Faisal kicks off this episode with a personal question, “tell me something about your father that you didn’t appreciate until you were older”. Mufti Menk answers by saying “the work”. Mufti explains how in his childhood the way of discipline was through corporate punishment. It was the norm in such times as much as it’s not the norm in current times. At that time he didn’t appreciate it as much as he does now. He feels it’s what moulded him to whatever he has become today.

The second question is, “one of Allah’s names, Ar-Razzaaq, translates to “the provider”. What are you thankful for that money can’t buy?” Mufti responds “contentment/happiness, what else?” Rhetorically spoken with a smile on his face. He describes it as a feeling that Allah gives you based on how well you rely and trust in Him.

“What does a perfect night in look for you?” Faisal asks. Mufti says most of his nights are nights in. He’s very connected to his children because when he travels he’s away from them. So when he’s at home he enjoys spending one on one quality time together. He enjoys having a meal or at least some tea, towards the end of the night, over a conversation together, pray and call it a night.

When Mufti is asked to give some advice or connections that he relates to with Allah’s name, Al-Lateef (the subtle), he explains that every single moment of our lives are planned by Allah. But at the same time, Allah gives us a certain level of capacity to control certain actions we do. The way we use our choices in a specific way is also planned by Allah. He knows every single detail. So that is Allah, the smallest of detail is planned according to His control.

Faisal then ask Mufti to complete the next statement, “I love who I am when I am with ———“. Mufti beautifully makes mention of his family. He explains they’re definitely the most important people he loves being around. He says that our closest circle is our most important one no matter what.

Mufti goes on to advise the audience that when asking Allah for forgiveness, one must not fall into the trap of shaytaan by doubting Allah’s forgiveness. It’s important to learn to forgive oneself. Understand that you’re a human being and you’re going to falter.

Faisal’s next question is “what do you know about yourself now that you didn’t know when you were younger?” Mufti answers by saying “almost everything”. But mainly to respect people who differs with Mufti and to honour them.

How does Mufti deal with pressure? He likes to give himself time to unwind a little bit first. He doesn’t like to talk to people in this time. But at the same time, he works well under pressure to get things done.

What’s Mufti’s favourite struggle? Because Mufti knows many people, he finds it difficult to split his time for every single person he knows. His work takes up a lot of his time and that leaves not much time for him to share with the vast amount of people that he knows. Especially when he doesn’t want to make people feel bad.

Faisal then asks Mufti for one piece of advice that we can implement. Mufti responds by saying “trust Allah for everything”. And talk to Him about everything. If we know someone struggling and we want Allah to help that person talk to Allah. Talk to Allah about anything even though He knows, He loves that we call out to Him.

When Mufti thinks of meeting Allah, he explains he feels excited. When we remind ourselves about the mercy of Allah, His amazing qualities and the fact that we have at least some good to present to Him for us to be rewarded insha Allah.

What small steps can we take today that would bring us closer to Allah? Firstly, Mufti says, we need to bear in mind that we are Muslim and our duty is to Allah. Thereafter, constantly seek the forgiveness of Allah knowing that Allah is Most Merciful. He will forgive you.

Mufti Menk talks a little bit about what he remembers of his grandparents. He said they were very attached to the Quran. One of his grandfather’s had a Quran with very big letters and he had a hearing problem so he would recite loudly. He also had a problem with walking but he still made it a point to walk to the masjid with a walking stick.

Mufti Menk talks about how important it is to make time for our parents and grandparents. He encourages that we should do small acts of love for them even by gifting a rose to your mother just to show your love for her. If we make someone’s day, Allah will make our life.

When asked what we should give priority to, Mufti Menk explains that first and foremost as Muslims our priorities should be given to Allah through salaah and gaining closeness to Him. But that’s a given. So he speaks about how imperative it is that we prioritise the way we speak to others. Be conscious of the type of language we use and speak with the utmost respect.

Mufti Menk shares some of his favourite Ramadhaan memories. Mufti Menk would spend most of his time during Ramadhaan in a different community to his home town. But his father advised him never to lead the Eid salaah. This was because for a local imam it’s a great honour to lead their community in Eid salaah. So as a foreigner he shouldn’t take away someone’s dream of performing Eid salaah as a guest in that town. So even if he’s spending Eid in that town, he should let a local imam lead it as an act of humility.

Faisal asks Mufti if he has any advice for how often we need to check if we’ve outgrown our environment. Mufti says it’s important to become a leader in your own right, in order to determine if you’re surrounded by any negativity. There comes a time when you outgrow certain bad habits, and in that situation it’s important to leave those behind that are still attached to these habits. Sometimes it takes having to change the whole environment by relocating city just to get away from all the evil that came with that territory, for example, in the case of a community being involved in drugs.

Mufti Menk’s final piece of advice is with regards to setting boundaries. He says we should set boundaries based on whether something would please Allah or not. Let there be a clear distinction between halal and haraam. He also gives advice with boundaries when it comes to relationships with people. He says whilst sometimes it’s wise to cut off from someone toxic, it’s important to first try mend the relationship especially if it’s a family member.

And to end off, Faisal and Mufti discuss eman academy and the importance of seeking knowledge. Eman academy is a platform that allows people of a busy lifestyle to seek further knowledge of Islam whilst learning at their own pace. One Hadith states something to the effect where the Prophet (S.A.W) says whoever treads a path of seeking knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easier for that person.