Khutbah: Paradise Requires Sacrifice

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

To proceed:

The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

‏ حُفَّتِ الْجَنَّةُ بِالْمَكَارِهِ وَحُفَّتِ النَّارُ بِالشَّهَوَاتِ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا۟ أَن يَقُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ

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

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

وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ

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

Allāh also says:

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

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

And He says:

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

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

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

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

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصْبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

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

Khutbah: Receiving Rajab

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

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

To proceed:

Allāh states:

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

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

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

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

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

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

O Honourable Believers! The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

 إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا أَذْنَبَ كَانَتْ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فِي قَلْبِهِ

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

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

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

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

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

Khutbah: Time is Running Out

All praises and thanks are due to Allāh, the one who placed in His obedience honour for the lowly slave, and in His disobedience distance from Him as well as humiliation. I testify that there is no god except Allāh alone, without a partner – the King, the Generous, the Majestic. And I testify that our master Muḥammad – the seal of Messenger-ship, the guide – is His Slave and Messenger. May blessings and peace be upon him and upon his family and companions throughout the mornings and evenings.

To proceed:

O slaves of Allāh! I first and foremost advise you to fear Allāh, the Honourable, the Ultimate King, the Master of the day on which every single human being will be questioned as to how he spent the short time he had on this earth. I urge you to prepare your baggage for this day, for there are no second chances after this day.

Honourable believers! Allāh states in His book:

 أَرَضِيتُم بِٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا مِنَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۚ فَمَا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ

"Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little." (Qur’ān 9:38)

Do you really prefer this temporary life, with the little that it has to offer, over the next? Do you really want to spend your time here enjoying this temporary prison world at the expense of the never-ending delights the Hereafter has to offer?

No, my brothers and sisters! Indeed, this life was made to be a preparation ground for the more real and everlasting life of the next world. And time is running out to make use of it. Time is running out. So make use of it wisely. Remember that you can die at literally any time. Would you like it if you died while you were disobeying your Lord? Think about this every time you intend on doing something.

But how do we make use of the limited time we have in the most effective manner? Allāh gives us the answer in Sūrat al-‘Aṣr, a sūrah that is one of the shortest but also one of the most profound in meaning. Allāh starts the sūrah off with:

وَٱلْعَصْرِ

"[I swear] by time." (Qur’ān 103:1)

Allāh uses the word al-‘aṣr. This has many connotations, too many to be mentioned here. But one of them is the idea that time is running out. When it's ‘aṣr time, isn't it close to the end of the day? The Arabic word for juice is ‘aṣīr. Juice that is being squeezed out. Likewise, time is being squeezed out of your hands. Then Allāh says:

إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ

"Verily, the human being indeed is in a state of loss." (Qur’ān 103:2)

Every single human being. Drowning in a state of loss. For sure. But then Allāh places exceptions. He says:

إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ

"Except for those who have believed and performed good deeds and advised each other to the truth and advised each other to ṣabr." (Qur’ān 103:3)

The first thing you do to save yourself from drowning in loss is to believe. Once you plant the tree of belief, the fruits will start blossoming. The fruit of belief is good actions. However, it's not enough to just be good. Others are drowning in loss too. You need to save them. So you advise them to the truth. But then after a while you start finding all this difficult, or that those you're advising to the truth are finding keeping on the truth difficult, or that those you're trying to advise aren't even listening. So you advise them to ṣabr. To patience, to perseverance, to commitment, to constancy. These four are just the bare minimum you are required to do to save yourself from drowning in loss. If you're not doing them then you'll be in serious trouble later on.

So I remind you again, O slaves of Allāh, that this life is short. This life is temporary. The ākhirah is better and everlasting. It's waiting for you. Though time's running out to achieve the best of what it has to offer. Don't waste your time here in this world. Remember, you can die at literally any second. You will die at literally any second. Make use of your time. Especially since you have the school holidays coming up. Don't waste it. Don't just let it pass by. Use it in a beneficial and productive way. Never put yourself into a situation where you wouldn't want the Angel of Death to take your soul at that very moment. The Muslim is a wise person. Use your time wisely. Time is running out, and every single one of us is definitely in loss. Except those of us who have believed, perform good deeds, advise each other to the truth and advise each other to ṣabr.

Three Things You Should Not Belittle

[This is an extended version of a khuṭbah that was delivered on the date of publishing. Certain parts were omitted from the actual delivered khuṭbah for the sake of brevity.]

All praise is due to Allāh, the One who created death and life in order to test you as to who is the best in action. The One who created creation with His Infinite Knowledge, predestined for them their fates and appointed the times of their endings. I praise Him – exalted is He above all limitations – with much praises and I thank Him which much thanks. And I testify that there is no god except Allāh alone, having no partner, and I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger, the one whom Allāh sent as a witness, a bringer of good tidings, a witness, a caller to Allāh by His Permission, and an illuminating light. May blessings and much peace be upon him and upon his family and companions.

O attendees of this blessed Friday gathering! I first and foremost advise you to fear Allāh and remain conscious of Him at all times. Remember that Allāh will hold you accountable for all your actions, whether good or bad, small or big, so ensure that all your actions fall in line with His commandments.

A ‘ālim once warned to beware of three things: 1) Belittling a good act as you don't know where the riḍā¹ of Allāh is hidden, 2) belittling a bad act as you don't know where the ghaḍab² of Allāh is hidden, and 3) belittling a human being as you never know where the waliyy³ of Allāh is hidden. This advice is indeed profound if we were to reflect upon it.

The first one is belittling a good act. Never underestimate any good action, O honourable believers, as it may be that by that good action Allāh admits your into Paradise. Do not think of picking up rubbish from the ground as just something small. Do not think of giving 50¢ in charity as just something small.  Don't think of smiling at a fellow Muslim, greeting him and shaking hands as just something small. It may be that by these small actions Allāh forgives your sins and admits you into Paradise.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Verily, a prostitute saw a dog going around a well on a hot day, hanging his tongue from thirst, so she drew some water for it in her shoe, and she was forgiven [for this act]" (Narrated by Muslim). So we can see here that it was a small good action that this woman did – feeding a thirsty dog – that ended up in Allāh forgiving her sins.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Guard yourselves against the Fire [of Hell] even if it be only with half a date-fruit (given in charity); and whoever cannot find even this, then at least with a good word" (Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim). Here, the Prophet ﷺ is advising us to do anything to keep away from the Fire, even if it's a small action such as giving half a date in charity or saying a good word.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever of you performs wuḍū’ carefully and then says, 'Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa Llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan `abduhū wa rasūluh; [Allāhumma j-‘alnī mina t-tawwābīna, wa j-‘alni mina l-mutaṭahhirīn] (I testify that there so no true god except Allah Alone, Who has no partners and that Muḥammad ﷺ is His slave and Messenger; [O Allah! Make me among those who repent and make me from the those who purify themselves]', the eight gates of jannah are opened for him. He may enter through whichever of these gates he desires." (Narrated by Muslim and al-Tirmidhī; al-Tirmidhī's version adds the square-bracketed portion)

Hence, we should never underestimate the value of any good action we may do, for indeed it could be that very action that results in Allāh forgiving us and entering us into His paradise.

The second one is belittling a bad act. Never underestimate any bad action, O slaves of Allāh, as it may be that by that bad action Allāh punishes you. An example is April Fools' jokes. You may jokingly lie, deceive or play a prank on a person and then think that what you did was small, but it may be that because of that small action Allāh punishes you later on. It is extremely bad and sad how some people think that lying on this day alright and fine, when lying is forbidden and an evil act on all 365 days of the year. Making the ḥarām ḥalāl... this is an extremely serious matter. So indeed, the real fools are those who participate in the occasion of April Fools.

It was narrated that the Prophet ﷺ once passed by two graves and said that the inhabitants of those two graves were being punished for something that could easily be avoided. One of them used to go around tale-bearing while the other one would not save himself from splashes of urine. From this, we learn that there are actions which many people may deem small and significant, when in fact these actions are major sins that could land one in deep trouble.

Hence, never think of a sin as being small. Some people, when they commit a sin, argue that what they did was only a minor sin, not a major one. This is the wrong way to look at it. Whether a sin is minor or major, it still is a sin. It still makes a person deserving of the punishment of Allāh. Thus, never think of a sin as being just a small sin that you can just get away with. "Don't look at the smallness of your act of disobedience, but look at the greatness of the One you are disobeying," said one of the wise men.

The third one is belittling another person. Never ever underestimate another person, O brothers and sisters, especially a Muslim. You never know the status of a person before Allāh. You never know that that person you've just mocked and belittled may be one of the awliyā’ of Allāh. This is dangerous, as the Prophet ﷺ said that Allāh said: "Whoever opposes a waliyy of mine, I indeed declare war on him" (Narrated by al-Bukhārī). Do you really want Allāh – the Most Powerful, the One who who can do absolutely anything – to declare war on you?

This becomes worse when you mock another person. By mocking someone, you give the message that you can't face up to that person and so you're going to resort to mocking him to make yourself look good. And by mocking others, you're really trying to assert your superiority over them by degrading them. Isn't this what Iblīs did when he said to Allāh about our father Ādam: “I am better than him: You created me from fire and you created him from clay” (Qur’ān 7:32) – a statement that earned him the curse of Allāh until the Day of Judgement?

So I remind you to beware of: 1) Belittling a good act as you don't know where the riḍā of Allāh is hidden, 2) belittling a bad act as you don't know where the ghaḍab of Allāh is hidden, and 3) belittling a human being as you never know where the waliyy of Allāh is hidden. Start training your tongues now for Ramaḍān which is only three months away. The ṣaḥābah would prepare for it months before it came.

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1 Riḍā: Allāh's Will to punish someone.^↩
2 Ghaḍab: Allāh's Will to reward someone^↩
3 Waliyy: A rough translation would be friends/allies of Allāh; saints.^↩

Converts or Reverts?

Abū Hurayrah (radiya -Llāhu ʿanhu) reported that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ إِلَّا يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ وَيُنَصِّرَانِهِ وَيُمَجِّسَانِهِ

“No one is born except upon the state of fiṭrah (فطرة); then his parents turn him into a Jew or a Christian or a Magian.” (al-Bukhārī and Muslim)

Notice how the Prophet ﷺ didn't say that everyone was born upon Islam, but rather upon the fiṭrah – the natural disposition/inclination to believe in one God.

Hence, when describing people who have newly accepted Islam, it is more appropriate to refer to them as "converts", rather than as "reverts" as commonly misconceived.

We ask Allāh to keep inclined towards tawḥīd and submission towards Him until the day we die. Āmīn!