"Why Are You Muslim?" – Part I

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, sayyidinā Muḥammadini bni ‘Abdi llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

"Why are you Muslim?"

It is very important, especially in our day and age, that we be able to confidently answer this question. Answers such as "I was just born into a Muslim family", "It makes me feel good", "Well, that's what I grew up with", and the like don't quite cut it. Faith based on blind-following, emotions and feelings can very shaky. We're not saying that feeling good about the religion is blameworthy, or that following what your parents taught you about Islam is all bad. The problem arises when these become the main/only reasons as to why you are a Muslim, i.e. if you're Muslim just because of these reasons.

What is needed is an intellectually satisfying answer to this question. The answer has to make sense to the mind. It's got to be rational and logical, not merely emotional. Emotions fickle and fluctuate – one day, you might be feeling all happy and gleeful about God and religion; next day, you could be in a crisis of faith, doubting God and having hostile feelings about religion. Hence, emotions cannot serve as a solid foundation for faith – that would be like constructing a building on the edge of the sea, with all those tidal waves constantly hitting at its foundations. Rather, the foundation for faith must be intellectual and rational, because once you're rationally convinced of an idea – once you're sure that an idea just makes so much sense that following any other alternative would be an insult to your intelligence – no one can shake you away from it.

Now, the question of "Why are you Muslim?" can be split into two main parts:

1) Proof that God exists.
2) Proof of the messengership of Muḥammad (ﷺ) and how the Qur’ān is the Word of God.

In shā’ Allāh, this post will address the first part. The second part will be addressed in an upcoming post, in shā’ Allāh.

Displeasure with the Divine Decree

Displeasure with the divine decree occurs when one resists

God, the Majestic and Exalted, in what He has decreed.

For instance, saying, “I did not warrant this happening to

me!” or “What did I do to deserve this suffering?”

Discussion

The Imam speaks next of “displeasure with the divine decree,” a phenomenon that should ring familiar. How many times have we heard a person bemoan, “I do not deserve this!” or “Why me?” or utter such similar statements? Many people live with rancor in their hearts because of what they have been dealt with in life. This attitude toward trials stems from a denial of God’s omnipotence and that God alone decrees all things. We cannot choose what befalls us, but we can choose our responses to the trials of life, which are inevitable. His decree is but a command from Him: “‘Be’ and it is!” as is repeated in the Qur’an (2:117, 3:47, 6:73, 16:40, 19:35, 36:82, 40:68). Imam Abū Ḥasan said that there is a quality in people that most are unaware of, yet it consumes good deeds: displeasure with God’s divine decree (qadar).
     God-conscious people, when asked about what their Lord has given them, say that all of it is good. They say this out of knowledge of the nature of this world, as a temporary crucible of trial and purification. Because of this elevated understanding, they are patient with afflictions and trials. For worldly people, there is only this world, and this understanding creates a blind spot to the wondrousness of God’s creation and His signs strewn throughout.
     There are only four possible states in which the human being can live, according to revealed sources. A person is either receiving blessings (niʿmah) or tribulations (balā’) from God; or is either living in obedience (ṭāʿah) to God or in disobedience (maʿṣiyyah). Each condition invites a response. When God bestows blessings, the response should be gratitude in all of its manifestations. According to sacred law, gratitude is expressed first by performing what is obligatory (wājib), and then going beyond that by performing virtuous, recommended (mandūb) acts. Gratitude is an awakening of appreciation in one’s heart and an acknowledgement of what one has received. Abusing one’s material assets (hoarding them without consideration of the needy or applying them toward forbidden matters) is a flagrant act of ingratitude.
     The response to tribulation is patience (ṣabr), as well as steadfastness and resolve. This is what God demands from people in times of trial—“a beautiful patience,” as close as possible to the what Jacob (may peace be upon him) exhibited in response to the disappearance of his beloved son Joseph (may peace be upon him) and the machinations of his other sons (qur’an , 12:18), or to the patience of Job (may peace be upon him) during his afflictions.
     As for obedience, one must recognize that obedience is a blessing from God. If a religious person starts to believe that he is better than other people—even if these “other” people are in the state of disobedience—he invites haughtiness. This is the danger of obedience and, in fact, the danger of religion: self-righteousness. Imam Ibn ʿAṭā’allāh said, “How many a wrong action that leads to a sense of shame and impoverishment before God is better than obedience that leads to sense of pride and arrogance!” In this is the secret of wrong actions. The New Testament relates the story of the pride of the righteous Pharisee and the contrition of the humble tax collector. Jesus (may peace be upon him) remarks, “Those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.” Sīdī Aḥmad Zarrūq said that the goodness in obedience is in its essence, and the evil in obedience is what it can result in. This does not mean that there is evil in obedience and goodness in disobedience. Rather, Sīdī Aḥmad Zarrūq points out the danger of obedience creating vanity in one’s heart, an aura of sanctimony and condescension. On the other hand, when one indulges in wrongdoing and is overcome with feelings of shame, this can inspire him to hasten to repentance. The Prophet ﷺ said that he feared for his people the vanity of self-righteousness.
     The Prophet ﷺ also said that whoever has a mustard seed of arrogance in his heart will not enter Heaven; this sentiment is shared with Christianity. What God asks from obedient people is simply acknowledging that their obedience is a gift from God. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not find fault in others. If you find fault in them, God may take their faults away and give them to you.” It is unbecoming for a believer to look with scorn at those in tribulation and exhibit a loathsome disdain toward others who seem misguided. It is far better to come with compassion toward them and gratitude to God. When the Prophet ﷺ saw people severely tried, he made the supplication: “Praise be to [God] who has given me wellbeing such that I was not tried like these people. And He has preferred me over so much of his creation.” When the Prophet ﷺ witnessed people in tribulation, he responded with compassion for them and gratitude for wellbeing.
     When it comes to disobedience (maʿṣiyyah), the correct response is sincerely repenting to God (tawbah); seeking His forgiveness, pardon, and mercy; feeling remorse for past sins; and having the resolve never to sink into disobedience again.
     Everything that can happen to a person falls into one of these four categories, and each invites an appropriate response. What comes to a person in his or her life may help a person move closer to God when the response is right: “It may be that you dislike something, though it is good for you. And it may be that you love something, though it is bad for you. And God knows, and you do not know” (qur’an , 2:216). Ibn ʿAbbās said that if a person is tested with a tribulation, he will find in it three blessings: firstly, the tribulation could have been worse; secondly, it was in worldly matters and not in spiritual ones; and thirdly, it came in the finite world and not the infinite one. All these are reasons to thank God even for tribulations.
     It is important to look at the life of the Prophet ﷺ and to recognize that no one faced greater tribulation. The Prophet ﷺ lived to see all of his children buried, except for Fāṭimah (may God be pleased with her). How many people experience that in their lifetime? Out of six children, he saw five of them perish. His father died before his birth. His mother died when he was just a boy. His guardian grandfather then died. When he received his calling, he saw his people turn against him with vehemence and brutality. People who had once honored him now slandered him, calling him a madman, liar, and sorcerer. They stalked him and threw stones until he bled. They boycotted him and composed stinging invectives against him. He lost his closest friends and relatives, like Ḥamzah (may God be pleased with him). After 25 years of blissful marriage, his beloved wife, Khadījah (may God be pleased with her), died during the Prophet’s most trying times. Abū Ṭālib, his protecting uncle, also died. The Prophet ﷺ was the target of thirteen assassination attempts. How many people have faced all of that? Not once in a single hadith is there a complaint from him— except when beseeching his Lord.
     To be displeased at God’s divine decree is to plunge into heedlessness (ghaflah). In his book al-Furūq, Imam al-Qarāfī distinguishes the difference between a divine decree and being content with the decree itself. Should people be happy with all that comes their way, including the bad things? God has decreed that evil exist in the world in order to test humankind and for reasons that accord with His wisdom. We should not be displeased with His choice in allowing this. But when one sees societies plunged into immorality, it is not something to be pleased with or even to feel indifferent toward. On the contrary, God requires that we dislike it. But never should we resent or be displeased with the fact that God has created a world wherein such things exist, however unpleasant they may be. As Ibn ʿAbbās said, every trial could have been worse, such as if it involved one’s worldly affairs rather than religion, and if it came in this world and not the Hereafter, which lasts forever.
     Imam al-Qarāfī gives the example of a physician who amputates the arm of a patient who had gangrene spreading out of control. One day, the physician overhears the patient complaining that the physician was ignorant for amputating his arm. The physician is offended, for he saved the man’s life. Had the physician heard the patient praising him—despite the fact that he lost an arm and is discomforted by pain—the physician would feel compassion for the man. So if one speaks about God’s decree, saying, “God is testing me, but it is His will and there is wisdom in it,” this differs greatly from the remarks of one who complains about the perceived injustices in the world.

[From the book Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart, pg. 79-83, by Hamza Yusuf]

On Madh'habs

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

You may have heard of the term "madh'hab" before. If you haven't, a madh'hab is a school of Islamic law. There are four mainstream madh'habs:

1) the Ḥanafī, named after Imam Abu Ḥanīfah al-Nu‘mān ibn Thābit
2) the Mālikī, named after Imam Mālik ibn Anas
3) the Shāfi‘ī, named after Imam Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfi‘ī
4) the Ḥanbalī, named after Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (may Allah be well-pleased with them all).

Nowadays, there generally is a vast amount of ignorance, misunderstandings, and misconceptions regarding the madh'habs. This piece aims, in shā’ Allāh, to clarify some of these and shed some light as to the importance of the madh'habs to everyday Islamic practice.

Likening Allah to His Creation?

Bismi llāh, wa l-hamdu lillāh, wa s-salātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa sahbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

Having sound belief in Allah and His messenger (ﷺ) is the first obligation upon every Muslim. Thus, it is of utmost importance that our hearts are free from beliefs that are not in line with traditional, Sunni Islamic creed (‘aqīdah). However, certain beliefs which contravene traditional, Sunni creed have spread among the masses in recent times, some of which are deeply problematic, such as the belief that:

• Allah is physically in the heavens, above His throne (‘arsh).
• Allah is comprised of physical organs and parts (hands, eyes, etc.).
• Allah literally descends in the last third of the night to answer those who call upon Him.
• etc.

It is important for us as Muslims to seek clarification so as to ensure that our beliefs are in line with the correct, mainstream, Islamic creed. In shā’ Allāh, this piece will try to summarise what the Sunni Muslim community – scholars and laity alike – have been upon for the past 1,400 years with regards to some of these beliefs.

HECS = Riba?

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

You guys know of the HECS-HELP loan, right? The "interest-free" loan that the Federal Government grants to Australian university students. The one about which the Government says: ‘There is no real interest charged on HECS‑HELP loans. However, your debt will be indexed each year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index to maintain its real value.’ (Source)

‘Indexing my loan to ensure it maintains its real value? There's sure nothing wrong with that, right? I mean it isn't ribā (interest)...,’ you might think.

Khutbah: Be Proud to Be Muslim

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of our selves and from the wrongs of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! Know that everyone is bound to something. Some are bound to money, some are bound to their job, some are bound to their having fun, some are bound to their popularity on social media, some are bound to their reputation. However, these are all creations, and being bound to creation makes you weak. But we as Muslims – we are bound and enslaved to someone greater. We are enslaved to the Creator of all creation. Allah says in His book:

هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

"He named you Muslims." (Qur’ān 22:78)

That's right, Allah Himself – the Creator and Sustainer of all that is in existence – named you as a Muslim, as a person who submits to the One who knows what's best for the human being better than the human being himself does.

Thus, my question is this: why feel shy to be Muslim? Why the need to feel ashamed about your Islam? Why feel shy to wear a kufi/topi or a jubbah out in public? Why feel shy about growing a beard? Why feel shy to wear the hijāb in public? Why feel shy to tell non-Muslim friends you don't eat certain foods or party or mingle because of your religion? Why feel embarrassed about offering ṣalāh in public when its time comes? Why?

Dear brothers and sisters! Understand that you have been given the best way of life, revealed from the Creator Himself. What more could you ask for? This Islam we have is a precious gift. Why feel ashamed of it? You see, a lot of us just want to fit in with everyone else. We want to be like everyone else. But dear Muslim, this might shock you, but a Muslim was never meant to just fit in with rotten apples.

Really.

The chosen people of Allah were meant to stand out. Did any of the prophets of Allah (blessings and peace be upon them all) fit in with the bad ways of their people? Do you read about the prophets in the Qur’ān trying to just fit in with their unbelieving people and be all snug and cosy?

No!

They all stood out. They were exceptional people. They didn't want to be like everyone else – they wanted to go further. They understood that Islam, being from the Creator Himself, was superior to other ways of life. They were proud of this precious gem and wanted to share it with those who drowning in darknesses.

Dear brothers and sisters! Today's society is clearly going further and further downhill. It has decayed to an all-time low. Yes, technology is ever-advancing, but that's about it. Children are becoming more rebellious, more and more families are crumbling, people are losing their sense of shame, violence and abuse is on the rise, foul language is as normal as saying “Hello”, people now take alcoholics, druggies and people with no respect for their bodies as role models, and the list goes on. It's all messed up. Whereas us – we have a way of life that saves us from falling into all this corruption! Our Islam grants us dignity and honour. Yes, some the laws may seem strict, but they're for your own good. It's like a mother who stops her thirsty baby from drinking soap (to Allah though belongs the highest example!). But yet, you have Muslim youth who see imitating the corrupt as being cool. Muslim youth who take these corrupt devils as role models. For God's sake, really? You wanna take them as role models? We have much better role models!

Our master Muḥammad (ﷺ) was abused, teased, thrown rocks at such that he bled so much that the blood glued his feet to his sandals, expelled from his own city, and even had people attempt to kill him – he endured hardship for 13 harsh years. And then 10 years later, he (ﷺ) and his companions marched into Makkah victorious. How did he deal with the people who previously oppressed him? Did he slaughter them? Finish them off? Exact revenge on them? Humiliate them?

No.

He forgave them.

He let them go.

Ṣalla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (Allah bless him and give him peace).

That's what you call a role model.

Dear brothers and sisters! We talk about how our parents or teachers favour one kid over the others? Well guess what? Allah, the Creator, has favoured you in that He has selected you to be guided at this moment to His chosen religion. You're Muslim because the All-Wise and All-Knowing Creator willed for you to be from the people of Islam, the religion that guarantees your success in both this world and the next. So I want you all to walk out of this hall with at least this one message: be proud of your Islam.

Khutbah: Allah Knows What's Best for You

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of our selves and from the wrongs of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! Do you believe that Allah is the All-Knowing? Do you believe that Allah is the All-Wise? He (ﷻ) was the one who created the entire universe, so how can He not be the All-Knowing and the All-Wise? Thus, one thing I hope you all take home from this khuṭbah is this: your creator knows you better than yourself. Thus, your creator knows what's best for you. Allah is wiser than you. Allah knows what's best for you.

Think about it: you as a human being, isn't your mind limited? Aren't your senses limited? Aren't your life experiences you've had limited? Do you really know everything about life? Don't you have your biases? Aren't you in need of guidance and help from people every now and then? So what makes you think then that you can come up with the best way to run your life?

Dear brothers and sisters! Allah, our merciful lord, has granted us a way of life which if we live by, we shall be successful, both in this life and the next. Remember that Allah (ﷻ) knows what's better for us. You see, people sometimes ask, "Why is this ḥarām?" or "Why isn't that allowed in Islam?" or "Why is Islam so strict on this?" Well, you've got to understand that Islam came from Allah. It wasn't some random person who came up with it, na‘ūdhu billāh. It's the religion that came from the Creator and Sustainer of everything in existence, transcendent and exalted is He. The one who knows everything inside out. The one who knows us better than we know ourselves. So when Allah prohibits something, you should realise that Allah has done it with a wisdom behind it. Allah knows that such things are not good for you. Yes, you may like and enjoy those things, but Allah (ﷻ) knows the bigger picture –  these things will end up harming you one way or another, often without you even realising. So when people go, "What's the harm in just 'having a chat' with the opposite gender?" or, "What's so bad about giving hi-fives to a person of the opposite gender?" or, "Why can't we play the derbakki?' or, "Why are all these yummy chips and sweets ḥarām?" or, "What's wrong with swearing? It's only a word," one thing they don't understand is the spiritual harm these things to them. They're no longer able to cry when making du`a. They can't concentrate in ṣalāh. Their skins do not tremble when they hear the book of Allah being recited. They don't know what it's like to love Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). And unlike physical harm, emotional harm or whatever other kind of harm, this spiritual harm has its consequences not only in this dunyā but in the ākhirah too. Not such a good idea now to 'have that chat' or give those high-fives or play that derbakki, is it?

Brothers and sisters, think about it: you go to the doctor and he prescribes you some medicine, and then you take it, and it's got the most bitter taste in the world. Not only that, but it leaves this ugly after-taste for hours afterwards. And yet, you're still willing to take it two or three times a day. Why? Because your trust the doctor in that the medicine he's prescribed for you will cure you – it might not taste good but ultimately it's good for your health. Right? So if you can have this level of trust in a doctor – a limited creation just like you who's prone to error – then why have trouble having a higher level of trust in Allah, the creator limitless in knowledge and wisdom who knows you better than you do yourself and so is not prone to any error whatsoever?

I end with an āyah from the Qur’ān:

وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّۭ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

"It may well be that you all hate something and it is actually better for you. It may well be that you all love something and it is actually worse for you. Allah knows. And you! You don't know!" (Qur’ān 2:216)

Khutbah: Prioritising What We Learn

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of our selves and from the wrongs of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! Our religion teaches us that the most important of all knowledge is learning that which is obligatory upon every single Muslim to learn (farḍ ‘ayn), such as having a sound belief about Allah and His Messenger, as well as matters without which a Muslim cannot fulfil his obligatory actions such as wuḍū’ and ṣalāh. As such, learning these must be prioritised over anything else. However, you have people who have their priorities in the wrong order. You have some who are really smart and educated when it comes to the knowledge of the dunyā, but when it comes to religious knowledge they still don't know some of the ABCs. This is concerning. Yes, they may pass all their tests and exams, but what's the point when you've got no clue about what you need to know to pass the ultimate test – the test of this dunyā?

I'll give you a few examples. The first one is istinjā’. After using the toilet, it is very important that you clean yourself with water, such that you clean all the najāsah (filth) from yourself and so that you don't get any najāsah on your clothes. And if water is unavailable, then you still need to clean yourself, but with a dry material like toilet paper. Because: 1) it is sinful to stain your clothes with najāsah. 2) if you use the toilet, then right away pull your pants up and leave, when you pray later on, your clothes will still have najāsah on them. And you know that you can't pray with najāsah on your clothes or body. So for people who don't do istinjā’ after using the toilet, what do you think this means for all the prayers they've prayed in the past? All of them don't even count! So this is very important – a ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim mentions that there's even a punishment in the grave for the one who doesn't take care to avoid getting splashes of urine on himself. That's why the school has watering cans in the toilets, you know…. So this is a very important matter that every Muslim is obliged to know, yet many are unaware of it.

Another example: in wuḍū’, you're supposed to wash your face, arms and feet. You're not supposed to wipe them. But there are people who only wet their hands and then wipe the area without actually washing it – they don't make the water flow over these areas. And so the wuḍū’ is not valid.

One last example: ṭuma’nīnah (a.k.a. ta‘dīl al-arkān). In the ṣalāh, when performing rukū‘, i‘tidal, the two sujūds and the sitting between the two sujūds, it is obligatory to pause and remain motionless in each of these positions. However, you have many people who, for example, rise from rukū‘, their hands still swaying by their sides, and then they go down to sujūd before their hands even stopped moving. And then you have people who do rukū‘ and sujūd so fast it's as if they're birds pecking on the floor. Not taking care of ṭuma’nīnah can invalidate your ṣalāh. And what did the Prophet ﷺ say about the ṣalāh?

أوّل ما يحاسب به العبد يوم القيامة الصلاة، فإن صلحت صلح سائرُ عمله، وإن فسدت فسد سائرُ عمله

“The first thing that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer. If it is good/sound, then the rest of his deeds will be good/sound. And if it is corrupt, then the rest of his deeds will be corrupt.” (Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī)

There are so many more examples, but I hope these ones show you how important it is to prioritise learning your farḍ ‘ayn, i.e. things without which you can't fulfil your obligations before Allah such as ṣalāh. Not learning these things could devastate your outcome in the ākhirah. This is more important than useless things like how to win some time-wasting game, how to do card tricks, how to trick people…. You must prioritise what you learn. Yes, when it comes to beneficial worldly knowledge, go have your share of it. But remember that the success achieved by this worldly knowledge isn't necessarily guaranteed. Whereas with the success you can achieve through your religion, this has been promised by the Lord of the Worlds. You may not live to sit your next exam, but be sure that your examination in the Hereafter has been promised by your Lord. I'll end with an āyah:

وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَيَخْشَ ٱللَّهَ وَيَتَّقْهِ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَآئِزُونَ

“And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, has awe of Allah and is mindful of Him – it is they who are the attainers of success.” (Qur’ān 24:52)

Khutbah: Admiration of the Rich and Famous – a Delusion and a Disease

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of our selves and from the wrongs of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Brothers and sisters! I want to dedicate this khutbah to something I've noticed in many conversations, especially amongst the youth like you guys. It seems to be that whenever we have conversations, the topic time and time again is about other people who seem to be more successful in life. People who have the money, who have the fame, who have the followers, who seem cool. Whether it's soccer players, actors, CEOs, whatever. “Oh, you know this guy, he earns $4.5 million a year.” “This person earns in a day what others earn in a month.” “That person has 10 Lamborghinis and 5 mansions and 20 personal bodyguards and a private jet.” And so on. All this admiration of the rich and famous.

Dear brothers and sisters, let me tell you: this stuff – all this admiration – is not healthy. Wallāhi, it's not healthy for your hearts, for your spiritual health. It's not a healthy thing to admire these people. Yes, these people may have the wealth, the luxury, the fame, the good life, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're happy. Go search the internet and see how many of these "successful" and "lucky" people have family issues, violence issues, drugs issues…. How many of them live miserable lives despite their riches. How many of them have even taken their own lives. And they say money buys happiness….

And then they call them "stars"….

Well guess what? First of all, these guys aren't stars. But if we were to compare them to stars, then know that our Master Muḥammad ﷺ was a sun whose light outshines all other stars. Sayyidunā Muḥammad ﷺ was a sun whose light outshines all other stars. A sun whose light does not twinkle. True happiness lies in following him ﷺ, both in the next world and this world too. So the smart person should ask himself: “Whose light do I want to take from?”

It's a sad reality nowadays among Muslim youth. If you ask them, “Name for me ten footy players off the top of your head,” or, “Name for me ten movie stars,” or, “Name for me ten singers,” you'll hear the names flow from their tongues like water. But if you ask, “Name for me ten of the ṣaḥābah of the Prophet ﷺ off the top of your head”, or “Name for me ten members of Ahl al-Bayt (the family of the Prophet ﷺ),” or, “Name for me ten of the names of Allah,” you'll see them struggling to name even five. This is sad. Muslims – that's right, Muslims – having more love and admiration for kuffār, – people who outright reject belief in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ – the corrupt, and the sinners, than they have for Allah, – Lord of the worlds – His Messenger ﷺ, and the righteous. Muslims whose hearts and minds recognise and know more about the corrupt more than they do about the righteous.

Dear brothers and sisters! When it comes to worldly matters, don't look to those above you. Look to those below you. Those who live in poverty and in unsafe parts of the world. That way, you become content with what you have, and so you can feel rich without needing to be rich. Understand that admiring the rich and famous makes you lose focus of your reality in this world. This world isn't gonna last forever. We're only going to be here for a few years, then we'll all move on, whether we're rich or poor, famous or unknown. You can have all the wealth you want, but are you going to take any of it to your grave? You can dream all day about owning a nice, big home, but for how long are you going to live there? Sooner or later, you'll be moving into your new home 2 metres below the surface of the earth with the worms as your neighbours, a home which you'll probably stay in for much longer than any home you'll ever live in during this life. So which home do you seek to invest in? Wouldn't it be the smarter thing to work so that your grave – your only definite future home – may be a garden from the gardens of paradise?

Dear brothers and sisters! Realise that you have something most of these rich and famous people don't. And that's īmān. Such a valuable thing. Only with īmān can you earn the love of the Lord of all people, the One who has guaranteed Paradise for those who believe and do righteous actions. And by the way, the last and lowest-ranked man to enter Paradise will get equal to ten times what this world has, as per one narration. And that's forever. So who's more worthy of admiration and love then: the rich and famous of this temporary, worthless world, or the man whose guidance leads to the everlasting Paradise, ﷺ?

Khutbah: The Power of Intention

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of our selves and from the wrongs of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! We've just left the month of Ramaḍān, a month where we further recognise our purpose in life: to worship Allah. Now, what we don't want is to be of those who slack off after the holy month. But how? Well, let me share with you something you can do where you can transform every single act of yours – the permissible acts that is, not the sinful ones – into rewardable acts of worship.

Now, before you do any action, think about your intention when doing it. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” If you intend your everyday activities for the sake of Allah, you transform them into acts of worship, and so you actually get rewarded for them. So when you go to sleep, don't just say “I'm going to sleep because I'm sleepy.” Say, “I'm going to sleep to refresh my body for worshipping Allah tomorrow.” That way, you get ḥasanāt by literally doing nothing but intending your sleep to be for Allah's sake and then lying on your bed for six or so hours! How good is that? When you eat, don't just say “Well, I'm starving.” Say, “I'm eating to provide myself with energy to pray; I'm eating so I can express thanks over the blessings Allah has provided me; I'm eating because by body is a trust from Allah and so it's wājib for me to take care of my body.” And so when you intend these things, you get ḥasanāt for eating. Because, you're going to eat anyway, so you might as well get ḥasanāt for it, right? Even something like picking up a pen dropped by the person next to you. “Why am I doing it?” Don't just make it something you do out of habit. Intend it for the sake of Allah. Intend helping your Muslim brother/sister. Intend strengthening the brotherhood/sisterhood between the two of you. If the person's a non-Muslim, intend giving da‘wah via your good conduct. And Allah will reward you for each of these intentions, if you are sincere with them.

Ask yourself, “Why am I studying?” “Why am I picking these subjects?” “Why do I want this mark?” “Why am I aiming for this career after I leave school?” Don't just let your reasons be, “Oh, because I like it.” “Looks good.” “That job pays good money.” Sure, you can have these intentions, but have a higher intention. Your purpose in life is to worship Allah. The years you spend in your studies – you were always gonna go through them anyway. So why go through them without earning ḥasanāt from them? What a waste of a great opportunity! So have an intention when you approach your studies. “I'm studying to ensure that I can easily earn a halal income when I'm older” “I'm studying so that I can get into a career where I can serve the ummah and be a source of benefit for it.” “I'm studying so I can be a doctor, because there's a lack of and a need for Muslim doctors out there.” Or anything similar, and be sincere about your intentions.

Brothers and sisters, this is life-changing stuff. Just try this for one day where you do everything with an intention, and notice a deep change within you. A happiness, peace and joy within you. Everything you do that day – even your daily habits such as brushing your teeth, eating, drinking, charging your electronic device – will all be a source of ḥasanāt for you. Not a moment of your day will pass by without ḥasanāt rolling into your account. And the best thing is, you don't get tired from making intentions. So what do you have to lose?

I'll end with two calls to action. The next time you eat, ask yourself, “Why exactly am I doing this?” Intend it for Allah. That's the first call to action. The second one is that when you have time, sit down and think of something in your life that's important to you. Then write down the intentions you have in doing that important thing, and be sincere about them. Remember that your purpose in life is to worship Allah, and so just like how in an exam you wouldn't waste time you could use to score marks, likewise you don't want to have time pass by in this world without adding on to your ḥasanāt account.

Khutbah: A Glimpse of Judgement Day and Jahannam

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the bad of our selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

First and foremost, I advise you to fear Allah and be mindful of Him. And fear the day He has promised, when you will stand to be judged for what you made out of your life.

This is a day on which the entire humanity will be in a state of utter fear and regret. A day when some will flee from their parents, some from their brothers, some from their sisters, some from their children, some from their spouses, and some from their friends, out of extreme panic. People will be running around unclothed, but that'll be the least of their concerns when compared to the intensity of their horror and terror.

This will be a day of scorching heat. Right now, the Sun is 150 million km away, and yet when the temperature hits 35 degrees and our foreheads drip a couple droplets of sweat, we feel irritated, we complain, we rush to a room where the AC's on. But on this day, the Sun will be only a mile away – right above your forehead. People won't just be sweating two droplets – some will have sweat cover their ankles, some will have sweat cover their knees, some will have sweat cover their shoulders, and some will be even drowning in their sweat. Drowning in water is bad enough – imagine now drowning in your own sweat. And no, there'll be no fans or ACs on that day.

This is a day which has 50 stages. Each stage lasts for 1 000 years. That makes this one day 50 000 years in length. And for the kuffār, each stage will only get worse and worse and worse. If Allah had created death on this day, they would've died from the misery of the day. But no – there will be no death. Only misery upon misery upon misery.

Brothers and sisters! That was only the Day of Judgement. Actually, just a glimpse of it.

And then there's Jahannam. A place of torture upon torture upon torture. Punishment will come from above, below, left, right, front, and back. But there'll be no death. No relief. Every moment there will only get worse. As Allah says:

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا۟ وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُم مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى كُلَّ كَفُورٍ

"And for those who disbelieve will be the fire of Hell. Death is not decreed for them such that they may die, nor will its torment be lightened for them. Thus do we recompense every ungrateful one." (Qur’ān 35:36)

The fire of Hell is 70 times hotter than the fire of this world. Imagine being thrown right into a hot, roaring volcano, with lava at 1000 degrees, and left to drown. How quickly would you expect yourself to melt and die? Fifteen seconds? Ten? Five? Now imagine drowning in Hell, where not only is it 70 times hotter, but there's no longer such a thing as death any more. The people of Hell will have their skin roasted till it's gone, and then Allah will replace that with another set of skin, and then they'll be roasted again till that skin's gone, and then Allah will replace that skin with another one –  and this will continue on forever and ever.

And guess what food will be on offer in Jahannam? Thorns – nutrition-less thorns that will not fulfil hunger. Also, fruits which will be like the heads of the devils. Then once they've filled their bellies with that, they'll have as their drink boiling water, which will scald their faces and cut up their bowels. And as for cold drinks, there'll be Ghassāq: an intensely cold drink made up of the pus, sweat, tears and wounds of the people of Hell. And all you'll hear from the people of Hell is screaming, crying, wailing...

Brothers and sisters! Allah said:

نَبِّئْ عِبَادِىٓ أَنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ۝ وَأَنَّ عَذَابِى هُوَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ٱلْأَلِيمُ

"Inform My servants [O Muḥammad] that it is I who is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And that it is My punishment which is the painful punishment." (Qur’ān 15:49-50)

Brothers and sisters! We'll soon be entering the last ten days of Ramadān, the days of salvation from Hellfire. So use every moment you can during these days in doing acts that will lead to you being saved from Hellfire, even if by giving half a date in charity. Especially given that these "holy days" fall in the "holidays". And especially given that Laylat al-Qadr – a night better than 1000 months – is most likely to fall on one of these nights. Beg to Allah to spare you, out of His immense mercy and grace, from His intense punishment. And use this time to make a firm commitment for the rest of the year to avoid actions that will lead to His punishment.

Khutbah: Fasting – Not Just About Abandoning Food and Drink

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the bad of our selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

Allah says:

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

"O you who have believed! Prescribed upon you is fasting, just as it was prescribed upon those before you, so that perhaps you may have taqwā." (Qur’ān 2:183)

Dear brothers and sisters! Know that fasting is essentially an exercise in attaining taqwā (piety; God-consciousness and God-fearingness; technically defined as guarding oneself from Allah's ghaḍab (wrath) by obeying His commands and staying away from His prohibitions). Taqwā is expensive. Expensive things are hard to attain. Attaining taqwā isn't going to be easy. You aren't going to attain taqwā just by keeping away from food and drink for 12 hours a day. To attain taqwā, you're gonna have to struggle against your own self. Your own desires. You're going to have to struggle against the desires of your eyes. Which means lowering your gaze from looking at that which is ḥarām to look at. Also, the desires of your tongue. Which means keeping away from gossip, swearing, lying, rudeness, hurting others. This one is especially important. No teasing and calling names. No swearing. No speaking bad about your teachers behind their backs. No lying about your homework. No being rude to parents, teachers and elders. Also, the desires of your ears. Which means no listening to gossip, ḥarām songs, etc. Also, the desires of your hands. Which means no hurting one another. No bullying the weak kid in class. No stealing your friend's stationery, even as a joke. All these things – it's important to be careful about them while fasting, for the Prophet ﷺ said:

رُبَّ صَائِمٍ حَظُّهُ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ الْجُوعُ وَالْعَطَشُ

"How many a fasting person is there whose only portion from his fast is hunger and thirst!" (Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī)

Because some people fast people but do so many things to spoil and damage their fast that all they get out of it his hunger and thirst. Yes, their fast is legally valid and so they don't have to make up for it after Ramaḍān. But when they've been throwing swear words left, right and centre throughout the whole day, do you think they'll be rewarded for their fast? Hardly – if they even get rewarded for it in the first place, that is.

Subḥān Allāh, some people fast by refraining from normally halal food, yet at the same time they indulge in eating the flesh of their fellow brothers and sisters. How? By backbiting and gossiping about and speaking ill of them. To them we remind them of what the Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ

"Whoever does not abandon false speech and action upon it – Allah has no need that he abandon his food and drink." (Narrated by al-Bukhārī)

Because Allah never needed us to fast in the first place. It is us who need to fast in order to please Him. So if we damage our own fast via foul speech, we only harm ourselves – we don't harm Allah in the slightest.

Also, you have other people who have, like, three meals at once for ifṭār. They stuff their bellies with food. This defeats one of the main purposes of fasting. Fasting is supposed to make you suppress your desires and thus make you spiritually stronger. But now instead, you're busy indulging in your desires once more, trying to make up what you lost in the daytime. Subḥān Allāh! Realise, dear brothers and sisters, that the way you deal with food is an indication of the way you deal with dunyā. And so by reducing your food intake, you'll grow to become less attached to this dunyā – this temporary, worthless dunyā – and your heart will grow stronger for its journey to the Hereafter. So only eat as much as you need. A traveller should only carry as much supplies as he needs, otherwise he'll collapse from the heaviness of it all and never reach the destination he set out for in the first place.

So, we mentioned that taqwā is expensive. Expensive things are hard to get. But once you do have them in your hands, Subḥān Allāh, you've got one amazing thing. And so for the person with taqwā, he truly has something amazing. Allah says:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ

"And whoever has taqwā of Allah, He will make for him a way out [of the hardships of this life and the next,] and provide for him from [sources] he could never imagine." (Qur’ān 65:2-3)

And He says:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ يُسْرًا

"And whoever has taqwā of Allah, He will make ease for him of his affair." (Qur’ān 65:4)

And He says

وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِۦ وَيُعْظِمْ لَهُۥٓ أَجْرًا

"And whoever has taqwā of Allah, He will remove from him his misdeeds and make great for him his reward." (Qur’ān 65:5)

Subḥān Allāh, isn't that awesome? When you seek Allah and the reward of the Hereafter, Allah doesn't just give you the best of the next world – He'll give you the best of this world too!

So to conclude, fasting isn't just about controlling your desires for food and drink. It's about attaining taqwā. And that means controlling the desires of all your body parts – your eyes, ears, tongue, etc. –  so that you don't end up like those who get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst.

Khutbah: Dunya Wasn't Meant to Be Jannah

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the bad of our selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

Now then:

Allah says:

أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا۟ أَن يَقُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ ۝ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ

“Do people think that they will be left (at ease) only on their saying, 'We believe,' and will not be put to any test? Indeed, We tested those who were before them: Allah will certainly make evident which ones are truthful, and He will certainly make evident which ones are liars.” (Qur’ān 29:2-3)

O slaves of Allah! Understand that this world was meant to be a test for us. It wasn't meant to be paradise. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ

“This world is the prison of a believer and the paradise of a non-believer.” (Narrated by Muslim)

So please understand: not everything in this world was supposed to go your way. This world was meant to have its trials and struggles. It wasn't meant to be a place where everything happens just as how you desire. If you really want to live in such a place, then I guess you'll have to work hard now in this world until you get to Jannah.

Now, if we take even a brief glance at the life of Allah's Messenger ﷺ we quickly see that his life wasn't easy. By the time he was six, he'd lost both of his parents. When he went to Ṭā’if to call them to Islam, he was pelted out of the city with stones, such that he bled so much that the blood glued his blessed feet to his sandals. He and his clan were exiled of Makkah for two years and were left to survive out in the open in the harsh, scorching Arabian desert with no water supply, eating nothing but twigs and leaves. Even in Madinah, where he was now head of state, days would go by without a fire being lit in his home to cook food. And who was this again?

The Beloved of Allah ﷺ. The best creation of Allah ﷺ.

And yet things for him didn't go the way he wanted. So what makes you think that the world should revolve around you?

You think your parents are so frustrating to deal with because they don't give in to what you want? Well, first of all, they aren't your personal servants – they're your parents. Secondly, guess what Sayyidunā Ibrahim's father was telling him to do?

“Go worship idols, son.”

He was commanding him to do shirk, the greatest sin, a sin Allah does not forgive for the person who dies upon it. And how does Ibrahim respond? By yelling? By swearing? By going on a rage? No. He addresses his father respectfully. Tries to convince him nicely. And how does his father respond? He doesn't just remain stubborn upon his shirk – he threatens to stone his own son! And what does Ibrahim say in reply?

“Salāmun ‘alayk.” (“Peace be upon you.”)

Ibrahim doesn't get his way when he calls his father to what Allah demands, and yet he's patient with him. So what about us who whinge and shout and let it all out when the situation doesn't submit to our demands?

Brothers and sisters, let's learn not to complain. When you complain, you're essentially expressing your lack of content with how Allah willed for things to be in this world. When you're fuming because you're meat is too undercooked or your chips aren't salty enough, you're expressing your lack of content with what Allah decreed to be your rizq (sustenance). We're not saying that you can't have a natural dislike for certain things. But if you do find something you don't exactly like, don't complain about it, and see the positive side of it. Life will become so much easier, and you'll end up so much happier.

So to conclude: this world wasn't meant to be a paradise. It was meant to be a test for you and me. So when things don't go your way, don't complain. It's useless and it won't change what Allah has already decreed. Rather, stay patient, for the patient await for themselves a massive reward in the next world, a place where you can have everything go your own way.

Khutbah: Prayer – a Pillar of the Religion

All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the bad of our selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

Now then:

Dear brothers and sisters! Know that nothing – apart from belief in Allah and His Messenger – will be more important to you throughout your entire life than the prayer (ṣalāh). The ṣalāh is the greatest pillar of this religion after the shahādah. It is the best and the most important of all the acts of worship done by the human body. Many Qur’ānic āyāt and ḥadīths demonstrate this point.

For example, Allah's Messenger ﷺ said in a ḥadīth qudsī that Allah ta‘ālā said:

إِنِّي فَرَضْتُ عَلَى أُمَّتِكَ خَمْسَ صَلَوَاتٍ وَعَهِدْتُ عِنْدِي عَهْدًا أَنَّهُ مَنْ جَاءَ يُحَافِظُ عَلَيْهِنَّ لِوَقْتِهِنَّ أَدْخَلْتُهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَنْ لَمْ يُحَافِظْ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَلاَ عَهْدَ لَهُ عِنْدِي

"Indeed, I have made obligatory upon your ummah five prayers, and I have taken upon myself a promise that whoever is mindful about offering them at their appointed time, I shall admit him into Paradise, and whoever is not mindful about them, then there is no such promise from Me for him." (Narrated by Abū Dāwūd)

Thus, Allah may either forgive him or punish him. You don't want to risk being punished by the Lord of all existence, do you?

Also, what were the last counsel of the Prophet ﷺ before he left this world?

الصَّلاَةَ الصَّلاَةَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِيمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ

"The ṣalāh, the ṣalāh (i.e. be observant about ṣalāh, guard the ṣalāh, establish ṣalāh), and fear Allah regarding those whom your right hands possess." (Narrated by Abū Dāwūd, as reported by Sayyidunā ‘Alī (‘alayhi s-salām))

This was his last piece of advice for us before he breathed his last.

In the Qur’ān, Allah frequently describes the true believers and the successful as being those who would establish the prayer. The Qur’ān also mentions how when the believers are in Jannah, they will look down and see those in Hell and ask them,

مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ

"What put you into Saqar (i.e. Hellfire)?" (Qur’ān 74:42)

And so what's the first thing they'll say in reply?

قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ

"They will say, 'We were not of those who prayed.'" (Qur’ān 74:43)

We have many examples from the sīrah too. I'll only mention one. Now, how did the Prophet ﷺ usually receive commandments from Allah? Angel Jibrīl would come down from the heavens to the Earth with the message and deliver it to Allah's Messenger ﷺ. But with the commandment of ṣalāh, things happened differently. Instead of Jibrīl coming down from the heavens to Earth to deliver the commandment to the Prophet ﷺ, the Prophet ﷺ was now brought up from Earth to the heavens, where he would receive this mighty commandment – the commandment of ṣalāh.

Dear brothers and sisters, you've heard of the importance of the ṣalāh. So ensure that you remain regular with your prayers. Allah only asked that you do five. Just five. The initial command was fifty prayers a day. But He, out of His extreme mercy for you and me, reduced it to five. From fifty to five. So for those of you who aren't praying these five, come on – it's not a big ask. It won't take up more than 20-30 minutes of your 24 hour – or 1440 minute – day. How many minutes – or hours – do you spend on your phone per day? On the internet? On games? On social media? Sending and reading messages? And yet 30 minutes a day to offer ṣalāh and recite or listen to Allah's message for you is too much? 30 minutes a day to pray to your Creator is too much? So from this day on, let us resolve to get our five prayers right. If waking up for Fajr is your problem, try preparing from the night before. Sleep earlier. Don't have too much for dinner. Get an alarm and put it far from your bed. Do the dhikr before sleeping. Motivate yourself, for Fajr and for the other four prayers. And for those of us who are already praying the five, let's strive to go further. Pray more of the sunnah prayers, pray in congregation (for men), improve the quality of your ṣalāh, – don't pray like a bird pecking its head on the ground – learn the meanings of what you're saying, and so on.

I end with a ḥadīth where Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

أوّل ما يحاسب به العبد يوم القيامة الصلاة، فإن صلحت صلح سائرُ عمله، وإن فسدت فسد سائرُ عمله

"The first thing that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer. If it is good/sound, then the rest of his deeds will be good/sound. And if it is corrupt, then the rest of his deeds will be corrupt." (Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī)

Khutbah: Religiosity is Correlated with Character

All praise and thanks is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the bad of our selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.

To proceed:

The Prophet ﷺ said:

مَا شَيْءٌ أَثْقَلُ فِي مِيزَانِ الْمُؤْمِنِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ خُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ

"There is nothing heavier in the scale of the believer on the Day of Resurrection than excellent character." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī)

Dear believers! Ponder upon this statement of Allah's Messenger ﷺ. Akhlāq (character) is a central part of Islam. For a person's character serves as an indicator of their attachment to the rules of the Islam. You can measure the quality of your attachment to the rules of Islam by the quality of your character.

You see, with some people, the more they apparently become closer to the religion, the harsher they become with others. The more they apparently become closer to the religion, the more disrespectful they become towards others. The more they apparently become closer to the religion, the ruder they become with others. The more they apparently become closer to the religion, the more they mock, curse or attack others they view as wrong. The more they apparently become closer to the religion, the more they look down upon family and friends who aren't so religious or perhaps just unintentionally fall into sin.

Why? This is not the way things should be…

The more you attach yourself to the religion, the better your akhlāq should become. If you think you're becoming more religious, however your akhlāq isn't improving, then there's probably something wrong. Chances are that by becoming closer to the religion, you seek to make yourself feel good, and seek that the people admire you and are impressed by you and make you the person they ask for religious questions. Well if that's the case, then there's a problem. You're now looking down upon others and thinking that you're better than them, because you think you're more religious than them. O slave of Allah, this is a disease of the heart. And so what happens to akhlāq as a result of this disease? It goes out the door. You become harsher and more disrespectful to the people. And so do you think a person with a diseased heart as such can truly be said to be a religious person?

Thus, if you think you're all religious and pious, then judge your character. Let's not judge others – we must think well of others and have good opinions about them. But do have a look at yourself. Are you merciful, gentle, sympathetic, polite, selfless and humble with others? Are you always having good assumptions about them, trying to think positively about them? Or are you harsh, mean, foul-mouthed, selfish and rude with others? Always thinking negatively of and looking down upon them?

Dear brothers and sisters, now you see that quality of character is an indication of quality of religiosity. Now do you see how the person with the greatest character in human history was also the most God-fearing and God-conscious person in human history, our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ? Does that not now bring into perspective aḥādīth such as:

خَيْرُكُمْ إِسْلاَمًا أَحَاسِنُكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا إِذَا فَقِهُوا

"The best of you in Islam are those of you most excellent in character, when they gain understanding of the religion." (Narrated by al-Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad and Aḥmad in his Musnad)?

To conclude: becoming closer to religion should mean becoming a better person. Becoming more religious should make you a better son, a better daughter, a better brother, a better sister, a better friend, a better student. It's a sign of an improved state with Allah that your states with His slaves improve as well. If they don't, then there's a disconnect between your apparent increase in religiosity and your sincerity in doing so, and that you'll need to fix up.

Rajab Dawns Upon Us Again

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

By the grace of Allah, we have entered the month of Rajab, one of the four sacred months of the Islamic calendar. Thus, good deeds are multiplied and extra-virtuous during it. However, falling into sin is also considered greater in this month. Let us use this month to purify ourselves and sow the seeds for Ramaḍān.

Some ideas to get the most out of Rajab:
- Increasing in istighfār (seeking Allah's forgiveness) and tawbah (turning to Allah in repentance)
- Extra fasting (esp. Mondays & Thursdays, and the 13th, 14th & 15th days of the month)
- Being eager to fulfil more sunnah acts
- Being extra-cautious of falling into sin
- Building up our acts of worship in time for Ramaḍān

Rajab is also a significant month with regards to Islamic history. Sayyidah Āminah becoming pregnant with the Best of all Creation (ﷺ). The Battle of Tabūk, which marked the completion of Islamic authority over the Arabian Peninsula. The Liberation of Jerusalem by Salāh al-Dīn al-Ayyūbī (Saladin). The destruction of the Khilāfah, the institution that had ruled by Islam and shielded the Muslims from the death of the Prophet (ﷺ) up till 1342 AH/1924 CE. All these took place in Rajab.

We ask Allah to bless us in Rajab and Sha‘bān, and to let us reach Ramadān.

Khutbah: Having Balance in Having Hope in Allah's Forgiveness and Mercy

All praise and thanks indeed be 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 Allah's prayers and peace be upon him, and upon his family and companions.

O Slaves of Allah! I first and foremost advise you to fear Allah, remain conscious of Him and keep your duty to Him at all times. Obey Allah, for indeed he who obeys Him has attained success. And beware of disobedience, for indeed he who disobeys Him has attained ruin. But remember that we are human beings, and by nature we will make mistakes; we will slip up every now and then. The Prophet ﷺ said in this regard:

كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ‏ وَخَيْرُ اَلْخَطَّائِينَ اَلتَّوَّابُونَ

“Every son of Adam is a sinner, and the best of sinners are those who repent.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah)

So whenever you commit a mistake, be assured that the door of Allah's Forgiveness is wide open.

Now then: Allah says:

وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

“Whoever commits an evil or wrongs himself, then seeks Allah's Forgiveness, will find Allah as Forgiving, Merciful.” (Qur’ān 4:103)

So whenever you commit a sin, immediately ask Allah for Forgiveness, as Allah has promised not only Forgiveness for people who do so, but also Paradise, wherein they will live forever. Always keep in mind that the door of Allah's Forgiveness is open for every single sin, except for the person who dies upon shirk, the greatest of all sins. Allah says:

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ

“Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him (i.e. shirk), but He forgives everything else less than that, to whomever He wills.” (Qur’ān 4:116)

Take note of that last part of that āyah. Because there are people who commit sins and then justify their sinning by saying, “Look, Allah is al-Ghafūr (The All-Forgiving) and al-Raḥīm (The Most Merciful) – He'll forgive what we're doing.” However, these people have misunderstood the concept of the Forgiveness of Allah. Yes, Allah is Most Merciful – more merciful than a mother is to her child. But don't forget also that Allah is also most severe in punishment. Remember that Allah's Forgiveness is only for whomever He wills, as stated in the āyah we just heard. Wouldn't it be a disaster if for all your life you disobeyed Allah, whilst saying to yourself, “Allah is Most Forgiving; He'll forgive me,” then when the Day of Judgement comes you discover that you were not one of those whom Allah had willed to forgive, and so as a result you were made to enter Hellfire? How devastating would that be?

So ensure that you have a balance between hope in Allah's Mercy and Forgiveness, and fear of His punishment. Yes, the doors of Allah's Mercy and Forgiveness are wide open. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah ta‘ālā said – and pay attention to this:

يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتنِي وَرَجَوْتنِي غَفَرْتُ لَك عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْك وَلَا أُبَالِي، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُك عَنَانَ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرْتنِي غَفَرْتُ لَك، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! إنَّك لَوْ أتَيْتنِي بِقُرَابِ الْأَرْضِ خَطَايَا ثُمَّ لَقِيتنِي لَا تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْئًا لَأَتَيْتُك بِقُرَابِهَا مَغْفِرَةً

“O Son of Adam! For as long as you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam! Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and then you were to ask forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam! Were you to come to Me with enough sins to fill the Earth, then you were to meet Me not associating a partner with Me, I would give you in return forgiveness likewise enough to fill the Earth.’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī)

Subḥān Allāh. How beautiful.

However, at the same time, don't use the excuse of "Allah is al-Ghafūr and al-Raḥīm" to justify your wrongdoing.

But nevertheless, as Allah says in the Qur’ān:

لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ

“Don't despair of the Mercy of Allah.” (Qur’ān 39:53)

Keep in mind that He is saying that while having full knowledge of all the sins you have committed and will commit. Allah knows them all and He's still telling you to never lose hope. So why would you ever think that your sins are too great for Allah to forgive?

I end with the following two statements of Allah. One is a ḥadīth qudsī, where Allah says:

 يَا عِبَادِي! إنَّكُمْ تُخْطِئُونَ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ، وَأَنَا أَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا؛ فَاسْتَغْفِرُونِي أَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ

“O my slaves! Indeed, you commit mistakes night and day, and I forgive all sins, so ask me for forgiveness – I will forgive you.” (Narrated by Muslim)

And the other is an āyah from the Qur’ān where Allah says:

قُلْ يَٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the Mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives sins – all of them. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’” (Qur’ān 39:53)

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.