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:
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)
