiper someone else you help fellow human beings الله will help you you help the creatures of Allah الله will help you I always say people saved themselves from Jahannam from the fire of hell by being compassionate towards a dog and a cat I'm sure you've heard of those narrations a woman who was saved from the punishment or a man who was forgiven because he was compassionate towards a dog for example if compassionate if being compassionate towards an animal got these people their freedom or saved them from the punishment of the fire or earned them forgiveness what do you think will be the reward of being compassionate to a human being a human being we're not talking here about Muslims we're talking about people who don't share your faith but they share humanity with you that's on a higher level than a dog and a cat and thereafter if the person happens to be a Muslim then you get an even greater reward may Allah SWT bestow upon us an understanding may Allah make us from those who can spend even if it means a small percentage of our own wealth so Allah SWT says those people who have spent properly and they don't brag about it and they don't harm thereafter there is no fear upon them and on top of that Allah says they will never be sad Allah will protect them from sadness so if you want to save yourself from sadness wallahi my brothers and sisters you need to spend in the cause in the right cause and on top of that be humble Allah says you won't be sad many of us are suffering depression anxiety stress sadness a lot of us are not charitable did you know that your charities will be able to help you in your health in your wealth in your mind in your condition in your children in all aspects of your living and even in the hereafter here is Allah SWT telling us clearly that Allah SWT will bless these people with goodness Allah will bless them with removal of sadness may Allah SWT remove our sadness may Allah SWT grant us acceptance may He make us not from amongst those who are worried on the day of judgment may He make us from those who are given good news the day the angels come to take us away so then the next verse Allah is telling us about how a good word a good word قولم معروف ومغفرة and forgiveness if you are to say a good word to someone speak well speak with respect use good words when talking to others and if you are forgiving towards people is far better than an act of charity after which you are bragging or you are harming الله أكبر listen to what Allah says قولم معروف ومغفرة خير من صدقة يتبعها a statement of goodness a good word and forgiveness is better than a charity that is followed by harm may Allah SWT help us say good words so my brothers and sisters you want to save yourself from difficulty from spoiling relations you want to save yourself from people hating you just because you didn't know how to talk to them speak correctly speak with respect choose the best words choose the most beautiful way of coming across getting across how do you want to communicate with people think about it Allah says say a word that is beautiful it is actually it is actually very good for you it will benefit you in so many ways and Allah SWT also uses the term مغفرة مغفرة here meaning forgiveness and it would refer to forgiving others when you forgive people or when you seek the forgiveness of Allah that is known as إستغفار إستغفار meaning seeking the forgiveness of Allah that is a topic on its own but here forgiving people if I can forgive someone a mistake they've made something they've done against me some people don't like to forgive remember all that will be a burden on your shoulder it might crack your back one day because you have so much on your back you don't even know which way you are heading it's heavy it's a burden it's something too much for you to handle the reason is you're not forgiving learn to forgive it's okay I've forgiven you no Matt you've harmed me you've done wrong to me you've backbitten about me you have said bad words about me you have perhaps you've served something it is my right to seek justice but I want to save myself from the tension from the stress from the ill feeling from not only tension and stress but even becoming sick some people become physically ill just because they hold so much of grudge they hold so much in their heart against people learn to forgive when you forgive you have actually broken down the mountain that was burdening your shoulders may Allah SWT help us to be forgiving that having been said let people not take advantage of you because you are forgiving if people take advantage of you because you are forgiving sometimes you could be the cause of them committing the same harm against other human beings this is why be careful there is a limit for everything may Allah SWT protect us and this is why Allah SWT says in verse 264 of Surat Al-Baqarah يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تضطلوا صدقاتكم بالمن والأذاء oh you who believe do not destroy the reward of your charities by bragging about it and by harming this is the second time the third time Allah is making mention of it in just a few verses it shows how important it is may we be humble may we be from among those who spend and at the same time who do not harm or brag about it later on then we move on to something extremely interesting known as wisdom many people have a lot of knowledge we know a lot we have information sometimes and we don't realize that to be able to pass that knowledge on you need to have some wisdom some tact you don't just go to people swear them shout them sometimes it's difficult to tell them directly because maybe they may not digest it you need to sometimes break down your statement in a way that they can follow it through they can understand they appreciate many times we show absolutely no concern when it comes to our fellow Muslims and then suddenly we start correcting them it would be better for us to show a concern for them so that when we correct them they will understand we are genuine people we are really trying our best to help them to uplift them and then they will listen to what we have to say for example if you are in a community you are serving the community you are helping them you are trying to uplift them in so many different ways one day when you tell them you know my brothers and sisters what we are doing here is wrong they will listen immediately because they've known you for years they've known you for a period of time and they've known you to be a decent person this is known as wisdom it's just a way of doing things and in the same way there are so many scenarios where if we apply wisdom we will be far more effective than if we don't this is why سورة البقرة verse number 269 الله speaks about the gift of wisdom الله سبحانه وتعالى says الله سبحانه وتعالى says he bestows wisdom upon whosoever he wishes and whoever has been granted that wisdom has been granted greatness goodness a great goodness خيرا كثيرا a lot of goodness if Allah has given you wisdom Allah has given you a lot if Allah has given you tact He has given you a lot He has favored you He speaks about the same favor that he has bestowed upon عليه الصلاة والسلام and the family or the other prophets of Allah سبحانه وتعالى He speaks about it great favor and Allah says but none will remember except those those with sound intellect they will know what wisdom is all about may Allah سبحانه وتعالى not make us from those who lack wisdom not make us from those who say things and spoil the situation rather than benefit and help and may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless every single one of us then Allah سبحانه وتعالى speaks about another aspect of spending many of us when it comes to zakah we calculate the zakah and what happens when we calculate the zakah is we tend to look at the stock that is dead dead stock and we give that out to the charities and we say wow I want to come to you with what with you know these ions that I have where you put coal inside and you actually use them I've got 2,000 of those I'm going to give it to you and I'm going to deduct it from my zakah but that's dead stock no one wants it you try and go and give people those ions that have coal in them they won't even want them it's like a toy basically so Allah is warning us to say hang on when you want to give charities give something decent something you would accept yourself that's something that would make you from among those who deserve a reward what reward do I want when I'm only giving out that which is not even going to be used by myself remember yes there is zakah zakah is that which is compulsory we're talking about that here and also that which is voluntary that which is voluntary there are no restrictions but let it not be an insult to those whom you are giving it to for example you have clothing tattered and torn nobody would wear it you wouldn't even wear it yourself then you want to give it as a charity and say no do something with it I'm sure there will be people who will want to wear it hang on you give that which you wore before it becomes tatty and torn so that someone can make use of it open your wardrobe count the number of dresses you have count the number of robes or thobs you have or clothes you have and take out that which is good that's when you will get a reward not wait for it to become you know tatty or torn or unusable and then say don't worry I'm sure there's poor people in Afghanistan or here أستغفر الله how can you think that way الله سبحانه وتعالى tells us save yourselves save yourselves from accumulating sin rather than goodness we need to save our good deeds I want to be charitable I want to earn a reward how am I going to earn this reward when I'm giving that which I wouldn't accept myself الله says you would only accept it with a closed eyes you know if you're not looking at what you're getting and you just take it like a lucky dip الله سبحانه وتعالى not do that to us so Allah says يا أيها الذين آمنوا أنفقوا من طيبات ما كسبتم oh you who believe spend from the good that we have given you from the good that you have earned ومن أخرجنا لكم من الأول and from that which we have produced for you from the earth so the produce that you have spend from it and at the same time the goodness that Allah has bestowed upon you in terms of sustenance spend from it this is what Allah سبحانه وتعالى is saying spend from the good of it you know if you are giving produce for example you don't wait for the bananas to become rotten before you give them and say no ways I'm giving this out in charity let me deduct it from my zakah or you wait for the apples to be rotten the avocados to be rotten masha Allah they grew in your backyard and you waited for all these fruits or whatever else to become you know that which you cannot even consume and then you give it out as a charity don't do that Allah سبحانه وتعالى says and do not intend to give or do not incline towards or do not give that which is خبيث خبيث meaning not good at all that which is bad do not give that which is bad do not intend to give that which is bad unusable it's not edible and at the same time Allah سبحانه وتعالى says you yourself would not take that type of goods or that type of item that type of charities you wouldn't take it yourself unless your eyes were closed and you just had to take it which means under rare circumstances out of a mistake you might have taken it but you don't take things like those yet you want to give it to others so these verses are just showing us that when we spend in the cause of Allah give good items don't give dead stock don't give that which is going to be a burden upon people may Allah سبحانه وتعالى save goddess and may Allah سبحانه وتعالى grant us goodness and I want to end off by making mention of very interesting point regarding why people don't give you know you see nice things that you have you have a lot of wealth you have so much Masha Allah sometimes people don't give because they fear they are going to become poor Shaytan comes and makes them a promise and Allah makes them a promise but Shaytan's promise sometimes overtakes the people so Allah makes mention of it verse number 268 الله سبحانه وتعالى says Shaytan promises you poverty he makes you believe that you are going to become poor and he makes you commit immorality yet Allah is promising you that he will forgive your sins give give that which is good he will forgive your sins and he will grant you increase he will give you a lot of goodness may Allah سبحانه وتعالى grant us goodness in this world and the next and may Allah save us from the punishment and torment of this