Khutbah: Paradise Requires Sacrifice

Indeed, all praises and thanks are due to Allāh. We praise Him, we seek His Help and and we seek His Forgiveness. And we take refuge in Allāh from the evils of ourselves and from the bad of our actions. Whomever Allāh guides, none can misguide. And whomever Allāh misguides, none can guide. And I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allāh. 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:

The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

‏ حُفَّتِ الْجَنَّةُ بِالْمَكَارِهِ وَحُفَّتِ النَّارُ بِالشَّهَوَاتِ

"Paradise is surrounded by undesirable things and Hellfire is surrounded by temptations." (Narrated by Muslim and al-Tirmidhī)

Let me remind you: paradise requires sacrifice. Jannah is not cheap. You must put in hard work and great effort to attain it. I urge you to ponder about yourself and think: have I done enough? Am I worthy of this expensive commodity of Allāh?

Think: you stand in prayer with your face in the direction of the Qiblah, while your heart is directed to a different direction (i.e. dunyā). You fast, forbidding your stomach from food and drink, yet you do not forbid your other organs from what is ḥarām for them. You claim to love Allāh, yet you knowingly disobey Him day in, day out. And then you say, "I want His Jannah"?

Ponder: your Lord has prohibited you from looking at certain things, yet you look, you stare, you gaze at these very things like a dog looks at a piece of meat. Your Lord has prohibited you from listening to certain things, yet you listen, you give ears, you keep your ears open to these very things like a lidless bin which you constantly dump trash down. Your Lord has prohibited you from uttering certain things, yet you keep uttering these very things; you swear at, you mock at, you backbite others like a dog which can't stop barking. And despite your repeated disobedience of your Lord and then you deeming that as nothing significant, you're absolutely confident that He's kept in store for you Jannah?

Consider: you hear that the ṣaḥābah and awliyāʾ would stand all night in prayer, weeping and pleading to their Lord. You read that the ṣaḥābah and the awliyāʾ would be the most cautious when it came to matters of ḥalāl and ḥarām. You know that the ṣaḥābah and awliyāʾ devoted their entire lives for their Lord, and yet they were worried they would not earn the reward of their Lord. So what about you? What makes you think you've secured a spot in Jannah?

No, my brother! No, my sister! You don't just wish for Jannah – you prove that you are deserving of Jannah! If you want Allāh to save you from the Fire and admit you into His Jannah, you've got to demonstrate that want of yours. If you want Jannah, you've got to work for it, and work hard.

Dear brothers and sisters, this life is filled with tests, and you'll need to overcome these tests if you want Jannah. You'll need to pass them with flying colours. Allāh says:

أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا۟ أَن يَقُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ

"Do the people think that they will be left alone just because they say, "We believe", and that they will not be tested?"

This is a rhetorical question. You should already know the answer. Of course Allāh will test you.

وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ

"But We have certainly tested those before them, and Allāh will surely, surely make it clear as to those who are truthful (in their claim to belief), and He will surely, surely make it clear as to the untruthful." (Qur’ān 29:2-3)

Allāh also says:

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِكُم ۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ ٱلْبَأْسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصْرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ

"Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? Touched them poverty and hardship, and they were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is the help of Allāh?" Unquestionably, the help of Allāh is near." (Qur’ān 2:214)

And He says:

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ جَٰهَدُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

"Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allāh has not yet made evident those of you who fight in His cause and made evident those who are steadfast?" (Qur’ān 3:142)

Dear believers! Listen up and take heed: whenever you want something, you've got to work for it. You don't just sit down all day wishing and waiting for a miracle to drop from the sky. You want good results at school, you work hard for them. You want a bright future, you work hard for it. The same applies for the Afterlife. You want Jannah, you work hard for it. I'm pretty sure that if you're serious about high exam marks, you won't just go around hoping for those marks while not studying for the exams or paying attention in class. Jannah works the same way. Jannah is not cheap. Jannah is expensive. It's price is striving in the Path of Allāh. You will need to strive against the trials and tests that come your way. And this will mean sacrifice. Sacrifice of your time. Your ego and desires. Your energy. Your friends and loved ones. Your life. Paradise requires sacrifice.

I conclude with the final verse of Sūrat Āli ‘Imrān:

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصْبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

"O you who have believed, have ṣabr (patience and endurance), outdo others (i.e. your enemies) in ṣabr, persevere in acts of worship (or: be garrisoned), and fear Allāh, so that you may be successful." (Qur’ān 3:200)

Khutbah: Receiving Rajab

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

O Slaves of Allāh! I first and foremost advise you to fear Allāh and to remain conscious of Him at all times, for indeed he ought to be feared and obeyed at all times.

To proceed:

Allāh states:

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا۟ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ

"Indeed, the number of months with Allāh is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allāh [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them." (Qur’ān 9:36)

The four sacred months that this verse refers to are Dhu al-Qaʿdah (Month #11), Dhu al-Ḥijjah (Month #12), Muḥarram (Month #1) and Rajab (Month #7), which is the month we have just entered.

Rajab is a sacred month. Know that in all the sacred months, good deeds are multiplied and extra-virtuous. Thus, I advise you to increase in worship in this month, whether by extra fasting, extra istighfār, extra charity or otherwise. Also, be extra-cautious of falling into sin as sin is considered graver in the sacred months. This is why Allāh tells us to "not wrong yourselves during them".

A sacred month is similar to a sacred place. It is recommended to bathe and purify oneself before entering the Sacred Precinct of Makkah, and while in it one is more conscious of the weight of one’s actions. Likewise with a sacred month – we try to enter it in a state of purity and we try to maintain that purity throughout through doing good and avoiding evil.

Use Rajab as a launchpad to prepare for Ramaḍān. Rajab is the key to the months of goodness which follow it. For that reason, Imām Abū Bakr al‐Warrāq said, “In the month of Rajab you sow the seeds, in Shaʿbān you irrigate them and in Ramaḍān you reap the harvest.”

O Honourable Believers! The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

 إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا أَذْنَبَ كَانَتْ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فِي قَلْبِهِ

"When the believer commits sin, a black spot appears on his heart."

Indeed, over the months and years, we have blackened our hearts with with many of these black spots due to our sins. Now in any month of the year, you shouldn't be delaying the time when you clean these black spots, though this is the case particularly in this month. Use this month especially to polish off and clean these black spots, so that once Ramaḍān arrives, you meet it with a clean heart. And the way to polish off these black spots is by seeking Allah's Forgiveness and turning to Him in tawbah. The ḥadīth continues:

 فَإِنْ تَابَ وَنَزَعَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ صُقِلَ قَلْبُهُ فَإِنْ زَادَ زَادَتْ فَذَلِكَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي ذَكَرَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ

"If he repents and gives up that sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart will be polished. But if [the sin] increases, [the black spot] increases." (Narrated by Ibn Mājah)

So take more time to seek forgiveness from Allāh and repent to him during this month. Remember that this is one of the sacred months, wherein the merit of good deeds are multiplied and the weight of bad deeds are heavier, so be mindful of that.