Khutbah: The Hour is Nigh

Indeed, all praises and thanks are to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His help and we seek His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the sins of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomever Allah misguides, none can guide. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May blessings and peace be upon him, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Imam al-Bazzār narrated from Sayyidinā Anas ibn Mālik (radiy Llāhu ‘anhu) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave a speech to his companions one day, while the sun was about to set, saying:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فِيمَا مَضَى مِنْهَا إِلَّا كَمَا بَقِيَ مِنْ يَوْمِكُمْ هذَا فِيمَا مَضَى مِنْه

"By He is whose Hand my soul is! Not much of this world is left compared to what has already passed of it, except as much as what is left in this day of yours compared to what has already passed of it."

O Slaves of Allah! This ḥadīth highlights to us a significant reality about the times we live in today: we are living very, very, very close to the Hour, i.e. to the day when the world will come to an end. Allah says:

فَهَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا السَّاعَةَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ بَغْتَةً ۖ فَقَدْ جَاءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَاهُمْ

"Are they waiting for the Hour to come upon them suddenly? For no doubt, its signs have already come. But when it actually comes upon them, of what benefit to them will their remembrance be?" (Qur’ān 47:18)

In other words, the Hour will not just come about all of a sudden. The Prophet ﷺ has informed us of signs that will indicate for us that the Hour is indeed near. And in reality, many of these signs have either already taken place or are taking place right before our eyes. I'll give you some examples.

Among the signs of the Hour is that zinā (adultery and fornication) will be widespread. Among the signs of the Hour is that ribā (interest) will be widespread. Among the signs of the Hour is that the masājid (mosques) will be decorated. Among the signs of the Hour is that people will compete in the construction of tall buildings. Among the signs of the Hour is that the worst of the people will be their leaders. Among the signs of the Hour is that a time will come where a person will pass by a grave and wish that they were in the place of that grave's inhabitant. Now compare that all to today's world.

Among the signs of the Hour is that bloodshed and killing will spread. The ḥadīth mentions that this killing will be Muslims killing each other. Among the signs of the Hour is that time will pass quickly; time will just fly. Among the signs of the Hour is that people will say about a man, "How smart is he!" and, "How cool is he!" whilst that man they're praising won't even have an atom-weight's worth of īmān in his heart. Don't we see this today?

Those are just some of the signs of the Day of Judgement. Just a few. But reflect on these few signs, and then reflect on the world you live in, and then allow yourself to let the reality sink in.

Dear brothers and sisters! These were just some of the minor signs of the Day of Judgement. The major signs are yet to appear, but know that when they do, it'll be a huge trial and tribulation (fitnah) for everyone. Your īmān during these times will be severely tested. It will be during these times that the greatest fitnah in the history of humanity will take place: the fitnah of al-Dajjāl (The False Messiah). A man who will call upon the desert to bring forth its treasures, upon which the treasures will come out and gather before him like a swarm of bees. A man who will call upon the skies to rain, upon which it shall rain, a rain that causes the earth to grow its crops. He will claim to be god and bring about extraordinary and supernatural events to occur, to which many of the people will believe his claim, although those firm in faith will recognise that he only brings about these occurrences through the Will of Allah, and that he is nothing but the one-eyed liar prophesied by the Prophet ﷺ, for Allah is not one-eyed – indeed, Allah is not composed of any organs or parts. Those who follow al-Dajjāl will enjoy lives of luxury and great comfort, whereas those who do not will suffer with barely a comfort to enjoy. Things are not gonna be easy for the believer. This will perhaps be the most difficult time in history for the people of Lā ilāha illā Allāh.

Dear Muslims, wake up! We are currently witnessing many of the signs of the Hour right before our eyes, as we've just heard earlier. And at a soon point in time, the greatest fitnah ever from the time of Prophet Adam until the Hour will take place. A fitnah so great that every Prophet warned about it. A fitnah so great that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to seek refuge in Allah from it in our ṣalāh. So wake up and arm yourselves with the īmān and taqwā that will in shā’ Allāh get you through these trials and tribulations.

Khutbah: Good Character is Good Da‘wah

Indeed, all praises and thanks are to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His help and and we seek His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the sins of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomever Allah misguides, none can guide. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May blessings and peace be upon him, and upon his family and companions.

First and foremost, I advise you to fear Allah and remain conscious of Him. For know that a day is coming where you will be held accountable for all the actions you do during this worldly life.

Now then: the Prophet ﷺ said:

 مَا شَيْءٌ أَثْقَلُ فِي مِيزَانِ الْمُؤْمِنِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ خُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ

"Nothing is heavier on the believer's scale on the Day of Resurrection than good character." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī)

And he, our Beloved, ﷺ also said:

 إِنَّ مِنْ أَحَبِّكُمْ إِلَىَّ وَأَقْرَبِكُمْ مِنِّي مَجْلِسًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَحَاسِنَكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا

"Indeed, the person most beloved and closest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be the one who had the best of character amongst you." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī)

O slaves of Allah! Ponder upon these statements of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Akhlāq (good character) is a central part of Islam. One of the aspects about akhlāq is it's value as a da‘wah tool. The character of a Muslim can serve as a powerful form of da‘wah (inviting people to Islam).

Good character makes good da‘wah, especially today. With a non-Muslim, if you're rude, foul-mouthed, disrespectful, harsh and showing attitude with them, what do you think the impression of this non-Muslim will be on Islam? Chances are you'll be confirming what they see and hear from the media everyday about "Izlam and "Mozlems". There's nothing more embarrassing than seeing a Muslim being rude, harsh and foul-mouthed towards a non-Muslim. Whereas if you interact with them in a nice fashion, speaking gently, being respectful and polite, they will see our dīn in a more positive light. They will become attracted to our religion. The Messenger ﷺ won over many people due to his lofty character. Even his enemies who rejected his message still recognised him as a man of the greatest character, a man of truthfulness, honesty and trustworthiness, to the point where they would entrust him with their precious belongings for safekeeping, even though they were fiercely opposed to his message. All this due to his character. So realise that good character is good da‘wah.

This can apply to Muslims too. If you go to a Muslim who's not so religious and speak to him in a harsh way (e.g. You hopeless person, Allah is going to punish you, you're going to hell), do you think he'll accept what you're saying? What do you think he'll think about "the religious Muslims" who go to the masjid and attend religious gatherings? He'll wanna keep his distance from them because they're all rude, harsh people. You'll scare him from the masjid, from religious gatherings, and perhaps from the religion itself. Whereas if you deal with him in a nice manner, with a smiling face and a warm heart, what effect do you think this will have on his heart? He will be touched by your character. And so as a result, he will incline towards the religion. So when dealing with your fellow Muslims, do so with the utmost character. If you're supposed to deal with non-Muslims, who do not believe in Allah's message, with exemplary character, then how about your fellow brothers and sisters in faith? Especially with Muslims who aren't as in touch with the religion. Don't be like the growling thunder that goes on scaring away the people. Be like the gentle rain, for it's the rain that grows flowers, not the thunder. It was not by harsh words and a growling voice, but rather by kind dealings and gentle words that the Prophet ﷺ made the harshest of people into the softest- and purest-hearted of them.

So remember dear brothers and sisters: your character can serve as a powerful presentation of the religion. You, by the fact that you're a Muslim, are an ambassador of Islam, so ensure that you portray your religion via your conduct in a positive manner, especially in our times. Be a kind, polite, respectful, nice person. Don't be harsh, rude, foul-mouthed and having attitude. The last thing we want is people being turned away from the religion of Allah because of the horrible way we behave. I end with a narration where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about that for which people are admitted into Paradise the most, to which he said: "Taqwā and good character." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī)

Khutbah: Loving the Prophet ﷺ More Than Everything Else (besides Allah)

Indeed, all praises and thanks are due to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His Help and and we seek His Forgiveness. And we take refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the bad of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomever Allah misguides, none can guide. And I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May blessings and peace be upon him, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Allah said:

ٱلنَّبِىُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ

"The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves." (Qur’ān 33:6)

And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

لاَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

"None of you will have true faith until I become more beloved to him than his father, his children and all mankind." (Narrated by al-Bukhārī and others)

Fellow Muslims, these are powerful statements. Our faith cannot be perfect until we love our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ more than we love our own selves! For it is through him ﷺ that we know lā ilāha illā Allāh. It is through him ﷺ that we were elevated to be from the best of nations ever amongst mankind. It is through him ﷺ that we have a chance at being worthy of jannah. So how can you not love him more than anything else?!

We have the example of Sawād ibn Ghaziyah (radiy Allāhu ‘anhu). While Rasūl Allah ﷺ was lining up the troops for the Battle of Badr, Sawād threw himself towards Rasūl Allah ﷺ and hugged him and kissed his blessed stomach, to which Rasūl Allah ﷺ asked him what made him do so. Sawād replied that because of the high chance of him being killed in battle that day, he wanted to make sure that the last skin contact he made was with the Prophet ﷺ. Allah! Look at that level of love for the Prophet ﷺ!

We have the example of Abū Bakr (radiy Allāhu ‘anhu). During the hijrah, after carrying the Prophet ﷺ up the mountain of Thawr, Abū Bakr enters the cave first. He then tears off pieces of his own clothing to plug all the holes in the cave so that no harmful creature can come out to harm the Prophet ﷺ. However, one hole remained uncovered because he'd ripped off enough of his clothing and didn't have any more to use. So then Rasūl Allah ﷺ enters and lays his head on Abu Bakr's lap and takes a nap. Meanwhile, Abū Bakr plugs the remaining hole with his foot. Then, a snake comes and bites it. Abu Bakr is now in immense pain, but at the same time does not want to disturb the sleep of Rasūl Allah ﷺ. So tears begin to roll down his cheeks, until they fall onto the blessed face of Rasūl Allah ﷺ. Now, look at that level of love: Abū Bakr sacrifices his own clothing, and endures such great pain and hardship to ensure that his beloved ﷺ is not harmed or disturbed.

There are many, many more examples, but these ones give you a tiny glimpse of the love the saḥābah had for the Prophet ﷺ. And how could anyone not love him ﷺ? The man whose kindness came like rain that cares not whom it falls upon. The man whose generosity was like a river that quenches all who come to drink from it. The man who came as a mercy for you and me, for animal and tree.

But more significantly, he was the man who would weep for you and me out of his deep concern for us. He was the man who longed to meet us who have believed in him without even having seen him. He is the man who cared for us more than he did for himself. And most importantly, he is the man who taught us lā ilāha illā Allāh – a statement without which life isn't worth living, a statement without which we'd all be doomed. So what reason is there not to love him more than everyone, including ourselves?

Brothers and sisters! True love is that you dedicate yourself to your beloved. These days, we have all these messed up concepts being thrown around about love. "Love at first sight", "sweet pink roses", "Valentines", etc. All nonsense. If you want to see true love, look to how the saḥābah dedicated themselves to their Beloved ﷺ. They held fast to his sunnah. They took his teachings seriously. They moulded their entire lives around his, their personalities around his, and tried to imitate him in every way possible. That's true love. A love based on love of Allah, for he ﷺ was the one who taught them about Allah, and without him they would've been in darkness and misery. Following and loving him is a means to earning Allah's love. And with that I conclude with Allah's statement:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

"Say, [O Muhammad], 'If you should love Allah , then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.'" (Qur’ān 3:31)

Respect in Referring to the Rasul ﷺ

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh

Whenever Allah mentions Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Qur’ān, He always addresses him with a title. E.g. al-Nabiyy, al-Rasūl.  He only refers to him using his name when necessary to do so (e.g. "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"). Such is how Allah respected and honoured the Prophet ﷺ. So did the Saḥābah and those who followed in their footsteps (Allah be pleased with them).

So when we speak about the Prophet ﷺ, we shouldn't refer to him as simply "Muhammad". Refer to him as "Rasūl Allāh", "al-Nabiyy", "Prophet Muhammad", etc. Yes, he was just a man. But he wasn't any ordinary man. He was the best man to be brought into existence. He was the best of all creation. And he is the one most beloved to the Lord of all Creation. And we ought to respect him as such.

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him for as long as the winds continue to blow and the rivers continue to flow.

In sha’ Allah…

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh

In shā’ Allāh. Perhaps the most abused Islamic phrase in use. Saying "yes, in shā’ Allāh" should not be a cover for "no, I probably won't do it." Rather, when you affirm you'll do something and then say "in shā’ Allāh", what you should have in mind is "yes, I will definitely do it unless Allah wills for a genuine reason to arise such that I really can't do it (e.g. death, accident)".

Beware of misusing the phrases of Islam.

And Allah knows best.